L'obscurite #Finished

Musique de la nuit

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."