Erik held her close in the circle of his arms and wiped away her tears.
"My life has
changed completely now, darling, and all because of you. You have brought
light and
laughter into my dark world, and have given me the love I could only
ever dream about. Do
not cry, my love, for now I have so much. I love and adore you with
all my heart and soul."
He kissed her tenderly, and her smile shimmered through her tears like
sunshine after
rain.
**********
"Shall I tell you something, my Erik?" she whispered. "Something which
may sound a little
strange, or fanciful, perhaps, but nevertheless, true." Christine gazed
into those night-dark
eyes and knew that this man had been in her soul since the day she
was born.
She told him so, and his emotions threatened to overwhelm him as he
held her close to his
heart.
"I have always known you would be waiting for me somewhere, my Angel.
It was not until I
stepped inside the Opéra House for the first time that I sensed
you all around me. I could
not explain this feeling, could not reason why I was so unbearably
moved by something I
could not see, could not touch, but could only feel. I was filled with
a wild, unassailable
emotion... an overwhelming yearning for this... this beautiful entity
that was so near, yet
just beyond my reach."
Christine continued earnestly, her fingers locked in Erik's warm clasp.
"I joined the Opéra company, as you know, as a member of the
chorus, a little under a year
ago. I had been trained as a singer at the Conservatoire, and I hoped
that I could further
my career with the company here. I was very excited about my appointment,
and on that
first morning, I walked from my little house to the Place de l'Opéra."
"I remember as I stepped inside the building being held utterly spellbound
by its splendour.
The Grand Staircase is so magnificent - I could not believe that I
was standing on it,
surrounded by hundreds of beautiful lights on all sides and all around.
I made my way to
one of the little balcons which surround the staircase and looked down.
Oh, I was so happy
to be there!"
"It was then that I heard my name. It was spoken in no more than a whisper,
so softly that
only I could hear, but it echoed all around me, filling the whole area
and all the way up to
the domed ceiling. The voice was so utterly beautiful, and I knew then
that it was he. The
being in my soul. He was here, and I had found him at last."
Christine's blue eyes softened as she smiled, remembering.
"And then, some while later, the voice came to me again, in my dressing
room. It called to
me from the mirror. The voice of my soul - my beloved Angel of Music.".
**********
Christine told Erik how she had grown up in Sweden, where dark stories
of the north
abounded. She had come to France with Papa after Mama had died.
Papa's dearest wish was for his young daughter to become a great singer,
and for her to
have the best training that he could afford. Dear Papa! He had worked
so hard in order to
be able to send her to the Paris Conservatoire.
Just before he died, her Papa had promised to send the Angel of Music
to her from
Heaven. The young singer had held that pledge in her heart ever since.
**********
Christine related to Erik how the little ballet girls had been scared
of a ghost supposedly
haunting the Opera House. She herself was used to tales of ghosts and
goblins, things that
went bump in the night, from her childhood, and the tales of a spectre
had not worried her
unduly.
Then Meg Giry had described the Phantom's face to her, and the portrayal
of the man
spoken of in horror as a living corpse had not frightened her, but
aroused in her a strange
and inexplicable pity, an almost tender concern that he would come
to no harm.
"Perhaps it was an intuition of sorts. Perhaps, unknowingly, the realisation
was somehow
deep in my pysche that he, the Phantom of the Opera, would in some
way, have an effect on
me -- on my life. I did not connect him with my Angel of Music. It
was not until the
Archangel came to me that I realised the truth." Christine looked up
at Erik and caressed
his cheek.
Erik was moved to such an extent by her words that his throat was full of tears.
"Oh darling, I love you so much. Please don't leave me. I couldn't bear
to lose you now."
Erik whispered, his cheek against her soft hair.
"Dearest Angel, you are my life. From this moment, you will never, ever be alone again."
**********
Erik made more coffee, and after they had enjoyed another cup, he asked,
"Would you
sing for me, my Angel?"
"I would love to sing for you, darling, if you will also sing for me",
Christine replied
happily.
"With all my heart", he smiled. Taking her hand, he led her to the grand
piano. Christine
sang the Jewel Song for him, knowing that Gounod's Faust was Erik's
favourite opera. He
accompanied her, his playing fluent and masterful.
He drank in her exquisite voice; that pure, clear soprano, the upper
register of which
possessed such a quality of innocence that it tore at his heart. Then
she stood quietly,
watching him lovingly as he sang for her a romantic Italian aria.
He played on; some joyous Mozart, fiery Chopin; poignantly beautiful
Beethoven. She
stood enthralled. He was truly a musical genius. Her own Papa had been
a gifted violinist,
but his talent was meagre compared to her Angel of Music.
"Sing with me, sweetheart. Sing our duet."
Erik played the introduction, and their voices rose in perfect harmony
as they sang his own
composition, the song that she had inspired... Music of the Night.
**********
"Christine, mon coeur, I have never know such happiness as I do now.
It is a different
world for me now - a world full of light and hope and joy. I loved
you from the moment I
first saw you, first heard your angel voice, but never did I dream
that I could win your
love." Erik's voice trembled. "I am so afraid - so horribly frightened
that this is just a
dream. That I will wake up and find I am alone in the Phantom's lair,
and my ugly, awful
face is the reality."
Christine held him close. "My darling, I would love you still. I have
always loved you, and
will always love you. I understand your fears, I truly do, but do not
ever doubt my love,
never ever."
She kissed his temple, and gently fingered his hair back from his forehead.
He kissed her, and whispered, "I am the most blessed of men. Je t'aimerai
toujours,
Christine, mon Ange."
His arms tightened around her, and he said, "You sang part of an aria
earlier, my darling -
remember? It was from La Cenerentola, by Signor Rossini."
"You were singing the part of Angiolina, the beautiful child with the
two horrid step-sisters
and even more ghastly step-mother. Signor Rossini had based his opera
on the old
fairy-tale of Cinderella, as you know. I thought at the time how apt
the words were which
you sang."
And smiling, he translated the words thus: "I was born to suffering
and crying, my heart
suffers in silence.... but by sweet magic, like a lightning bolt, my
fate has changed."
"My love, you are my sweet magic; you are sent to me like an angel from
Heaven. I am
truly blessed. My life is yours to do with as you will. Say you will
never leave me, please,
my beloved. I would die if you left me now."
**********
Go to Part 9 (the final part)
of Dream of Angels by Erika Shadow.