Secrets Revealed
I had just shut my eyes when I heard a voice. It was a soft whisper that I could barely hear. I sat up and looked towards the mirror. Is it my imagination or is it glowing? I stood up and walked slowly over to the mirror. There actually was a glow from far behind my mirror. I pressed my ear to the glass and listened very closely.
"Come to me, Rachel. Come to me." It was Erik. Oh no, I hope I am not late for my lesson! He will be so upset! I pulled back the glass and stepped inside. I reached the lake and found Erik there waiting for me. He looked a little annoyed when I smiled at him.
"Where have you been? I was waiting for at least twenty minutes. Didn't you hear me calling?" With each question he asked, his voice rose in volume.
"Well, I was extremely tired from rehearsal, so I decided to rest a little. I guess I fell asleep. I'm very sorry, Angel." He shook his head but took my hand to help me in the boat. We reached the other end and he helped me out. He walked over to the organ and I followed behind like an obedient puppy. He began to play as I sat and watched. He seems so distant towards me. I guess my sudden lateness bothered him more than I thought it would. He stopped playing all of a sudden and just sat there in silence, staring at his music. I decided to ask him what was wrong.
"Angel, what is bothering you? Did I do something wrong?" He got up from the bench and looked down at me.
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I have just had a lot on my mind is all. Now, we should begin your lesson. The performance is tomorrow and we want everything to go smoothly." I knew that everything wasn't alright, though, so I decided to pry a little more. I reached out my hand to stop him from playing again. He turned to me with a surprised expression.
"I know something is bothering you, Angel. I can see it in the way you don't put your soul into the music. You usually play with such emotion. Please tell me what is wrong." He ripped his hand from my grasp and angrily turned to me.
"Why would you care what is bothering me? Why should you care? No one has ever cared before! The last thing I want from you is pity!" Poor Erik! I hate what those men did to you! They ruined both of our lives!
"I'm sorry that no one has shown concern for you before, but my concern is not out of pity. I am your friend and I am just worried about you, that is all. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'll be here waiting if you do." I watched as several emotions played across his face. I didn't think he was going to tell me anything until I heard him whisper something. I bent down but still couldn't understand him.
"I'm sorry but what did you say?"
"I said I am having dreams that I don't understand. They are making me feel odd." He is actually talking to me about his problems! This is a moment in history!
"Are they bad dreams that are upsetting you?" He seemed a little hesitant to answer me, but he finally spoke up.
"Some are good and others are bad. They make me sad, happy, angry, and confused. I can't seem to figure them out and they just keep repeating themselves." His voice started to turn panicky and he began to shudder. I reached out and gripped his hand firmly. He flinched for a moment but then gripped my fingers back.
"What are they, if you don't mind me asking?" He took a long, shuddering breath and then let it out.
"Well, some are about me when I am younger. I guess I am around twelve or so. I am sitting at a piano in a parlor with a young girl sitting beside me. She has long, blonde hair that is usually in braids. We are laughing and talking. As soon as I'm about to look at her face I wake up. Then, my other one is about a woman that constantly hits me and screams at me. In my dream I call her my mother, although, she doesn't seem like a very loving mother. One time she actually threw a glass vase at me and almost hit me in the head! Then, my third dream is about the young girl again. We are singing out in the yard behind a small house. We have one certain song that we always sing, but I can't seem to remember the words. All I can hear is the tune in my dreams. She is facing away from me, but her long hair is blowing in the summer breeze. She is about to turn and look at me, but I wake up when she does. All these dreams make no sense to me. The only thing I can guess is that the same girl in my dreams is the one in the photograph that I have. I don't think she was my sister, so I guess she was a friend." I could only stare at him in utter astonishment! All of his dreams were things that actually had happened! He was having flashbacks even though he didn't know it. Should I tell him who I am? Would he even believe me, though? I don't want to scare him anymore than he already is. Maybe I should just tell him a secret of my own. That might help him not feel so self-conscious about his dreams.
"Angel, everyone has fears that they have to face in their lives. I don't know what to say about your dreams, though. I can tell you about one of my problems that I had, though. Maybe it will help you somehow." He nodded and turned to face me with full attention.
"Well, after my mother died, it was just me and my father. I grew up only knowing my father and never really thinking about my mother that much. I suppose I just thought that I had a normal family. Well, I grew up and eventually went to school when I was ten. I had been taught by my dad up until then. I went to a small school in the city with many children. I was extremely nervous that first day. I did learn to make friends, though, and soon began to love it there. Well, one day the teacher announced that we were to have a mother, daughter fun day. I didn't know what to do because all I had was my father. So, that day came and passed while I sat at home sewing. I hadn't told my father about it because I knew he would have tried to comfort me and I felt way too proud for that. For the seven years to come I still couldn't forget that day. One day, me and my father went into town so he could sell one of his horses. I had begun to love to sing, so I kept singing a little song as we rode into town. Well, a man had overheard me and began telling me who he was. He was in fact Andre' and he told me that he and his friend had just recently purchased the Paris Opera House. They were looking for new voices and he said that I had a gift in singing. He gave us the address of the Opera House and told my father to take me by there sometime. A few days later we drove by there and stopped to look at it. My father didn't want me to join just yet, since he still wanted me to get my education. So, I waited for two years. My father came to me one day, and told me that it was time for us to pay a visit to the Opera House. We drove up there and spoke to Andre' again. I sang for him and he automatically that I should sing in the opera. So, we went back home and waited for a letter, which arrived in about four days. I packed my bags and headed here to the Opera House. Even though I couldn't stand to leave my father, I knew that this was my one chance in life to do something for myself. This has been a wonderful experience so far, even though Carlotta and Miss Sherry dislike me very much. The point is, even the most horrible situations can turn into the most wonderful." I thought I saw a small tear fall from his eye, but he turned his face away too quickly for me to tell. When he turned back around, I could see that he was smiling. I smiled back and gave his hand one last squeeze.
"Thank you, Rachel." He actually said thank you! This is going pretty well, I think.
"You are very welcome! Now, we have an opera to practice for, don't we?" He smiled an even larger smile and placed his hands on the keys.
"Yes, ma'am, we most certainly do."
(Author's Note: So, how do you like it? I was afraid at first that I would get writer's block, but I pulled through. Don't forget to review!)
