Erik:

The brilliant composer, magician and deadly Phantom, who captured the worlds heart with his heartbreaking story, yet in his own realm of fiction, this genius was shunned by society. This focuses on Susan Kay's version of the story, which chronicles Erik's life from birth on.

Erik was born during the summer of 1831, in the small village of Boscherville, France. The child of Charles, a master mason, and Madeleine, a wealthy housewife who had at one time intended to sing for the Paris Opera, it was no wonder that Erik showed an intense skill in both of these fields. Erik's father died during Madeleine's pregnancy, leaving him to be raised by a mother who was sickened by and frightened of him from the moment that he was born, so much so that she could not even bring herself to name him, having left that responsibility with the priest that had come to baptize him, telling him to name him after himself. The night that he was born, Erik received the only gift that he would ever receive from his mother - a mask.

During Erik's traumatic childhood, there were few who strove to give him the affection and attention that his mother wouldn't - Father Mansart, the priest who gave Erik his name; Marie Perrault, Madeleine's friend, who overcame her own timid nature in her attempts to force Madeleine to nuture Erik; Sasha, Madeleine's dog, who Erik was extraordinarily attached to; and Professor Guizot, from the School of Fine Arts in Paris, who provided Erik's early training in architecture. From the age of six months, Erik's genius was apparent. His intellect developed so rapidly, that his mother, and even Father Mansart could not keep up with the demands of his insatiable curiosity, necessitating the employment of Professor Guizot, who could more capably further Erik's education. All the while, Erik questioned his mother, demanding to know why he differed from everyone else, why she recoiled from him, and why he was forced to wear the mask. She answered him with tears, threats, lies and beatings. These instances only served to further separate Erik from the rest of humanity. Over the years, the villagers continuously tormented Madeleine and Erik, finally going as far as to savagely kill Sasha, and giving Erik a final push past the laws which govern the deeds of mankind. This same night, as Erik slept after having been stabbed by one of the villagers, his mother had finally resolved to attempt to repair the damage that she had done to her only child. It was also the night that Erik ran away, hoping to free his mother of her burden, as he set out to make a life for himself. He was nine years old.

(To be continued..)