"It all started here, in Paris, at this Opera, in the year 1870."

1870? Christine calculated in her head. 47 years!

Is Father really that old? she asked herself incredulously. He certainly didn't look it - his hair was still thick and black, as hers was, and his grey-green eyes shone as brightly as hers did. All she was was a younger, female version of him. She decided not to ask until he was finished.

"I'd helped to build this opera house, and when it was done, I decided not to leave. So I built this place," he said as he motioned around him. "I soon earned a reputation as The Phantom of the Opera, and chorus girls were most terrified of me. One day about eight years before the really important events, which I'll get to soon enough, two chorus girls were out on the stage, and I was hiding in Box Five. One of the girls told the other to sing for me. As you might guess, the other girl was your mother. Timid as she was, she began to sing. I thought she had a beautiful voice that just needed work, and I wanted to give her voice lessons. So one day I went to the mirror that led to her dressing room, the room that you and I use whenever we go outside, and started to sing for her to get her attention. She thought I was her Angel of Music, and so I thought that perhaps I could be. So I began to give her voice lessons."

He paused and sighed. "Eight years, eight wonderful years, passed, and I soon discovered that I'd fallen in love with your mother. I wanted us to meet, and perhaps marry eventually, and I wanted her to be lead soprano at the Opera. So on the opening night of a new production of Hannibal, I got things to the point where your mother sang for the new managers. They chose her to be the leading role that night, much to my satisfaction. The part of my plan where your mother became the Opera's leading lady was working out quite nicely, but the other part, the part where she would possibly fall in love with me, wasn't working already, and we hadn't even met" - his voice turned icy at this.

She nodded. This is where things would begin to get complex, she knew.

"That night, a young man, the Opera's new patron and your mother's childhood sweetheart, was in attendance. When he saw your mother on stage, he fell in love with her in an instant."

"Raoul."

"Raoul, indeed. He received entrance to her room after the show and invited her to dinner. She protested, saying that I, her Angel of Music, was very strict and wouldn't allow it. But he ignored her and told her to get dressed. Then he shut the door and left, the fool." Erik shook his head. "Well, as you can imagine, I wasn't about to let her get away from me, not when I was so close. So I locked the door, since the key was in the keyhole, and pulled out the key. I took it with me."

She drew in her breath sharply. "You locked Mother in her room? You locked Raoul out?"

"Yes. I know it was extreme, I'll admit it, but if I hadn't done it, you wouldn't even be here. Your mother and I never would have met. So anyway, I went to the mirror and began to sing to her. She knew who I was at once, and began to look into the mirror - she'd learned I was there during lessons, but hadn't dared to come too close to it. Then I appeared in the mirror, and she came through it and took my hand. We came down here, and she was completely entranced all the while." He gazed at his daughter thoughtfully. "You know, it's a shame that you don't look a bit like her... she was so beautiful. But it doesn't matter. When we came down here, I sang to her - I sang The Music of the Night, the song I sing to you whenever you have trouble sleeping."

She nodded and smiled. She loved it when he sang The Music of the Night to her. Sometimes she just pretended to have trouble sleeping so he would sing it to her.

"Well, as you normally do, she fell asleep in the the bedroom as I sang it to her. Then I closed the curtain around her and left her for the night." He paused. "The next morning, I was sitting at the organ, composing, and she woke up and found me. She came over to me and started caressing my face, which caused me to completely surrender to her. Then, without any warning at all, she pulled off my mask for the first time."

She shuddered slightly, as she knew from past experience that nothing good would come out of that.

"I was outraged. I threw her down to the floor, which was the first mistake I made with her. Than I started shouting and cursing at her, eventually telling her to go back to the bedroom and to lock the door to... prevent things from getting out of hand." He glanced at her. "It's an... adult thing, Christine. I'm sure you know what I mean."

She nodded, feeling her face flush. So he wouldn't rape her mother out of anger.

"She obeyed, and thank God that she did. Then I sat back down at the organ to play out my anger and sadness. When I was calm, I put back on my mask and had her come out of the bedroom. Then I took her back above ground.

I came back here and wrote notes for Raoul, managers Andre and Firmin, the prima donna Carlotta, and Madame Giry, the only woman who ever showed kindness to me besides your mother. Then I delivered them and waited. About an hour later, everyone started coming in and reading the notes to each other. Since they all had their own ideas about who the sender was, it was quite a mess. When Madame Giry came in and had Firmin read the note she'd received, they all decided it was Raoul's doing." He chuckled to himself a bit and shook his head. "What fools! The only one with any sense in that group was Madame Giry - she was the only one who knew and believed that I was the one who had actually sent the notes."

"What happened next?"

"Carlotta got very angry, as the note just shared had said she was to play the silent role in the opera that night, Il Muto, and that your mother was to be the one to play the lead role. The managers appealed to her by saying she would play the lead and got her to stay. As you can imagine, though, I wasn't going to let that stand. So that night I let the opera run for a bit, then I replaced Carlotta's throat spray with a potion that made her croak like a toad. She took it and began croaking. The managers came out on stage and announced very loudly, so that I would hear, as I'd just come out for a few moments and made my presence known, that your mother would replace Carlotta as the lead role. That satisfied me, but my work wasn't done just yet." He stood up. "I need to get something to show you. I'll be back in a moment."

He left for a second, and then he was back. He was holding a rope with a noose. "This, Christine, is a Punjab lasso," he explained. "When the noose is tightened around one's neck, it suffocates and kills them. It's quite useful, and I've used it many times to my own advantage."

Her eyes widened. Her father - a murderer? He'd never mentioned that to her.

"Joseph Buquet, the chief scene-shifter, had seen me when I'd come out and seen where I'd gone, and began nosing about," he continued. "That irritated me, and so I cornered him and punjabbed him. Everyone saw him hanging by the neck and instantly panicked - some even fainted. Satisfied, I went up to the roof, where I suspected Raoul and your mother would soon be.

I was correct. They were speaking to each other about me, and it was clear your mother was quite in fear of me. Raoul, foolish as he was, didn't believe in me. I was hiding behind a statue, but I wanted to make my presence known - to both of them. So I called your mother's name. She knew who I was and clearly became afraid. Raoul was still doubtful about who I was, but he tried to comfort her. Then they started singing songs of love to each other as I listened - a song I sincerely hope someone will sing to you someday."

He paused and got a bit off-topic. "I have great hopes for you, Christine. I hope that someone will love you as I loved your mother, no matter what you look like. I hope that you'll have a beautiful voice that will stun the world if they ever get a chance to hear it. That's what I want for you. I just hope you get it."

He sighed and continued, "Now, back to 1870. After they sang to each other, they kissed, which was a heartbreaking moment for me. Then they left. I came out on the roof, feeling a strong sense of sadness and betrayal - something I hope you never have to feel. Than I became angry and swore revenge on them all."

"Such a story!" she exclaimed, stretching slightly and letting out a sigh. "You're not finished, though, are you, Father?"

"No. I'm only halfway through. "Would you like me to stop and continue later?" he asked.

"Oh, no!" she replied, fervently shaking her head. "Please continue! I love hearing about this, Father - I really do!"

"Very well. Then sit back down."