[Phantom of the Opera] Ragdoll

a dream.There are pink skirts, orange skirts, light blue skirts, and white skirts.These dolls have beautiful rose-colored faces, big blue or green eyes, delicate and beautiful silk skirts and sheepskin boots, decorated with lace or puff sleeves.This is a scene only possible in fairy tales.

At the head of the bed, next to Lottie's pillow, was a very old doll.Unlike other rag dolls that are bright and beautiful, this rag doll seems to have been damaged and carefully repaired.Blonde curly hair, big blue eyes, bright red skirt.The "LB" embroidered in gold thread on the dress was somewhat frayed, but barely legible.

Eyes full of dolls.

Lottie trembled uncontrollably. She stretched out her arms and hugged herself tightly. Her black hair drooping on her shoulders made her pale face even more, and her lips lost their blood color from being bitten... Finally, she couldn't help it, and let out a cry A scream:

"what!"

Painful, gloomy memories and blurry fragments flooded in like a tide, and Lottie felt a splitting headache, and that feeling of despair overwhelmed her again. She was like a drowning person, struggling desperately to find the root A life-saving straw.She no longer knew what she was doing, she waved her hands wildly.Footsteps, someone hurried over, who is it?Who is calling her little Lottie?Little Lottie?She was hugged into a warm embrace, buried her face in the man's chest, and could no longer see those dolls.The person holding her called her name softly and patted her on the back lightly, and Lottie gradually calmed down.She no longer trembled.

"... Eric?" Dimly, she remembered that she came to the underground with the Phantom of the Opera yesterday, and what happened after that?This is underground?

"It's me, little Lottie." Eric patted her on the back gently with gestures. He kept uttering unidentified syllables and coaxed her gently. He even hummed a lullaby.Such pampering made Lottie slowly walk out of that nightmare, "Don't be afraid, I'm right here. Little Lottie, don't be afraid, Eric is here."

Lottie had recovered, and found that she was still tightly wrapped around his waist, a little cramped.She pinched herself and forced herself to calm down.Doing a good job of psychological construction, she pushed away the man who was holding her:

"Thank you, Eric, I'm better."

Because she used too much strength to control herself, she had no time to take care of that shyness.Lottie remembered fully now that she had fallen asleep to Eric's singing yesterday.It now appears that he stayed with her for the night.Lottie didn't want to ask anything else, but just forced a smile and signaled Eric that she was fine.For the man who appeared in time, she still has a trace of unconscious attachment at this moment.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just...had a nightmare." She tried to erase this section with feigned ease.Lottie Butler's dislike of dolls was well known in the family, but not in the same way as before.This time the reaction was so big, it was only because I woke up from a dream and suddenly saw it, and it was all over my eyes, it was like falling into a nightmare, and I couldn't get out of it.

Eric patted Lottie on the shoulder reassuringly.Lottie turned her head away unnaturally, and suddenly noticed that the light music she heard before was still playing, and she was about to lean over to turn off the music box on the low bedside cabinet as if to cover up.But Lottie Butler froze as soon as she stretched out her hand.

It was a very delicate music box.Made in the shape of a hand organ, with a little monkey in a Persian robe playing with cymbals.The body of the little monkey is made of lead and the lining is velvet.The demeanor is like laughing or crying, showing every detail, which is admirable for the creator's intentions.There is a small copper bell hanging around the neck of the little monkey.

Lottie withdrew her hand like an electric shock.She trembled suddenly, her face was pale, and big tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn't say a word, just stared at the little monkey blankly.A sense of sadness and despair overwhelmed her, stronger than ever.She was in it and couldn't breathe.She just wants to cry.Ever since she was a child, she would cry whenever she saw a monkey.She doesn't know why.

"Little Lottie, little Lottie..." Eric panicked, a faint pain flashed in his eyes, he picked up Lottie, strode out of the room, "Little Lottie, are you okay?"

"Little Lottie?" Lottie looked at him in a daze. She had been obediently letting the man hold her, with tears streaming down her eyes, which couldn't be stopped. Although she made a sound at this moment, the tears kept coming. She looked very scary, " Little Lottie?..."

Eric put her gently on the sofa, bent over to wipe her tears, but Lottie, who had been weeping quietly, suddenly grabbed his wrist and asked hesitantly:

"...Do we, know each other?"

------

"Of course we know each other." Eric squeezed out a smile. He should have been happy that she seemed to remember him, but Lottie's reaction just now made him worry.It's not that he doesn't remember what little Lottie said back then——

【I never want to see you devil again! 】

With a trace of hope and a trace of struggle, Eric said vaguely: "Have you forgotten? I am Eric."

Eric the Theater Ghost, and also... Eric the Devil's Son.

Lottie Butler was stunned: "Mr. Ghost?"

A feeling of disappointment or joy flashed in Eric's heart, and he carefully wiped away Lottie's tears: "It's me, Eric." That expression was gentle and pious, which made Lottie feel dazed, "Don't cry, Let's go have breakfast."

------

The steam of black tea and hot coffee rises, and there are a few cubes of sugar on a porcelain plate with roses painted on it.White bread and blueberry jam are also provided.Milk, honey, butter, cream.A small slice of Brownie Chocolate Cake.A stack of macaroon cookies.Sandwiches and baguettes are available.

Lottie Butler, stirring the coffee with a small silver spoon, declined Eric's offer of sugar: "You seem to have a good life, Mr. Ghost."

"To welcome my first guest." Eric took a bite of the bread, "I hope you like it."

Lottie Doesn't Eat Sweets Butler glanced at the chocolate cake and blueberry jam on the table, and chose white bread without hesitation: "Thank you for your kindness, the breakfast is very rich."

Seeing that she still didn't choose sweets, Eric's eyes darkened, and he took some more toast and put it on the table: "Eat it. Maybe you want lemon tea?"

"Anything you want." Lottie replied with a smile. She is in a good mood now. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Eric gloomily finished his brownie.Seeing the delicate face of the woman opposite, Eric felt a pain in his heart.Naturally, he didn't like sweets either, but he—he would never have imagined that little Lottie didn't like sweets anymore.What he didn't even know was that after the tragic day, the once sweet little princess completely rejected all childishness or sweetness in the world, and no longer believed in those beautiful things.At this moment, she just swallowed the bland toast without looking at the blueberry jam.

After all, he couldn't be reconciled.Eric couldn't believe that the sweet dream he had been chasing and guarding for many years no longer existed. He hesitated and asked, "Don't you like that room?"

Warm pink velvet throw pillows, a Corinthian bed beautifully carved and intricately patterned, pale pink curtains hanging from angel figures, and pink and white sheets with lace trim and long tassels.The room was full of dolls.Next to the small music box is a bottle of roses.That is the princess room of every girl's dream.Little Lottie should live in such a dream place, Eric always thought so.

Lottie lowered her head, a few locks of black hair fell in front of her eyes, covering her expression.Her eyes were dim and her fingers were clenched tightly, as if she had exerted great effort to restrain herself.Just as Eric was about to stand up to see how she was doing, she already said softly:

"I don't like that room."

This answer was very rude, but Lottie didn't know why, she was having a hard time controlling her emotions at the moment:

"I don't like that room...pink, rag doll, and little monkey...all of this is too sad." She seemed to be talking in her sleep, her dark eyes were filled with sadness, and tears flowed from them.

------

"Is that the bad guy who came to catch you?" Little Lottie was hugged by Eric in his arms before he finished speaking, "Shut up." He warned in a low voice, but in fact he was trembling.

"Son of the devil!" The gypsy raised his voice and shouted, "If you don't come out, your monkey will die!"

Eric was stunned, and the next moment, the scream of the little bell rang out.Those gypsies were too lazy to search everywhere, so they simply left someone guarding the exit, and brought the monkey back to force him to appear.Little Bell has been rebellious since she was captured, and refused to perform well. Those gypsies have long since lost their patience.It is not impossible to really hurt the killer!Just like in the circus troupe, only Little Bell cares about Eric, and only Little Bell cares about Eric.Little Bell was not beaten to death for being so disobedient before, because the gypsies wanted them to cooperate with the performance.Now that Eric strangled his guards trying to escape, they won't stop!

Scream!Scream!Heart-piercing, bloody screams!The screams were so penetrating that Eric trembled all over. He tightly covered his left ear with his left hand, pressed his right ear against the stone wall, and hugged the bewildered little Lottie with his right hand.His lips trembled, and he didn't know what he was talking about:

"Don't listen...Little Lottie, don't listen!"

"Squeak! Squeak—"

Little Bell's painful screams tore through all obstacles, and came to Eric's ears, to Eric's head, and to Eric's heart!Eric's twisted lips are