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But mother, I don't want to leave without you!

Elise, in her cell.

Elise Zimmermann is the main character of the Remember - Amnesia the Dark Descent short story "Waiting for the Rain" and Daniel's final victim in Amnesia: The Dark Descent before he drank the Amnesia potion. She is the middle daughter of the Zimmermann Family and their third surviving child overall. She was voiced by Lani Minella.[4]

History[]

Elise Zimmermann was the adventurous and somewhat wayward daughter of a dairy farmer based near the town of Altstadt, as well as the foreboding Brennenburg Castle.[7] She was kidnapped by Alexander of Brennenburg and Daniel along with the rest her family.[8] She escaped from her confinement and was chased down and was brutally murdered by Daniel, her death acted as the catalyst for all of Daniel's actions from that point forward.[2]

Early life[]

Elise was the daughter of Gustaf Zimmermann, a dairy farmer who lived with his wife and four children on a farm outside of Altstadt in Eastern Prussia.[7] Her father strongly favored her brother Friedrich over her and her sisters.[9]

Her best friend was Jacob, the stableboy for Altstadt's only inn, Der Mühle.[10] Elise entertained ideas of adventure outside of their provincial lives, and both she and Jacob were friendly with Gabriel, an experienced outrider who occasionally visited his hometown of Altstadt.[11]

Events of Waiting for the Rain[]

Elise and her family were in the Altstadt cemetery, burying the body of her brother Friedrich, who had recently died of typhoid fever. His death helped her realize that she was miserable with her life at the farm. Not in any small part due to her father, as he only became more abusive to her, her mother, and her sisters, wishing one of them would have died instead of his beloved son.[12]

As the service was coming to an end. Elise saw Jacob burying apple seeds in the ground next to his mother's grave. She broke away from the funeral and came over to him. Jacob offered his sympathies and the two friends exchanged light talk before Elise pondered running away with him, asking Jacob if he was happy with his life as an orphaned stableboy. They were then interrupted, as she was called back and reprimanded by her father.

While traveling back to her family's farm. Elise entertained the thought of running away from the family, both desiring to go on adventures with Jacob and Gabriel and find an escape from her less than ideal life.[11] Elise prepared clothes and foodstuffs for provisions, and planned to rendezvous with Jacob down in Altstadt. During her attempt, however, Gustaf found her and managed to catch her.[13] In a manic-depressive state, he accused her of being an erkling that murdered Friedrich, and in a fit of murderous rage nearly killed her.[13][1] Regaining his senses at the last moment, Gustaf stopped before he carried out the act, and Elise took this chance escape from her father.[14] As she ran, Elise saw a carriage coming to her family's farm and believed she would be able to get help from the occupants, not knowing their true intent.[15] It appears that she struggled with Daniel, who pushed her into the mud before capturing her.

Events of The Dark Descent[]

No, I won't tell. I'll never tell you!

Agathe Zimmermann, in reply to Daniel in a flashback in the Prison.

Alexander, who was running out of prisoners to harvest Vitae from, journeyed with Daniel to the Zimmermann Farm, where they struck down Gustaf and kidnapped Agathe along with her three children and the two farmhands, locking them inside Brennenburg.[2] Elise and her remaining family were located up in the Prison, with her being put in the same cell as her mother.[2]

Escape Plot[]

Agathe Zimmermann managed to break open a small hole in the cell floor for Elise to escape through.[16] She told Elise to escape from the castle and to search for Gabriel, who would then alert the king's men.[16] Elise begged her mother to follow, but Agathe chose to stay, as they ran out of time, due to someone approaching the cell.[16] Elise entered the hole and began to look for a way out.[16] The approaching man turned out to be Daniel.[17]

Unfortunately, Daniel, who had murdered Mrs. Zimmermann beforehand, found Elise in one of the dungeon corridors, chased her down, and brutally murdered her in the Storage.[17][5][6][3] Upon seeing Elise's body, Daniel's psyche finally snapped, with him finally admitting to himself that he had become a murderous monster.[2]

Loading Screens[]

These Loading Screens come up while heading to the Orb Chamber. They detail the last moments of Elise's life:[speculation]

  • She cried and struggled as he pulled at her arm. Her flowered Sunday dress ripped and she fell into the mud.
  • The sight of her lifeless body crippled his psyche. He tried to remove himself from the scene, but he could not. Instead he fell to his knees and begged her for forgiveness.
  • All his life he had thought that he was a good man. Terrible deeds were only committed by terrible people, like Henry Bedloe, the bully in school, but now he had seen what he himself could do.
  • He had turned angry. It was easy to take her insolence and make her the villain in this story. But she didn't deserve to die. Even he could see that.
  • Alexander saw that the evening had taken a toll on his friend's mind and barred him from the Inner Sanctum. He could no longer be trusted to be a part of the ritual.
  • If it wasn't for Alexander, he would still be innocent and be able to die so.

From Scare to Plot-Point[]

A developer commentary microphone in the Storage suggests that the murder of the young girl was at first meant for scenery, but was later moved to a larger scale as a fitting part of the story, and a good key point for what caused Daniel to finally snap.

Quotes[]

  • << Get away from me! >>

Trivia and Speculation[]

  • The young girl's first cry is heard in the Entrance Hall, most likely a hallucination by Daniel.
  • While in the Storage, Daniel can sometimes hear the faint cries of the girl. Elise is then heard a lot more frequently in the Storage, the area where he murdered her and experiences his darkest flashbacks.[5][6][3]
  • Lani Minella, Elise's voice actress, also voices her mother Agathe, the roles credited as "Girl" and "Mother" respectively.[4]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "His voice was manic. She couldn't answer without feeling like she needed to vomit. It didn't matter, he wouldn't let her anyhow. ‘I get it now. You killed him. Your work is done.' Elise rolled over to stand up. Gustaf kicked her in the stomach and she fell backwards. ‘I knew it. You are not my daughter. You are an Erkling – a Changeling. You had us all fooled, didn't you?'... ‘I will purge your wicked soul from this body,' declared Gustaf, raising his axe.”
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Daniel's Diary: "18th of August 1839 - Death of Elise” (TDD)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Flashback: "Elise's death" (TDD)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Amnesia: The Dark Descent – English credits: "Lani Minella as Girl & Mother"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Flashback: "Elise in the storage" (TDD)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Flashback: "Elise begs" (TDD)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "Gustaf mainly used the wagon to transport hay for the cows, but it worked well for the family when visiting Altstadt.”
  8. Daniel's Diary: "18th of August 1839 – Kidnapping of the Zimmermanns” (TDD)
  9. Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "Her father Gustaf swallowed his sorrow the best he could. He loved his only son desperately and his death was nothing he was prepared to handle.”
  10. Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "He looked at Elise, the sad girl in her Sunday dress, a friend he cared deeply for. ‘I'll go with you, if you want.' She giggled. ‘I know you would. You are my best friend,'she said blushing.”
  11. 11.0 11.1 Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "Elise... found herself entertaining the thought of escape. Is it really possible? Could she find another life for herself? She imagined showing up at the stables next to the Inn, the surprised look on Jacob's face as she tells him that she has run away... Then they would pack his things and head out, probably joining Gabriel on a journey to Königsberg or somewhere equally exciting.”
  12. Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "‘Why couldn't it been one of the girls,' whispered Gustaf to his wife Agathe.”
  13. 13.0 13.1 Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "‘Where do you think you are going!' yelled Gustaf from behind her. Elise started to run, she heard her father coming after her. She threw the sack over the pasture fence and began to climb it. Gustaf's hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked her backwards.”
  14. Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "As he looked down into his helpless daughter's eyes, he felt his madness slowly escape him. What am I doing, he thought. As Gustaf's resolve disappeared, he removed his foot from her throat. Elise scrambled onto her feet and began to run across the yard and down the muddy road towards Altstadt. ‘I'm sorry, I lost my head,' shouted Gustaf after her.”
  15. Remember: "Waiting for the Rain" — "She looked back at the road and in the distance she could see a carriage coming this way. A great sense of hope filled her. Someone is coming – someone is coming to help me. I just know it.”
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Flashback: "Elise's escape from her cell" (TDD)
  17. 17.0 17.1 Flashback: "Daniel and Agathe" (TDD)

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