Chapter 6
The holidays were rather pleasant. Destroyed most of my savings, but pleasant. My little darling woke me up early that morning, which was rather frustrating because I had just begun sleeping like a normal man would. But if I woke up to see her beautiful little face and those large fawn-like brown eyes every morning, I wouldn't complain.
"Merry Christmas, Erik!" The little girl smiled from ear to ear.
"Merry Christmas, darling." I mumbled, rather tired.
"Come on, Christine!" the annoying blonde shouted as she stuck her head into our room. "Time to open presents!"
Christine hugged me before following Meg down the hall to the main sitting room of the small apartment. I had a feeling that one hug was going to be my Christmas present from my Christine. But that was more than enough to make me smile.
Throwing off my blanket, I stood up and went to the closest. I had bought many gifts for my Christine, mostly clothes and other fine things like that, but the main prize was still hidden away. I pulled out the large box from its hiding place on the top shelf. It was wrapped in blue paper with a gold ribbon crossing over the sides of it tied into a bow on top. From the same hiding place, I pulled out the hat box that contained the gift I had for the blonde. A gift I just intended to give to keep her mother silent for a while.
I placed the box on Christine's couch that she currently called her bed and then took the other gift and went to the sitting to. Meg was almost done with opening her presents but Christine had not yet started to open her gifts that laid beneath the small evergreen.
"Christine. Aren't you going to open your presents?" I asked the girl, sitting down beside her.
"I was just waiting for you to come. It would be rude to open them without you being here so I could thank you." Christine's cheeks flushed red.
"Well I'm here. Go on, darling."
I rather enjoyed watching Christine's face light up at each gift. Meg had more gifts to unwrap, but nothing could compare with the quality of the gifts that I got my darling. Within 15 minutes I watch my darling unwrap a beautiful dress, new shoes, a new coat (this one silver with fur lining the inside), a china tea set, a blue bonnet, and a few stuffed animals. With each gift unwrapped, I received thousands of hugs and 'thank you's which I loved more than life itself.
At some point, I saw Meg look over at Christine with a look that clearly showed jealousy. This would be the best time to give Meg the gift I had for her.
"Christine, could you do something for me?"
"Of course, Erik. Anything."
"I need you to give this to Meg." I held up the box. "Tell her it's from the both of us. Ok?"
"Ok."
I carefully placed the box into Christine's arms and watched her walk over to the jealous blonde. My sweet, little, innocent Christine knew nothing of jealousy so approaching Meg was no problem for her.
"Here Meg." Christine said with a smile as she handed her the hat box. "This is from Erik. Merry Christmas."
Meg quickly opened it to see the pale pink bonnet that was covered in lace and ribbons. Meg's face lit up, though I really didn't care what the girl thought.
"It's beautiful!" Meg said as she tried it on.
Giry, seeing the ordeal, looked Erik directly in the eyes and smiled lightly. She then mouthed the words 'thank you' though I did nothing in response.
I had one last gift to give and with the little blonde now distracted, I could easily give it without fear. I hurried back to my room to grab the doll. I returned to find Christine doing something that shocked me.
"Meg. I have something for you." Christine said, hiding something behind her back. "It's not as pretty as a bonnet...but I want to show how much I care about you."
Christine then held up one of the stuffed animals I had given her only moments before. It was a stuffed panda bear larger than Christine was wide.
"I know that pandas are your favorite animal and that you've always wanted to see a real one." Christine said, handing the toy to Meg. "I think this is as close as you can get to seeing a real one. I thought that you should have it. You don't have a lot of toys and it's not fair that I have more than you."
"Christine...I couldn't." Meg said, truly touched by the act of kindness.
"Yes you can. Please take it?"
Meg happily took the soft toy from Christine's arms and held it close to her chest.
"Oh he's so cute!" Meg said, clearly loving her new toy. "Thank you Christine!"
The girl then hugged my Christine and then went away to show her mother.
I was impressed with the heart of gold my Christine possessed. I had no problem with spoiling such a pure soul. I could give her the entire world yet she would gladly give it all away in order to make someone else smile.
"Christine. Come here." I called her.
She obeyed.
"That was a very sweet thing that you did for Meg."
"I just wanted her to have the doll. I know how much she loves stuffed animals. Especially pandas. I'm sorry that I gave it away. I did appreciate the gift from you but I know Meg would have loved it more than I ever could."
"I'm not angry at you Christine. I could never be angry at you. But I do want to make it up for losing a toy."
I handed her the neatly wrapped box, being as gentle as possible.
"This is the last present, my darling. I hope you like it."
Christine looked into my eyes, a bit confused but happy nevertheless.
She sat down on the floor and carefully unwrapped the box, careful to not rip the paper. She gingerly slid the lid off. Them moved the protective paper away from the item. What she saw made her mouth drop. A beautiful china doll with brunette hair hidden in a bonnet donning a blue dress and white stockings.
"She's beautiful." Christine said, taking the doll out of the box and cradling it in her arms. "How could I ever thank you?"
"Just take care of her, ok? She's your responsibility."
"Don't worry. I will!" Christine said, placing the doll gently back in its box. She then wrapped her arms around my neck and held me tight. I returned the embrace.
I spent the rest of the day watching Christine and Meg playing with their new toys and preparing Christmas dinner with Giry. It was rather entertaining watching Christine play mother to her new doll. I had a sneaking suspicion that she would become an excellent mother.
The day passed quickly and soon dinner was served. After that, hot chocolate and then we were all off to bed.
The next few days, Giry had to go to the opera house to prepare for the masquerade ball. I handed her the score that I had written for such an occasion and told her to sell it to the managers. She, feeling indebted for my kindness towards her daughter, did so without question. The managers believed the story of Giry being the middleman between the mysterious composer who wished to remain anonymous and happily accepted the score.
The ball, as told to me by that pesky Nicolette, was the grandest of all the ones she had attended and the music was breathtaking. I used this forced acquaintanceship to my advantage by asking if the opera house would ever consider taking an opera by the mysterious composer. She of course would pass on the news to her father. Within a week after New Year, it was announced that the opera house would like to do a gala with music entirely written by the mysterious composer. While the concert was certainly not as glamorous as an opera, it was a start.
I started writing fabulous arias and concert pieces that same day. By the next day, I had another large sum of money in my pockets.
Things were going according to plan. The opera house would be opening come March, which was only a week away. My composing abilities were securing a large amount of money for me and my young child. And every day, I would spend endless days with the one person who made my life worth it.
However, life is always longing to give you happiness just to take it away.
"What do you mean you are taking Christine to live in the Opera House?" I asked Giry, furiously. "I am the one who will be taking care of her, not you."
"Quiet down or you will wake them." Giry scolded. "As for Christine. You are not her father and I can't morally allow you to keep her in this house. I live in the dormitories during the spring, summer and fall and only return to this house every few weeks. You can't possibly expect me to believe that you will take good care of Christine while Meg and I are gone."
"She is my responsibility, Giry. You will not take her away from me." I stated boldly. "I love her more than life itself."
"That is what concerns me."
"You believe that I will take advantage of a child?!" I yelled my fury. "I assure you, Madame, that I am completely honorable!"
"I don't trust you around Christine. That is final. She will be living in the dormitories of the Opera House with Meg and I. Don't worry, Erik. She will be fine. Maybe being away from her can clear your mind of her and you can focus on your music."
She walked away, leaving me furious.
There was no I would let my Christine live in that Opera House with all its vile and scum.
Sadly, I lost that argument time and time again, Giry refusing to give me any ground. Soon the dreaded day when my darling would be taken away from me came.
"Why can't I stay with Erik?" Christine asked Giry and they were walking to the carriage that would take them to the Opera House.
"Because you need to stay with me. Now say good bye."
Christine came back to the door where I was and hugged me around the middle.
"I will miss you, Erik." Christine said, her face buried into my stomach, her tears creating a wet spot on my shirt.
"I will miss you too, my little darling." I said, bending down to embrace her as well. "Do you have everything packed up?"
"Yes."
"Is your doll, Aria, safe?"
"Yes. Meg has her right now and as soon as I get in the carriage I will hold her the entire way there. Aria's going to miss you.
"And I will miss her." I played the game of pretending the doll was alive with my little darling, one of her favorite things to play. "Now promise me...promise me you won't forget me."
"I will never forget you, Erik."
"I will never stop thinking about you Christine. Promise me you will stay safe?"
"I will."
"Do everything that Giry says."
"I will."
"Think of me."
"I will."
"Come on, Christine." Giry called the girl, "We will be late."
"You'd better go." I said looking down at the floor, trying to hide the silent tears flowing from my eyes.
"Good bye, Erik." Christine had tears in eyes as well. "I will miss you."
"Good bye, my angel." I said, my throat becoming choked up.
Christine then ran over to Giry who placed her in the carriage. Christine waved to me from the window until it was out of sight. I waved to her until she was long gone.
My heart seemed to die. For days I didn't eat or sleep. I spent most of the time just staring at the door, waiting for Christine to walk back in, like a dog anxiously waiting for its master to return home. But she never did. Giry wouldn't be coming back to the house for a while. Now that I was here, I was in charge of cleaning and taking care of the place making visits to her home unnecessary. It would be a life time before I saw my darling again. The days blurred together and in agony I waited.
After a few weeks of barely eating and waiting, my heart grew weary. I decided to try writing music again but found my creativity as alive as my heart.
"It's not fair!" I screamed to everything and nothing. "She was my angel and now you take her away from me? Not just her, but my music! My desire to live! Everything! It's all gone because she is no longer beside me!"
Inspiration comes in many forms. For the past few months, Christine had been my inspiration leading to soft, sweet and innocent melodies. But I began drawing from a new source of inspiration: hatred, anger and bloodlust. Music once again filled my mind, but it was no longer music for my little girl. No. It was dark, frightening and full of revenge and hatred.
I began writing it immediately. It would be my finest work yet. A dark opera. An opera about a Angel being a gift to a Devil. The Devil would fall in love with his new prize but it would be striped of him leading to a dark and twisted revenge on God and his angels until his darling was right back beside him.
It would be glorious.