Love Will Continue - Sequel to Phantom Child

16. The Ghost from the past

I blinked at the note lying not further than within a reach of my hand. The urge to open it was strong; the red sealing tempting my inner curious child. I took the envelope in my hands. It beared only one word, my own name:

Maya

Suddenly my curiosity and longing turned into anger. What did Erik have to say to me? Why did he write this? Why should I open it, instead of ignoring it, just like he had done with me today? "It better be an explanation of all of this, otherwise it's just waste of paper" I thought and reluctantly opened the letter.

Even though I put on a grimace of dissatisfaction with Erik sending me this note, I enjoyed reaching inside it to pull out the piece of paper with the black lining. "Traditional Erik..." I rolled my eyes. With greatest care, I unfolded the paper and took a deep breath, before reading:

Dear Phantom Child,

If I still deserve forgiveness in your eyes,
Then forgive me for being so blind.
I should've known my songs have a reprise.
So if you would only be so kind,
Have pity on the lonely ghost
And come again, back to my gates
There you'll find another note,
With which I hope to lessen your hate.

Your dear old friend, Erik

I sat there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do or think. After a while I smiled. And then I began to laugh. He had sent me a poem to follow! Just like he had done when I was little... He could come up with better rhymes though... But that didn't matter! He told me to come to him; it was an invitation.

...And, at the same time, a plea. He sought forgiveness from me. He thought I hated him. Poor Erik (once again). At least he was confident enough to ask for it, instead of insisting that he doesn't deserve it, like he used to back then.

...Thank you for saving my unworthy life two nights ago...

...You deserve happiness and coming back to what happened is not going to grant it...

...Forgive me for being so blind...

Compared to the last two notes, this one suddenly sounded like a demand. And who was I not to comply with the Opera Ghost's demands?! After all, we all know what were the consequences last time someone disregarded him!

With a grin growing wider and wider to a point when my face hurt, I kept rereading the letter. It was like a new beginning, new generation, new letters. So far I only had the ones I had recieved 10 years ago. Now I got a new one, like a new start.

...And come again, back to my gates.
There you will find another note...

"His gates" surely meant Phantasma's gates. I didn't need to rethink my choice. I jumped off of the bed, like it was a catapult, and quickly threw on my coat, since it was getting late and cold.

Before I left, I wrote Christine a quick note of my own, so that she wasn't too worried about me. I practically threw it onto my bed and ran out through the door with a speed of lightning.

Outside, a gentle breeze greeted me. The clouds were covering the moon, so the only light was coming from the streetlights. My coat was shielding me pretty well from the temperature, though I didn't know how long would it last before it gets even colder. I was taking in the sight for a while and then embarked on my mini-quest.

I took a carriage and soon found myself in front of the entrance to the magical world of Mr Y. Well not exactly so soon. The carriage ride actually felt like ages; the time slowed down apparently, or my mind was racing 10 times faster than the horse pulling my transportation.