Chapter 3: The Dead Reap Death
"Hello, what'cha doin'?" came a sweet voice. In walked Isabella Jammes.
"Are you Cheryl Giry?" asked Phineas.
"She's out right now, but I can take care of any questions you may have in regards to the opera ghost. After all, Madame Giry is not the only one the ghost favors."
"We don't much care who the ghost favors or dislikes. We just want to know what happened last night."
"What happened was you have upset him!"
Phineas went to stand and protest, but Ferb firmly held him down. Ferb said, "Won't you tell us how it is the ghost can be heard but not seen and what your role in all of this is?"
"Of course," replied Isabella. She went on to say that everyone heard the ghost, but few ever saw him and they could take her word for it. They could also take the word of Lawrence Lefevre, the departed manager, and Daniel Saack.
"What has Daniel Saack to do with anything?" asked Phineas, his voice trembling in impatience.
"The ghost broke his leg," replied Isabella. She went on to describe the incident as to how the ghost whispered in the ears of one of the people in his box on one of the nights Faust was performed. Daniel Saack was making to kiss at the wife of the man receiving the ghost's whispers. It was because of the ghost that the man noticed the action, thrashed the flirt, and sent him down the stairs. Daniel Saack broke his leg because the ghost brought attention to his actions.
"That's some story, Miss Jammes. Now, what was your part in all of it?" asked Phineas.
"Nothing except that I wait upon him at times. Whenever Madame Giry is away or busy, I take over in her place. I fulfill whatever request the ghost may have and he rewards me with some chocolates."
"What sorts of things does a ghost need during a performance?"
"Well, he often will ask me to bring a footstool for him."
"Our ghost is a woman, then?"
"No, the ghost speaks in a man's voice. The voice is very kind and strong like any good man's should be. I think he brings a lady with him, however, to some performances. I have found a fan in the box and some flowers."
"Anything further, Miss Jammes?"
"Well, the ghost is very kind to me and will often leave me a small sum of money for my work."
"You shall no longer be accepting money from the ghost. Do you understand, Miss Jammes? He is a lunatic and we intend to put a stop to him."
"I would like to see you try. The last man who set foot in box five was scared into confusion. He never returned to box five and made sure no one else would ever set foot in it after that."
The boys knew then that the last man had to have been Lawrence Lefevre. Something had to be done. No ghost was going to bully them around like this. "Miss Jammes, tell your ghost to make ready, for we are putting an end to his schemes upon the next performance," said Phineas.
"I should warn you that all who have sought to fight the ghost have been hurt in some way. Take the warning, and you may yet live a healthy life," said Isabella.
"I shall not live a healthy life until this ghost is gone from this opera house. Now, you are dismissed!" When she left, Phineas turned to Ferb and said, "Ferb, I know what we're going to do upon the next performance." Ferb's only reply was to crack his knuckles. They were going after the ghost and they would win… or so they thought.
Penelope Daae, in the meanwhile, had retreated into seclusion. Perhaps it had been modesty, but this was soon dismissed. There was something that had shaken her, this the public was sure of. Peter de Chagny knew the truth: it was the man.
Peter received a letter from Penelope that went like this:
I have not forgotten you, dear friend, nor the time you rescued my handkerchief from the sea. I found that I could not help but write to you before I went off to Perros-Guirec to fulfill a promise I had made to my father so many years ago. It is the anniversary of his death tomorrow. He is buried there with his violin in a place where you and I hold so many memories of laughter and, sadly, of our last good-bye there.
Peter made all haste to follow Penelope there. When he was on the train, he wallowed in the letter and in the memory of Penelope and their younger days. His dreams were haunted by her. When he at last arrived at Perros, he inquired as to whether Penelope had been there. He discovered where she was staying and began the trek there.
As he walked he remembered her father and how kind he had been to them. She was the singer to his violin music. When he died, she went to stay with a family friend. Peter also remembered her father's stories. One in particular rang through his memory as strong and clear as if he had just heard it.
Little Lotte was thinking of everything and nothing. She floated in the golden sunlight like a summer bird, wearing a crown of flowers on her radiant fur. Her soul was as clear and blue as her eyes. She was affectionate to her father and faithful to her doll, she took good care of her dress, her flowers, and her father's violin, but what she liked most of all was to listen to the Angel of Music as she was falling asleep.
Peter saw Little Lotte in Penelope. Penelope's father often told stories about the Angel of Music. The angel came to those who were of pure heart and conscience. He gifted people with music so powerful and pure, it dulled all other earthly sounds. Peter remembered her father's promise to her about sending her the Angel of Music when he died. He remembered the times after that when he tried to pursue her affections, but she didn't see him. Her father's death may have dulled her senses, but surely she could seek other refuge besides music? The fact that she had a man in her room told Peter that she was not so fully steeped in her art as the public would have liked to think.
The past, however, was past him. Peter went on to the hotel that he was told Penelope was staying in. He ran into her almost immediately and she appeared breathless at seeing him.
"I knew you'd be here. My father told me so," she said.
"Did your father also tell you that I love you, Penelope?" asked Peter.
"Love me?" The words rolled off of her tongue as if it was her first time saying them.
"Penelope, you had to have known your letter would bring me here. Why else would I come except to tell you my feelings?"
"I thought of you as I had thought of you then. Seeing you in my dressing room and being reminded of those times brought me back, Peter. I wrote to you because I needed that Peter. I needed a friend to comfort me in a time of sadness such as this."
"Was that time really the first time you had seen me since our last good-bye here?"
"No. I have seen you with your brother… and at other times."
"Why did you pretend not to know me then?" She sighed sadly and went away from him.
Feeling disheartened, he went to the graveyard. He visited her father, but felt unnerved at all of the skulls and skeletons lying about, so he went up the hill a ways. He sat down and looked upon the dismal place. He sat there until he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Penelope.
"I am sorry for going away from you so suddenly before. I did not know what words to use, but now I do. I must tell you something very serious, Peter," she said. She sighed. "Do you remember when my father used to tell us about the Angel of Music?"
"Of course."
"Well, I have heard him, Peter."
"Oh, I don't doubt it. No one could sing with such heavenly tones unless some unearthly miracle touched them."
"I pretended not to know you because the Angel is very jealous. He wouldn't like it if I saw someone else."
Peter thought back to the time he had listened at her door and heard the man's voice. Is this her Angel of Music? "Penelope, I think someone is playing a joke with you," he said.
Penelope pulled away. "I must go." She left without another word or look at Peter.
That evening, something strange occurred. Peter couldn't sleep and, if the footsteps from Penelope's room upstairs were any indication, she couldn't either. He heard her leave and was determined to follow her.
She went to the graveyard and he heard The Resurrection of Lazarus playing on the violin. When the piece had finished, Penelope left. Peter went to look for the mysterious, unseen violinist. There was no other place to hide in that graveyard except behind the bones. There were a few skulls that came rolling at him and he followed the source of their upset. He discovered a shadow. He chased after it and managed to catch its cloak. The figure turned and, in the light of the moon, Peter saw a horrible death's head with fiery eyes. His courage failed him and he passed out. He remembered nothing more until he awoke at the hotel the next morning. A police report was filed that recorded the events.
Hmm… the plot thickens. Anyway, please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)