Before the Phantom

A Secret

   Erik opened his door slowly after the odd encounter with the blue-eyed child.  He had never spoken to anybody besides his mother and her servants, so he wasn't sure if it had gone well or not.  Not that it mattered.  She was impossible.  It seemed as though she always needed to be right despite if she actually was or not, and anyway she was just a kid! 

Yet, his conscience argued that she had only come because she had heard Erik crying.  She had only wanted to help.  But why would anybody want to help Erik?  He was horrible.  Terrifying.  If she had known what lies beneath the cloth half-mask she would have run away, shrieking with horror.

Still, she had seen the mask, and she didn't seem bothered by it.  As a matter of fact, she didn't seem the least bit curious!  Perhaps she would just leave the subject alone.

Erik climbed his stairs with the utmost precision.  Usually, he never made a sound on the creaky old wood, but today he was distracted.  Today, he misstepped, causing the stair to make an awful noise.

He froze.

"Lucy? Lucy! What in God's name are you doing?  I am trying to sleep! You know I need my beauty rest!" His mother shrieked from her room.

Erik made no response, and instead bolted the rest of the way up the stairs to his room and slammed the door. He took a moment to collect himself, listening for the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs to punish him. No. No, there would be nothing. His mother had mistaken him for her servant, Lucy.

He slid down the door, stared out the broken window, and watched his curtain fluttering in the wind.  He could not let his mother know about the girl, who said her name was Nadette.  If his mother were to find out he had left his room he would be beaten, and the girl would be harassed about what she had seen.  It was probably best if he never ventured outside again. 

Erik put his head in his hands.  He had only wanted a taste of freedom, and had wound up meeting a potential friend.  Erik had never had a friend before.

He wanted to see her again.

Nadette arrived at her front door just as the last rays of sun were shining over the horizon.

"Mama! I am back!" She called a little breathlessly.

Mama's head poked around the corner, "You were almost late! I suppose you had fun?"

Nadette quickly nodded, and opened her mouth to tell Mama all about the strange boy in the forest. But she did not. She had never kept a secret before, not a big one like this could be! She had not told her mama who took the button from her dress, or told the paperboy that she was nine instead of eight, but this! This was more exciting than any adventure in the forest.

"Yes Mama, I had fun." She paused, and Mama waiter for her to continue. She dug around in her pocket. "Oh! I found more rocks for my collection! Look! See how pretty they are, Mama?"

Mama looked down in the hands of her child, and saw quite a few rocks that were almost as dirty as her daughter was.

She chuckled, "Yes, Liebling, I see. Now go and set your shoes on the porch. They are dirty. After that you must run and take a bath before bedtime. I will have to work to get those stains out."

"Yes, Mama." She sighed.

Running up the stairs, the boy with the mask - Erik - was all she could think about.  What a strange, sad boy.  Suddenly, a wave of determination washed over the girls small body.  She would do her best to make him happy.

She wanted to see him again.