CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Erik's Story

"Make sure your gun is ready to shoot at all times," whispered the Persian.

Then he got down on his knees. He seemed to be searching for something on the ground. Suddenly the passage way shone with a dim light that the Persian held in his hand. Raoul saw that they were in a tunnel.

They had walked only a short distance, before the Persian once again knelt down. Raoul heard a very soft clicking noise, like a door opening. The Persian had found a trap door. He lifted the door and jumped into a room below. He told Raoul to follow him.

Raoul jumped into the hole. The Persian caught Raoul in his arms so there would be no noise. Then he led Raoul through room after room of deep cellars.

Although it was dark, Raoul could see that the cellars in the Opera House were extremely large. Raoul had no idea where he was. They were in a world of darkness and silence. He hoped the Persian knew where they were going.

There were five cellars in total. Each one took them deeper under the ground. Finally, they reached the last cellar.

The Persian seemed relieved that they had come this far without any problems. "Erik never comes here. It is very far from his house on the lake," he said.

"Then when are we going to his house? I must rescue Christine!" Raoul cried in pain.

"Quiet, boy! Do you want him to hear you?" said the Persian. "We will not enter the house by the normal entrance. It's too dangerous, because he will expect us to do this. He has probably set traps for us there! Our only hope is to enter by a way that Erik will not expect. There is a way in from the third cellar. We will return there." So the two went back in that direction.

In the darkness the Persian chose a wall and began to lean on it carefully. He pressed the wall in certain places with his hands. Like the mirror in Christine's room, the wall soon turned. Raoul was once again in another dark and hidden place.

They went inside. The Persian used the dim light of the lantern to see the room. Raoul was frightened and amazed by what he saw. Many kinds of strange machines filled the room. Most of them looked as if they could kill a man in a second. There was a smell of blood in the air.

"We have found his death room," whispered the Persian.

Raoul learned that the Persian had known Erik for many years. They had first met one another in the Persian's country. This was long before Erik had come to Paris. Because of his horrible face Erik's parents had left him in the streets. His mother refused to care for him, so a traveling circus took him.

This circus had an area where they showed the customers of the circus many strange and terrible looking people. Many of these people had amazing talents. The circus owner discovered that Erik was an extremely smart boy. In his years with the circus, he learned many tricks from the circus people. He learned how to fit his body into tiny places. He learned many magic tricks and illusions. He learned many escape tricks as well.

Eventually, the other members of the circus became angry. They did not like Erik using their tricks, and they especially hated that he was better at the tricks than they were. So the circus owner told Erik he must leave. Erik had to wander the streets alone. After some years he arrived in Persia.

In Persia, Erik entertained people in the cities and towns with his talents. He soon caught the attention of the King of Persia.

When the King asked him into his palace, Erik told the King that he could build the king a palace that was even more beautiful than the one he had now. Also, the new palace would be filled with secret doors and rooms. The only one who would know of these rooms would be the King himself.

The King loved this idea, so he agreed. Erik built the new palace for the King, and the King was pleased.

However, soon the King became worried. He did not want any of his enemies to have a palace as great as his. He was afraid Erik might go to other countries and build more and even better buildings. So the King decided to have Erik secretly killed. However, one man, the Persian, found out about this plan. Because he was a good man who disliked the King, he helped Erik to escape from Persia.

The Persian decided to secretly follow Erik to Paris. He wanted to watch him, because he was afraid of what Erik might do next. He knew that Erik hated people.

Truly, Erik was full of hate. He hated his parents for leaving him to die in the streets. He hated the circus manager for making him leave. The circus had been the only home Erik had ever known. He had used his talents to help the Persian King, but the King only wanted to kill him. So he was full of hatred, more than ever before.

Erik had studied ways to trap and kill people in Persia. When the Persian found out that Erik was building the Opera House, he was worried. He knew that Erik would build many secret rooms into the Opera House that only he would know about. So the Persian watched the neighborhood every day and, when the Opera House was finished, he took a job there.

One day, the Persian found the underground lake. Erik caught him trying to enter his house. He was ready to kill him.

"I saved your life once. Will you allow me to live as well?" the Persian asked Erik.

"Yes, I will let you live, because you once saved my life. But never come here again!" he told the Persian.

Ever since that day, the Persian had stayed close to the Opera House. He knew there must be another way to enter the house on the underground island.

The Persian finally found that way, in the third underground cellar room. This happened at the same time that Erik had first taken Christine and shown her his house. The Persian knew about Erik's dangerous love for Christine.

After that day, the Persian was worried Erik would hurt Christine if she disappointed him. He watched Christine closely. He had listened to Raoul and Christine's conversations. He knew of Raoul's plan to take Christine away from Paris. He also knew that Erik would know this, and act as quickly as possible.

When Christine disappeared from the opera stage, the Persian knew that only Erik could have taken her. Now, he and Raoul were deep inside Erik's property, looking for Christine.

(end of section)