"Where are you taking me, Fleck?" I followed as the small woman dragged me through crowds. I felt like the parent of a unyielding child. The men we passed all took a second glance and stared at the towering masked man being pulled by the tiny woman. Finally, Fleck squeezed her way through the opening in a tent. I followed close behind her into a well lit circus tent. There was a large raised platform serving as a stage surrounded on all sides by an audience of loud, boisterous, drunk men hollering at the woman dancing on stage. "What is this?" Fleck was so short there was no way she could see the crowd. There were so many men that there weren't enough seats to home them. Many men were peaking through the entrance ways hoping to get a glance of the performance as it began.

"This is the craze and what has been stealing our business. A competition of literal beauty. This is a show girl." I looked down at Fleck in confusion. Suddenly music filled the tent and the men's excitement and volume rose to unbearable heights. The woman began to sing along and do a seductive dance in her tiny little costume. I watched in amazement as the men drooled over her despite the fact that her dancing was off beat and her voice bearly tolerable in its quality. There was nothing spectacular about the performance. "You see people stopped coming to the freak show because they became fascinated with female sexuality rather than our oddities. How I see it is, Madame Giry wants Meg to be a star and you think she isn't talented enough, but-"

"But she is young and pretty and a far better dancer than this woman. She could attract crowds with her beauty and bring the freak show back to life." Fleck smiled up at me.

"Exactly. The show is a bit tired now and with the attention it will receive from Meg I'm sure we could even attract new freaks and open new exhibits. I know that you are smart and great with your hands. You could rebuild the show up from the ground and we could be on top again." The woman's short performance ended and suddenly the audience rose and began screaming for more.

"While, I find that plan to be absolutely brilliant. I have a problem with extorting Meg like this. These shows are so classless." Fleck grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the tent and back towards our home.

"I understand the concept of artistic integrity but we are kind of desperate right now and I don't think Meg is really going to care much about the quality of entertainment she will be preforming. Besides, it will be your show. You make it as class as you want." I knew she was right, so changed directions and headed towards the home of the Girys.

"Fifty thousand dollars?! You must be joking! After the way you have treated me and my daughter I should think I owe you nothing, Erik!" The way I treated Meg? Perhaps I had been a little too unkind to the child, but she was so nosey, just like her mother. "I do not have that kind of money, Erik, you know that."

"I am well aware of this, Madame Giry. Mis Fleck and I have come up with a plan to pull in investors by making Meg our star. But I will need your help to first get the word out and bring these investors to her first performances. Do we have a deal?" Madame Giry was stunned into silence. Meg gasped and took a step forward.

"You will? You really will? You're going to make me as good as Christine?"

"Miss Fleck has introduced me to a new kind of entertainment here in the States. We are going to make you a show girl to pull crowds into our modest little theatre. We are hoping that you will pull in investors."

"Oh thank you, Erik!" She rushed forward and pulled me into a hug as Madame Giry accepted her contribution to the plan. I quickly pulled myself from Meg's grip and turned on my heel and left the small house that Girys were living in. It was nothing but a small shack near the oceans shore. It held very few possessions, most of which were from the two women's days as dancers. The house sat about a mile from my small secluded dock, which was where I was heading now. In my hands I held a small book of sheet music, a pencil, and a blue sheet. It was finally time to start mapping out my future. Meg ran off to get me an identity so the deed of the thirty acres of land could be placed in my name. I started with jotting down stupid little ditties for Meg's performance and sketching her costumes. When they were finished I moved on to my blueprint for my show. I finally felt in control again. I felt powerful like I had before when I ruled the Opera house in Paris. I was going to win back my Christine.

Huge Ferris wheels, cotton candy machines, houses of mirrors, and human oddities would line this vacant lot in no time. I would work with the performers to help them live up to all they could be. After I finished I pinned it onto the back wall of my new office.

I grabbed my sheet music and pencil and ventured down a few miles to an amusement park hoping and praying that maybe I could be inspired once again like I had been before Christine. Children ran around unattended, while the parents walked holding hands staring off into the sunset. How I yearned to hold Christine like that. Just once more. But I would. Perhaps one day she would be mine once more. But I just couldn't. My mind was empty. I found no music only hopeless temptations and imaginary situations of holding my love again. I was lost and hopeless without her. I didn't lack motivation and purpose as I had when I was on the boat. No. Now I could focus my entire existence on winning her back and making something that was worthy of her beautiful pure light.