Hii! Well, this is my second story, and I hope that u guys will approve of it. It may be good, it may not, but r&r anyways. no flaming please.

Disclaimer: I don't own Erik or The Phantom of the Opera. It all belongs to Leroux. blehh... T_T

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Claustrophobia: a morbid fear of small enclosed or narrow places. From the Latin word "claustrum" meaning "a shut in place."

Claustrophobia is a strange disorder, it really is. One normally feels trapped and restricted, often resulting in panic attacks. I suppose that my childhood is what instilled this deep fear within me, and I cannot stand the feeling. It is a dark, crushing feeling that surrounds my whole being, threatening to suffocate me, to steal the breath from my lungs. I feel sharp pains in my chest and I hyperventilate.

I desire to escape. Each and every time that I am in a small enclosed room, I remember that small filthy cage, and what happened within that small piece of hell, and it eats away at me. I try anything I can to stay away from such places, but isn't it ironic that I am to live in a small dank hole. Well, that probably means that I don't really try everything. I cannot tell anymore.

My mind swirls with repressed memories and of the many betrayals and rejections I have faced. I think of the strong, passionate thing called music raging in my veins and the very core of my being. But most of all, I fight enraged screaming that are my inner demons. They shriek my sins and reveal them to the world.

I suppose it is my own fault. I was the one who began to talk back to the once soft whispers. I walked myself into the small, black room of my mind. And now, I cannot find my way out. I am in an open space, yet I am feeling the dread creeping into my soul. Does this count as a kind of claustrophobia? I suppose I shouldn't bother you with this pointless question. But there is one question that Erik must ask, though it may never be answered. How is Erik to escape from his own mind?