It was the work of a few minutes to gather my possessions; and then, sore, full of fear, and utterly defeated, I left Castle Karlstein as the snow began to fall, and stumbled down the road toward the village.

Part Two: Narratives by Various Hands

Lucy’s Narrative

No, we should never have left the hut. It was Folly. But we were so hungry and so cold that to stay there would have been Madness; and though we were certainly foolish, we were not yet mad. So we left.

The second act of Folly was Charlotte’s. I tried to call to her in the voice of some woodland creature, since I was still hidden among the trees and did not wish to reveal my presence; but although I could see quite clearly that the stranded form on the bank was that of Herr Snivelwurst, my bird imitation failed to convey this knowledge to Charlotte, and I watched, squawking dismally, as she walked into the trap and was led off into captivity.

For the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon I haunted the woods, in a state of horrible Indecision, and even more horrible Hunger; until at last, in desperation, I entered the village and made my way to the Jolly Huntsman. Despite Hildi’s misgivings, I thought that there would surely be some help to be found in that convivial spot. And so there was; but not of a kind I was expecting.

I entered the parlor and found it deserted. But on a platform at the end stood the strangest object I had ever seen. It was a Cabinet, rather taller and broader than a man, and it was covered with all manner of projections, handles, eyepieces, nozzles, windows, curtains, knobs, and mystic signs. Struck with Curiosity, I wandered up to examine it; and suddenly the curtains were parted and a man appeared.

He was tall, and quite unlike anyone I had seen before. He did not look Swiss at all, but somehow Italian, and he was exceedingly handsome. His eyes glittered disapprovingly as he looked down at me.

“Have you seen my servant?” he said.

“No, sir,” I faltered.

“Max!” he called. “Oh, this is impossible. Where is that man? Max!”

He opened the Cabinet and brought out a long robe, covered in the signs of the Zodiac, which he hung over one of the knobs on the door.

“Excuse me, sir—” I began.

“What is it, little girl?”

“Have you seen Hildi, sir?”

“Never heard of her. Hold this.” And he handed me a Human Skull. I took it with trembling hands. “Don’t drop it,” he said. “It is the Skull of Apollonius, the great philosopher. Quite irreplaceable.”

“What shall I do with it?”

“Hold it up,” he said. “Gaze into its eyes. Look mysterious. Yes! Perfect! Just stand there. Don’t move an inch.”

“But please—I’m in trouble—can I look for Hildi?”