Phantom Child

7. Friend of the Phantom

Next day I woke up, rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up on the blanket. First thing I felt, before my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room was a noose around my neck.

My eyes straight up opened. I looked up and saw the Phantom standing above me, holding the other end of the rope. With eyes big like plates, I didn't dare to move. Erik's eyes were giving out no emotion. He simply sighed and took the lasso off me, saying:

"You failed. One more time."

He took a swing and threw it again. This time I raised up one hand, which allowed me to catch it.

"Better." He summed up. "Remember, keep your hand at the level of your eyes."

"At the level of your eyes..." I repeated quietly to myself, taking the rope off of me. I was still baffled about what was happening.

Erik let go off the cord, so now I was holding it. He stood, not moving at all, like a soldier standing at attention. I got up from the floor and eyed him, confused. He smirked and gestured at what I was holding.

Hestitantly I threw the rope at him. It landed perfectly around Erik's neck and he nodded as a sign of approval.

"You're not bad." He said. I was completely puzzled.

He handed me back the lasso and went back to his position, suggesting that I try again.
For quite some time he was making me practice it, and I didn't know why. It was weird, after all it was not a common skill to practice. But one thing was for sure, Erik was nice to me. Even after what had happened the night before. He didn't talk about this at all. And this whole time he was smiling.

Well, maybe not exactly smiling but... in his way...

Then he summed up the whole lesson and gave me some advice regarding the technique of throwing a lasso.

"Maybe I am like you." I said and noticed that look of happiness appear on his face.

"Do you want to be?" Erik asked and saw me raise my shoulders and blush. I can only assume he took it as a positive answer, as his grin went wider than it was before.

Without any words he went to play his song on the organ. I followed him with my eyes and then turned around. I looked at my familiar window and noticed how much light was coming through it. It had gotten pretty late, surely it was after mid-day, considering I had probably woken up at 10am.

I walked up to the place where I had left the pot the previous day. It was empty... so was my stomach. I stood up with the pot in my hands. Erik heard me and turned around. And just as if he could read my thoughts, he said:

"If you are hungry, then go buy food. Don't steal."

I turned around in surprise and then watched him walk up to his desk and taking out some money from one of the drawers, before handing it to me. He could see the spark in my eyes as I touched the valuable pieces of paper. I looked at him surprised. 

"I may be hideous, but I'm not hideous enough to do that." He stated with a little smile.

"Thank you, Erik." I said under my breath, my eyes still jumping between his face and the bills.

Then I ran to the nearest trapdoor, but soon realized it was locked. He came up, smiling at my confusion and opened it for me. I lively stepped into the dark hallway. A few steps in and I stopped and turned around. I looked him in the eyes before he could close the door and assured him:

"I'll come back soon."

I felt like I needed to add this, in case he thought that I'm just going to run away with the money and never return. He smiled at me and nodded.