The Opera ghost's whisper
I do not own anything
Chapter 6
" urg… my head… what happened…" I sat up, this time, I was not on a nice and warm bed, but in a very dark, wet, and dirty place. " where is the phantom when you needed him…"
It was so dark, I could barely see anything. So I waited until my eyes were used to the dark, then I tried to push myself again the wall, but this time, it wouldn't move. " I need to find another way out."
Good thing I always had my pocket flashlight with me after that incident.
" maybe I could walk back to the Phantom's lair… but this place is full of traps… I could die…" I looked around. " and I had to leave my phone in Box Five at a time like this…"
I wouldn't stay in the dark like this, at least, if I could find the lair, I could use the boat to go to the other side and use the trapdoor in the changing room.
If I could make it to the Phantom's secret lair that is…
oOo
I made it.
I couldn't believe it, according to the book, they said that the road from Box Five to the Phantom's lair was the way that had most of the trap, yet I haven't run into any of them.
I used the boat to get to the Phantom's lair.
I wanted to go to the changing room and went back to Box Five before Russell found out that I have gone missing again, but I didn't know why… suddenly I pushed open one of the random walls, another hidden door opened and I walked in.
There were a lot of books inside the room, the first editions of every kind of book, and their condition was all good, How come they still looked so new after all those years… I would say I ran into a treasure island, one of the books here could help me live like a king.
No doubt this all belonged to the Phantom. He was a genius and he had a lot of free time to read all of those books. And God knew that he had a very high requirement with everything around him.
I walked around, wondering if I should take a book and read, maybe I could understand my situation more if I read those books, but then again, Russell would have a heart attack if he didn't find me in Box Five like I told him would be in.
But one book wouldn't hurt, right? And I would take the book with me, maybe I would be able to find my way back here and took all of them back with me, no one would miss those books anyway.
Which one should I take then…
That book with blue cover and flowers looked interesting, it looked so out of place, I didn't think the Phantom would have something like this in his home. So I took it with me, and then, I used the boat to get to the other side of the lake.
oOo
" hey, Julian, where were you? You disappeared again, are you trying to make me older than I already am?" Russell almost crushed me again.
" stop that, you are a married man, I do not want your colleagues to think we are gay… like again... And I have not been gone more than two hours…"
" well, sorry for worrying over my only friend, Jully, you are the Phantom's top target, I don't want you to disappear, you know he is dangerous."
" right, I just went for a walk, that is all, and I think I will be going home now, I am a little tired."
" sure, get plenty of sleep, you look like you need one."
" stop bothering me, you are a father, not a mother."
" go already."
oOo
Russell was right, I did need some sleep, because of what happened those past few days, I couldn't sleep very well, I kept hearing those voices, saying things I couldn't understand, mostly something about come back and all that.
Maybe I was Christine Daae like Russell said, and the Phantom's ghost was calling me back? Nah, that was impossible, I couldn't imagine myself as a diva and singing my heart out on stage, with the Vicomte and the Phantom after my hand.
Then I remembered about the book I took from the Phantom's lair, there were a thousand books, and I took this one, it didn't look like an expensive book, more like a notebook or something.
I opened the first page.
'Dear diary…'
I couldn't believe in my eyes, the book, the notebook I choose was a diary. I continued to read it. And I saw the familiar symbol, the white mask, it was the Phantom's diary.
oOo
' November 13th 1840s,
Dear Diary,
Today, Madame Giry gave me a notebook and told me to write what I did in the day before, it called a 'diary', something to keep my good and bad memories, I told her I didn't need one because I didn't have good memories, but she kept insisting so I thought I would try it a bit. Besides, it was not like I would have anything to do anyway. Let's me introduce myself to you then, my dear Diary ( was I being ridiculous? Treating you liked a real person, but then again, you might be my only friend in this whole world, Diary.), my name is Erik, no last name, just Erik, I am ten years old, madame Giry brought me to my current home last year, she saved me from the Gypsies, and I am forever thankful to her, but she couldn't take care of me all the time, I needed to stand up by my feet sooner or later. So I started to read and learn whatever I could, and whenever I could.
oOo
No wonder this notebook was blue and have white flowers printed, it belonged to a child.
I continued to read.
oOo
November 17th 1840s,
There were so many things that happened around this opera house, it was amusing to see people stripping themselves over something like dancing or singing when they are obviously not good at it. There was this young woman. Her name was Carlotta (I think that was what madame Giry called her) she was younger than madame, maybe twenty or something. She was a little better than the other chorus in singing and she acted like a real Diva, I hated her, I think I will play a little trick on her later.
November 17th 1840s ( night),
You should have been there, my friend, it was very amusing. But then again, you can't be there, right? You are not a real person, I keep forgetting that, I am sorry, maybe I am beginning to go mad…
Anyway, do you want to know what happened? Well, when Carlotta sang the highest note, I 'accidentally' dropped a paint bucket on her… red one, to suit her pink dress I guess. And she was all like ' this Opera's house is haunted… I can't be here to be a victim' and storm out. that would save us all from her horrible voice. She was okay at singing, but that doesn't mean she is the best, she needs more practice, her voice is still not strong enough to sing a high note. Well, the trick was good, but the after-party is not very interesting at all, madame Giry kicked my butt because of what I did. But it was worth it.
September 1st 1840s,
Not many things happened around after the show, most of the time I sat and was obsessed with the dancers and singers, they were trying hard to work, unlike Carlotta, who was still acting like a drama queen after what happened in November 17th.
April 14th 1941s,
Again, nothing happened.
May 18th 1941s,
Some new workers were hired.
June 1st 1941s,
Madame Giry dropped her new glasses somewhere in the opera house, I might 'accidentally' saw it and moved them elsewhere.
October 24th 1941s,
I saw a black cat today, he was wandering alone in the dark when I went out for a small walk, looked like a wild cat so I took him back with me, a pet would be nice since I was all alone down there. It was not like anyone would know about that anyway. I would need to think of a good name for him.
December 11th 1941s,
I take it back, the cat is a 'lady', not a 'gentlemen'. She didn't like her name, too boyish, so I will have to think of another one, more 'lady-like this time or I will be run out of paper to write soon…
January 1st 1842s,
Belle sound like a nice name…. and she seems to like that name…
October 4th, 1842,
There was not much happened around here again.
February 1st 1843s,
I was bored, madame Giry was not there, she took her daughter to see some of her friends, I wished I could go with them….
I wished I could go outside in the daylight…
November 4th 1843s,
Madame Giry was back.
November 4th 1843s ( night )
Someone visited madame at the opera house. she was just back from her trip, why did someone come here? But then again, there were not many things to do, and I would love to see someone new. Well, I see them and they do not see me anyway.
A man, who looked like he was around thirty or so, and a young girl, brown curly hair and big blue ocean eyes, you could know what was on her mind by just one glance at those adorable eyes. The man went to talk with madame and her husband ( I think his name was Louis or something, he is a nice man, I only met him two or three times, but he was busy so he couldn't really come to visit me much, he has to work to feed his family and let madame does what she like.)
The man let his little daughter play in alone, fool, there were a lot of dangers in this opera house, like that man, named Buquet, he had a wife yet he tried to watch the dancers changing, I even caught him one time trying to get a girl to sleep with him, lecherous old fool. I better keep my eyes on the girl, she was the daughter of madame's friend after all.
The little girl was playing with something like a handmade doll, when suddenly she looked up, staring at the wall where I was hiding.
'Hello? Is there anyone here?'
Does she know I am here? no way, my hiding skills were not that bad… I thought maybe if I kept silent, she would think that she imagined things...
' I know you are there, mister, come out!' she pouted.
Should I come out? I didn't want to terrify such a young child like her. Even my mother didn't like me…
'come out, please? I just want to play, I am bored...' she begged…
'I can't come out, I don't want to scare you, child.'
' why not? I am not a child, I am four years old, I am an adult.'
' it is just that …' I have to think of some excuse. 'I do not have a human body, I am not human, I am…'
' Are you a ghost?'
' a ghost?' yes, that was something that closes to what I am. ' yes, I am a ghost.'
' you are a ghost, and you are living in an opera house, does that make you the infamous Phantom of the Opera house?' she giggled.
' yes, yes, that is exactly what I am, you are a very intelligent little girl.' I found myself smiling, it was not like she could see me anyway.
' great, do you want to play with me, Monsieur Phantom?'
'…' I didn't know why, but soon, I found myself talking and smiling along with this little girl, she said her name was 'Christine Daae'. Such a sweet girl… she was like a little angel.
'I am going to be Mama and you will be Papa, alright? And this will be our little daughter,' she showed me her handmade doll. 'Angelina.'
'sure' I didn't want to play some silly game with a child, but looking at her smile, the only thing I could do was agree.
' First I want us to meet at a ball.' She said excitedly.
' pardon me?' I said, almost wanting to raise one of my eyebrows.
' silly, we can't get married if we don't have a background story.. something like ' I met your father at a ball'. If not, what will we tell our child once they grew up?' she pounded.
'sure, whatever you like, child.'
' yay, I always want to meet my true love at a ball.' She clapped her hands happily, and suddenly I found myself smiling with her again.
It was weird… it has been such a long time since I smiled… and I smiled more than one time that day... yet with her, I felt like I could forget all about the world outside, forget everything that happened, no past, no future, just present, it was just the two of us, me and her.
Was this a human feeling?
Did something call love?
That couldn't be it, I was not a human being, but a pathetic monster, who found some kind of feeling for a four years old girl.
Soon, the time was gone and she had to come back to her papa. But she said she would love to see me the next time she came here with her Papa on their next visit.
I doubted her father would let her wander alone again after hearing about who she met that day….
oOo
I closed the notebook and took a deep breath, that means the phantom had met Christine before when her father was still alive and he already had some feeling for her? When she was just a child? But I could understand him, she was the only one who treated him like a human being, but then, she didn't see him.
I stood up. I should get myself a cup of coffee to calm myself down before continuing to read this, maybe I could find out why the Opera Ghost obsessed with me and not some brown hair blue eyes girl. And maybe I could free Russell's Opera house from the curse and the Opera Ghost….
(TBC)