THE SONG OF THE OPERA GHOST

Chapter Three

Gilles Andre sat at his desk in the small, cluttered office he shared with his partner, Richard Firmin. Both men had been the managers of the Paris Opera House for a little over three months after having bought it from a young man who had been desperate to sell it, claiming the place was cursed. He had warned them about the Opera Ghost and both of them had scoffed at that figuring the ghost was the result of him hitting the absinthe a little too often. But it didn’t take long before the Opera Ghost made his presence known to them.

Only one week had passed before they saw the first letter. It had been lying on Andre’s desk when he came in that morning and at first he ignored it, having other paperwork to attend to. Then Madam Carlotta, the opera’s resident diva, came in to complain about the size of her part and he had to placate her for the better part of an hour so by the time he had finally noticed the letter sitting on the corner of his desk, it was nearly noon.

He remembered looking at the letter wondering where it had come from. It was folded over and sealed with a wax seal that looked like it had some kind of constellation on it. He turned the letter back over and saw his name written elegantly on the front. Then he broke the seal and read the letter.

Monsieur Andre,

It has come to my attention that you and Monsieur Firmin have acquired the Paris Opera House. As a longtime resident of this very structure, I feel it is my duty to demand rent from you for the privilege of using what is, after all, my house. Therefore, I wish you to pay me the sum of thirty francs once a week. In addition, I demand that box five be kept open at all times for me to use at my discretion. I feel these demands are reasonable considering I shall have to put up with people tramping through my house for most of the day and evening hours. I have also gotten a good look at you and your colleague and I can see that you both are young and probably inexperienced, so I shall also be giving you advice from time to time concerning selection of operas, cast members, crewmembers, etc… Please accept my advice graciously. I have grown up around singers and composers and I am quite an accomplished singer and composer, if I do say so myself. Therefore, I know best how to guide you to make the choices that will bring the greatest success to you and the Opera House.

I have written this letter as a friendly gesture because I wish you and your partner to know what is expected of my managers. Your predecessor chose not to heed my advice and did not pay my stipend nor keep box five open for me. The tragic result of his foolishness was the unfortunate deaths of several talented cast and crewmembers. I am not one to be trifled with as your predecessor found out to his cost. I will give you only one warning, Monsieur, what you do with this warning is entirely up to you and your colleague, but know that you ignore me at your own risk. I shall expect your first payment in two days time. Please leave it on the seat in box five and I shall retrieve it there. I wish you and Monsieur Firmin the best of luck. I hope that the Paris Opera shall prosper under our guidance. I also hope you will be easier to work with than the idiot who had it last.

With warmest regards, I remain your faithful servant,

Opera Ghost.

Andre didn’t take the letter seriously, thinking it was some juvenile prank by one of the crewmembers and ignored it. Then, a few days after the deadline for the payment came and went, Edouard Chevalier, one of the riggers was found lying dead on the stage after falling from the catwalks. Everyone assumed it had been an accident until another letter showed up on Andre’s desk.

Monsieur Andre,

I wish to inform you that Monsieur Chevalier’s death was not an accident. I was not paid the money I requested so I’m afraid I had to kill him to show you I mean exactly what I say. I will give you one last chance to carry out my wishes. If you do not, know that a greater catastrophe will befall the Opera House and I guarantee that it will be so monumental that you and Monsieur Firmin will be forced to resign in disgrace. I’m sure you don’t want that to happen, so deliver my payment in two day’s time at the specified location.

You have been warned for the last time, gentlemen.

I remain your faithful servant,

O.G.

After that, both Andre and Firmin made sure to make the payments on time and keep box five perpetually empty and, to their relief, the performances went off without a hitch. However, that was not enough for the ghost since letters started appearing in which he suggested titles of operas to be performed or which cast member should play what part and even how the scenery should look. Andre had grown tired of this Opera Ghost’s meddling and finally had someone try to find out who was blackmailing them. The day after they paid a crewmember to try and track down the Ghost, another crewmember named Maurice Laurent was found hanging by his neck backstage, and that was the end of that. Neither Andre nor Firmin was willing to risk the Ghost’s wrath any longer, so reluctantly they surrendered to his extortion figuring thirty francs and the use of box five was a small price to pay to keep the opera running smoothly and the cast and crew alive.

Andre looked up from his paperwork when Firmin burst into the room. He groaned when he saw he had another letter in his hand.

“I was talking to some of the cast members backstage and when I turned around this was lying on a table behind me,” he said throwing it in front of Andre. It’s addressed to me. I want to know how this Ghost is able to get letters to us without being seen!

Andre sighed.

“I don’t know. I’ve tried to find out myself,” he said picking up the letter. “But after two deaths, I finally decided it’s better not to know.”

He opened the letter. His face drained of all color when he read it.

Monsieur Firmin,

Joseph Buquet has become a bit too nosy of late. I suggest you talk to him about minding his own business before he finds himself swinging at the end of a rope.

Your faithful servant,

O.G.

Andre folded the letter up and slammed it down on his desk.

“This is getting ridiculous,” he said to Firmin. “I am getting sick and tired of this so-called Ghost ordering us around and threatening to kill people if we do not obey. I should have known something was up when Monsieur Aucoin wanted to sell this place to us for practically nothing.”

“I agree,” Firmin said. “But what can we do? If we do not comply, the Ghost will kill someone else or do something worse. We are at this fiend’s mercy unless we can find someone who is willing to track him down and bring him to justice.”

Andre snorted.

“Good luck with that, my friend. Most of the people here are spooked and won’t even speak of the Ghost and we dare not say anything to outsiders because it would end up in the papers and cause a scandal.”

Firmin sighed as he walked over to his desk and slumped down in the seat.

“There must be someone, Gilles, who could stop this monster,” he said.

“Shhh, Richard, not so loud!” Andre said. “Do you want the Ghost to hear?”

“At this point, I really don’t care,” Firmin said angrily. “This “Ghost” is just going to keep on blackmailing us until we slip up or do something to displease him and then he’ll kill someone else. We can’t go on like this, Gilles, we just can’t!”

“So, what do you suggest we do? Do you want to sell the place?”

Firmin sighed and ran his hand over his hair.

“No, I really don’t want to; we’ve invested a lot in this place and I would hate to think that all the time and money we put into this venture would be lost because some common crook posing as a phantom intimidated us. No, I still say there must be someone out there who can help us put a stop to this menace once and for all! Someone who is not intimidated by some phony specter, who will finally bring peace to the Opera House.”

“Good luck finding such a person, my friend,” Andre said. “Because I have a feeling you are in for a long wait before someone like that comes along.”

He sighed.

“In the meantime, I guess we’ll just have to go have a talk with Monsieur Buquet before he turns up dead. He is a good worker and I’d hate to lose him just because he was being a bit too nosy as the Ghost put it. Like it or not, until this savior appears, we have no choice but to comply with the Ghost’s wishes.”

Firmin nodded. He stood up and he and Andre walked out of the room unaware that someone was spying on them from a secret location and laughing softly to himself.

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