The adventures of Sophia de Leiden

Chapter 5- The phantom of the opera mystery part 1

Monday the 21st August 1889 was the beginning of the grand opera week festival at the palais Galois opera house. And the graphic design department of the University of Red-Lanterns were invited to help set the preparations before the drama department of the university performs the play The Phantom of the Opera. The opera house is located on one of Leisenburg's remote islets known as Schwein which is a German word meaning Pig since the islet had many pigs in the past before they were all hunted down for leather, marketing and bone bracelets.

The students boarded the ship which was sailing to Schwein. "Ah look look, I can see the islet." exclaimed Judith in joy, she then went over to William and grabbed his hand then dragged him to the upper deck of the ship. "Look William, isn't the view breath taking? let's call the others." Said Judith all excited. Alexander, Hayden, Arthur, Lucas, Mathilda and Sophia all gathered to where Judith and William were. Feeling the breeze gently brushing against their coats and skirts, staring at the horizon Schwein could really be seen. It was a remote rocky islet with no sand or beach. Palais Galois opera house was designed by Charles Garnier; a famous French Architect who designed the master piece Palais Garnier Opera house of Paris. Palais Galois's design is similar however it has a hotel attached to it, we say hotel because it is massive but since it's found on a remote islet it does not have much visitors or occupants thus it's known as the guest house of the opera. The tenant of the guest house as well as the one who looks after and cleans the opera house is Madam Lafleur a distant aunt of the princes of Leisenburg who was chased out of the kingdom due to an accusation of the crime of burning down the Royal gardens while having tied the previous King's first wife on a pole and she was burnt alive like witches are burnt. Till this day nobody knows the truth about this case. The islet once was full of pigs but after the big hunting event that took place in 1875 it became full of crows, vultures and eagles. The islet's shape when viewed from above via a plane or a hot-air balloon was a human's head skull. "That's creepy.... now that I'm hearing the crows chant and reading about this islet's shape...." said Judith, "A perfect setting for weird and inexplicable incidents." said Mathilda, "Perfection....this atmosphere gets me excited, I wonder about the secrets of this place, secrets that should never be revealed, forbidden.... who knows what can happen while we're there for our one week stay." said Sophia all glimmered up. "Don't jinx it good lady. This islet ought to have been named as deathly sinner of sinner's cave though, what a gloomy atmosphere..." said Alexander, "This place might have once been a hiding place for the pirates before Leisenburg declared it to be it's territory. Apparently there was a territory fight between Leisenburg's navy and a massive fleet of pirates known as the Blue lotus pirates. Rumors also has it that they hid their treasures on the islet but digging and excavations have been banned by the previous king and that law still stands." said Hayden, "Oh my lord, really? Fascinating indeed." said Sophia with even more glimmer in her eyes.

As the ship reached the docks to anchor, Madam Lafleur and her attendants came to greet the young guests and their tutors. "Madam, your health is not so good anymore, why did you trouble yourself to come here?" asked professor Phantomhive, "Oya oya, it has been so long since our guest house had any visitors, young ones are the rarest and I heard that the king's sons are among them so how can I not come and greet your students?" said Madam Lafleur. "Heh, King's sons? My foot, that's only a rumor!" said Alexander suddenly walking across Madam Lafleur, tapping her shoulder and putting his forefinger on his lips to ask the madam to stay quiet. His movements was so fast that what the others could see was just him moving the luggage out of the ship at an unbelievable speed. "That's correct, now why would those imbecile and arrogant princes even attend University when they can hire private tutors or have high posts in royal military or royal navy or in political affairs easily?" said Hayden. "Oi oi imbecile and arrogant? Look who's talking..." said William. Sophia gave a suspicious look at Alexander all the while the walk uphill to the opera guest house, even Alexander felt a weird chill in his back.