Fears Within a Dream...
Meg's eyes grew in fear,
staring up at Erik with a horrified expression. He sat in the
spacious cage; slumped against the bars with such a lost face that
made Meg's heart ached. His mouth was agape slightly; the position
that his head lay caused his mask to skew on his face."Erik." Meg breathed,
in an absentminded attempted to gain his attention. "Erik!" Meg
repeating, snapping out of her shock. She tore her gaze from Erik and
back to the silhouetted man. "You!" Meg spat, fury in her eyes,
"What did you do to him?"
"Do to him?" The man's
eyes wandered to Erik. "Ah yes, I see what you mean. He looks a bit
lethargic, not very becoming, is it?"
"Like I give a Hell."
Meg snapped, motioning to Erik. "Let him go." She said sharply,
chest heaving in anger. "Now."
"Whoa! Mademoiselle,
since when is it your job to give instructions?" He waiting for Meg
to respond, and when she did not, he shrugged and continued. "I
have a better idea. Why do not you, go get him?" He smirked as
Meg's gaze fell to examine the sea of black, worry clear in her
eyes. "Are you...afraid?" The man mused, leaning back in his
piano bench looking smug.
"No." Meg growled,
looking back up at him. "I want to go home. I want us to go home."
"To Paris?" The man
inquired, straightening up and suddenly looking interested.
"To Paris..." Meg
echoed suspiciously.
"I will let you, go
home." A cruel smile tugged at the man's lips and he chuckled,
turning back to the piano and playing a soft, accessible tune.
"Wha-" Meg started,
stopping before the sentence could be fulfilled. A long creaking
noise sounded from above, causing Meg to jump in surprise. She shot a
wary glare at the man, though he seemed to be ignoring her. "What
is going on?" Meg inquired, looking up at the shadowed catwalk
hanging above her. Something creaked again and Meg's brow contorted
in confusion. Was someone walking on the catwalk? Immediately, she
thought of Erik and turned her gaze on the illuminated cage. Erik was
gone.
Meg started in distress for a moment, looking back and forward from the man to the empty cage. "Where is he?" Meg shouted, voice mixing with the tune being played. "Answer the question!" Meg cried, voice sounded desperate now. There was a loud cracking above her and Meg gasped, looking up as a large beam plunged down upon her. In reflex, she cowered, covering her head with her arms as the beam collided with her. Meg heard a loud snap whilst pain through her body and she crumbled to the ground, everything a blur of color before fading to black.
Meg awoke to a blue, vast sky, watching as white clouds drifting in and out of view. She groaned, feeling as if she had just awoken from a long sleep. Her left hand was against something cold and solid, curious, she moved her hand against whatever it was listlessly, realizing she now that she was lying at the base of a stone statue. Meg exhaled deeply, brow contorting as turned her gaze back to the sky. It was all quite peaceful, lying in the lush grass, watching the clouds. She sighed, a gust of wind fluttering the grass about her. How long had she been lying here..? How long was she dreaming? Dreaming? Meg sat up gingerly, quite confused. Her dress was no longer stiff with dry blood and her hair was clean as well, excluding a few pieces of grass. Looking around, her confusion grew stronger when Meg found the scenery was that of the graveyard she had been in when this all started. Perhaps, it all was a dream?
Shakily, Meg clung to the statue, using it as support as she stood herself up, glancing around warily. She examined the base of the statue for blood, remembering the person whom smashed her head against it some time ago. Mechanically, Meg's hand went to her forehead. No blood was present on the statue, and as Meg straightened up to properly inspect her head, none was there either. Maybe she had simply fell and hit her head, the attack might have simply been her mind playing tricks on her.. But then, how could the whispers be explained? Shaking her head, Meg began to walk forward cautiously, glancing around nervously. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, though the weather had changed noticeably from when she first arrived here. Meg stopped walking, looking around to try and determine the direction of the main gate. Frowning, she picked the route that seemed to be the best choice, and if it was not correct, surely she would at run into the fencing, from there, she could follow it to get to a gate.
Minutes went bye quite quickly as Meg walked on, the grass crunching underneath her feet. Soon, she found herself uninterested in her surrounding and in deep in her own thoughts. This did not make sense, how could everything have simply been the work of her imagination? Surely, her own thoughts where not as.. morbid, as the nightmare had been. Meg stopped, glancing back with a sigh. If she continued, she would return home at last and leave that damned manor behind her. This encouraged her to walk again, but she found herself unable to continue after a few steps. And what of Erik? Was he to stay trapped while she was rewarded freedom? Erik had apparently been stuck in his own hell longer the she had. Erik had many more horrid things happen to him. Without a doubt, it was him who deserved most to be leaving. Glaring pointlessly, Meg forced herself to turn. Hurriedly walking back to the grave she was once crumbled before with a set look of determination. Granted, this could all end with her feeling quite foolish, but she ignored logic. Many a time, in stories and such she had heard stupid actions from certain characters. Now, this whole predicament was like those stories- she would be the heroine whom did not think 'oh- well it all was a dream.'
"Okay!" Meg announced aloud, standing next to the Erinyes statue. "I am certainly not back home, and I told you before, I want both Erik and myself back in Paris." Meg looked around; feeling stupid talking to herself as it seemed she was. A crow flew overhead; landing on a grave to Meg's far left. It fluttered its wings, settling down and staring at her intently, head cocking to the side. '.. I am drawing an audience..' Meg thought, raising a brow as another crow landed on a grave next to the other. 'Of birds..' Sighing, Meg closed her eyes and leaned against the statue of the Kindly One, shaking her head. It all seemed so real.. this did not make sense. Feeling her hope diminish, and reality setting in, Meg was about speak again, when the sound of music reached her ears. She felt her heart begin to beat faster and her pulse increase- in both fear and glee. She opened her eyes, blinking repeatedly as he eyes adjusted to the light. Tapping her foot, she found, indeed, she was again on a stage. Though- this time two false trees were placed at both front corners of the stage. Random, unnamed gravestones were around her as well. In front of her, hung up above with wire, was a scenery piece that resembled the rolling hills of the graveyard. Of course, it was not as real as it had been moments before.
"How compassionate you
are, love..." Meg heard a familiar voice call from behind her. She
whirled around to see the man she hated so. Though- his voice was
much colder, and he sounded worn and irritated, very much unlike how
he had been every time she encountered him before. The hanging cage
was gone, and his piano was well and he now stood at the edge of the
stage, the dim lights eerily lighting his figure. "Unfortunately, I
am growing tired of this. And now you must chose, between yourself
and your Phantom..""What?" Meg breathed,
stepping back and nearly tripping over a headstone.
"Dear, you are lovely,
but act incredibly stupid and deaf sometimes." The man sighed,
though Meg caught sight of a smirk pulling at his lips. "You stay,
or he stays- choose. I would rather have you."
"How do you expect me to
do that?" Meg said, straightening up and glaring at him.
"By communication my
dear. Save yourself, say 'The Phantom' and you-"
"Erik." Meg corrected
him, receiving a snort in response.
"Call him what you wish,
we judge him and dub him by his soul. Choose."
"Where is he?"
"Choose now!" The man
said quite loudly, clenching his jaws.
"What have you done
with?" Meg asked coolly, ignoring his demand.
"Choose!" He shouted
in rage, making Meg flinch subtly but she held her determined stance.
"Where is Erik?" Meg
said, pronouncing each word clearly as if she thought him unable of
comprehending her.
"There! You persistent
wench!" The man cried angrily, pointing to the blackness that
engulfed the area where the seating should have been. "We will keep
you both!" He laughed madly. "You best hurry my love, he could be
drowning."
Meg tensed, staring at the man in fear, not of him, but for Erik. Was that really water? Was Erik truly drowning? Running forward, not longer caring how close she got to the man, Meg reached the edge of the stage. She was about to jump when she hesitated and, glancing over at the amused looking man, hurriedly removed layers of petticoats and leapt into the blackness. Black water splashed around her like ink, the dress of her skirt fluffing up about her as well. Meg spluttered, realizing quite suddenly- she had no idea how to swim. In panic, Meg began to thrash in the water, sinking under once or twice while swallowed a good deal of water in her fit, coughing it up and gagging from the salty taste.
It then hit her that she had died many times in this place, and had come back to life somewhere else. That was it, Meg had to let herself die. Despite her adrenaline, she forced herself to calm a considerable amount. 'Let yourself die.' The idea sounded stupid when thought- but yet, it made perfect sense. Smirking, she looked up at the man, who was peering down at her as she fought to stay above water. Meg noticed a change in his piercing eyes, he seemed- distraught. Perhaps he knew, by Meg's sudden ceasing in vicious thrashing, what she had decided.
Exhaling, Meg lifted her arms and let her heavy clothing weigh her down as she submerged. Her dress went up about her as she sunk lower and lower. With her eyes open Meg could see nothing but black. Involuntarily, Meg began to attempt to swim upward, mechanically, her mind wanted to keep from death. Opening her mouth, Meg breathed in the water, feeling rush in and flood her lungs. Fear and panic overtook her and with the last of her strength she began to thrash pointlessly, slowing as she became lightheaded, but soon, there was nothing. A strange feeling of tranquility flowed over her, no fear, and no nausea. Her worries melted away as this heaven-like sensation filled her. Meg felt at peace- 'Perhaps now, I can be with Maman.'
