Limelight

Chapter Four: All Hollows Morning

Chapter Four: All Hollows Morning

October 31st, 1910

The drunken people finally stopped banging on the door at around midnight, an hour after Victoria and I ran from the dinner party. I sat on the floor with my back against the door as Victoria's eyes started to flutter to a close in the golden fabric chair before my desk; I sighed and read the note over and over again. 'Why is everyone so eager to get their hands on this?' I thought 'What would they've done with it?' I asked myself silently; now, Victoria yawned and sat up "Sissy" she whispered, I then turned to her with a weary glance and she smiled sleepily.

"Sissy, what does the note say?" Asked she, I bit my lip, attempting to determine if I should tell her or not, "I swear I won't tell, I won't tell a soul; remember when it was mother's birthday and you threw her that surprise party? I told no one, you can trust me, sissy." She whispered, I smiled.

"Cross your heart, Vikki, cross your heart that you won't tell a soul...I do not know what the other's want with this, but I don't think it's good so, cross your heart." Said I, not moving an inch toward my sister, she smiled and crossed her heart with both hands; showing that she would never speak a word of it to anyone but me. I nodded and crawled on all fours over to her, for I was too weary to stand; I sat before Victoria and handed her the note, gone was her weariness, and gone her urge to sleep. In it's stead was electrified energy.

"Y-you got a note from the O-Opera Ghost! A very sweet note too!" She cried with the air of astonishment. My brows furrowed at her attitude.

"Why are you so excited by it?" I asked quietly, Victoria looked up to me from the note, her eyes were enlarged to the point that I felt I could play golf with one of them serving as the ball. Victoria now shook her head slowly, she turned a pale color and her lips turned an ashy grey.

"Not one performer has ever gotten a note from the Opera Ghost, sissy, the managers have only gotten but three and one of those was threatening. Mamma Giry doesn't even get notes from the Opera Ghost, and she's been here the longest!" Victoria cried, she was very excited, she paced about the room with the note in hand, mumbling softly to herself.

"Should I be worried, Victoria?" I asked, her pacing stopped and she stared at the note again, she glanced up to me and shook her head.

"Then what in the world" I stood with a smile on my face and walked to her "are you so agitated for?" asked I, taking the note back; Victoria shook her head.

"It's just that no one has gotten a note before; ever! It's so extremely odd!" said she with an exasperated sigh, she fell down into the chair before my desk and placed her right hand on her forehead "just odd" she whispered. Now there was a great pounding at my door, Victoria looked to me with worry filled eyes.

"Do not worry, girls, it's only I, Mamma Giry; let me in, Elizabeth" Mamma Giry's voice rang from the hallway, but was muffled by my door, hesitantly, I opened the door to find Mamma Giry standing before me, holding a box of English sweets and a bushel of roses with black lace tied round the stems. Mamma smiled haggardly and I opened the door wider to let her inside, Victoria stood and let Mamma sit down in the chair "I was cleaning the opera boxes tonight" said she, placing the English sweets and roses down on my desk "and I found those on the ledge of box five with a note consisting of the words 'to be delivered by hand to Elizabeth Daae' so, I am doing just that. Ah, what's that?" Mamma asked, motioning to The Opera Ghost's letter that was still tightly in my grasp. I handed Mamma the note, for I trusted her wholly and fully, and her eyes hungrily scanned the note; devouring each word and savoring each syllable.

Mamma Giry smiled afterwards "It looks like you've found your savoir" her smile grew from her wrinkled ear to ear "and you've found a suitor all at once" my cheeks became hot and my hands became wet with sweat, Victoria now smiled and took up the English sweets and roses; she smelled the roses and sighed, then she handed the sweets and roses to me. I opened the sweet box and gave Mamma Giry three and Victoria three, leaving me with three also; Mamma Giry smiled and closed her eyes as she ate her sweet. "The last time I had a sweet like this, the Opera Populaire was hosting a masquerade and I was only but a ballet girl, much like you, Victoria, and there was a box of English sweets at my chair in the make-up room; there was a note with it which read 'to Meg Giry' and nothing more. It was a child's handwriting, in red ink I believe" Mamma Giry said with a laugh "those were wonderful days" she whispered dreamily. "Now, Elizabeth" Mamma Giry whispered, coming back to reality "those wonderful days are upon you, for the Opera Populaire is a wonderful place to be" the grandfather clock in the corner struck one and Mamma sighed "off to bed with you girls!"

I was woken by the sound of Victoria humming 'Warsaw Concerto' by Richard Addinsell, I yawned and sat up from my white, circular bed; the white, silk canopy was draped all around the bed and it gave my room a ghostly vibe. Victoria was sitting at my desk, writing something down when she glanced up and saw I was awake "Oh, good morning, sissy! Happy All Hollows!" She cried, jumping up from the chair and quickly walking to the side of my bed, pushing up the fabric and hugging me tightly. Then there were two, short knocks on my door and in strolled Mamma Giry, holding a beautiful, turquoise dress with designs of rubies, diamonds, and emeralds on the bosom and inlays of gold running throughout the dress; ruffles procured the sleeves and from the waist down on this dress.

 My eyes nearly popped out of my skull, for this dress must of cost a fortune and  a half! Mamma leaned the dress down to me and on a small tag on the dress there was a note 'To be handed to the beautiful, Margarita Elizabeth', the handwriting was the same from the note from The Opera Ghost! I sat before Mamma and Victoria with an open mouth, but out came no words; Mamma only smiled. "It was in my dressing room this morning, hanging on a door of my wardrobe" I shook my head and gingerly touched the dress, I was afraid it might disappear and I would wake up from this dream if I took up the dress in my own arms. "He wants you to wear it today, I presume" whispered Mamma, I turned to Victoria and asked her if I could have a private word with Mamma, to this she complied and with a bow she walked to her room and shut the door behind her.

 "What is it, sweet child?" Asked Mamma Giry, sitting down on my bed before me and laying my new dress on my legs. I sighed and told Mamma about the two girls in the costume room and their conversation "do not listen to gossip, child, nothing good will come of it" she whispered patting my leg.

"But, Mamma, they seemed so scared; why would they be afraid?" asked I and Mamma Giry sighed.

"The managers angered The Opera Ghost when they first started, they thought the old managers were playing a joke on them and Mr. Opera Ghost had to do a few...not so nice things to prove to them that he, indeed, was real. These things got around the Opera House and everyone thought that the Opera Ghost was going to hurt them, when it was just that the Opera Ghost was proving at point; that is how the rumors began, and that is why I tell you to not heed rumors." Mamma Giry said in a soft tone "is there anything else you would like to ask me?" Asked she, at that moment I was struck, I felt like she was psychic! For, I did indeed have something else to ask her.

"Yes...Mamma...do you work with the Opera Ghost?" Asked I, Mamma Giry began to laugh.

"Heaven's no, child! The Opera Ghost works by himself, I just do things that he asks of me; which are very rare, until now. Ever since you joined, there has been an influx in things he's asked for" she whispered, my brows furrowed.

"Wait a moment, when do you speak with the Opera Ghost?" I asked, sitting up straighter in my bed, I was becoming increasingly interested as our conversation ensued.

"In his box; box five. We don't really talk, child, he will leave notes or certain things on the ledge of the opera box, but every once in a while I will hear a voice whisper in my ear when I walk into his box." Said she, she says my eyes sparkled with wonder as she spoke; I asked what the Opera Ghost asks for and she smiled "a footstool" she said softly.

"A footstool?"

"Yes, he's asked for one almost every show; so I just leave one inside, near the ledge, along with his program for that evening. Sometimes he tips me, five francs or sometimes ten; if he's in a good mood." Mamma Giry stood and told me she would leave me to dress, just as she was about to leave I called to her.

"Mamma!" I cried and she turned quickly, "how many francs did he leave you on the night I sang?" I asked, Mamma gave a devious smile.

"Twenty" she whispered, Mamma Giry smiled told me 'good day' and left me to my thoughts...and the beautiful gift I never dreamt I would receive.