[The Phantom of the Opera] Boundary Bridge

The black ribbon wrapped around the hand has a cool and silky touch, like a serpent dormant quietly.If it weren't for this black ribbon, Eric would almost think that everything just now was a dream.

But that's not it.

Eric put his hand on the black ribbon—he was standing outside a wall of Christine's bedroom, staring almost greedily at the girl's sleeping face through the cleverly constructed reflection in the mirror.

He has sung for her here countless times, and the singing of the music angel accompanied the girl into An Tian's dreamland.However, the image of the old angel has been torn, and he has become Christine's nightmare.Only the protection of that handsome young man can make her sweet and carefree.

How peacefully Christine slept, with her rose-like face, her closed eyelids and trembling eyelashes, her smiling lips, and her long brown curly hair.Christine, my Christine.The music angel was born for you.

But ah, beautiful girl, I have been with you for nine years but I have forgotten all of them because of an ugly face.Thinking of this, Eric's heart trembled again.The Phantom of the Opera can be a terror to anyone in the theater, but how—how you fear him like a viper.

I'm ugly, but I'm your angel of music... your angel of music... only missing a handsome face.

The world has never been kind to him.

Eric thought he would find Christine before trading his singing for his looks.He would sing to her once more, and tell her his painful and unfortunate love.He would make a sacrifice for her—leave the singing voice she despises, keep it to himself, and trade it for a beautiful face she loved... Christine would love him.

But ah.Suddenly, a deep dislike for such a self surged in Eric's heart.He is like a sparrow, showing off his singing voice to beautiful girls.Finally when she was tired of singing, he shook off his beautiful feathers again——singing is his soul, but what is appearance?Passport to the world.

He couldn't loathe his own damn longing any more, but he damn...wanted to be in the sun, to be among the people who... called him ugly.Ah, so he has forgiven them, because he knows that if he has even ordinary appearance, most of the people will be kind and friendly to him, and this friendship is not even out of hypocrisy, like a curse on the son of the devil It could have come from a good man too—for a moment he believed the ugliness to be his own sin.

A child abandoned by God.

But it shouldn't be like this!God, how unfair God is to him—is it fair to give the same person incredible talent and unimaginable ugliness?But his soul is so humble, he does not want to wear the shackles of music, but yearns for a mediocre life.But it shouldn't be like this!The music drives him to carnival, and the ugliness is not his own crime, but the ignorance of fools!But he damned wants to be with those people...

"I can't live without Christine," he said.The scenes of the nine years flashed across his mind, and suddenly made him make the final decision.

Christine—the beautiful girl lying on the bed became the last weight on the scale in his heart. This weight made Eric, who yearned for the world and despised himself so self-willed and depraved, be fascinated. Grabbed like a life-saving straw, because it has a very beautiful name: love.

As Eric hid in the opera house after escaping from the circus and heard everything from those operas.Love, that's a great word, and it's no surprise that anything is done for it, love.And he loved Christine, no doubt about it.

"The angel of music is dead, and there is only one man who loves you." He sang softly to Christine.

When The Phantom of the Opera bet his fate on Christine, he didn't want to think about the inferiority and weakness in his heart at the moment, and he didn't want to think about why he took a handsome face as the only salvation—— He was closed and anxious, but he refused to consider other possibilities, unable to conceive of another way.His beliefs are so persistent and so fragile that it is difficult for him to tolerate his own failure.But at this moment, Eric couldn't think about those—the music angel sang softly for his former believers for the last time.

"As you desire, my soul will be taken where you desire."

"This cruel game will be blamed on you."

"My soul dances, burning in the flames."

"Sad and gentle baby, you will not be sad anymore."

Thou hast escaped me from the dark lair, and the stars shone like my soul in love with you.

In the land of your soul, in the cross of your arms!

——My desire for you is so horrible and fleeting!

In the underground palace, countless candles are reflected on the ornately carved mirrors, and the night against it is like the glory of the day.Eric took off the white mask on his right face.He quietly stared at himself in the mirror.

He was dressed in a black tuxedo adorned with ancient jade.He is graceful, elegant and handsome, and if he ignores the hideousness on the right side of his face, he is almost a gentleman of high society.Then, with a slow but firm gesture, he picked up the black ribbon and tied it around his neck.

Phantom fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Eric was awakened by the sound of water dripping from the underground stone pillar.He was only in a daze for a moment, then anxiously touched his right cheek with his hand——

What he touched was a piece of smooth, complete and slightly cool skin.

The author has something to say: *The words and phrases sung by Phantom are excerpted from Neruda's "Twenty Love Poems and Songs of Despair"

* "You will be blamed for this cruel game" - a moment of silence for poor Christine