Dear reader, this is my diary, the diary of Beatrice Giry, my last chance to tell you about the strangest meeting in my whole lifetime. About the meeting with a unique man who has changed the life of many people - however this should be meant. Read it and judge, but never forget one thing:
"Those that know will probably find... It is wiser to remain silent." ”
Paris, 1901
Garnier's opera house was well known in whole Paris. All those nobles that wanted to let everybody know about their fortunes went out to the performances at the evenings, laughed together, followed devoutly the show and applauded conscientiously at the end.
Nonetheless we all knew why that many people were desperate to go to the opera. Not the music, not the singers, actors, actresses and ballet dancers attracted them, not the tremendously architectural style had its admirers. Only the carelessly raised rumour of a ghost known as OG was the sole point of attraction for our wealthy visitors.
Many laughed about it, thinking of it as a publicity campaign not even slightly believing in the possibility of the existence of this apparition. But nevertheless it was popular to go to an opera where a ghost should have been seen.
I always wondered why no one wanted to accept the things just right the way they were - that there was a phantom in the subterranean that took out the stitches, lead the opera house as if he had built it himself (only now I have found out that every single detail of this gorgeous building had been built in that way just because he had wanted it to be built like this - Garnier was only a little insignificant puppet on the string, following the instructions of his master, a highly gifted architect with the ability to build constructions unable to be built and the horrifying talent to pull out all our darkest fears to manifest them into dangerous shapes).
Oh dear... I believe that the moment has now finally arrived where I should remember when I first heard of the ominous vision from the maze of abysses of the opera house. My love, sweet little Meg, my dear daughter, I hope you can forgive me that I never told you from the dishonourable part I had played in this sad unavoidable tragedy - but I beg you on my knees to trust me that everything I have done I have only done for you, my only daughter.
It was solely due to him that you have got this part of a solo-dancer in the corps de ballet, my sweet darling. I have always known that you are too talented to stay in the background forever more, I just wanted from the bottom of my heart to give you the chance you have deserved.
And I knew he was powerful enough to make sure that you would get your chance. He always knew that I had the power to reveal this darkest of all secrets that was hidden in the mysterious subterranean of our opera house and to unmask the enigmatic phantom - and I always knew that our both future had been in his grip.
You will now probably fear that age has befuddled my mind and my power of judgement, and perhaps you are right, beloved daughter. But I beg you not to judge rashly and without reading the whole story, the whole tragedy.
In the end you will understand all the reasons why everybody had acted just like the way he had acted in our little, private play - and you will understand the considerations of a powerful, dangerous, unpredictable monster and a secluded, deeply wounded, loving man.
It all began in the year 1840...
