Young Cesare, around the age of nine years old, was staring out the open window of the caravan. He watched as a young girl wearing a straw hat walked through the fairgrounds with her father, who picked up his child and held her in his arms. They both rubbed noses together, sharing a giggle. Cesare smiled at their happiness, wishing that he, too, could have a loving parent like she did. He rubbed the back of his neck, carefully avoiding the bump on his head. He could still feel the bruising from where the ivory head of his master's cane had struck him earlier.
Dr. Caligari was busy stirring a mixture of oatmeal and water, humming to himself. He looked over his left shoulder and saw the little slave boy sitting over by the window. He felt bad about having to hurt him, but Cesare, he thought, still needed to be taught a lesson.
"Cesare, your supper is ready", said Caligari.
Cesare looked over at his master and stood up. He walked over and sat down in a chair. Dr. Caligari gave him a sinister smile and handed the poor boy his dinner. Cesare kept his head down while he ate his gruel. It tasted cold. He didn't mind. It was all his master could afford to feed him.
"Do you know why you were punished today, Cesare?" Caligari asked the poor boy.
Cesare nodded his head, not looking up at Dr. Caligari. "Yes, sir", he murmured. "I disobeyed you."
"That is right", said Caligari. "But you do know that everything I do to you is for your own good, don't you, Cesare?"
"Yes, sir", said Cesare.
Dr. Caligari leaned over and placed a hand under the boy's chin, lifting his head up. Cesare looked at his master with sad blue eyes. Dr. Caligari used his thumb to wipe away a small portion of gruel the poor boy had failed to clean up. A small mistake, but nothing he would scold him for.
Dr. Caligari straightened his back and softened his face a bit. "What were you looking at, Cesare?" He asked, curiously.
Cesare opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He did not want to say anything that might upset his master again.
"Do not be afraid, Cesare", said Caligari. "Tell me what it is you were looking at. Are are not shy, are you?"
Cesare lowered his eyes and said, "I was watching a little girl playing with her father and...I was wondering about something."
Dr. Caligari seemed amused by this. Rarely, Cesare ever wondered about anything. The mad doctor was thankful for that. Being that it had already been a hard day for the both of them, Dr. Caligari allowed Cesare to speak his mind just this once.
"What is it you wish to know, Cesare?" Caligari asked him.
Cesare looked up at Dr. Caligari and asked him, "Why don't I have a mother?"
"Because both your parents are dead", Caligari answered. "You know that. I told you weeks ago."
"But why can't I have a mother?" Cesare asked his master.
"Because women are evil and they are vile creatures", said Caligari. "They are greedy and they are vain. They will tell you they love you, until you have nothing more to give them. Remember that!"
Cesare lowered his head again and ate a little more of his gruel. He wished he hadn't asked his master anything.
Dr. Caligari snatched the bowl away from Cesare and told him, "You've eaten enough. Come!"
Young Cesare obeyed his master and followed him over to the corner, where a long wooden box was waiting for him to be slept in.
Dr. Caligari opened the box and looked at Cesare. "Inside, Cesare. You must get ready for tomorrow night's show."
Cesare stepped inside the box and sat down. He turned his head left and looked up at his master. "How long must I sleep for?" He asked, worryingly. He did not like being kept in the darkness for very long.
"Until I command you to awaken", said Caligari. He raised a hand and ordered, "Now, Cesare, you must sleep. Sleep, until I shall awaken you the next time. Dream your dreams. Do not be afraid. Sleep, Cesare. Sleep!"
Slowly, but surely, Cesare felt his eyes start to turn heavy. He felt his energy being drained from his body, leaving him a mere shell of a human being. The poor orphan was forced to endure the not-so-difficult task of sleeping, only to be awaken the next day or so to tell fortunes and, even worse, to commit the act of murder. An innocent boy with blood on his hands is what he was. Because of this, Cesare often wished he had never been born.
Having placed the boy under his spell, Dr. Caligari ran his fingers through Cesare's thick black hair. The boy was asleep and did not know what was happening. Dr. Caligari placed his hands on Cesare's shoulders and lied him down in the coffin-shaped box. He closed the box and allowed the poor boy to sleep for as long as he needed him to, long enough for Dr. Caligari to plan his next murder victim. And he knew just the person.