wow, this is an awesome story! the characters are believable, as is the plot, and...well, i suck at going into details so i'll just leave it at that. :) so amazing story, PLEASE UPDATE SOON!

This is an excellent tale. The relationship between Erik and his Uncle is sad, sweet and just heartbreaking. You have a wonderful gift for writing. I would love to read more about Erik's childhood and his Uncle. His Uncle has taught him so many things in such a short time, it is a shame that they can not be together longer. I love Erik's relationship with all of the animals as well. It seems that he can't hurt a fly when it comes to animals. This is a great story - I hope you can find time to write more. Mels

It's very sad to me that Erik has suffered so much pain in his life. His uncle is the only bright spot so far and until Julia.

Thanks for the update

It seems that Erik is just not happy at all. He has reason not to be but to be fair he's had some small glimpses of semi-happiness - when with his Uncle.
Erik has learned how cruel others can be to him. Will his pain ever end? I think it's going to take a very long time for Erik to be a happy person.

I don't think Erik finds happiness until his son Alex joins him. How very sad that Erik had to wait so long to feel joy.

Very good chapter - depressing though! Thanks for updating.

"Never run, Erik," he said. "Never allow others to intimidate you."

Words Erik certainly took to heart. I love this character so much! Great update!

Once again, you have more than amply entitled your chapter as your readers are suffering along with poor, unhappy Erik. The despair and pain Erik feels in this chapter are downright depressing and I can understand how he would think things would never be better for him. I loved how commanding Alek was in ordering the Gypsies around and I was pleased that they so easily submitted to his authority. How awful that Erik thought the best he could hope for was indifference from the people who feared him and that he wished he could be more useful to earn even that lowly emotion. You played Alek's emotions well as he becomes angry at the thought of Erik injuring himself and never being able to play music again and then he softens as he realizes just how close to breaking down Erik really is. It was heartbreaking to hear how Erik has always felt pain and now along with pain he has more fear. Fear his Uncle is going to die and leave him with no one to care for him and fear that he wouldn't be able to go on...to the point that he would rather just die and get it over with than fear any more.

You have made Girl an amazing character with her actions and presence alone. I love how she stands over him like he is her pup...which is an interesting relationship since Erik found her and took care of her. The one thing Erik has always really wanted other than music, was a mother who loved him and he realizes now he will never know what that feels like. As sad as it is, you give us comfort in the form of his canine companion who trusts him with her life. They feel security and love in each others company and understand each other well as both have been abused and cast-off from their previous lives. It gives me pleasure to know that at least Erik has this in his life...it is no wonder that he finds such comfort in Bessie and Aria as animals have always shown him the most love compared to humans.

I was concerned that the actions of the young Gypsies were going to lead to a confrontation and I am not sure how much strength The Shadow has left in him. At this point, I am afraid his bark is worse than his bite. It was interesting however that Erik admired his commanding and booming voice and I am sure Alek was the inspiration behind the voice of The Phantom. I am also curious as to what is going to happen to Erik when a young, Gypsy girl is going to HAVE to touch him. So far his every time he touches a human female...trouble ensues. I like how you pointed out that Erik didn't want to think about the consequences of his actions- a trait he carries apparently throughout his life. While Alek tries to teach Erik a lesson about intimidation, I fear what Erik took away from it was not the lesson Alek meant. Erik becomes a master at intimidation later in his life because he knows how well it works from his childhood. And one of the most disturbing things is that Erik is now losing faith in what his Uncle tells him. Things can only go down-hill from here. :-<

-Jax

Truly depressing. Poor Erik. You wrote this beautifully.

It seems that with the influence of his Uncle, Erik is learning humanity and tolerance but with the treatment and harshness of narrow minded strangers Erik is learning distrust and craving solitude.
What a horrible situation and how sad that just when Erik needs the warmth of human kindness he finds bitter cold and hate.
How Erik managed to survive and become a functioning man is due to the very short-term influence of his Uncle. How heartbreaking that he is to lose his Uncle soon.
I wonder how Uncle Kimmer will react to what Erik was called - mad?
Sad and wonderfully written chapter. Thank you for updating.

This was a terrible chapter. Well...not terrible - beautiful...but it made me sad. I have a bad feeling that Erik's uncle isn't going to survive the cave.

"No one thought of me as human. I wasn’t really there." This will become a self-fulfilling prophecy, but the focus of this story is not on how Erik became a phantom, but on how he was able to become a man. Kimmer's gift to Erik was not only that he kept his father from killing him (which he surely would have done if Kimmer had not rescued Erik) but also that he gave Erik a foundation for being a man of integrity. Had there been no Kimmer, there never could have been the Kire that we know and love.

I wonder how Kimmer will react to the idiotic statement, "He's completely mad"? I doubt he'll let that one lie unchallenged.

You have a few phrases here which remind me of some of your most powerful writing. You have the ability to achieve greatness through the written word. A lot of people let talent slip away, but you are striving to hone yours. Thank you for sharing it with us.

~ML

Once again you`ve managed to make me cry :(

This chapter was a prime example of how intolerably cruel and narrow minded people can be- both adults and children. The picture of the little girl throwing salt on the floor to keep Erik away made my blood boil, amd her father wanting to tie him up was even harder to swallow.

I had to smile a this: "They had no idea that they ignored a musical genius." LOL, even at that age he was already carrying around a big ego- of sorts.

But then you threw in the unconditional love of a dog, and that warmed my heart, thank you for a lovely chapter, Gabrina.

Cheers! Cathy

Gr...he's only "completely mad" because you fools made him that way! OK, now I feel better. This chapter was just heartbreaking in the misery that Erik feels at the hands of these superstitious and ignorant people. You did a wonderful job of showing Erik's mounting frustration and anger at being treated as something sub-human...not only at times below notice, but something to be feared as well. I loved that you showed his determination to prove them all wrong, to make them feel they were incorrect in their assessment of him when they saw the beauty he could create with music. I was glad that at least Erik realized there was beauty inside him to begin with...Alek gave him that. I felt sorry for his Uncle, who tries so hard to get people to treat Erik well and it always seems to be for naught. The Gypsies shunning of Erik was especially sad because Alek had taken the trouble to come up with a heroic back-story for him to hide Erik's shame that his parents were horrible, that his face was not an accident, and that his life had not been misery before he ran away. None of it mattered in the face of Erik's physical appearance. I liked how you added the detail of the girl spilling salt, a valuable commodity, to protect herself from what she feared was evil. I wondered if they could sense his growing anger while they turned their backs to him.

The suggestion that Erik should be tied like an animal was shocking and horrific. It was so astounding that The Shadow didn't even understand what the man meant at the beginning. It is sad that the Gypsies didn't take into account how "The Tribe" treated Erik. Moon let him lead her into a place she was obviously uncomfortable, Girl nestled her head against him and gave him affection, and Alek spoke of how talented he was with animals and yet the others never saw past his obvious flaw. It seems that only those who can see his true beauty are at peace with Erik and give him his humanity. I know that Alek would never let them tie Erik (in fact I was almost sorry that we didn't get to see a little "Shadow" whoop-**), but I was almost impressed that Erik wouldn't let it come to that. He would rather flee into the dark, cold night that to let it come to violence over his account.

Erik's flight into the darkness was very symbolic. He ran to get away from the reminder that he was different and tried to hide in the dark and cold, hurt himself in his flight and suffered his pain, once again reduced to an animal...but it didn't work. A sweet female pulled him out and made him feel something good again...sound familiar? It was sad that he didn't know Girl on her approach, but figured it was something else to cause him pain. I liked that he found the will to fight against death, even at this low point where he felt like giving up. Deep inside, Erik is a true survivor and I don't believe will stop fighting until his heart stops beating. There is nothing quite so sweet as a boy and his dog and Girl's needed affection for Erik was wonderful to read. She would have waited with him to freeze to death in the cold, dark night. I love Erik all the more that it was the thought that his Uncle needed him and that Alek was with a bunch of unfriendly strangers that pulled Erik back to a place he didn't want to return. You did a marvelous job in this chapter of showing the struggle Erik has to undergo whenever he bares himself to the possibility of scrutiny from the members of humanity and the even in all the darkness, the light shines inside this battered and hurt young boy.

-Jax

What a beautifully sad chapter. The observations Erik makes about how people choose to pretend something or someone unpleasant is invisible is quite profound and hearbreaking. And it's something that goes on even today.

“What have you to lose?” the man mumbled.

“Pardon me?”

“I said what do you have to lose?”

“I didn’t realize this was competition.”

That little exchange between Erik's uncle and the other man really caught my attention. It reminded me very much of a classic confrontation between the proverbial pacifist who, if he wanted to, could knock the snot out of you, and the idiotic bully who doesn't know when to shut his mouth.

Lovely job, as always. Sorry I don't post feedback as often as I should. I'll try to do better in the future.

HD

You're back! Thanks for updating! I'm reading them all, but the Kire stories are my favorites.
Silver

Pestilence on these people! Who in the h#ll do they think they are, anyway? *&^%$#@!

Poor Erik, to have come so far and yet still be feared and misunderstood, etc., etc. because of his face... and blessings on Girl for going and finding him and most of all, for loving him unconditionally.

Lots of emotions going on here-- too many to count, let alone give name to... *sigh*