Hopeful Soul: A Phantom Story

Chapter Forty-Two.

CHRISTINE:

The honeymoon in Sweden was the sweetest gift I have ever received. Meg, too, had enjoyed the time in Sweden - only I had to show both my husband and my friend around Uppsala. In tears, I witnessed my family home and discovered the sea where Raoul had fetched my red scarf as just a boy - too many memories to spare. And happily so, I straightened out my relationship with Erik.

We sat side by side on the pink window seat in the train, our lips moving together in a friendly lock. We did not stop until the train had - our bags already at our feet and ready to go - but Erik paused just outside the train station, briefly looking into nothing, "Erik?"

"I forgot all about Ayesha. Hopefully they brought her here."

"Here?"

At quick glance, I realized that we were not in Paris - but some French countryside. We went down a dirt path very different from the clean, cobblestone of Sweden and Erik had an entire combination of emotions. Though I couldn't see his expressions, he clenched and unclenched his fists as we walked further down the path passing shops, fruit stands, vegetable gardens and the occasional dairy goat. It was much more rural than I was used to, "Where are we headed?"

He settled down greatly at the sound of my voice and grabbed my hand, "I recently bought a real home for us."

I could not control my happiness, but then I realized that I was becoming exactly what I tried to avoid being - I was becoming a housewife. And though Erik had no issues with letting me continue to sing, I wanted to lead a home like every other woman. But there was one thing I was afraid of - having children. Having little ones running about did not frighten me in the slightest, it would be bringing them into the world that terrified me. My mother died giving birth to me and her mother died as well. Then my father's mother died shortly after his birth with the milk leg - all the women in my family were prone and that frightened me most because I wanted to see my children grow - if I were to have them, "What are you thinking about, Christine?"

"Excuse me?"

"You had this look of pure terror. Are you alright?"

I could not explain to Erik what I was worried about in fear that he would worry as well. But if I did fall with child...

"Ah, here we are!"

We stopped at a lovely home which was just down the road from a magnificent church. Erik unlocked the door to let me inside and no sooner than I stepped in did I hear mewing sounds. Poor Ayesha must have been trapped somewhere and Erik realized it as well, "Ayesha!" she became louder at the sound of his darker voice, "Oh, I have a feeling of where she is."

Erik disappeared upstairs, the sound of his heavy footsteps making me shiver in delight. I took my time alone to explore the downstairs area, stepping into the kitchen. The counters were in fairly good condition and I gazed up through the window, a blue bird sitting on the windowsill. It chirped about for a moment before flying off and I heard Erik coming downstairs, standing just beside the archway, "She was trapped in the wardrobe. You probably would not believe how many times she's actually done that."

He gently set her down - her silvery gray fur was a ruffled and her eyes were still dilated from being in the darkness. I lost focus of her sweet, angular face as Erik removed his fedora and mask - pulling me close for a kiss. She wailed again, interrupting our kiss, and gazed up at both of with a silly innocence, "Perhaps she needs food," Erik went into the kitchen with me, but there was nothing - not even a mouse she could hunt, "Hm. I suppose we should get food," with a glance over to me, had this malicious smile about him - grabbing me up by surprise, "Which we shall do later."

His lips sealed to mine and I closed my eyes in delight, wrapping my legs around his waist. I felt him move, my bustle hitting the counter, and felt his thing pulsate against my drawers - another mew. Erik set me down and upon turning to Ayesha she laid in front of us, "Would this be sabotage?"

Erik gave out a hearty laugh, lying in front of the feline on his elbows. Ayesha wiggled closer and touched her tiny nose to his mouth, "Oh, you're saucy," Erik picked her up - a mew again - and put her nose to mine, "See, Ayesha? She is harmless."

The feline made an odd noise, hopping from Erik's arms and trailing into another room. He shook his head in disapproval, then took my waist and pressed into me again, "Now, where were we?"

He had enough time to kiss me before someone knocked on the door, "Blazing ballocks!" his outburst made me laugh as he went towards the door, giving me a wink, "We shall have fun later."

As Erik went outside to talk to whoever was out there, I spent more time exploring the house. In the family room was the exact loveseat and armchairs from his underground place and I realized quickly that he had hired men to move it. The family room was so different from his red room, though, in that he had moved the organ into the family room - which in truth was the largest room of the house, so far. Leaving that room, I looked to the doors across the hall - the dining room and kitchen again, then beside the entryway was the toilet.

Upstairs, where Ayesha laid beside the staircase, I found four doors - one set open to a room with a lovely fourposter bed decorated in curtains that could cover us nicely from the cold weather. The thought made me blush and then I looked to the other brown door, which opened to a luxurious washroom. Only two doors remained and I choose the door across from our bedroom, looking down at the deep brown, wooden floors. The room was decorated as a nursery with a tall, dark cabinet at the left and changing table to the right. A pretty rocking chair sat in the corner of the right side of the room, but there was no cradle. No bassinet or anything to keep a child comfortable.

I heard Ayesha mew and went into the hall, looking up. The attic stairway was ajar and, bravely I opened it. Stepping inside, I saw what I thought was a cradle, but then took a step closer. The cradle had been completed with an extra set of wooden bars on the top that latched on and off - it was a cage! I gulped through the thought of a baby having to rest in that, then looked around the room. To my knowledge, a child grew up here. Every stage from infant to kinder was in this room, but why would a child be kept in an attic? Before I could further investigate, I heard footsteps up the attic ladder that startled me and sat quietly in the rocking chair in the corner. Erik stared at me for a moment, then glanced over to the cage cradle, "Exploring, are we?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It is your home, Christine. Well, in a sense."

I looked to the cage again and sniffled as tears went down my cheeks - to think a child was subject to that, "This was my family home. And that was my cradle."

He answered my questions quickly, but imaging infant Erik in that cage was just too much. How could any mother do that, "My poor mother," he sighed, taking a seat on the ground, "She had to answer to my beck and call, but as a toddler I could care for myself. Father never paid attention, but he knew what was happening. I remember a few occasions where my mother would scold me for entering the house and throw me my mask."

"Please," I cried, kneeling in front of him, "It's too much."

"You would have done it if you gave birth to me. When you have a child, you expect to be bringing beautiful, innocent life into the world. Not a living corpse."

"I would never treat a defenseless baby that way. Erik, if your mother was better to you, you could have avoided so much trouble."

He frowned at the ground and I realized I had opened something sinister. Erik took my hands, clasping them together in his, and then kissed each finger, "Promise you mean that. If we happen to be parents, you have to swear that you'll treat them with kindness and care. My mother did not even let me nurse," he looked away for a moment, tears streaming down his sullen cheeks, "I distinctly remember drinking goat's milk."

Poor, unhappy Erik. He had been denied goodness from birth - not even allowed to drink from his mother's teat, "I promise, Erik. If I shall have children, then by golly they will be the happiest, healthiest babies you can find."

He smiled down at me before sealing the promise with a kiss. I wrapped my arms round his neck and we stayed there - happily kissing each other, "My sweet Christine. Sweet, lovely Christine how I love you."

With a smile and another kiss, I whispered to him his favorite phrase, "I love you."