Like Father Like Son

A heart to heart and a face to face conversation

1916

LARA

I arrived at the house to find myself hesitating to knock at the door as my mind tried to figure out if there was a point in going in at all. I had been going over almost everyday after school for the past few weeks with the intention of talking to Gustave's father. Though every time I tried, he was locked away in his study; I hadn't been able to get in more than a few words with him. Gustave told me that he could be a very stubborn man, but I didn't know how to begin. He and I seemed to be okay when Gustave was here, but ever since he left, it was almost like he wanted nothing to do with me. However, something I don't think he accounted for is that I could be just as stubborn. So, with my somewhat shaky hand, I knocked on the door, but my heart sank a little when Mr. Khan answered instead of who I had wanted to see.

"Good afternoon, Lara." He seemed tired and almost worn out, as there were noticeable bags under his eyes. My mind immediately filled with possibilities of what might be happening at the house.

"Hello. Is Erik here?" To ask a question I already knew the answer to seemed to be the only way to keep things going in terms of conversation. I knew that Erik hadn't left his home since Gustave left, but the question still came from a place of hope. With a deep sigh from Mr. Khan I had my answer.

"Please come in, I was just fixing up something to eat." He gestured for me to step inside and I followed him to the kitchen without a word. "Would you like anything?"

"No, thank you," I replied with a small smile as I took a seat at the table. Then it hit me - Mr. Khan and Erik had been friends for years. He had to have an idea about how I could get through to him. "Actually, there is something I would like your help with."

He barely looked up from his plate of food before replying, "And what would that be?"

"I have been wanting to get to know Gustave's father in his absence and it just seems like he wants nothing to do with me. Do you have any ideas as to how I could get through to him? You know him best."

He seemed shocked at my question at first, like he had just been told a deep secret. He then left his plate at the counter and joined me at the kitchen table. "Well dear, Erik is a very complex person. He has seen a lot in his life, and has had to go through unspeakable things. A lot of them are not my stories to tell. Before I continue, though, I need to know how much you already know about him and Gustave's mother."

"Gustave told me how my uncle and his mother were married and how Gustave rightfully holds him responsible for his mother's death." There was a sense of anxiety building up inside of me, I noticed. I was trying to prepare myself for what I would hear but I had no idea what to expect.

There was a small chuckle from Mr. Khan before he said, "Well then, he really did give you the bare minimum of the story." There was a slight pause before he continued: "Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. I am sure you know of the great opera house in Paris, the one that fell victim to a terrible fire."

"I heard there was rumours of a ghost there, but I know it must have been superstition." I was trying to recall what I had read about the opera house when I had been going through my father's papers, as it seemed that my family had been somewhat of a sponsor for that theatre.

"Actually Lara, there was a ghost. He called himself 'The Phantom of the Opera' and he was very real...in fact, you have met him."

It took me a moment to put the pieces together, and once I had, I could not easily hide the shock on my face. "Are you telling me what I think you are?"

"You are a smart girl, and yes, Erik was that fabled ghost. He had been living in the catacombs under the opera house for years before he met Christine." There was a long pause and he seemed to be getting his thoughts back in order so he could continue: "She was only a chorus girl at the time, but when Erik heard her sing, he was convinced he had found an angel on earth. He began giving her lessons so that she could one day have a solo career. Though every time he was with her, he was slowly falling more and more in love with her. It wasn't until your uncle and father arrived that Erik truly felt threatened. He became jealous and went to rather extreme lengths to try and keep Christine in his life. Though she did admit to loving him, Erik still let her leave with Raoul, since he knew that he could not provide her with the life she deserved. She returned to him for a night but Erik knew that if she stayed with him, she would be hunted down with him. He couldn't bear to do that to her so he left before she woke up, and that morning he set sail for America."