Chapter 10: Reality

The concept of reality is but a philosopher's supposition.
The true nature of reality exists only in the arms of a lover.

A Fool's Book of Wisdom

The man's eyes narrowed in annoyance and sparks blazed in their amber depths. Taking a deep breath, he carefully considered his words before he responded to the woman he loved as a mother. Releasing the breath, he cast his voice allowing it to land quietly just next to the old woman's right ear.

"Helen, I realize that you have many unusual responsibilities and understand your point of view can oft times be called unique. However, I fail to see how the subject matter of my dream is any of your concern. I am not like you. I cannot control the course of my dreams. While I do understand that the actions I partook in my sleep were inappropriate, is it better to release my desire for Christine in my dreams or keep them bottled deep inside me. Madame, it was only a dream. What upsets you about this? And, should I not feel outraged that you violated the sanctity of my mind? You actually entered my dream, unlike Christine. The young woman sitting beside you now was not the being you witnessed in my dream. She was just a wish of mine that was about to come true..."

The old woman shifted impatiently on the cushioned seat.

"Do you truly believe that? In the course of my duties, I have looked into the dreams of others, as you are well aware and in all my years as the Keeper, never before have I witnessed such a detailed dream manifestation. Erik, you have dreams of people other than Christine, do you not?"

A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth and his forehead creased, unseating his mask slightly. He grimaced and quickly pressed the mask back into its proper place.

"You are well aware of the details of some of my dreams, Helen. You also, know how unpleasant they are. Why do you ask?"

She sighed and turned her sorrowful eyes to the floor.

"I do have a reason to ask you such a thing. Think about your dreams, boy. How do your other dreams compare to this one? Do the people in your other dreams seem as real as Christine did in this one?"

"There are only two people, which do not scream or turn away from me in horror or disgust when they gaze upon my unmasked visage, one is you, Madame and the other is Christine. And, you are the only one to look upon me as a normal human in either wakefulness or in sleep. The Christine of my dreams knows me no other way than unmasked and simply accepts me as I am. So, to answer your question, no, no one else that populates my dreams seems as real to me as Christine does ... not even you, Helen. Christine ... well, she is, well, she is different because she is the perfect creation of my dreams. I wish she were real, but..."

His words ended in an awkward silence. Helen raised her eyes to meet Erik's and he lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. She grimaced and her voice once again wafted through the air to whisper quietly into Erik's ear.

"Oh! Erik, I am sorry! We have been together all these years and I should have known you better than to jump to unjust conclusions. I can only blame my hurtful words on the shock of seeing the two of you thusly engaged. I apologize for my poor reaction and hurtful accusations. I feel dreadful. Especially, now that I find it necessary to tell you something important and I am unsure how you will react to what I have to tell you. If you were not sitting, I would have to caution you to take a seat. However, since you are sitting, I must ask that you not leap from your seat and rush from this compartment when I tell you what you need to know. Can you remain here and be calm? I need to know before I can proceed. You must give me your word, Erik."

She paused and waited for his answer. Helen watched as Erik's eyes bore deeply into her own and then flicked almost wistfully over Christine's still form. His eyes swept back to meet those of the old woman and he dipped his head, granting Helen permission to proceed.

"Madame, I give you my word that I will not react in any way as to cause untoward attention to either of us. I do not wish to drive Christine away by frightening her. I understand her importance and will do nothing to jeopardize your relationship with her. Does that suffice?"

The underlying sadness did not leave the old woman's eyes, but the deep creases of her forehead lifted slightly, as did the corners of her mouth.

"Yes, Erik. I know I can trust you to hold to your word."

She quietly cleared her throat and allowed her eyes to move stealthily over the young woman next to her. Christine sat with her head turned to look out the window of the train, but Helen felt that the girl's mind was not seeing the passing countryside and that her thoughts were far away.

"Well, it seems that she already knows the truth of the matter. This complicates things further. I am confused. Christine is not a wanton creature. How is it that she allowed Erik to touch her in such a manner after such a short acquaintance? There is something more to this than meets the eye."

"Very well, Erik. First, I need to know something. Is this the first time you have dreamed of Christine?"

Helen felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched Erik's reaction. The smallest of squeaks issued from his mouth before he blinked and regained control. His voice resumed smoothly in her ear.

"No, it is not. The night she made her debut was a night of firsts for me. The first night I spent in your house and the first time someone held me was the first time I met an angel in my dreams. I met a small girl with the voice of an angel and the temper of a wild cat. We argued and I believe we flung the word, 'stupid' at one another. She appeared in my dreams quite frequently during the first year or two I lived with you. Then, suddenly, I dreamt of her no more. Seeing her walk into Monsieur le Comte de Mornay's kitchen was quite unnerving, but I thought I hid it well enough. Believe me, Helen, I am as surprised as you are by the happenings in the dream you interrupted. How could someone I never met appear in my dreams? The fact she exists as a real person is unreal enough, but then to discover she is your niece, well, that pushes things into the area of the surreal. You would think after everything I have seen during my time with you, I would be prepared for anything, but it is quite different watching something of this nature happen to others than experiencing it yourself..."