Chapter 4: The Ghostly Meeting.
Meg and her mother walked quickly through the theatre, to the office of the managers where the monkey music box rested and where the managers restlessly awaited her return. She pushed open the door without knocking and through the letter on the desk, "you are to return the monkey should you like to meet your phantom," she said as she pointed at the music box that sat horrificly still on a shelf and who's eyes followed every move of that the two men made.
"Take the dreadful thing, it watches and judges us with its eyes," Andre said as he thrust the monkey into Madame Giry's hands. She passed it gently to Meg who held it, safely, close to herself.
"What did he say Madame?" Firmin asked, "you must tell us."
"Everything you need to know is in this note," she said pointing, with her cane, to the note on the table.
"Oh, and thus it starts again," Andre said with a sigh as he fell into his desk chair.
Firmin grabbed at the letter and hesitated to open it. He fumbled with the edge of the envelope, remembering the past and fearful of the future. Finally he tore the top and pulled out a singer piece of yellowing paper. "My dear Monsieurs..." he read,
My Dear Monsieurs,
I have left you alone for a period of three years and it pleases me that you have finally come to the conclusion just how important I am to the theatre. I do however feel that you are still very couwardly to send a poor woman to find me. I challenge you now to both stand up to the challenge and face me. In two days time, at the stroke of midnight, I will meet you on the steps of the Daae crypt. Come alone and unarmed or you're theatre faces ruin, and not by my hands. I wash them clean if you do not come.
Your faithful servant
The Phantom
"Well that's settled then," Firmin said as he shakingly placed the note on the desk, "we shall meet him in two days time, at the stroke of midnight, in the cemetery," his voice cracked with fear at the last words.
"He's going to kill us, its certain!" Andre said as he nervously wiped his brow.
"Oh don't be so melodramatic," Madame Giry scolded, "he is considering your offer and prefers to meet you on his own terms where he feels most comfortable. You are the ones who deceived him before!" she said and turned to leave.
"You are certain he wont harm us then," Andre asked as he stood.
"So long as you agree to ALL his terms," She said slyly and motioned for Meg to follow.
Two restless nights and two worrisome days past before the meeting with the Phantom was to take place. This long bit of time was to much for the managers who played over scenes of their demise more so then the ideas of saving the theatre. They paced the theatre halls filled with more nervousness then on the days that they knew that the theatre was occupied by a man infatuated with their singers.
Finally, as dusk approached, a carriage was called to come to the side entrance of the theatre. It was to be a covered carriage, one that would make sure that the managers would not be seen coming or leaving the cemetery. A message was sent to the managers that the carriage had arrived and they bolted themselves in their office to ready for their journey to the cemetery. An hour passed slowly as the sun completely set behind the opera popular. They paced silently in front of the windows waiting for the return of their driver, who had stopped for a bit to eat before his night journey.
Suddenly a note flew under the door. It stopped at both of the mens feet with the seel of the Phantom staring up at them. The wax was red as blood and the skull that was backed by the black crosses of the seems of the letter looked like that of the pirates jolly roger. Their hearts rose to their throats as they both hesitated to pick up the evil looking mass on the floor. Finally after a long silent scuffle, Firmin was forced to pick up the letter. He forced it violently into Andre's hand. He now had to opened the dreadful thing,
Gentlemen,
I am happy to see that you have called for a carriage, your driver has been warned not to stick around and only to return after one full hour has passed, no sooner or no later. I anticipate a wonderful chat with the two of you. See you at midnight.
O.G
P.S. Next time you find yourselves a coachman, see to it that he is not an alcoholic. This could lead to very dangerous driving.
The two managers rushed to the door of their office to get a glimpse of the Phantom but they were well to late after their hesitation toward the letter. Running back across the office to the window they noticed their coachman back with his horses, soaked through to the bone, with a smashed wine bottle and wooden bucket on the ground beside the carriage. Andre and Firmin looked hesitantly at each other.
"Do you think it is only our nerves?" Andre asked as he grabbed a flask out of his coat pocked.
"Yes, yes, our nerves that's right," Firmin said and grabbed a bottle of a brown alcohol off the shelf and downing a healthy half inch of its content.
"Shall we then?" Andre said nervously at the door.
"After you," Firmin said holding the door open.
"I insist, after you," Andre smiled.
"Oh just get going!" Firmin growled and forced Andre out the door.
It was cold, in Paris, for a summer night. The long rural road to the old cemetery was dark. The only light was the light from the carriages. Crickets sang as the wind rustled the trees. Owls and other night birds sang they sinister, nightly hymns as the carriage passed. Animals of the forest ran about behind the carriage. Wolves could be heard further off in the distance and soon the dark iron bars of the cemetery gates could be seen in the distance. The night ride had taken several hours and as the carriage neared the gates Andre nervously checked his pocket watched.
"We have ten minutes to get there, do you think we will make it?" he asked his partner with a worried tone.
"If not we will be fashionably late," Firmin said sounding more calm than he had all evening.
"Ha, ha... Fashionably," Andre said nervously and placed his watch back into his pocket.
The carriage slowed to a stop at the gate. It was only open a small crack but was lit by a single fire torch. Firmin stepped down from the carriage followed by Andre who clung to the edge of his cloak.
"Oh get off," Firmin said pulling the fabric for Andre's hands.
"Sorry,"
They stepped away from the carriage fearfully and cautiously looking in all directions around them. Suddenly the horses of the carriage took off with a crack of the drivers whip. They were left alone at the gates of the ancient cemetery.
"I never used to believe in ghosts, but they now seem quite plausible," Andre choked as he stepped into the cemetery behind Firmin.
"Oh hush," he was scolded.
They walked silently passed the old, wearing tomb stones. One by one they passed, their steps ever slowing as they came closer and closer to the Daae crypt. The eyes of the angels seemed to watch them. The hair on the back of their necks stood on end. The chill of the night caused their breath to vaporised as they breathed and walked through the darkness.
"This quite possibly wasn't the best idea in the world," Firmin said finally feeling the fear that Andre had been cursed with.
"Not at all," Andre whispered as they came to the steps of the Daae crypt.
"Are we late?" Firmin asked as he looked around and did not see anyone with them in the cemetery.
"A little," Andre said as he looked at his watch.
"Do you think he left?" Firmin asked as he looked at the trembling Andre who stared off, completely horror stricken into a dark shadow, " what is it?" Firmin asked, Andre could only point into a shadow where a set of brilliant blue cats eyes, large as the stars, shown hungrilly at them, "what on earth is that?" Firmin asked as he leaned closer seeing a puff of somethings breath rise from the shadow. A low growl was heard and soon the eyes were moving. Slow, stalking in the darkness of the night.
"It's the devil," Andre cried as he hid behind Firmin.
"I think we should stay very still," Firmin whispered as he grabbed Andre's arm and held him in place, "don't move an inch," he said as the eyes came closer.
Soon a huge white paw stepped out of the darkness. Followed by legs of white and black stripe and soon the head and face of a giant, white tiger. The large cat growled as it came closer to them, the tip of its long tail dragging and twitching along the ground. Its body was hunched low. Its eyes hungry and round. Its breath thick as the night air. It walked in a slow circle, silent as the wind around them. Its ears twitched with every sound that the two men tried not to make. Its long, pink tongue moved over its open mouth and its great white teeth. Closer and closer the cat crept.
Sweat poured down both mens face. They shook with fear as they stared into the eyes of this giant white beast. Its stripes seemed to move with the shadows of the night. It stepped lightly around them and yet they could feel it coming closer and closer to them. Andre jumped and screamed as the cats tail twitched and struck the edge of his coat.
The cat became agitated at the sound that the man made. It moved quicker around them. Its growl became louder and harsher. Its feet hit the ground harder. It stopped and looked at Andre. The mouth of the beast fell open and a great, horrific yelled emerged from the very depths of the cat.
"Oh its going to kill us!" Andre yelled and turned to run.
The cat pounced and Andre hit the ground. It roared again into Andre's face as saliva dripped from the teeth of the cat.
"Tangae!" They heard a voice come from no where and the cat moved off. It walked slowly up the steps of the Daae crypt and laid down at the top, "She's getting restless, you're late." the voice came again as a figure came from out of the shadows and stood beside the great cat. The shadow man placed a gloved hand on the head of the cat who seemed to adore the touch from the master that commanded her.
"We've come late on account of our driver needed to dry off a bit," Firmin said as he came closer to the steps. The cat growled again and he stepped back.
"He needed to sober up, to ensure a safe journey for you gentleman," the figure said as he removed the hood of his cloak. From beneath it came a familiar but horrific face. A face without a mask. The face of the ghost and phantom of the opera.
Andre and Firmin stood silently staring up at the face and the eyes as yellow as fire. The scaring on the face cast shadows in the night and the person or ghost before them appeared to not posses a nose or a mouth only black voids.
"What is your offer, if I do agree to help you," The phantom said breaking the dark horrific silence.
"W..we have brought you...fi...fifty thousand franks," Andre said shaking.
"What do I want fifty thousand franks for? I have not taken you twenty thousand franks for years," the phantoms voice boomed.
"We must pay our composers, fifty thousand franks for the commission of a new opera. To be performed at the opera popular," Firmin said taking the envelope from the terrified Andre and walking closer than before to the cat and its master. Reaching out with the envelope in his hands he watched the phantom look upon it, "we will also continue you're monthly payments of twenty thousand franks and reserve box five for you at all time."
"No one dares sit in box five anymore. To much paranoia," the phantom said.
"You will have full creative control of the opera," Andre said from behind Firmin.
"What do you mean by FULL control?" the phantom said and the tiger moved pushing Andre and Firmin back again.
"Your casting, your orchestra, your sets. Everything and anything you want is yours," Andre said nervously.
"Fantastic," Erik laughed.
"We are at your disposal," Firmin added.
"We are just asking that you save the theatre," Andre said finally breaking down in tears, "we are at the end of the line, we need a miracle from you."
"I can see that," Erik said as he came down the steps, leaving the tiger behind, "I'll do what you ask and accept your offers," he said snatching the money from Firmin's hands, "Madame Giry is to be in charge of all of my affairs, she is the only person that you are to talk to about anything and you are NOT to come looking for me at any time. If I need to see you I will come to you, is that clear?"
"Crystal," they both said in unison.
"Good," he said and pulled a white horse out of the shadows. He mounted the horse whispered its name into its ear and petted its neck gently, "you'll see the opera in a few days time. At which point it is to go directly to Monsieur Reyer, who is to start the rehearsals with the orchestra. I will be present, though you will not see me, and you will NOT look for me. I will decide then if we need different musicians or further orchestration. When the orchestra is ready we will begin our casting of the opera. I will keep you informed as to when this will occur."
"May we announce anything to the public?" Firmin asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"No," The phantoms voice boomed, "nothing is to be said without my knowledge first. If it does not pass my eyes it does NOT go to print!"
"Fair enough," Andre said as he noticed some anger in the eyes of Firmin.
"Should you not follow my instructions to the very root and core or their being then the opera will be pulled from the stage or I will burn the theatre to the ground!" Erik said and walked the horse slowly around to face the gates of the cemetery.
"Oh please not again," Andre whined.
"Don't make me do it again," Erik said looking into Andre's eyes, "keep Firmin in check and things should run smoothly."
"We are only your servants, Monsieur le Phantom," Andre said and Firmin nodded.
"All we request is you keep that beast out of the theatre," Firmin said pointing fearfully at the tiger.
"Tangae wouldn't hurt a fly," The phantom laughed and with a great leap the cat flew over the heads of the managers and landed beside the horse, "but I could always teach her too, heed my warnings!" he said and with a flash of white the horse and the cat were gone.
Andre and Firmin watched as the dust flew up from the horses feet and the cat bounded along into the darkness of the night.
"Well that went well," Andre nervously laughed.
"We are pons," Firmin grumbled.
"It was your idea," Andre said angrily as their carriage reappeared at the gate.
"Lets get out of here," Firmin said as he, still shaking, grabbed Andre's arm and pushed him toward the carriage.