The Crystal Rainbow
An Alternate Universe – Phantom of the Opera Story
Nyasia A. Maire
© 2007
DISCLAIMER: I do not hold the rights nor did I create any characters found in The Phantom of the Opera or Phantom, nor have I received monetary compensation for writing this story.
Talk – a four letter word. Hear – a four letter word.
Love – a four letter word with infinite meaning.
A Fool's Book of Wisdom
Chapter Three – Recriminations
She sat on the bed, took the trembling child into her arms and rocked him. Her beautiful voice sang a sweet song and after a time, the boy's quivering ceased and he fell into a dreamless sleep. Helen carefully extricated herself from the boy and slipped from the room, muttering curses at herself for her carelessness.
"Damnez-le! Poor thing was not ready for that. Enfer!¹ Most adults I meet are not ready, but he will learn. Oh, yes! Helen will help Erik learn to see the truth of what lies within."
"Stupid, stupid woman! He is but a child and you already twist his mind with a taste of the power. You know better. Just what did you think to do to him, Helen? What did you hope to accomplish besides scaring the daylights out of him? It is bad enough that your carelessness caused the power to touch him once, but for you purposefully to cause it a second time is unconscionable. This child is a male and not even one of the bloodline. And, yet, he is so susceptible. That feather touch should not have affected him. Yet, it did. I do not understand. Perhaps, he is a sensitive. That would be typical. The gods gift him with power and an inhuman face so he cannot wield the power. Obviously, a male deity watched over this one's birth, no female would have been so cruel. Well, perhaps, Hera, but then, well …. Best not to think of such things. I shall awaken the Fates and that would be most unpleasant for us all."
The old woman paced before her fireplace, wringing her hands and occasionally shaking her fist at the ceiling as she continued her muttered tirade of abuse against her own self.
"Fils d'une putain! Oh, turn the page, Helen. 'The moving finger having writ moves on ….' And, all that nonsensical truth. Again, written by a man." She paused, placed a hand to her head and groaned. "Merde! Very well. He is quite intelligent. It shines like a beacon from his eyes and I do believe it can cut through falsehoods like a knife through butter. He knows something happened, but most likely, he does not connect it to the bracelet. I wonder if he believes I placed him in a trance and hypnotically suggested the images he saw. Does he even know what hypnosis is? I do hope that he does not think I enchanted him. I hope his mother did not raise him to be superstitious, but who knows to what she attributed his facial deformity. Oh! I hope the putain did not burden him with the horror of telling him his face is accursed. Merde! I know nothing of this boy and yet, I risk all by what I did this evening. And, conversely, I cannot bring myself to feel any remorse for my actions. It does not feel wrong, in fact, I have never felt a thing to be this right. I must hold on to that premonition. I suppose, I must wait to see what recriminations the morrow brings."
Lowering her hand, she walked to the window and gazed out into the darkness of the forest. She listened to the gentle pop and crackle of the flames consuming the logs in the fireplace and the patter of the rain against the window pane. She heaved a sigh and leaned her forehead against the cold glass.
"Yes, tomorrow will reveal many things.
The boy's dreamless sleep soon gave way to the nightmares that so often plagued him. However, on this night, a new terror seized him. He found himself in a room full of mirrors. Tall mirrors, short mirrors, ornate mirrors, plain mirrors, round mirrors, square mirrors, large mirrors and small mirrors. Mirrors everywhere he turned. And, each held the image of his perfect face each image taunted him with the lie of an ideal he would never realize. A truth that would never be. He lashed out at the nearest mirror with his fists and felt his heart soar triumphantly as it shattered. His feet swiftly carried him through the opening created by the broken mirror. Everything seemed to dim and then with a flash, he found himself in a long, narrow hallway, which was only dimly illuminated. A feeling of claustrophobia closed in about him and he ran down the corridor. He slowed his pace only when he tripped slightly on the edge of an uneven stone paver. His eyes moved from side to side, examining the rough-hewn walls of the passageway. He took in the flickering lamps, which were evenly spaced along the hall. No windows and no doors were visible, so Erik continued his trek along the hall, his footsteps soundless and his breathing hushed. It was unearthly quiet and a feeling of unease caused the hairs on the nape of his neck to rise. He held his breath and his heart began to pound. Just as the boy thought he would scream to break the silence, he heard it. A voice singing. A girl's voice. It was an enchanting sound.
Erik blinked.
When his eyes focused again, he was no longer in the hall, but in a large, round room. A girl of no more than six or seven years sat in the middle of the room on a large Persian rug. She sat with her back turned to him and she was singing. Erik took a step forward and she stopped. Her head tilted to one side and then she slowly turned. Large, dark brown eyes gazed into Erik's amber orbs and he felt as if he were falling. She smiled at him and patted the floor next to her. She resumed singing. Erik's feet moved and they took him next to the girl. Her eyes danced with delight and she held out a hand to him. The boy lifted his hand to accept the girl's offer when a gust of air rushed through the room. He felt it caress the bare skin of his cheek and he drew back from the girl in horror.
"I am not wearing my mask! Where is my mask? I must have my mask! Did you take my mask, girl?"
A sad, confused expression pressed the girl's pretty features downwards into a frown and she bit her lip as she watched the boy's eyes widen. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders in response to his query. He lifted his hand to hide his shame and felt an electrical shock along his thigh. Glancing down, he discovered the source was the girl's hand resting on his leg.
"What is wrong? Do you not wish to sing with me?" She pouted prettily.
Erik backed away, confused by the girl's lack of fear. He shook his head.
"Why … why would you wish to play with a monster?"
"A monster?" She looked around the room then returned her eyes to his. "Where? I see no monster here. I only see you and me." She giggled. "Just we two, Erik and no monsters."
Erik frowned.
"Do not mock me, fille!² You can see plainly that I am a monster. A hideous thing. Why do you pretend you wish to be my friend? Surely, you must have better things to do than tease me with something I can never have. You do not look cruel … are you stupid?" He sneered.
Her eyes, which had filled with tears, turned to ice the moment his words accusing her of stupidity left his lips. Her eyes narrowed and her back straightened. She lifted her chin in a manner both regal and defiant.
"I do believe that you are the stupid one, Erik …." She answered haughtily. "Erik …."
"Erik …. Erik …."
The boy drew away from the hand, which shook his shoulder and cried out.
"Christine!"
"Erik …. Wake up!"
The boy's eyes flew open to find Helen's pale blue ones hovering above him. He blinked the remnants of the dream away and realized that the woman stood next to the bed with her hand upon his shoulder. Her eyes filled with a gentle concern.
"Oh, Helen!"
He threw his arms about her and hugged her tightly. Erik felt her stiffen, but after a moment, the woman relaxed and wrapped her arms about the boy.
"There, there, garçon. Everything will be all right. Everything will be just fine. You will see. No one will hurt you now, not as long as you are with Helen. You are safe here. Hush. You will see, Erik. There, there, mon garçon. There, there." She crooned softly.
The plump, wrinkled, old woman stood at the side of the bed with the boy gently enfolded within her arms. The almost-skeletal boy, in turn, clutched desperately at the woman, seemingly afraid to let her go. She stood there shocked by the boy's need.
"It is as if he has never known the comfort of another's touch. Oh, I pray it is not so. Even I had my mother's love as a child. And, as a woman, I chose to be alone. I have never felt as if someone needed me and I spent my life priding myself on my ability to live alone. I do not know if it is true, but it feels like he needs me and I could become quite used to this. It feels strange, but it is a good feeling. See, Erik, already you bring something new to Helen. I do believe that I quite like this. Yes. I did the right thing in asking him to stay here. Indeed, I think everything may be all right after all. Please, let everything be all right …."
"Erik!"
The small girl sat upright in her bed panting. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with balled fists for a moment then lowered her hands to her sides. She chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as her brow furrowed in silent contemplation. Suddenly, she pounded her fists into her mattress and groaned with frustration.
"Oh! Just who did that boy think he was? I have never met anyone so rude in my entire life! What gave him the right to speak to me in such a manner? I did nothing to him, but offer to be his friend. I just wanted to play with him. No, not play …. I wanted to sing with him."
Her pretty, little mouth formed an unconscious pout.
"Just you wait until the next time I see you, Erik. I shall give you such a tongue lashing that you will never forget it. I will teach you some manners and then we can be friends whether you wish it or not!"
She lay back down in her bed and thought about the strange boy.
"His eyes shall forever haunt me. Such a lovely color, almost like honey, just a little darker. I wonder if he likes honey on his bread. I shall have to ask him …."
The last thought that ran through the girl's mind before sleep claimed her once more was a wish to see Erik again soon, very soon.
¹ Enfer! – Hell!
² fille – girl
Author's Note: These are the dog days of summer. In the blink of an eye, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years shall be upon us. You must excuse me. I am not quite certain as to the reason why, but the chapter has put me in a strange mood. So, they've met. Albeit, they met in a dream, but Christine certainly seems to think of Erik as a real person. I wonder why ….
Please read and review! --ny