The Italian Key

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Once upon a time, there was a girl.

A girl who didn't believe

in fairy tales.

Maybe because no one had read them

to her when she was little.

For her, there were

no princes living in castles.

No enchanted farm hands.

No happy endings.

Only sad beginnings.

Cabella often stood on the bridge when

she needed to think about her life.

And, as her life

was a little complicated...

she needed to think about it

quite often.

She was an orphan...

and had lived with her guardian Max

for as long as she could remember.

Max had been a good man, and the only

person who had ever cared about her.

He had never told Cabella

anything about her parents...

or why she was left in his care.

Now he was gone,

and it was too late to find out.

This is Mr. Upton from Hammersmith,

Fitzroy and Upton Law.

Unfortunately, he didn't leave a will.

You should be aware that all of Mr.

Featherstonehaugh's assets...

are being transferred to his mother,

including the Belsize apartment.

I recommend you pack

your personal belongings...

and vacate the apartment

before that. Good day.

Max was always very kind, but he had

also been strangely sad and withdrawn.

The next morning,

Cabella packed her bag...

and said her goodbyes to

everything that reminded her of Max.

She couldn't take much with her...

but she wanted to bring

something to remember him by.

A book that she had seen Max reading.

The Kanota Palace in Jaipur.

An Arabian thoroughbred

called Maktoum.

The Rembrant portrait

of his son, Titus.

A set of

diamond-encrusted cufflinks...

Max's mother had never much liked

his orphan protge.

And Cabella had to muster

the little courage that she had...

to face the Featherstonehaughs

once more.

Max's nieces,

Amanda and Adeline...

certainly had never gone

the extra mile...

to make her feel that

she belonged to the family.

Thank you so much.

Mr. Featherstonehaugh

left this in my hands...

in case anything like this happened.

He said it contains some answers

about your family history.

- This is for you.

- Thank you.

What the hell is she even doing here?

Interfering with our family business.

Au revoir! Bon voyage!

From when she was little Cabella had

imagined what her parents were like.

Secretly hoping that one fine day,

they would finally come to get her.

Now, if she had parents...

they would have told her

not to go on some wild goose chase...

after some address

and a rusty old key.

But she was on her own.

And, for better or for worse, she was

going to get to the bottom of this.

This is a Magnani.

This key has been made by us,

by our factory.

This MM.

2900. Which is the number

which was written in the key.

Duemille cinquecento dieciotto...

- It's Villa Rosa dei Venti, here.

- Is there an address?

- Cabella!

- What?

Cabella is a small village.

This is your village!

Buona fortuna, signorina!

Oh! Hi, I saw you yesterday

at the waterfall.

Hello? Can I pay?

He can't hear you.

This is my cousin Leo.

He is deaf and mute.

Oh.

My parents say he talked

when he was very small.

He used to play with some

children in the village.

What happened?

Nobody knows, one day he was like that

and never spoke again.

- Are you visiting for the summer?

- Yeah, I guess.

- Or maybe I live here.

- No, you don't.

Believe me, I would have noticed

if you lived here.

Nothing ever happens here,

and nobody ever moves here.

- I'm staying in the pink villa.

- No one's been there in ages!

Ok!

Poi st anche dormendo.

- Si sveglia!

- Maria, ma st dormendo!

Ciao!

- Truth or dare?

- Truth.

So, what do you most need

to mend your broken heart?

Hmm, I think I need

more evenings like this.

See Sophia, she liked my question!

You get another question.

Maria?

- Well, Sophia and I where wondering...

- No I wasn't!

- Ok. I was wondering.

- You were wondering?

Have you ever been in love?

I liked this guy at school once,

but he didn't even know my name.

I was quiet and not that interesting.

That sounds kind of familiar, doesn't

it, Maria? Only you're not quiet.

- Yes Maria, who do you like?

- Shut up! Nobody.

- She loves Lord Jai.

- I do not!

Who on earth is Lord Jai?

Sounds like some old guy.

- He's not that old!

- See that?

He's the guy that lives

in the castle over there.

I saw it on the way here.

It's huge! He must be quite rich.

Oh yes! He drives around

with a chauffeur.

- And he wears fancy cashmere shawls.

- And his servants have uniforms!

And from today,

Maria is going to be one of them.

She took the job

just to be closer to him!

- I did not! I don't even like him.

- Sure.

Girls! Lord Jai must be reading

the Mahabharata in bed.

Look he's up there!

Cabella!

House?

I might have had a bad dream.

Do you mind if I talk to you

for a moment?

Sorry if I woke you up.

No, I never sleep.

Did you say something?

Here I am!

Oh, you're so young.

Well, that depends. I have been nine

for over a hundred years.

- It's okay, I'm over it.

- Why are you here?

I came here with my master

to sweep the chimney, but I got stuck.

It was really narrow.

I am so sorry.

I've lost someone I love...

and I've been wondering

how does it feel to die.

I'll tell you what it's like to die if

you remind me what it's like to live.

First I felt this tingling

in my chest...

and a coolness

all over my body.

Like a swim in a river

on a very hot day.

All my pain went away.

I felt the presence

of something very comforting.

And I wasn't afraid.

No past, no future,

just the present moment.

I started to feel

everything around me.

Feelings emanating from people too.

Can you feel

the feelings I emanate now?

You're afraid of

sleeping in the dark...

and would like someone

to watch you fall asleep.

Lord Jai's car!

- Is he actually a lord?

- No. He is just very rich.

Is he British? - No, that's

the weird thing, he's Indian.

On Tuesdays,

he practices with his fencing teacher.

He has two horses,

he went to boarding school...

and he moved here three years ago.

I remember when I saw him

for the first time.

Cabella?

I once thought I wanted to

jump and give it all up.

Have you ever... You know?

No! I think my life is too exciting

a book to be left unread.

Your book looks

pretty interesting too.

So you're real! I wasn't dreaming.

Now it's your turn:

Tell me what it's like to live.

Well, for the longest time

I didn't even feel alive.

I never fitted in.

I was always angry.

- Angry? Why?

- Because everything is so unfair.

What's so unfair?

Everything.

I didn't know who I was, who

my parents were, why they left me.

- Would it help you if you knew?

- Probably not.

They abandoned me! They left me

with no one to love or trust.

Well, isn't it up to you

to trust or love someone?

Never thought of it that way.

Anger wears off pretty soon.

The things that you deeply love

stay on forever.

For me it was the memory of my mother.

What would that be for you?

I don't know.

I don't have anyone to love.

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