Phantom of the Opera...continued...

A Peek into History

   So there you stood in the darkness.  You looked around you furiously, trying to find a glimpse of light.  But everywhere you looked, the room you had entered was void of it and whatever door you came through was gone.  It was quiet.  Not a movement could be heard except the beating of your own heart.  Boom-boom.  Boom-boom.  Every moment that past, you can feel your heart race faster and faster.  It beat so loud that you were sure any person standing in the same room as you would certainly hear.

   "Hey!" you yelled out after the old man who seemed to have just disappeared.  Your echo responded back to you mockingly.  Hey...hey...hey. 

   You waited to see if he would respond but no response came.  It remained just as quiet as before.  Seconds turned into minutes.  Soon it felt as if you were standing there for hours as you heartbeat rang louder and louder in your ears.  Then suddenly a light flickered in the distance.  It turned on then off.  After a couple minutes it turned on again and there you saw him.  The old man stood in a room with a small oil lamp in his hand, the ones you only see in really old movies.  The room seemed far away and the light could not reach where you stood.  But it did provide some comfort.  You immediately realized the calming of your heart.  It no longer screamed at you.

   You watched the old man as he walked to and fro in search of something you did not know. The light would appear and disappear behind the walls.  You finally decided it was best to go to him rather than stay in the dark of this unknown place.  So off you walked, step by step, towards the light. 

   With each step your heart calmed, somehow knowing that once you reached the light ahead you would be safe.  The sound of your feet on the floor echoed across the dark room while the light ahead danced on the walls.  Finally reaching the door to the room, you looked inside.  It was simple but cute.  The walls were made of wood and in the middle of the room stood a small metal bed with a white mattress.  Beside the bed was a lamp stand.  The only light that brightened the room was the single oil lamp that the mysterious man held.

   "Come in.  Come in.  What are you waiting for?"  He questioned you.  You cautiously walked into the room and looked back at where you came from.  It was just as dark at it had been before.  "Don't worry about the rest of the place.  I'll lighten it up eventually."

   The mysterious man walked past with the trail of light following behind him.  You watched him walk to and fro lighting many other oil lamps and candles.  Soon enough the whole place was glowing with the orange light that shimmered from these ancient candles.  You were finally able to see the quaintness of it all.  There was a small wooden table with two matching chairs.  There was a massive chair that sat nearest the entrance.  The wood that lay beneath your feet creaked with each step.  On the right side of the room stood a small table that could fit no more than one person.  There were also cabinets and a small sink with one of those old water pumps.  The room was peculiar and well-kept for being so old.

   "Are you hungry?" the old man asked.  You were shocked at the question for the man seemed to not have eaten for days, yet he asked as if he had food filling the tiny kitchen, that is, if you want to even call it a kitchen.  Regardless, you looked at the old man and decidedly nodded "No" without saying another word.

   "Well then if you aren't hungry, might as well explain to you what you have been waiting to hear".  He sat at the small table and motioned for you to follow.  You cautiously obeyed.  

   "Who was the girl in the picture I saw back there?"  You inquired almost immediately.

   "Well, you see the story started a long time ago..."