The Pug of the Opera

After three months Erik wondered how he had been able to survive without hearing an opera or a concert for such a long time. He had been so busy with Beau that he had completely forgotten to go to the opera.

The Phantom of the Opera was a rumor among the theater folk, but it was a harmless ghost. No crimes were committed. Erik lived a comfortable life without doing anything. The money he needed he earned by stealing from people at the opera, then dressing as normal workman and going to them to return their property and wait for a finder's reward. Those who paid him for returning their watches, wallets or jewelry he left in peace, those who didn't would find that the next time they lost something at the Opera no one would come to return it to them. Since Erik found almost everything he needed in the Opera house he did not need much money except for going shopping and buying box five.

Box five was specially constructed by himself with a secret passageway. There was a hollow column with a ladder so Erik could climb up almost directly from the catacombs. He preferred not to meet anyone when he came to see a performance.

Now he discussed with himself if he could go there. Leaving Beau alone was no option, the pug started whining in a heart-wrenching tone as soon as Erik tried to leave the flat alone. But could he take a dog with him? He tried to play music on his own instruments to get Beau used to music. Beau was perfectly fine with that. He usually lay on a pile of pillows chewing a dried pig's ear or just slept and ignored Erik tuning instruments or playing or composing. Erik decided to give it a try. He bought a large leather bag with a sling he could wear around his shoulder, padded it with rugs and placed Beau inside.

He carried Beau around in the opera late at night when no one was there. Beau behaved well, as long as he was in the bag he was quiet, he only wanted to be able to see what Erik was doing but Erik could carry Beau with him on every ladder, crawl through every tiny opening, even take him to the rooftop - Beau immediately marked the rooftop as his territory like all male dogs do - and Erik watched highly amused. He didn't know why but he was proud that Beau lifted his leg to pee. Beau was a real male and that pleased Erik somehow.

So Erik decided to take Beau with him finally. He made sure to feed the pug and go for a walk before he put him in the bag and went to his box. Beau was relaxed. Only when Erik put down the bag Beau started sniffing around in the box, marked the box much to Erik's annoyance - what would the cleaning team think? - and then scratched Erik's leg, wanting to be lifted to his lap. Erik sighed and lifted the pug, wondering how that tiny furball had gained weight. Beau curled up in the comfortable cussioned chair beside Erik, moving around until Erik left the chair and took the one beside Beau. He did not think much about that now, he was used to Beau wanting to sit precisely where he had just seconds ago.

The pug ignored the tuning of the instruments, the ouverture of Norma and the whole first act. In the middle of the first act he began to snore so loud, Erik was afraid the people in the other boxes would hear him. They did and some ladies made commends about a man in the other box being fast asleep - and added that he surely wasn't the only one.

During the second act Beau's tiny head suddenly came up, Beau jumped to his feet and began to howl like a wolf. He howled, then his soft flews came in his way so the howl didn't sound like "Aoooooo" like other dogs did but more like "Aoooopf aoooopfpf aooopf" and turned into barking.

"Hush! Silence! Down!" Erik tried to command - but since he had no cheese the pug ignored him completely. Erik tried to silence the pug, clasping his hand over the tiny snout but that did not silence the dog in any way. Erik had no choice but placing Beau in the bag and carrying him downstairs.

"Now what was that?" he scolded the pug as they made their way through the dark corridors of the cellar, "You were behaving perfectly well - and then suddenly you made a scene! What's wrong with you?"

Erik wondered if Beau was somehow hurt but the pug behaved perfectly that evening, slept well at night and the next day Beau woke him slobbering over his face and sneezing in his nose-hole like he did every day.

They went shopping. Beau knew the way. First to the vegetable shop, then to the dairy, the grocery, the newspaper kiosk, the bakery and at last to the butcher's. Beau of course loved the butcher's and especially the butcher's wife who stood at the counter and always had a bit of liver sausage for him. Erik could never pass the butcher's without going inside - with Beau pulling him on the leash behind him, the pug was astonishingly strong by now - and buy something because he felt bad if the butcher's wife showered Beau in treats and he bought nothing. The woman and the pug - Erik always wondered if they were somehow related they looked so alike!

Leading the pug on the leash was fun now that the pug patiently allowed him to attatch the leash to the collar, then Beau took the leash in his mouth and with his round head held high and his curled tail proudly waggling he lead his master. Erik noticed that the people he passed laughed even harder at the off couple, but he had to admit that they were a funny sight when he saw their reflection in a window - the fawn pug with the leash in his mouth leading Erik purposeful from one shop to the other. Even Erik himself had to laugh at the sight.

At home Erik prepared their lunch - the pug knew the time Erik had to stand in the kitchen and cook and if Erik decided not to Beau would start pushing his legs with his paws and barking at him, trying to drive him to the kitchen like a sheperd dog would drive sheep.

After they had their lunch, Erik sat in the parlor, Beau snoring peacefully on the couch, and played the violin. Why didn't the pug bark now? Why had Beau been so calm during the first act and made such a szene in the second? Erik decided to give it a try and played a note that was slightly off. Only a tiny bit, not every person would have noticed, only musicians would. Beau's head snapped up and he gave Erik an irritated look, turned his head from side to side - Erik grinned at that, it was too cute to watch - and listened carefully. As Erik deliberately added a few other wrong tunes Beau started barking and howling.

During the following days Erik tested it and found out that Beau had the absolute hearing. Whenever something was off, even the tiniest mistake, the pug would notice and start howling. Erik knelt down on the carpet to embrace his pug, hugging him gently as the dog licked his ears, "How wonderful! You have the absolute hearing, my boy! O I am so proud of you! Daddy is so very proud of you!" Erik called himself Beau's daddy since the dog had become a surrogate child to him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thank you for reading. Please review!

This story will be updated rather irregularly. I hope you will follow it nevertheless.