Limelight

Chapter Twenty Four: Where is the Opera Ghost?

Chapter Twenty Four: Where is the Opera Ghost?

Date: Unknown, 1910, Time: Unknown.

Despite the heat, I pulled my legs to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees; sure, I felt better,  but I had just drank water that a body was decomposing in! I cringed and turned away from the hole, towards the mirror where I saw endless trees and endless reflections of a sad, trapped little girl, staring back at me. A sad, trapped, overheated, lovesick little girl who longed to be married! That's when I remembered I gained my voice back; I stood and started pounding on the mirrors, screaming for anyone as I did so (but, mostly for the Opera Ghost). "Opera Ghost!

Persian! Priest! Anyone, help!" I cried, smashing my fists against the huge mirrors; but there was no answer, no nothing! Just utter, sad, frightening silence; I yelled and screamed more, but I got the same result, nothing.

I sighed and turned, now facing the body; I noticed a rancid smell and coughed, hurrying and placing the wood back, along with the nail. I turned and picked up the Punjab lasso; turning it over and over on my fingertips, I then looked back to the horrid iron tree, and an idea sprang from my overheated brain. I quickly walked to the iron tree, sighed, and pulled my body up onto it's first iron branch; I thought the tree might wobble, but it stood firm. Up, up, up I went until I stood on the very tippy top of the iron tree; a whole head lower than the small window! I cursed, but this is why I brought the Punjab lasso; with the Punjab lasso in my mouth I steadied myself with my arms on the mirrors.

Then, taking up the Punjab lasso I threw it up, hitting the small window; I smiled and threw it a bit higher, that's when it caught on something. My brows furrowed and I pulled it down, but the lasso didn't budge, it was caught on something and it wasn't coming off; I smiled and hoped the rope would hold. Cautiously lifting myself off of the iron tree and totally relying on the strength of the rope; I pulled myself up onto the rope until I was face to face with the window. I smiled and laughed joyously; but I wasn't out of the forest yet, up I climbed until there was no more of the lasso to climb on. I sighed and swung my feet, hitting the window gently at first, and then harder...and harder...and harder until 'smash!'

The window broke as I was going to hit it once more, glass shards rained over my legs, slicing them to ribbons; but I didn't care, I was free! I swung once more and flew into the room, falling on my stomach; I laid on the ground for a few moments, regaining my breath and trying to wrap my brain around what just ensued. I looked around and saw that I was in a sort of theater room; there were red, velvet chairs from the amphitheater lined in rows and a large, red, curtain behind them. I pushed myself up and turned around to find that the window was, in fact, much larger on this side; the window was the size of half a scene from Don Giovanni, and at least, my height! I walked down and out of this room to find, to the left, the bedroom the Persian told me to stay in and, to the right, a WC.

Down the hallway I continued until I turned to the kitchen, I scavenged through the cabinets until I finally found a crystal champagne glass; a little posh for the occasion, but it was the first glass I found. I hurried to the sink and gulped down seven glasses of water; thankful that I didn't have to drink the decomposing body water again. Hydrated, I found my way out of the house on the lake and I stood on the shore; blood going in streams down my legs and creating dark red pools in the yellow sand. There was no sign of the Persian, the Priest, the Opera Ghost, or the gondola! I thought that maybe the Persian and Priest took it to the other shore in search of the Opera Ghost; then, I heard singing, beautiful, harmonious singing; the singing of my Opera Ghost.

Waves of relief crashed over me, I jumped in utter happiness; then, someone grasped my waist, but before I could turn to discern who the person was I was pushed into the inky lake and my head was forced under. My arms slapped and hit anything whilst my legs kicked wildly; I let out a scream which turned into air bubbles under the water. The person ripped my head from the water, but threw my body farther into the lake; I coughed and hacked, whilst gasping for air and rubbing the water out of my eyes. When everything was clear again, I saw that it was the Vicomte standing before me with a malicious expression on his face; he slowly, intimidatingly, walked closer to me. "Ah, my love, my wildflower, my sweet honeysuckle!

Look, look here! You and I have the same scars, look, look to my wrists! I was able to escape my bonds...and as it appears, so were you; not unscathed, as your legs are torn to shreds, my dear!" Said he, picking up my right leg from the inky lake and examining it; then, he kissed it, very slowly. "My dear, I can be as sweet as candy and as harmless as a fly to you, if you marry me; if you don't, I will not stop hunting for you and I will marry you by force."

The Vicomte hissed as I backed farther into the lake, the water was now up to my waist and he continued to advance upon me. The water now neared my bosom and the Vicomte stopped; he heard the singing and smiled. As I looked to this man, this horrible, wretched man, I felt trapped and alone...but I did have one advantage on him...he loved me and he would do anything for me; I sighed, and I knew the Opera Ghost was listening, for the singing stopped. "Let us stop this childish game" Said I, gathering my courage as I stepped closer to the Vicomte "let us end this" I whispered.

"Ah, end this we will, with the ring of my love upon your finger! Not that Opera Ghost's" hissed the Vicomte, I sighed.

"I'm becoming very...very.." Said I, faking a faint; the Vicomte ran to me and grasped me before my body could plunge into the water. I felt the Vicomte carry me out of the lake and place me somewhere soft; it was a bed, a bed indeed! This faint I faked for a very long while, I opened my eyes what felt like hours later to see that the Vicomte wrapped my legs in gauze, along with my wrists, and was now sitting by a fireplace; writing in a journal. Dare I move? Dare I face this madman again?

I didn't have to decide, for, he looked over to me and saw my open eyes; the Vicomte stood and rushed to my side, yanking my hand from me and kissing the top, whispering how sorry he was. The Vicomte explained that I had only been 'knocked out' for around ten minutes and that the day was November 6th, and the time was four o'clock in the afternoon...my only thought was, where is my fiancé? That's when I heard the front door of the house on the lake open, and I heard the voices of the Persian and the Priest...but, where was the Opera Ghost? The Vicomte jumped up and held a pistol to the door, but, when the two men came in bearing larger firearms; the Persian with his favorite revolver and the Priest with a shotgun, both of these cocked and ready. I laid my head back and sighed in joy and relief, the Persian and Priest brought down the Vicomte and chained him to the wall.

Afterwards, the men ran to me and hugged me hard, I smiled and asked what took them so long. "We were trying to track down your fiancé, but he is no where to be found! We checked the upper levels and the lower levels, but we came up with naught; the others are waiting on the far shore, waiting for the bride to return." Said the Priest, I then told the two of the singing and the Persian sighed.

"Yes, the others said that your fiancé did indeed come to them and tell them to turn back to Rue de Rivoli; but they refused, he threatened and pushed them, but they stood firm. They said he remained until they heard a scream; then, they said that he ran into the water, they hadn't seen him since. I wonder why he did not show himself in your distress..." Said the Persian, I shrugged and the two men took me out, leaving the Vicomte chained up; we returned to the shore and I called and called for the Opera Ghost, begging him to come back. I shook my head and turned to the Priest, who was smiling, my brows furrowed and then I saw his eyes; the Priest's eyes were the very same eyes I saw at the Halloween masquerade...the very same eyes I fell in love with. I jumped into the Priest's arms and closed my eyes, smelling the perfume of ginger and mint; that's when the Priest put me down and shrugged off his clothes, revealing a black cloak with the collar upturned, a white half-mask on his face, and out of the cloak he pulled a black, wide-brimmed hat which he placed on his head full of black hair.

It was my Opera Ghost, my fiancé! He enveloped me in his arms and wrapped his cloak around me; holding me close to him. Tears of joy fell from my eyes as I repeated the words 'I love you' over and over, whilst he lifted me from the ground and held me bridal style. "The real priest is on the other shore, awaiting us with the others....are you ready to be married to a monster?"