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“What are we going to do?” Jane asked for the fifth time in a row, pacing around Francis’ ruined living room as much as she could. “We need to go in there if we’re going to help him- but how are we going to find him? What if we’re captured? How would we get ourselves out?”
Cesare wasn’t faring much better. He slumped against the couch, eyes half closed. Despite his lethargic posture, he was agitated, but was far too tired to show it. He wished Jane would stop panicking; it only stressed him out more, and despite how hard he tried to think, he couldn’t come up with anything. Every hypothetical question she asked only frightened him more, as she uttered a stream of fears that he hadn’t even considered.
“What do you think is happening to him in there? What if he’s hurt, or worse? Do you think he knows about-”
“Stop!” Cesare hissed, clutching his hair.
“Well, I don’t see you coming up with anything useful! My friend is in danger; what am I supposed to do?”
“Stop,” he repeated again, growling.
“Look, I know you’re tired, and we’re both scared. I guess I shouldn’t have snapped at you, but hissing at me isn’t going to do you any favors, either. We have to be careful not to fight; that’s just what Caligari wants. We’ll have to think to solve this… like Francis would.”
“But we… are… not,” Cesare answered.
“I know.” She sat down next to him. “We’re not as smart, or as brave, or as strong as Francis. But… we have things we’re good at, right? Like- you’re very quiet and stealthy, and I know how to talk to people… although I don’t know how much good that’ll do me when everyone thinks I’ve lost my mind now. I mean, I was able to bribe that lady into helping me carry you here- but that was all of the money I had on me.”
“Get… more,” Cesare suggested. He still wasn’t quite sure what money was, but if it could make people do what they wanted them to, he figured it would be a good idea to have more of it on hand.
“I’d have to go back home. I don’t want to leave you here… or see my parents until all of this is taken care of. Now that the entire town is talking about me, they’d just lock me in my room- or…” Would her parents actually send her to the asylum? Certainly not, she attempted to reason with herself. They would believe her over Caligari, right? Right?
“We need to stay together,” she said. “We only have each other now.”
Cesare nodded, and leaned his head on her shoulder. She flinched, but didn’t draw away. He was clammy and unpleasant to the touch, but as terrified and uncomfortable as both were, sitting in Francis’ ruined house, she was glad to have his company. Who would have thought this would have happened? It wasn’t the first time she wondered that since he’d come back, long after the events of that terrible night. She wondered where he’d been in that time, and how he had been able to recover as much as he had. Certainly he wouldn’t have been able to do it on his own; who had helped him?
She sat there lost in thought for a long time, until Cesare gave a rattling gasp, bolting upright.
“What is it?” Jane asked. “Are you okay?”
“Keys!” he shrieked, his eyes uncharacteristically bright.
“What do you mean?”
“Know what… to do,” he answered, trembling. “He has… keys. For… the doors. Can… take them. Good at… quiet.”
“Are you sure? That’s a good idea… but what if he catches you?”
Cesare gulped, eyes bulging. “Do… not… know.” In truth, he knew very well what would happen, but he didn’t want to think about it. But if they could find Francis, maybe that meant they could be rid of Caligari forever- and all the things that entailed.
“If you’re going, then… I guess I’ll have to go with you,” Jane said. “I’m not letting you in there alone. Once you steal the keys, we can figure out how to find him, and how to escape.”
Cesare nodded, his eyes closed and brows knitted. Jane could never tell what that expression meant, although she’d seen him make it a handful of times.
“You know,” she said as she stood up, “we’re walking into a trap.”
“I… know.”
-
Cesare stared up at the doors to the asylum, which loomed over him and Jane like hands ready to snatch them. He must have been through these doors many times, he knew, but he was always in the box or otherwise unconscious, so he’d never actually seen them like this until now. Behind those doors was where he’d lost everything- his memory, his name, his humanity, his free will. He’d worked so hard to construct a new identity out of the rubble that was left behind; could it all be taken away from him again? If it happened, and he was sent to kill Jane again, could he resist a second time? What if he did the same thing as he had that night, after which he’d found himself back here?
“Scared,” he whispered, unable to pull his eyes from the door.
“Me too,” Jane answered, and reached to take his hand, but he jerked back. Then, realizing this may be the last time they could touch while he was still this awake, he took both of her hands, twitching.
“Do not… forget… me,” he croaked. “If he… hurts me…”
“I won’t forget you,” she said. “Thank you for being such a good friend. No matter what happens, I’ll know who you really are.”
He bowed his head. “Friends,” he agreed, and let go.
Jane pushed open one of the doors, and they entered together, finding themselves in a cavernous lobby. The sterile smell gave Cesare a deep anxiety; he’d forgotten it until now. It smelled like the word experiments. He watched with dread as Jane approached one of the doctors, a bearded man with a balding head.
“Excuse me,” she said, “I’d like to register myself as a patient here. Jane Olsen.”
He regarded her with a skeptical eye. “And what sort of psychological ailment are you here for?”
Jane put on a tone she hoped was convincing enough. “I’m afraid I suffer from an illness of the feminine mind,” she said. “I’m a young, rich, beautiful girl, the perfect age for marriage, and yet I don’t take an interest in any man in this town! Am I doomed to die an old maid, with only my personal interests, loved ones, and excessive wealth as company? Won’t someone please cure me of my self-imposed life of comfortable solitude?” She gestured to Cesare over her shoulder, watching him slip away, before throwing herself at the doctor’s feet for good measure.
“My,” the doctor said, tears in his eyes, “it sounds like you have a serious problem. Come with me; I’ll get you a room straightaway.”
That actually worked? she wondered, and got up, curtsying. “Oh, but first, I must speak with the director,” she said. “He should be notified of a new patient’s arrival, shouldn’t he? Especially one with a problem as serious as my own. That way, I can-” she looked around to see if Cesare had gone, only to see another man in a white coat leading him by the hand towards her. “Excuse me,” she said, and backed away.
“If you want to speak with the director, I’ll notify him-” the doctor began.
“I’m sorry; I really have no time!” She turned around to face the other doctor- a much younger man in eyeglasses.
“I can take care of these two patients,” he said. “The tall one may be dangerous if not handled properly, and the girl will be no trouble at all.”
Jane looked to Cesare in disbelief, noticing his eyes were closed and his brow furrowed in that same odd expression on his face as she’d seen before. He seemed unnaturally calm; what could he be thinking? She didn’t like how the doctor had referred to handling him, as if he were a feral animal or a sharp object.
“He came with me,” she said. “He’s not a patient; he’s um… my ballet teacher. If you could kindly point both of us in the direction of the director’s office, I’m sure we could save you the trouble and find it ourselves. You probably have very important work to attend to, don’t you?”
“Nothing is as important to me as my patients,” he said, “especially this one. Now, let’s go.”
“But I just told you my ballet teacher isn’t a patient!”
“I said, let’s go!” the man snapped, taking her arm and leading them both away.
Jane struggled in his grasp, but found she couldn’t free herself. “Let go of us!” she protested. “My father will certainly hear about-”
“Be quiet,” the man said, “or I’ll have to sedate you. You wouldn’t want to send the other patients into a panic.”
Jane gasped, glancing back at Cesare. Again, he made no sound, dutifully walking alongside the man. Was he too afraid to act, now that he was back here? Had he fallen asleep?
Her heart was pounding as the man led them down a hall and to a door, then looked around before shoving them inside and locking it behind him. She braced herself to come face-to-face with Caligari once again, to hear his awful slinking voice, but nobody else was there.
“I can’t believe he actually fell for your trick back there,” the man said, shaking his head with a smile. “I knew people in this town were gullible, but I didn’t think that was really going to work out! You’ve had plenty of time to practice that, didn’t you?”
Jane didn’t answer, and moved towards the door.
“Don’t-!” he gasped. “You two are safe here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look, I’m really sorry about all that. It was the only way I could think of to keep him from getting his hands on you both. Ever since he came back, things have only gotten worse around here.” He held out a hand. “Dr. Friederich Stein.”
She didn’t take it, but took her hand off the door handle.
Dr. Stein wiped his hands on his coat and pushed up his glasses. “You can sit down, if you’d like. I, um, have some tea I can make somewhere around here, and some pastries left over from a few days ago. They’re, well, they’re probably stale, because I don’t eat too much, ever since- well, you don’t need to know all that. Cesare, you’d like a pastry, though, wouldn’t you?”
Cesare lifted up his head, and nodded eagerly. Then, with practiced poise, he answered, “yes… I… would… like one…” and blinked, looking down. “Forgot… words.”
“Yes, I would like one, thank you,” Dr. Stein said patiently, and handed him something from a plate on his desk. “Your speech has improved so much since I last saw you. Have you been practicing?”
Cesare dipped his head towards Jane. “With… friend.”
“Remarkable,” Dr. Stein gasped. “You’re forming connections with other people, too; I didn’t know that was possible. I wasn’t expecting you to be back here, but since you are, I wouldn’t mind giving you some more tests and tracking your progress; would you like to do that?”
“Busy,” Cesare answered, shaking his head. “Need… keys.”
“We’re here to find my friend,” Jane clarified. “We think Caligari has him locked up somewhere around here-”
“Not so loud!” Dr. Stein hushed. “I just barely managed to keep my job; if he knows you’re here…”
Cesare groaned, grabbing at his hair.
“It’s okay,” Dr. Stein said. “Deep breaths, remember? Like we practiced.”
Jane watched as he began to stroke Cesare’s back. Cesare calmed, blinking as his nostrils flared. “How do you, um, know each other?” she asked.
Dr. Stein cleared his throat. “I’ve been working with Cesare since, well, that’s a long story. Point is, I helped rehabilitate him; it’s sort of been my secret project. I’m amazed at how far you’ve been able to get with him; your father is a doctor too, right? Was he helping you?”
“No; he doesn’t even know we’re friends. It’s better that way; he wouldn’t understand. I didn’t think I was doing anything scientific; Cesare just came to apologize one night and once we worked out our misunderstandings, we started talking.”
“And… dancing,” Cesare added, his mouth full of pastry.
“Yes,” Jane nodded. “He loves to dance. Sometimes he does it to communicate.”
“Fascinating,” Dr. Stein breathed. “You’ll have to show me, Cesare. I’d love to see it.”
“Keys,” Cesare repeated.
“Right,” Dr. Stein sighed. “I don’t know if I can help you there; I’m putting my neck on the line just by having you in my office. I’d really like to, believe me, but…”
“Keys… first. Then… work… with me… again,” Cesare said. “Liked… it.”
“I know; I liked it too. You were a very good patient.”
Cesare looked down. “Sleep…walked away,” he muttered. “Into… woods. But now… back. After we… get keys…” he yawned, and shook himself awake.
“Actually, you were-” Dr. Stein cleared his throat, and shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “Yes. You sleepwalked out, and I couldn’t find you. That was when-” he noticed Jane watching him, and pushed up his glasses again. “Well, what’s past is past,” he said. “I suppose you two had better come up with a good plan to get those keys.”