L'obscurite #Finished

Fantome

"Grandma, Mama has been telling us the most wonderful story!" 9-year-old Jessie burst into the room and smiled at Grandma.

"Oh?" Grandma smiled encouragingly. "Can you tell me?"

"It was so beautiful!" Tessa said dreamily."Well, there was this girl named Christine. And—and--and she couldn't sing, but then—then there was a man in her mirror—and he teached her to sing! And then she sang a lot. And—and—and he took her to his house on a lake and then she went back and fell in love with another guy named Raoul—and—and then the ghost guy tried to kill him but then Christine kissed him so he didn't and then Raoul and her went away and the ghost guy cried."

Jessie shook her head. "It was so much lovelier than that!"

Amy looked at Grandma, irritated with their interruption. She was smiling at them. The wrinkles around her eyes bunched together and her blue eyes danced. Her white hair, pulled severely back into a bun contrasted with the amazing gentleness of her face."Well, I know that story. But I know a much different story."

"Are you saying I'm a liar?" Meg leaned against the door frame. She smiled superiorily at her mother. Amy looked away. Amy had never been able to call her own mother by anything but her given name. Amy couldn't bring myself to call her anything else. Not after the way she had treated me for so many years. It was her fault Amy was sitting in the wheelchair now.

"No, Meg. I'm only saying that when I remember the story, it is much different from what you tell."

"Tell it then, Mother." Meg challenged.

"Yes, do!" Jessie said, hopping into Grandma's lap.

Grandma smiled down at her fondly. "All right, darling.""It all started one day in the opera house. I had just finished cleaning Box 5. My dancing girls were practicing their number in the rehearsal, so my services were not needed just then. It was Hannibal they were rehearsing. I never liked that opera. As usual, Carlotta was screeching away and Piangi was butchering the pronunciations. I was making my way toward the stage when Monsieur le Favre brought two men in. Monsieur Fernan and Monsieur Andre."He confirmed our suspicions that he was, indeed retiring. Monsieurs Fernard and Andre were the new owners of the opera. They introduced their new patron, monsieur Philip Chagny. He made a very pretty speech and left. Just then, a piece of the stage fell."

"Oh, yes! Mama told us about that part!" Jessie laughed. "Tell us about Carlotta, Grandma!"

"Carlotta was always one to make a fuss about the smallest things. She made sure that the entire opera revolved around her. She was our prima donna, so nothing could be done. She was superstitious and a snob."When the stage fell, she began to weep and say that no one appreciated her talent. That everyone came to see the dancing girls. She worked herself into such a fury that she made herself sick. The production of Hannibal was to open the next day, and there was no understudy to take Carlotta's place."

"But that was when Mama got Christine!" Jessie bounced a little.

"Be quiet, Jessie!" Tessa ordered.

Amy rolled her eyes. Amy had been enjoying Grandma's story, although it was not the best she had ever told. But, it still had its charm.

"It was your mother that suggested that her best friend—Christine Daae—should take Carlotta's place. After a little convincing between her and I, Monsieurs Fernard and andre decided to try her."Christine had never been able to sing well. Not until about a month before. Suddenly, it seemed overnight, she sang like an angel. I would pass her dressing room sometimes and I could hear her. About the same time, the superstitions about the ghost of the opera began to circulate even more than usual. Carlotta was especially frightened by them and she constantly took refuge in her room."

"Christine was an angel, wasn't she?"

"No, Jessie."

"That was her teacher, Jessie. The Angel of Music." Tessa sighed dramatically.Amy rolled her eyes at the twins.

"Well, she sang. It was beautiful. So, so beautiful." Grandma's eyes shone in remembrance. "She sang and then, she seemed to fall ill. She fainted when she had finished. The Chagny's had been there that night and there was rumor that Philippe's younger brother, Raoul, had visited her. I wouldn't know. I was cleaning the boxes. That night, my Monsieur Ghost had left me chocolate.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." Tessa held up a hand. "Your Monsieur Ghost?"

Grandma laughed. "Yes, dear. I cleaned the boxes, you see, and it was I who cleaned Box 5 for the ghost. He was quite kind to me."

"But I thought you were in charge of the dancing girls!"

"Yes, dear, but dancing girls can't practice all the time. I cleaned the boxes as well. Well, Christine was known for going to visit her father's grave quite often.""One particular night that I remember, I saw her leave, then Monsieur Raoul de Chagny follow her. He was brought back senseless and when he woke he kept rambling about skulls and a ghost watching. Of course, he was speaking about my Monsieur Ghost. And then, Christine was gone. She disappeared from her dressing room one night and wasn't seen for two weeks. I knew who had done it. Monsieur Ghost was a very good friend to me and had allowed me to discover a few of his haunts and I had heard him pleading with her."

"That's when they fell in love, isn't it, Grandma?"

"Love? No, of course not! Christine loved Raoul then. They loved each other as two children love one another, but Monsieur Ghost's love was too strange and different for her to accept then. No, he loved her with a passion that is almost too much to bear for anyone. He loved her so much that when she asked to leave two weeks later, he let her. I took it upon myself to follow Christine. Curiosity, you know. If I knew where he went, someday, I might know where Monsieur Ghost resided. I heard when Raoul promised to take her away from Monsieur Ghost. I heard Monsieur Ghost curse their names when they left. I heard Christine decide to sing for Monsieur Ghost one last time. I heard Monsieur Ghost's heart break. And when it broke, he was filled with sadness. Then, sadness was replaced with anger and jealousy. When she sang the next night, he was there. And they sang! Oh, how they sang! Their voices rose and seemed to dance in the air! I've never heard music so beautiful! Their voices soared through the Opera as if on their own and filled it!" Her hand flew in the air and she smiled as if she could still hear the music. The room was silent. And yet, to Amy, it seemed as if a faint music lilted on the air, strange and foreign but mesmerising and beautiful. Slowly it faded away. Grandmother's hand fell and the strange light that had just been in her eyes left. She paused, heaved a heavy sigh and continued. "Monsieur Ghost kidnapped her again that night. I was unable to follow them."