Erik's Point of View:
"Come look and see 'The Devil's Child'!" exclaimed the Cage Keeper.
Nobody wants to see me! Thats why this is over my head. To keep my sinful face hidden away. Why advertise what will only repulse? These are the things I wonder. I would've been better off at home. Why did I run away? My family hated the disgrace that was I, but at least I still got a meal or two a day. Now what do I eat? I chunk or two of awful, stale, moldy bread! How did I find my way here? Escaping from home was an easy thing to do. I knew no one would come looking for me. One night I found shelter in a small Inn by the Opera Populaire. They took me in and had pity upon me, yet I refused to take the sack off my head. They gave me a small meal of hot oats and sent me off in the morning. On my way to nowhere, I had bumped into a large, grimy man. He got very angry and demanded that I show him my face. I resisted, yet the man won the battle and stole the only thing that hide my shame.
When most people see me, they are horrifyed. Children my age tend to scream. Adults look at me like I am a sewer rat. Disgusting and useless to the world around me. This man did not. He saw my face and immediatly saw money and started to laugh.
"Haha!" he chortled. "Won't you make a lovely new piece to my collection?"
I stood there silent and terrified hoping that someone would save me. I knew that if I tried to run he would catch me, so I let him take me to the fair to be placed with the Human Oddities. That was the story of my life up 'til now. Now I'm stuck in a cage like a monkey at the zoo.
"Come see 'The Devil's Child'!" He said again, each time more awful than the last.
Through the holes in makeshift mask I saw a group of pretty young girls walk towards my cage. The Cage Keeper rambled on and on about me as a tall, blonde haired girl looked through my bars. The Cage Keeper whipped me with a heavy stick and took the sack off my head. Through my pain I looked over and saw her terrified face. Although her expression showed it wasn't my face that made her sad, it was my situation. Long face and all, her fingers let go of the cage and she went off with the crowd. Everyone was gone now, so I started to play with my only friend. My stuffed monkey. I found him on the ground by the Populaire and decided to take him. I figured he probably belonged to some other young boy, but shouldn't I have at least one joy of childhood? My monkey had cymbals attached to his paws, so when I clapped them together I heard a small ring. It made me feel like I had maybe some hope left. The Cage Keeper saw me with my toy and went in my cage to beat me more. He took my monkey away and whipped me harder than he ever had. I saw a stray rope to the side of my cage and stragled him with it. He was dead. I looked up to see the girl who was sad as I heard the distant calls of men shouting "Muderer!". The girl motioned me to come with her. I escaped from my unlocked cage, took the strange girls hand and ran as fast as I could. She opened a metal escape hatch that lead to an upstairs room in the Populaire. I soon found her again in the lobby and she lead me to a cave underground. This cave was spacious and had a river in it. I thought maybe I could find peace here, and maybe have a decent life. I was very grateful as I asked "What's your name?"
She replied " Antoinette Giry, what's yours?"
"Erik," I said. "Erik Mulheim, but you can call me Erik"
"Okay Erik," She said happily in her french accent, "I will help you live here as long as you promise me that we can be friends. I need a true friend."
"Okay, Antoinette. We can be friends. I've never had a friend except a stuffed monkey." I agreed.
And that is how I came to dwell underneath the Opera Populaire, though I still was curious about what a child my age could do in an empty cave alone. I knew Antoinette would be at ballet rehersals for most of the time, so I would be all alone. What could I do?
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Once again, Erik, Madame Giry, Christine and Raoul do not belong to me. They belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gaston Leroux. I used the plot line from the 2004 film for this chapter. I got Madame Giry's first name from WIkipedia and Erik's last name from the 1999 novel by Frederick Forsyth. I hope you like my story, please comment and vote!
