Chapter Eight: The Graveyard
The night was cold and pitch-black, a small dribble of snow falling against the stone tombs and rusted angel sculptures. Christian placed a single, red rose on the base of his father's grave.
Gustave Daae's grave sat in the middle of the cemetery, a large white cross sticking out from the ground; etched in beautiful carvings. Directly behind it there grew a small, little infant of a tree which Christian had planted a few years ago. He hoped that someday, it would grow into a massive oak that would stand forever, symbolizing the spirit of his dear father. But for now, it was a short little twig with a small canopy of dying leaves, barely standing up.
Christian glared at it coldly. It was a simple reminder of just how weak and pathetic Christian had been feeling lately. He had not only been placed in almost a year's worth of deadly situations, but he had also been extremely manipulated. That was what bothered him the most. His indisputable weakness for the Phantom had been the cause of so much devastation.
If his father were alive, what would he think of this mess? Would he be ashamed of Christian? Or embarrassed? Would Christian have been able to tell his father about his strange attraction to another man? How would Gustave react to this? All these questions seemed to boil up in Christian's mind until he finally became overwhelmed and threw himself down at the base of the cross and began to sob.
"Father, please," he begged through harsh tears, "I need your guidance! I need you to be here with me!" He wept and wept until he could weep no longer. It was then that he finally realized that he had never fully experienced any closure with his father's death. He had bottled up his feelings deep inside him for years until, finally, he broke down. But now, it was time to move on. There were bigger things happening now, and if Christian was going to deal with a psychopath, he needed to be free of all the guilt that was buried deep within. After a long time of just laying there, he decided to pick himself back up, and dry his tears.
"I miss you so much, father. I do not want to say 'goodbye'…" There was another long pause. "…But I must. You meant so much to me when you were alive, but I must accept that you cannot be here now." He wrapped his arms around the stone cross one last time, and with melancholy resignation, decided to leave the graveyard.
Suddenly, though, he heard the inconceivable sound of a tree branch snapping underneath someone's foot. He panicked, turning all around him and mute with fear. There was a long silence. Then, out of the bleak fog, rose the Phantom himself, in his usual black tuxedo and cape. Christian was just about to yell for help, when the Phantom stopped him.
"No, Christian, please!" He shouted. Christian stood, petrified. Reluctantly, though, he decided not to yell. "Do you really think I would hurt you, my sweet angel?"
Christian continued to stare at him cautiously. "Why are you here?"
"Because, my love, I am here to see you." His voice was warm and rich, like melted chocolate. Christian, again, found it very hard to resist him. He began to take small, cat-like steps towards Christian. Soon they were standing very close together.
Christian knew he should have been more scared, but the spell of the Phantom was beginning to overtake him again. The Phantom reached out and stroked Christian's cheek tenderly, and Christian shuttered in response.
"Don't you see, Christian? You belong with me." He wrapped his arms around Christian's waist, leaning down to kiss him on the neck. Christian was in utter euphoria, until out of the corner of his eye he saw the tree he had planted for his father. Suddenly, he remembered where he was, and the events of the past began to flash across his mind. Now, this all seemed wrong, and he pushed the Phantom away from him, terrified.
"Get away from me!" He shouted, but before the Phantom could react, they heard another voice yelling from the shadows.
"Stay back, you murderer!" It was Renee, running towards them out of the fog and carrying a loaded pistol. She was about to shoot, but the Phantom whipped his cape around in a flash of smoke and disappeared.
Christian ran to her. "Renee! How did you know I was here?"
"I spoke with Madame Giry. She told me all about the Opera Ghost. Christian, we have got to track down this monster!"
Christian nodded, but then looked around. "Where do you think he is?" They could see nothing but the shadowy tombs of the cemetery.
All of a sudden, the Phantom appeared at the top of a nearby tombstone. "There!" Renee shouted. Before they could realize, he was somehow flinging a massive ball of wrathful fire at them. Christian flung himself at Renee and dragged them both to the ground, barely missing the oncoming flames. When they both looked up, the Phantom was gone.
"How did he do that?" Christian exclaimed in horrific astonishment.
"Well, he's no ghost, Christian." Renee replied, still trying to catch her breath. "But he is a very skilled magician. That's how he is always able to deceive us."
"I cant believe he just tried to kill us." Christian said as they helped each other up off the ground.
"Well, of course, Christian! He's a cold-blooded murderer—" Renee began, but the horrific gasp produced by Christian stopped her. She followed his gaze to see that the tree by his father's grave had been completely destroyed by the Phantom's fire. Christian stood trembling in absolute fury as he stared at the burning foliage that used to be a symbol of love and sacrifice. Where Christian earlier felt closure, he now felt only anger and sadness.
"Renee, when we return to the Opera House, tell Andre and Firmin that I agree to sing in the Phantom's Opera. We shall go through with the plan." He spat the words out in bitter hate.
"Are you sure, Christian?" Renee had never seen Christian this upset.
"Absolutely. It is time we put an end to this madness once and for all. This monster must be stopped."