3,423THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your wonderful reviews! Please keep them up, Erik and I are LOVING THEM!
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Guest Reviews:
(You realize if you sign in as a guest I can not respond to your wonderful reviews! So until you get yourself an account, this is the best I can do)
Guest 1: Thank you for being excited and I do hope you continue to think I am doing little Erik justice. Erik tugs at our heart-strings no matter his age though, am I right?
Guest 2: I am so excited to have you all read it!
Guessst: Well the next chapter is HERE! And thanks for thinking it will be GREAT!
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Chapter 2
A Tentative Introduction
Anna's steps were lighter and she wore a smile on her face the following day as she opened the rusty gate and headed towards the dilapidated old house. For today was the first day of her new job - a job that would allow her to afford a roof over her head and food in her stomach. Per the advertisement's offer, Madame Trouville, or Suzette as Anna had learned, would provide half the month's salary up front and she would receive the other half at the end of the first two weeks. That bit of coin in her pocket had allowed her to pay the back rent she owed as well as buy a new dress for work. Nothing fancy, just a plain frock off the rack at a modest clothing shop, but to Anna it felt wonderful. She gave an ironic chuckle at that, since for many years she had worn haute couture and dined at the most expensive restaurants, never once giving a thought to the cost. Now, every scrap of clothing was precious to her and every mouthful of food a treat. Oh, how the mighty had fallen!
Pushing such troubling thoughts from her mind, Anna let herself in by way of the back entrance, using the key she had been given the day before. In fact, she now possessed two new keys, one for the back door and one for Erik's room. It truly disturbed her that Suzette felt compelled to keep the child under lock and key, and when she had questioned her about this the day before, the answer had bothered her even more.
"The boy is a menace!" Madame Trouville had stated crossly. "If you do not keep him confined, he makes messes and destroys things. The few times he escaped and had the run of the house, many of my valuables simply disappeared. Heaven knows where he stashed them; I have searched that room of his many times but have yet to find his secret hiding place. And no matter how much you threaten or punish him, that little thief will not confess!"
Anna had been horrified when Suzette had admitted to such abusive behavior towards Erik, but as an employee - and an uncertain one at that - she held her tongue. Instead she sat and listened to Madame Trouville as she listed off her duties, writing them down on a piece of paper she had been provided so that she would not forget a single thing. Each morning when she arrived, Anna was to bring in the mail and then stoke the fireplace, before fixing breakfast. Thankfully there were no elaborate requests, just toast, tea and an occasional hardboiled egg. All things that Anna felt her limited skills might handle. She was also pleased to find that, though the house looked old and decrepit on the outside, it was equipped with many modern conveniences. A hand pump at the sink brought in fresh water through a pipe and upon further inspection, Anna even discovered those newfangled water closets she had only seen in the wealthiest of homes. This both confused and delighted her! How did Madame Trouville rate such luxuries?
When breakfast was complete, Anna was then to restock the firebox with wood from out back and begin a systematic cleaning of each room in the house. She was certain it would take her all month to accomplish this, but as long as Suzette did not complain that she was too slow, Anna was determined to see it done properly. Lunch and dinner were to be made in-between all that and finally the dishes washed and put away before she was allowed to go home each night.
However it was stated in no uncertain terms, that no matter what she might be doing, if there was even the smallest peep out of the boy in the attic room, it was her responsibility to drop everything and see that he was silenced immediately. It was very clear to Anna that Suzette had no wish to interact with Erik, now quite gratified she had someone she could send in her place. When Anna inquired as to when she should take Erik his meals, Madame Trouville actually looked momentarily perplexed, before waving her hand and saying whenever she got around to it was fine.
"The little monster hardly eats anyway," she said with a shrug of indifference. "I used to try forcing meals down him, tying him to his bed and shoveling the food in. But he would only throw it back up and then I had a horrible mess to clean. So I just put food in his room and let him decide when he is hungry enough to eat. Don't waste much time on meals for him, a bowl of porridge or a piece of bread will tide him over for days."
This information also rankled Anna, leaving her to conclude that Suzette knew nothing about the proper care of a child. Granted Anna had never been a mother herself, much to her infinite sorrow, yet even she knew that force feeding someone was the worst way to encourage them to eat. No wonder the boy was so thin! After such an experience, to him eating was probably considered a punishment. Anna made up her mind to change that immediately. Yet with her practically non-existent cooking skills, she was not quite sure how to go about it. This would require some more thought.
Since the house was very quiet at that time of the morning, Anna found she had plenty of opportunity for contemplative thought, spending most of it on the subject of Erik. Suzette was not an early riser and she had long since finished stoking the fire as well as filling the wood box before she heard movement in the house. Quickly she began working on breakfast, doing her best not to burn the toast before she slathered it with a hearty helping of creamy butter. She next prepared a cup of hot tea and placed it all on a tray and brought it out to the dining room where the Madame now sat waiting, reading the mail Anna had left on the table.
"Good morning, Madame Trouville," Anna greeted as she proudly set the toast and tea in front of her. "I hope you slept well."
"Tolerably well, I suppose," came her distracted response, not even looking up from her letter. "Have you seen to the fireplace yet?"
"Yes, Madame," Anna answered.
"And the wood box?"
"Yes, Madame, all filled."
"Then you may begin on the cleaning," Suzette informed her in a way of dismissal.
"Yes, Madame. I will start on it right after I see to Erik's breakfast," she assured her, receiving only a grunt of disapproval from her employer, yet she would not be deterred. Anna was going to make sure Erik received regular meals, even if he chose not to partake of them. At least her conscience would be clear.
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As she headed up the massive stairs carrying a plate of toast and milk, Anna wondered what kind of reception she might receive today. She could not imagine that Erik was content with staying in his room so much, and she was curious about whether he was ever allowed out. Madame had mentioned that he made messes, destroyed things and stole as well, prompting her to assume he must be let loose at least once in a while. Still, as she turned the key, remembering to give a polite knock before entering, she could not imagine it being very often.
"Good morning, Erik," she greeted him in a cheery tone as she walked to the small table and set down the tray.
The boy was sitting in very much the same place as he had been the day before, dressed in a different shirt and trousers - though still as ill-fitting as the others had been. However, he had his back to the wall this time and appeared to be reading a different book. Once more Anna looked about his room, not seeing any collection from which he might have taken it. Perhaps he kept them in the wooden chest or in the dresser, she considered.
"I brought you some toast and milk, I hope you like it," she continued pleasantly, desperately hoping for a response. Yet none came. He continued to look at the book in his lap, much like he did the day before. It was then that she noticed the swan she had made for him had been moved from the trunk to a small ledge in front of the boarded up window. A smile sprang to her lips as she recognized it as a place of honor, being one of the very few spots sunlight touched the dreary room.
Taking it as a good sign, Anna began to make her way around the room, straightening the few items she could find. A door to the right led to a private water closet which held another one of the new lavatories as well as a small sink and convenient hand pump for water. She was grateful to learn that the boy was at least afforded a few of life's basic necessities, including fresh drinking water and sanitation. Anna had not been looking forward to dealing with a chamber pot. Apparently the sink was also how Erik was able to rinse out his garments, for she noted the shirt and pants he had worn yesterday were now hanging up to dry across a makeshift line of string. Erik appeared to be amazingly tidy for one so young, leaving nothing for Anna to clean within the room. So, she decided to tend to his rumpled bed sheets instead.
"My mother always used to say that you can't start the day right without a neatly made bed," she informed him as she put the small cot to rights. It didn't take long and then she was once again left with nothing to do while she waited for him to acknowledge her. "I am afraid that I still do not know all the chores that need to be done, so maybe you could help me a little? Is there anything you have that needs mending perhaps?" She was really reaching now, for even if he answered in the affirmative, she doubted that she could successfully perform the necessary repairs. Yet when once again no answer came, she concluded that her efforts were in vain and headed for the door, only to be stopped by a small voice.
"Could…I mean…would you show me how you made the swan?" she heard him ask. "Please…"
Anna's heart melted at the very moment. Not only from the simple yet plaintive plea, but also by the musical quality of his voice. It was like listening to a symphony when everyone playing was in perfect harmony. Like nothing she had ever heard before and she desperately longed to hear it again.
Turning slowly back to face him she smiled through her unshed tears. "I would love to show you how," she assured him. "I even know how to make a frog if you prefer one of those. But I fear I did not think to bring any paper with me today."
"I can use a page from this book," he quickly offered, reaching out to rip one from the tome.
"NO!" she yelled, taking a step closer as she held up her hand to stop him.
This seemed to frighten Erik and he leapt to his feet, the book he had been holding falling to the floor. He then cowered against the wall, acting as if he thought she meant to strike him. Anna was horrified to think her thoughtless reaction might have caused him to fear her, for she would never have dreamed of harming him in any way. She had simply not wished for him to ruin the book.
"I am sorry, Erik," she apologized in a softer voice, kneeling down so that she did not tower over him or appear imposing. "I did not mean to shout, I just do not think your…mother…would appreciate you destroying one of the books she has given you." Anna had stumbled over the parental term she assigned to Madame Trouville, but since Erik made no attempt to correct her, she could only assume that she had indeed guessed their relationship correctly.
Erik continued to stare at Anna for quite a while, sizing her up to see if he could indeed believe her words. She could tell that his trust did not come easily, a condition she imagined stemmed from Suzette and her deplorable treatment of him. His mother had spoken of how she had tied him down, forced him to eat, locked him up and had even admitted to physically punishing the boy on occasion. How could he not distrust adults after that, and her shouting at him had done little to help matters.
"She did not give me the book," Erik spoke at last, relaxing just a bit as he stared down at the closed manuscript at his feet. "She does not know I have it," he confessed. "Besides, this one is stupid…it is not accurate." He gave it a bit of a kick and as he did, Anna was able to see the title. 'Anatomy and Human Physiology' was scrawled across the cover. It was then she saw his hand move unconsciously to his mask, his small fingers touching his covered cheek and where his nose should have been.
"Oh," was all Anna could think to say. Did the fact that his own body showed signs of deviation from those described in the book lead him to view the text as flawed and inaccurate? She contemplated exploring the subject further but his continued words derailed that train.
"I would never have harmed any of the other books," he assured her, possibly meaning the one she saw him with yesterday. "They belonged to my father, not her! She does not read them…no, she never does anything but sit in her chair and stare at the walls…and drink. So sometimes I sneak out and take them when she is not looking."
So, Suzette was right, Erik did often make things 'disappear'.
"How do you keep her from finding them when she comes up to see you?" Anna asked, very pleased that he was at least talking to her about something…anything.
"Oh, she never comes up to see me…unless I make her," he said with a shrug of indifference, yet his voice betrayed a hint of pain. "She does not care what I do, as long as I am quiet and don't disturb her." Suddenly he gave a sort of a laugh, yet it was more sly and mischievous than anything born of humor. "And when she does come looking for the missing things…she can't find them. She will never find them. If Erik wants something to disappear, no one will ever see it again."
His cryptic and almost sinister statement brought goosebumps to Anna's arms and she began to wonder just how benign this boy truly was. He seemed harmless on the surface, small and far too frail to ever be considered a true threat…and yet. Anna could feel something hiding beneath the surface, something almost frightening as it fought to get out.
"Well…you know, taking things without permission is not very nice," Anna told him, not wanting to upset Erik, but neither could she condone stealing. "Perhaps if you asked to borrow the books, your mother would give them to you."
"I have asked!" he replied, his voice taking on a tone of indignation as he spoke up in his defense. "I begged her over and over, but she always says no. She claims that I am too stupid to understand what they say, but she is wrong! She is the one too ignorant to even get through the first page. She does not deserve to have such things. They belonged to my father…and so they should now belong to me, not her!"
"What happened to your father, Erik?" she asked, wondering about the absence of a male figure in the home for the first time since she took the job.
"He…died," Erik replied in a small voice.
"I am very sorry to hear that," Anna consoled. "What was he like?"
"He was an inventor and an engineer," Erik revealed, looking around the room with an odd expression. "This was his office, or so she told me. This was where he would design things. He was very smart; I have read some of his papers and a few articles that were published about his designs and creations." This time when Erik turned to her, she could see a touch of pride in his amber eyes. "He built this house you know. He put in the lavatories and plumbing as well as fitted it with gas lights…not that she will pay for the cost of the fuel. She is letting the house crumble around her, allowing his genius to be destroyed. But I have seen his original plans, I know what he dreamed for this house to be and I have it all stored up here." Erik proudly pointed to his head as if it were the most secure bank vault in town. "One day I will finish his dream and build a home of the future."
"I am sure you will," Anna nodded, not doubting it for a moment. "He sounds like a very brilliant and kind man."
Yet as suddenly as he had opened up about his father, Erik just as quickly seemed to shut down, bowing his head as he almost whispered the next words.
"I…I never met him. He died before I was born," he revealed. "She said that my father was the lucky one. That he allowed a stone wall to crush him, choosing to leave this earth before I came into it…that he was spared the horror of ever knowing what a monster his son turned out to be."
Anna could not help but gasp as she listened to his hurtful words. Why would a mother say such horrible things to a child? Yet the fact that Erik was locked up in the attic and wore a mask should have easily answered that question.
"Erik…that is a lie!" Anna told him. "She was very, very wrong to say such things. None of that is the truth."
Her words seemed to stun him, and he looked up at her in wonderment.
"She was…wrong?" he asked, it becoming quite apparent that the possibility had never occurred to him. As if Erik had always accepted her word as truth, never knowing he should…or was even allowed to question her.
"Erik, when a person dies, it is usually not their choice. No one can pick their time to go, for accidents and sickness befall us when we least expect it," she reasoned. "Your father could no more control the time of his death than I can. And he certainly did not die simply to avoid meeting you; it sounds like it was a horrible accident." She then gave him her warmest smile. "I am confident that if he had known you, he would have been very proud to have shared his books and knowledge with such a bright son."
Erik's mouth fell open and his eyes seemed to glaze over. Before Anna realized, tears began streaming from under his mask and dripped off his chin. Her few kind words had literally set the boy to crying! Had he never been shown kindness before? Her anger blazed against Suzette, and she had to fight the urge to march downstairs and slap her in the face for her cruelty. Yet that would accomplish nothing more than getting her dismissed and then where would she be…or Erik for that matter?
It took a few moments, but Erik suddenly seemed to comprehend that he was crying and turned away, reaching his small fingers up under his mask to shamefully wipe the evidence away. No little boy wants anyone to see them cry…and Erik was no different. It broke Anna's heart to see him affected so profoundly by her words and she too had to fight to keep her own tears at bay. It would do no one any good if they both broke down in a blubbering mess.
"I tell you what," Anna began, trying to steady her voice. "What if I see about getting my hands on some books, legitimately of course, and then I loan them to you to read? Would you like that?" When Erik turned back to her and nodded his head vigorously, she knew she had done the right thing. "What kind of books do you like? Is there anything that especially interests you?"
"I like architecture," he was quick to state, not having to think about it for more than a second. "Anything with buildings and plans…and lots of drawings of them!"
While Anna had thought he might choose adventures about pirates or knights in shining armor, Erik appeared to have a mind of his own, and he knew exactly what he enjoyed.
"Then I will do my best to find you books on that subject," she nodded. She was not quite sure how to go about it, but for him, she would think of something.
Anna rose to her feet as she looked around, once more searching for anything to do that might allow her to linger a bit more. Unfortunately, the room was so small and sparse that there was simply nothing left. Besides, her conscience pricked her a bit as she recalled that she had other duties that needed her attention, no matter how much she wished to stay and visit with Erik.
"I need to go now," she announced sadly as she turned towards the door.
"You…you will come back though….won't you?" he asked in a small but hopeful voice.
"Of course I will," she smiled, touched that he seemed to crave her company as much as she wished to give it. "I will be back up at noon with your lunch…assuming that you have finished your breakfast by then." She hoped this might prompt him to actually eat, if he felt her next visit was contingent on the fact. "And maybe by then I can find some paper and show you how to make a swan…or a frog. Whichever you would like."
This last statement won her a small grin from the boy, something that was obviously quite new to him. It was then and there that Anna swore she would make sure it became a regular occurrence. That Erik Trouville would soon have many more reasons to smile!
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Later in the day, while Anna was dusting the mantel over the fireplace, doing her very best to appear proficient at the task, she gathered up enough courage to ask Suzette for the paper.
"Pardon me, Madame," she began, pulling the woman's attention away from the ladies journal she was currently reading. "Might I ask if you have any spare paper?"
"Paper? For what?" she asked, her brow furrowing in a perplexed way.
"For Erik. He asked me to…" Anna began, but she never got to finish.
"No! He is not allowed to have paper nor a pen!" Suzette shrieked, slamming the periodical down on the small table by her chair. "The last time I gave in to his incessant whining for such things, he not only went through the entire ream in less than a week, with his useless scribbles, but when I tried to take the fountain pen away from him, he attempted to stab me with it! So no, you may not have any paper to give him and you are forbidden to ever allow him access to any sharp objects. Do you understand?"
"Y-y-yes, Madame," Anna stammered, once again taken back by how much this woman's descriptions of her son contrasted with what she herself had observed. It was impossible for her to imagine Erik doing such a thing! "Yet…he seems to have nothing to occupy his time, no toys, games or anything to play with."
"The little fiend does not play…he destroys!" she continued, once more speaking of Erik as if he were a menace. "If I did not keep him under constant lock and key, he would have long ago torn this house apart. Simply shutting the door was fine when he was a baby, but the moment he learned to toddle around, that was the day I installed the lock. If I were to give him any toys or books…or anything to feed that devious little mind of his, there is no telling what he might do. Murder us all in our beds, I can only imagine! No, it is best that he have nothing that might give him ideas. He is far too stupid to know the difference anyway, so do not concern yourself with it." And as if she considered the conversation closed, she stood up and stretched, before grabbing a mostly full bottle of wine and heading up the stairs towards her room. "I am going to take a nap, summon me when dinner is ready, otherwise I do not wish to be disturbed."
Anna watched her disappear towards her room, wondering what Suzette had done so far that day which necessitated the need for rest. How much energy could she have possibly expended from simply eating breakfast and sitting around? Still, she was her employer, paying her a decent wage, so Madame Trouville could sleep the day away if she had a mind to and Anna had no say in the matter. At least she was no longer sitting there watching her every move, making her feel more nervous than she already was.
Yet her explicit command that Erik not be allowed any sharp or mentally stimulating objects frustrated, as well as frightened, Anna. Could she truly be reading Erik's manner incorrectly? Was he actually the type of child who would try and stab his own mother…with a fountain pen no less? Suzette must be exaggerating…she had to be. The little boy Anna had spoken with seemed lost, misunderstood and neglected beyond reason - but he was not wicked or violent…was he? She would bet her life that he wasn't. And in truth…perhaps she was staking her life, and maybe even that of Madame Trouville, on her instincts alone. Still, Erik needed something to occupy his time, besides reading the books over and over that he had stolen from his mother. And while she was not about to go against a specific order…perhaps there was a way around it.
Soooo, are there any of you out there who have not already decided to hate Suzette? If so, now is your chance to jump on board with the rest of us!
I know I have made her pretty evil, but like I have mentioned to some of you...I have a "Line in the sand" that I do not intend to cross when writing about Little Erik's relationship with his mother. Things will not become TOO horrible. I don't think Anna would allow it!
So how did you all like hearing Erik speak for the first time? Pretty adorable hu? How are those feels treating you?
Please let me know what you thought. FP33