Let Your Fantasies Unwind

Chapter 22

Friday update! :D

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The stars never shined so brightly before, ever in my life. They look so close, and so pretty. The black night isn't actually black, but nice dark blues and dark purples. The surrounding buildings had low, warm orange light filtering from their windows, but eventually going out, one by one as the minutes go by. I hear a train whistle in the background.

The temperature, however, isn't desirable. It's rather cold and is making all my hair on my body stand up. I pull the cloak closer.

"Why have you brought us here?" I ask.

"To observe the sky, remember?" he prompts.

"Oh, yeah." I look around, trying to recognize constellations, but I see none.

"Having trouble?" he asks softly.

"Yeah. Do you know any?"

"Yes."

"Will you point some out?"

"Yes." He brings me near the railing, but keeps me close to him, for collective body heat. "That one," he points in a direction, "is Cancer, the crab." He lets me look for a minute to recognize its shape. "Do you see its shape?"

"Not exactly." He proceeds to trace out the shape of the constellation, and I see it after he finishes. "I see it now! Also, what is the time of the year?"

"March twenty-sixth, er, twenty-seventh."

"Just barely into the new day?"

"Oui." His head turns a bit. "Over there, there's Leo." He points in a different direction. He also traces it out. "See it?"

"I do."

He looks around again. "Over there is Hydra." He points and traces in one direction. "There's also Virgo." He does the same actions. "Crater, and Bootes." He finishes.

I continue to gaze around the sky, admiring its natural beauty. Many minutes must have gone by, because Erik asks, "Are you alright, Enfant?"

I take a glance at him before turning back to the sky. "Yeah. I keep forgetting how beautiful the night is."

"Do you not see it often?"

"From where I am from," I say slowly, but quicken a bit, "I didn't have a chance to look outside very often, and even if I did, the sky was hard to see at night."

"How?"

"Well, here, there aren't that many lights affecting our ability to see, so we can see it plain as daylight hours. In my place, we have lights everywhere to help us see our way down around in the streets, but they affect our ability to see the sky."

"That is unfortunate."

"Indeed." I look around. "Where's the moon?"

"It's over here." He points to a sliver of the moon. "There's going to be a new moon soon." He speculates.

I stare at the little bit of light reflecting off the moon, and how the light is affecting the buildings. I look around the rooftop, and the statues light up brilliantly.

"Do you think you'd be able to climb up one of the statues?" Erik's question brings me out of tranquility.

"Why would I need to climb up a statue, Phantom?" I remember I have to say Phantom outside of the home.

"Well, remember how I taught you how to climb up ropes?"

"My arms sting a little."

"Then you will need more practice. Back to the point, I need to see how well you can climb."

"For what purpose?"

"Progress." He says simply. "Climb up that statue. It's not near the edge of the building."

'Does he think I'll fall?' "Alright."

I go over to the statue he pointed out and look it over before trying to climb it.

I don't get very far.

"Here, observe." He helps me down, and he climbs up the same statue with ease. He sits on a big and stable part. "There are footholds that no one notices in these statues. Once I point them out, you'll see them everywhere, and will thus make the climbing easier."

He climbs down the statue. I walk up to him and he starts pointing out the little footholds within the statues. I look around at the other statues and see the footholds clearly.

"Can you see them now?"

"Totally."

"Then climb up another statue." He challenges.

I wander off to another statue, and climb it up quickly.

"Molto bene!" he exclaims.

I climb back down and he picks me up in a hug and we swing around. He sets me down after a minute.

"You're doing very good. I'm proud of you." He smiles. His eyes glow brightly and happily in the night.

"Thank you." I blush. I shiver thanks to the cold wind. "Could we go back indoors now? I know we haven't been out here long, but I don't want to get sick."

"That is understandable. Come on." He offers his hand, and we link arms instead.

We walk down through the Opera house, meandering our way down. I enjoy the quietness of the Opera house, and how still everything looks. That being said, I get a little creeped out by the shadows, but I slightly enjoy it.

We eventually enter the house, probably half an hour later. He walks me to my room.

"Good night." He bids.

"Good night to you too, and happy dreaming."

"Thank you." He turns and leaves slowly.

I enter my room and, not bothering to change, crawl into my bed and fall asleep.