Erik is NOT Dead (Phantom of the Opera one-shots)

Gaston Leroux's Book

We pushed off and again we were in the oppressive darkness. I felt as if I could taste the darkness around me. I turned around to see if I could see the girl but all I saw were two hazel eyes shining in the darkness. I quickly turned back around. The girl giggled.

"Forgive me, Monsieur, I often forget my eyes glow in the dark." She seemed to alright with my edginess and it made me more comfortable. The silence was almost as oppressing as the darkness. I had no idea how long this boat ride would go on so I spoke again, just for my own sanity.

"Where exactly are you taking me?" I tried to be as polite as I could.

"You wish to learn of the ghost that haunts this place?" I nodded then a moment later realized she couldn't see me nod. I was about to speak when she spoke.

"I saw you nod. I can see in the dark." She seemed quite proud of that claim. Before I had a chance to remark on the strange statement, she spoke again. "If you wish to learn of the ghost then you need to speak with my mama." I thought for a moment before asking,

"Is your mama the ghost?" The girl laughed and could barely contain it.

"My mama? The ghost? How ridiculous! Of course she isn't. She is my mama. My father's truest love." I could almost feel the girl's smile as she thought of her parents. What surprised me was how at home she felt down here. The girl must have grown up down here. Grown up in oppressing darkness... what life was that for a girl. A pretty one at that.

I had so many questions to ask. Most of all, was how on earth did a family live down here? In the darkness. I could only hope all my questions would be answered upon meeting this girl's mother.

A few minutes later the boat docked and I saw a dimly lit island. On it, sat a perfect little home. It would have fit into any neighborhood as a perfect little place to raise a family. But, why was it down here? Beneath the earth? Away from the sunlight? Two torches burned around what I guessed was a front door.

I got out of the boat and the girl tied it up to the pier before walking towards the door. In the new found light of the torches reflexing off the white paint of the house, I saw the girl was wearing trousers. I was appalled for a moment before realizing it was the most practical thing for a life down here. Skirts, petticoats, and dresses in general would have made comfortable life almost impossible.

The girl opened the door and beckoned me inside. The room I found myself in was so normal that it shocked me. It was a pretty room. Decorated with taste and some sense of elegance. A piano was against a yellow patterned wall and several chairs and couches surrounded a fireplace that had burned out a few hours before.

The girl led me through another door and into what appeared to be a dining room. The normality of this home was almost more than I could stand. Its very normality was what made it so strange. The girl stood still for a moment before grinning and turning to lead me towards a door at the end of the dining room.

Her voice rang out clear as she said,

"Mama, we have a visitor." The door she was looking at, opened and from it emerged a gorgeous woman. She was somewhat tall with a find figure and graceful movements. What quickly struck me was her clothing choice. She also wore trousers. I brushed away the thoughts of the lack of dignity that brought on her. There was no doubt this was a woman of good breeding. The lift of her head and the movement in her step spoke of years as someone of some high pedigree despite her clothing choices.

Her hair was exactly the same shade as her daughter but her eyes were green while her daughter's were hazel. Her mother was slim but nothing like her daughter and I couldn't help but admire how the woman carried herself as she walked towards us.