~His True Story~

The Opera Ghost

The opera ghost really existed. Oh I know what your thinking. That he was a mere phantom counted up by the imagining artists real flesh by rumour and gossip and brought to life by suspicios fantasy. But your wrong, he was real and this is his story. It all took place 30 years ago in the romantic days of Paris in the 1890's. Many of our players are still alive today but some as you shall later descover did not survive the event I'm about to relate. The short headed Joseph Bouget for one, when I think of his lifeless body swinging to and frow....oh but I'm getting a head of myself. He were speaking of the opera ghost and what a tale it is! Of course you don't have to take my word for it we have some excellent sorces. The private papers simply known as the Persian. For years I've been collecting information about the ghost. I witnesses diaries, newspapers and of course police reports. It's become a little bit of a hobby of mine but perhaps you don't care for sutch evidence? But how do you explain the skeleton? Yes I thought that would get your attention. A few years ago work men were digging under the opera house descovered a corpse, the body of a man but this was no ordinary skeleton. The limbs were distanced and the skull...ah but you'll find out about the skull in a moment. First thing's first, let us journey back in time to that fateful dressing room beneath the day's of the Paris opera house. To that frightened little ballet dancer and her silly ghost stories. For this is we're our tale begins and how do I know? I was there my friend, I was there.

Horror, horror those were Christine's words upon seeing his face and who can blame her? Picture it a living skull four black holes were the eyes, nose and mouth should be it was the face of death. After Christine ripped the mask off of Erik's face you can only imagine how furious he was and how frightend she was. After that their was a deal made into it. The ghost, that is to say Erik agreed to realise Christine in return for her promise that she would come back volentearily from time to time that's what the gold ring was for to remind Christine of her promise. It was also a warning. "So long as you wear this ring you and your vicompte will be safe from my revenge but should you remove it then I will know you have broken your promise" and so he let her return to the world above well it did'nt happen all at once you know, she had to earn his trust first for her part, Christine did pitty the ghost and she did return to him as promised on the night at the masquerade ball remember all that poor Erik business? She swore to come back again after the evening performance of Faust this is why she refused to run away with Raoul on the Friday night, well after all of these series of revolutions Christine gave a parting kiss to her vicompte and the only witnesses were a stone God his two female companions and a black shapeless shadow. As Christine and Raoul parted from their embrace there was the tiniest cling notices something small and metallic rolled down of the roof of the opera house and fell into oblivion, it was the gold ring.

Now, I'd like to tell you a little about The Persian he was actually from Persia you'll be pleased to hear were he had been the share of Persia The Persian was the shars Daroga, it means police officer well now we know don't we. Erik too worked for the shar of Persia making intertaiments for his favorite wife the sultana and she was cruel and Erik build her an exquisite torture chamber for her palace and the shar adored it as you can imagine but there was a problem, and that problem was Erik. He knew about the hidden passage ways and the sultana was afraid that he would tell secrets to an outsider and the shar put the idea to take out Erik's eyes but settled with having him executed and it was up to the shars Daroga to carry out that execution. The Persian who was an honorable fellow could not kill a man because he 'might' betray the shar so listening to Erik's promise that he would never harm another mortal soul The Persian helps him to escape. Well, the shar descovered the deseption and The Persian was taken from everything his position, his family very nearly his life. He was saved by the discovery of a corpse on the beach which everyone thought to be Erik's drowned while attempting to escape. The shar was pleased so he changed it from execution to exile. Now an outcast The Persian never the less had a since of duty. He knew that a man as Erik would never allow himself to die in sutch a now fashion as a bouthing accident. So he kept his eyes and ears open and shore enough reports of curious deaths began to reaching and suspecting Erik, he followed the trail. It led him trough contions and seas ending at the opera house in Paris and there he would remain ever figulant less Erik should break that promise. Let us return to our story then to that dark hole were The Persian and Raoul were hoping to find the poor Christine Daaé. Once everything was over Erik made a visit to The Persian and gave him a letter.

To the Persian

"I'm leaving this letter to you because once you were my friend now of course I have only enemies. People scream when they see my face I'am clever it is true but no woman can ever love me and how can a man live without love? I know I have done many bad thing's in my life but I did at least one good thing, Christine is free I said but to more words to her marry him she can marry him and be happy my final duty is over now I can rest. I'm dying of love I've never kissed anyone before you see, but Christine let me just once she did'nt draw back just closed her eyes. She looked as beautiful as she'd been dead. My mother never kissed me, she just tossed me my mask and ran away. When I first felt Christine's lips upon my brow I cried, I melted at her feat and cried and then a miracle a cured there was a tiny splash of water upon my head, I looked up it was Christine she was crying as well, but those wet not for herself those tears they were for me. Imagine that, someone crying tears for you. I gave her back the gold ring the one she had lost I found again it was a wedding ring she mingled her tears with mine you see, that made all the difference but I can never forget her wonderful voice and I cannot live without her and so goodbye ~Erik"

And with that the opera ghost left. The Persian neither saw or heard from him again, three weeks later he noticed a small advertisement in the newspaper it read simpley Erik is dead that same day the managers of the opera descovered a fat envelope on their desk written on it in red ink with the words with the compliments of the O.G inside was 1 million francs. When The Persian felt better he made a call for Madame Valerius she was no longer in the country the maid said as the family had moved back north to Sweden and that is were they are still, Christine and Raoul they married imidiatley after is brothers death their eldest son is call'd Philipe. What about the rest of our players in our tale? Well, La Carlotta returned to the stage but her career was short lived. My daughter Meg married a musician his stage name is the emperor of enchantment so you see she did become an empress after all. As for me, well I to resived an envelope from the ghost it was'nt a million francs but it was enough for me to buy this little house room enough for my grandchildren to come an visit. I still see the Persian from time to time and he's been able to fill me in on Erik's past.

It seems our opera ghost was born in a small village near Rouen, his father was a stone mason and his mother, stone hearted. Almost as soon as he could walk Erik ran away from home he worked in traveling fairs for a time presenting himself as The Living Corpse he traveled all over Europe picking up tricks and skills along the way he even went as far as India were he picked up the Punjab lasso. Aventually he came to Persia and we know what happened there.

After his escape, curtisy of The Persian Erik wanted to live an ordinary life he returned to his native France and did what his father had done he build things. Shortly after his return he was offered the contract to distruct the foundashion of the new opera house. I'm shore you can guess the rest. So were does that leave us? Should we weep for Erik? Or should we curse him? Perhaps you think with an ordinary face he might have been one of the most celebrated men of our age. I disagree he was by nature greedius always found of enjoying himself at the expense of others but that is'nt to be meant he is'nt to be pittied. He had a heart that could entain an empire of the world and only Christine had the key to it. But the truth is she'll never ever feel about a man the way she did about him never ever. She did see him again you know, just once, remember that skeleton I spoke about? Do you know what they found on the fourth finger of his left hand? A plane gold ring, I did tell you it was no ordinary skeleton. Poor unhappy Erik, all he wanted was someone to love him he was to be pitied as well as feared. Now he is free and perhaps God will pitty him.