Preservation

Sheltered: Real Four

Fade in.

It's nighttime and Dorothy is still in her room. The music box is open, and she is watching the twirling ballerina longingly.

We hear the sound of a door opening from off camera. This gets Dorothy's attention. She goes to her bedroom door, opens it slowly, and steps out into the hallway. The camera follows her feet as she walks, very carefully, to the top of the staircase. The hallway is dark, concealing her. She peers down the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase is a door on the wall to the left. It's dark there too but we can make out a figure standing at the door. He's dressed in a long coat and hat. Next to him is a large duffel bag, stuffed full of something. The man opens the door, picks up the bag, and enters. We hear the sound of footsteps, louder at first, then growing fainter with each step. We get the sense that this is the entrance to the basement and the man has taken the bundle down into its depths. A few moments later, the footsteps start up again, getting louder and louder until the man emerges. The man shuts the door and then locks it with a pad lock. A moment later, the man steps away, moving out of our view.

Dorothy goes back to her room and watches out the window as the man goes to his car, starts it up, and drives away.

She exits her room one more time, walks down the staircase, and stops at the door. She takes the padlock in her hand, shakes it, revealing that the door is now locked up tightly. A scowl comes across her face as the image fades out.

It fades back to the kitchen during the daytime. Dorothy and Oberlin are seated across the table from each other having just finished a meal. Oberlin has his attention on his newspaper.

Dorothy, in a moment of boldness, asks, "Doctor, why did you lock the basement last night?"

Oberlin looks up, a leer in his eyes.

We can see on Dorothy's face that any courage she may have had prior to asking the question has now evaporated.

"I told you before, Dorothy. In order for me to remain here so you don't have to be institutionalized, I need to be able to come and go as I see fit. That also means that I need a place to work, uninterrupted. I didn't think the basement would matter to you. There's nothing down there you need."

"But why lock it?"

"There's...equipment I need. Research items, to help you with your therapy. It's best if you stay away from it. The lock is to ensure that you don't become pre-exposed to it and damage any chance of it helping you."

Dorothy seems to accept this, but her expression remains guarded and unconvinced.

Oberlin puts down the paper.

"Skeptical? Very well. Come with me."

Oberlin stands up abruptly and exits through the door to the living room. Dorothy follows.

Now in the living room, Oberlin says, "Have seat."

Dorothy does so.

We follow Oberlin to the basement door. He undoes the lock, opens it, enters, and shuts the door behind him. The camera stays on the doorknob. We hear the sound of footsteps descending, some rustling around, and the footsteps ascending. Finally, the door opens again, and the camera follows Oberlin back to the living room. In his hands, he has a tiny pouch. He sits down in a chair opposite Dorothy and from the pouch, he removes a small amulet on a chain.

"I picked this up during my travels overseas," he says. "I'm going to tell you a story."

Dorothy sits attentively, listening.