A Song In The Dark

Growth in Ashes

He woke up the sound of moisture dripping throughout the cellar it was cold and he was alone. Slowly he rose up off the stone ground, he must have collapsed sometime but he couldn't remember. A few of the candles had burned to nothing telling him he had been unconscious for several hours. The sound of the workers had stopped, slowly he pulled out his pocket watch flipping open the gold cover. He read the elegant numbers Two thirty. "Sunday" He sighed.

Stiffly he walked to a marble counter and grabbed another morphine injection inserting it into his arm. Slowly he pulled out the needle and looked at the bruising he was nothing but skin and bones. No flesh just a body decaying in this prison a ghost, a phantom something that didn't truly exist.

Tears formed again in his eyes he wished that they would just stop but they never did.

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Ada couldn't leave the church fast enough. She was tired of hearing the dry preacher threatening to bring fire and brimstone down, she couldn't concentrate she thought it a sin to stay inside on such a beautiful day. Ada nearly forgot her manners as she burst up the front porch flinging the door open.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Her father asked her with a warm chuckle.
"I think it's a beautiful day for a picnic."

Her father just smiled.

Ada rushed to the kitchen and made a sandwich putting it in a bag, she checked behind her making sure her father wasn't looking before she grabbed a few cookies stashing it in the bag.

Before she headed out she grabbed her violin maybe she could get a song written on this spring day.
Ada walked across the street and stared up at the opera house remains it still smelt like burning wood, slowly she walked up the grand steps into the grand entry room. The sun peered through the holes in the roof casting warm light taking any thoughts of ghosts that seemingly haunted this place. Ashes covered the decaying statues.

She ventured down the halls some rooms were bright and cheery others were dark almost hiding something. She walked towards the stage the velvet seats were covered in cobwebs the sight of such a beautiful place in peaces sent chills down her spine. The great chandelier lay in pieces she walked towards the broken piece of art, glass crushed under her feet up from the chandelier's destruction grew a blood red climbing rose bush the vines entangled themselves with the destroyed chandelier roses budding reaching for the light.
Out of ashes grew beauty. It was a sight that warmed her heart.

Ada picked up her violin and let the music fly.

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He was crouched down on the stone cellar floor letting the tears fall, he wanted to give up to take another injection and pray that he could just be taken that the pain would be gone. His crying stopped for a moment "just take it, and it will all be over." He whispered to himself but he couldn't. "You week fool. You have nothing to live for."

He was about to let the tears start again when a song flew to his ears. It wasn't singing it couldn't be her then, his cold body was warmed with this music. His heart leapt he almost felt something rather than pain, something he hadn't felt in years he almost had forgotten what the joy of music felt like.

He got up off the cold stone and grabbed his mask, he needed more of this music. And to see the genius that was behind the song.

The ghost stumbled through the halls his body was weak it screamed for more morphine but the drug of this music won. The phantom approached box five hiding in the safety of the shadows slowly his thin body leaned over the side it was a girl sitting with a violin playing his soul was filled again with music.
Before he knew what happened he was running down the stairs his long thin legs took multiple steps at a time till he reached a piano that sat backstage the urge took over.

The violin had stopped when he started playing but the the man didn't notice all he knew was some bit of life was sparked. Tears of joy ran down his cheeks his music was back.

The song came to a close, his heart was racing he felt like it could explode at any given moment.
"Bravi, bravi, bravissimi." A voice cried accompanied by a set of hands clapping, his heart stopped.

"That was beautiful monsieur!" Her voice gleamed.
The ghost was speechless he was found out, and in no way he would have ever dreamed he didn't even know how he got to where he was why was he at a piano.

"I'm Ada." The girl introduced out stretching her hand to his. 'No, no I'm dreaming right now.' He told himself still dumbfounded. "You're the phantom of the opera aren't you?"

"Possibly." Was all he could choke up.
'Dam you, what kind of introduction is that?'
A voice in his head questioned.
She gave a little laugh and a curtesy. "Well monsieur fantôme, it's a pleasure to meet you."
He was in awe she was talking to him like a real person not something that didn't feel or exist.

She blushed slightly eyeing the mask but she didn't seem to be searching for what's underneath it more of finding an expression.
"Would you like to join me for lunch?" She offered the blush leaving her face. The phantom nodded he wasn't sure why he accepted but this girl intrigued him.
"I wasn't planning on company," she explained leading him to a seat "so I only have one sandwich."
He didn't answer he just watched her walk ahead of him and offer him a seat next to her.

"So, what's your name?" She asked handing him half of her sandwich. He looked down at the food in his gloved hand. "Does a name really matter?" He hissed feeling her temper grow at her questions.

"Well I guess not," she replied unshaken by his harsh tone "but I don't think it's right to just call you the opera ghost."

Again the phantom was dumbfounded she seemed to care. "Erik" he told her hardly even whispering.
"Nice to meet you Erik." They finished their meal. Erik couldn't remember the last time he ate mostly he had a scrap here and there just enough to keep him alive it felt good to eat.
"I have to go, my papa will want me to make supper, I really enjoyed meeting you Erik."

Erik stood up and sheepishly offered her his hand. "Thank you." He replied with a slight bow. And then he vanished.

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Ada stood where he left her he was different, that was for sure. He was tall with raven black hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to surround her but they were sad and alone, but most of all they screamed for love. His suit just draped over his body, it was well tailored when she embraced his hand it felt like she was grasping a corpse. His eyes were sunk in dark shadows were cast where the skin sunk in on his cheekbones. And the mask he wore over half of his face fascinated her the expression it had gave him power.

She couldn't wait to see him again.

"Ada are you here?" She could here her brother call from the entry of the remains. Ada shot a glance around she spotted Erik disappear from box five. A smile stretched across her freckled face "yes I'm here."