42) Say a prayer, then we´re there

"Why don´t you all go into an early lunch break?", M.André suggested quickly before the disappearing of Mme.Giry could cause another panic. Marie, now standing next to a handsome violinist, looked suspiciously close to fainting yet again. "I´m certain that everything will be all right when you come back.", he went on. Slowly the stage grew empty. Musicians and dancers were whispering excitedly. They were allowed to leave earlier for the second time within two days. Strange things were going on.

"Most unfortunately I´m unable to accompany you.", Carlotta said, touching her temple with her fingertips in an exaggerated gesture. "I´m afraid it would not be good for my nerves." "Of course you don´t have to go with us, mia carissima.", Signor Piangi assured her in a gentle voice. "Just wait in your dressing room , and I´ll tell you everything later." Maybe for the first time in her life Carlotta did exactly as she was instructed.

Without another word the tenor led the group to the corridor from which the private boxes could be entered. In front of the door leading to Box Five they stopped. "Shall we knock?", M.Firmin asked in a whisper. Ariane shook her head. "Dead people cannot open doors.", she replied. "There are no dead people in this opera.", M.André hissed. "All we have to do it get the key." "It is said that only the Ghost himself has the key to the box.", M.Reyer informed them.

Paying no attention to the chatting, Signor Piangi simply pushed down the handle. The door opened at once. Seeing this the others stopped their pointless conversation and exchanged nervous glances, all silently saying that they didn´t want to go first. Finally the same person who had opened the door went inside. The men and the girl waiting outside listened anxiously, but not even the groans of an injured woman could be heard.

After a few long moments the singer came out again, his face pale. "There is no one in there. The box is empty.", he told them, shaking his head in astonishment. Despite this fact all five people entered it, only to find out that Signor Piangi had been right. Nothing indicated that somebody had used the box in the last weeks, let alone minutes.

Pensively Ariane leaned over the balustrade… and gave a cry. "Look at this!", she called triumphantly, pointing at a few drops of blood that were almost invisible on the blue plush cover. "I bet this was the place where he took her head and-" "Nonsense!", M.Reyer interrupted her briskly. "If the Opera Ghost really intends to kill someone, he uses his Punjab Lasso and not his bare hands. Besides, the stains are already dried up; they could have been there for days. He probably cut himself accidentally or had a nosebleed." "But I´ve heard he doesn´t have a nose!"

"It seems that our ballet mistress has indeed vanished.", M.André stated, making them stop talking with a gesture. "Well, in this case we´ll have to find a new one.", his partner said matter-of-factly. In his mind he was already writing the job description, quickly coming to the conclusion that he shouldn´t mention the Phantom. But then, all Paris knew about him. He´d have to offer a lot of money as an incentive.

M.André shook his friend´s shoulder roughly, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Are you mad?", he exclaimed. "We don´t need a new ballet teacher – we have to get the old one back." "Why don´t you ask the Ghost for help?", Signor Piangi suggested. "I don´t think he has abducted her himself. Yet he knows all that happens in this building. Perhaps he has seen something."

M.Firmin shrugged off the other man´s hand impatiently and threw the tenor an angry glance. "What a stupid idea!", he said, but his partner appeared more convinced. "We could write him a letter.", he muttered. He had no idea how else to communicate with him. Signor Piangi nodded. "Just put it here in Box Five, then he´ll get it." As this matter was settled they all went out into the corridor again. There they parted in different directions. The managers and M.Reyer walked to their offices, Signor Piangi left for Carlotta´s dressing room and Ariane went to find the other chorus girls. There were so many things she had to tell them.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Mme.Giry woke up, feeling very cold. The cloak that had been wrapped around her body didn´t manage to keep her warm. Only a single candle lit what she thought to be one of the Phantom´s passageways. She sat up and came to her feet hesitantly. The woman felt dizzy and she had to hold onto the stone wall for support, but it was better than lying on the ground.

A hand touched her arm softly and she turned around abruptly – too abruptly for her injured head. The world started spinning around her and she´d have probably fallen, yet an arm around her waist kept her from ending up on the ground. "I didn´t mean to frighten you.", Erik told her. His mask seemed to glow in the candlelight, making him indeed a frightening creature. "I had to leave you alone to go to my home. Some things were needed for your wound." Mme.Giry reached up and groaned in pain as she brought her finger right into it. "Don´t…", he muttered, helping her sit down on a blanket he had fetched from his house.

"Did you… do this to me?", she asked. "It was an accident. I pushed you aside and your head knocked against a chair.", he explained. "I´m sorry." "It´s all right.", she whispered gently as the memories came back gradually. "At least you didn´t just let me lie there." He sighed. "At first I did let you lie there; you don´t know it because you were unconscious. I was already on my way back home when I realised I couldn´t do this to you. So I returned and carried you in here, so that I could have a look at your injury without being seen. Actually we´re not far away from Box Five."

"So you´ll let me go once you´re finished?" Suddenly Mme.Giry was a little anxious. It was one thing not to believe in tales about mysteriously disappearing people when being on stage, but here in this cold and dark corridor it was different. Erik shook his head. "First I´d like to talk to you. About… about Meg."