Chapter 40: To Hear Heaven's Voice

amid dreams of green and gold
and spinning flowers on the breeze
i drift along and wait
for something i never see

alone in the silence i wander
floating far away from home i wait
to hear heaven's voice
touch me with its song

"of comfort" by Nyasia A. Maire © 2007

"What do you mean? They are most definitely not fine! Look at them! And you, Madame, what have you been doing since that unearthly light shone about the Mistress? You have been conversing with the ceiling. If we were back in my beloved England, I would suggest a tour of Bedlam for the lot of you!"

A sharp intake of breath hissed through the room and an icy silence lingered briefly, before even colder words sounded.

"Elaine Mallery, you must not speak of that which you do not understand."

And still, more silence.

"Things happen here which defy all reason. I cannot explain to you about things that I do not fully understand. Please trust me when I say that if I believed either Christine or Erik were in danger, I would be the first to send for a physician. We do not require a man of medicine here, but a man of God. Please watch over them. I shall not be gone long."

"Wait! Are you leaving right now? Where are you going? Why?"

"I do not have the luxury of time for I do not know when Erik and Christine will awake. Suffice it to say, I go to fetch a priest. Adieu."

Antoinette swept past the dumbfounded woman. The quiet tapping of her cane on the hardwood floor receded down the hall and faded into silence. Elaine stared at the open bedroom door, her eyes glazed in shock. After a moment, she shook her head and gently closed the door. Turning, she walked to the side of her employer's bed and looked down upon the seemingly sleeping couple. If not for the events of earlier that night, Elaine would feel embarrassed by her presence in the master's bedroom and even more so looking at the two lying together, holding each other tightly.

"Oh, Erik, what on earth is happening? I thought you marrying Christine the best thing that could ever happen to you, but it seems I was wrong. Am I making another mistake by waiting? Should I trust this woman, Antoinette? What is the right thing for me to do?"

She shook her head sadly and pulled a chair close to the side of the bed. She anxiously sat to wait for whatever the future had in store for the man she loved as a son and the woman he so obviously adored. She bit her lower lip and silently began to pray.

The young man's face registered shock and then quickly became highly agitated.

"Monsieur Daae ... oh, pardon moi ... I mean, Gustave ... please, I do not understand..."

The older man stood and walked to the young man. He laid a comforting hand upon Erik's shoulder.

"Relax, Erik. Take a deep breath. I need you to be calm. As long as you allow yourself to be upset, your memory will not become clear. I need you to remember. Only then can you help Christine."

Erik raised his head and turned to look at Gustave.

"Christine is in trouble? She has need of me, what must I do?"

"Oui, Erik. Close your eyes. Breathe. That is good. Breathe. Excellent, now breathe again. Let your mind take you to the place you feel safest. Picture that place in your mind. Are you there?"

The young man gave a small nod of his head.

"Good. Breathe. Do not forget to breathe. You are there, in your secret place. You are safe. You are neither too hot nor too cold. You are comfortable. You are relaxed. Nothing can harm you. Empty your mind. Let this moment of peace fill your soul. Breathe in the calm around you and let it enter into your mind. Perfect."

The older man removed his hand from the young man's shoulder and gently laid his palm to Erik's forehead. He bent down and whispered into Erik's ear.

"Erik ... Christine. Remember, Christine."

Erik's body froze and his eyelids began to twitch. Images of Christine flooded his mind. His first glimpse of her sparkling brown eyes glimpsed over Raoul's shoulder. Her small booted foot clad in blue as it stepped down from the carriage. Her passion-swollen lips as they rose up to meet his. Her dexterous fingers as they tenderly caressed the deformed side of his face. Christine clad all in white walking down the aisle of the church towards him. And then her naked body lying beneath him as their bodies joined as one. His eyes flew open.

"Oh! I remember! Mon Dieu, I remember! Oh, Christine is my wife!"

The older man instantly hissed. His head swung in the direction of his daughter's bedroom and then returned to whisper furiously at Erik.

"Silence, do you wish to ruin this chance to help her? If she remembers anything of her adult life, we will lose this one opportunity to make things right. Lilith may no longer be able to take her body, but she can still steal her soul. We must not allow that to happen."

"So, what do we do now?" Erik spoke quietly.

"We let life take its course. We allow the days to pass. You and Christine shall become friends, of that I am certain. Heaven has bound your souls as one, so the two of you can do naught else. My illness shall progress and I will die, but you will be here to comfort her and protect her when Lilith tries to make her bargain with Christine. You will not allow the devil's deal to be struck a second time."