Tuesday, October 25th, 1983

     Graham, my huntsman’s name here, told me I should go to the hospital to check for any more serious injuries. I decided I was fine and had him drive me home once we were done at the sheriff’s station. But this morning I woke up aching everywhere. Graham arrived in the morning to check on me and drove me to Storybrooke General Hospital.

     My attacker got away, but I know he can’t run far. The three men I mentioned in my last passage all make the most sense, but each one raises questions. First, anyone other than me retaining their memories from our home is a threat that needs to be contained. Charming would be the worst. I can just imagine him trying to bring back everyone’s memories with speeches about love and then finding a weapon for everyone. I don’t think it would work without the “savior” breaking the curse, so it might not be as bad as that. But he may try to usurp my authority.

     Jefferson is a likely candidate. He certainly has motive after I stranded him in Wonderland. But how was he able to come to Storybrooke from Wonderland? As far as I’m aware, my curse only spread across my land. But then, that’s why I had that pirate kill my mother while she was still in Wonderland, herself. She would have found a way to come here even if the curse didn’t reach that far. Was Jefferson able to come back to the forest in time and I didn’t know about it? The curse may have spread further than I realized.

     I told Rumpelstiltskin that Belle was dead, but it’s possible he could have found out I was keeping her. Back home he cared about his power more than her, or else my trick would have worked. But here, where there is no magic, would that matter to him?

     My visit to the hospital was illuminating. Graham had left me there so he could find my attacker. I didn’t have to wait long to see Dr. Whale, though I must say I was surprised to see him. If Doctor Frankenstein could be the head surgeon of Storybrooke General, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jefferson here after all. The doctor was accompanied by a pretty young nurse with a clipboard.

     “I really wish you’d come sooner than this.” He held a shiny tube up to my eyes while I sat on his table. A light brighter than any candle flame burst forth, practically blinding me. “Have you been dizzy? The sheriff told me what happened. Did you hit your head?”

     “No. I don’t think so.”

     He checked me over and said I was lucky that nothing worse had happened to me than scrapes and bruising. He took the clipboard and jotted some notes down before handing it back to the nurse and excusing her. His gaze fell onto the nurse’s skirt as she left before he turned back to me.

     “I’m glad you’re here, actually.” His air was much more pleasant in this life. He certainly smiled more. “We were scheduled to meet in a few weeks to discuss upcoming events for the hospital, but I was hoping you and I could discuss the issues before then.” He moved in closer than was necessary for a doctor to speak with a patient. “We could brainstorm ideas over drinks? I’d like to start a volunteer program. Maybe you could volunteer?”

     “I think a program like that is a great idea.” I inched away from him and off the table. “My schedule is already so busy as mayor, however, that I don’t think I’ll have time for volunteering, let alone drinks. We’ll meet in public as arranged and announce your program. I’m sure a gentleman with your reputation will have no problem finding volunteers.”

     His smile let me know he understood me. And with that, his examination was over.

     After that, I stopped in the cafeteria for lunch. I’d only eaten about half of my bland food when a nurse approached me. She was paler than the rest of the staff here, as though she didn’t see the sun often. Her hair and face were done up more sternly than the rest of them as well. Her smile at me did nothing to soften her features. I can’t say that I immediately recognized her.

     “I didn’t expect to see you here at this time of day.” She said.

     “I had to come in for a check-up.”

     “Would you like to check up on her?”

     I had to get used to everyone knowing more about me than I did.

     “Of course.” I smiled back at her. No one paid us any attention as we left the cafeteria, or when we made our way down below the main floor of the hospital to a darker area called the mental care ward. It reminded me more of a dungeon as the nurse led me down a row of cells and finally stopped me at one door. She pulled a key from the pocket of her stiff uniform and used it to open the door. I was reluctant to go inside with her, but she looked back at me and smiled.

     “She’s a lot more docile now.” She said encouragingly. “The medication we have her on doesn’t allow her to want to do much.”

     I walked into the cell. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture. A single bed sat against the wall. Next to the only window sat a single woman. She hardly lifted her head to look at me.

     Belle.

     “How long has she been here now?” I knew I was smiling. My giddiness couldn’t be suppressed.

     “It’s probably been a year now since you found her in your house with a gun.” She folded her arms and sounded as though she was reminiscing. “This is really the best place for her. Even her father knew it. Sensitive creatures like her can be swayed to do the wrong thing. But now she can’t get to anyone and no one can get to her.”

     It was a great way to end a day at the hospital. Graham picked me up about an hour later. Still no word on my attacker, but we did agree that he would teach me how to drive tomorrow. Having Graham drive me around is certainly nice, but I need to be able to get around and do some investigating of my own. 

Monday, October 24th, 1983

Branches give way to the bridge beneath.

 The Queen will find the distance brief.

Past those who could not join her here,

Twin stags will let her know she’s near.

Push the edge until it shifts.

Seventeen steps lead to five gifts.

A home away from home,

Away from Home.

       This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. And I don’t mean the cooking.

     Somewhere in this land, I have a safe haven. It isn’t in my house. I know this because after dinner I searched the entire thing until well into the morning. The above poem is my guide to finding it and there is nothing figuratively or literally in my new home that resembles anything in it. I need to find my safe haven before anyone else accidentally stumbles into it. It contains all the valuables I was able to bring over, including five pieces of magic for emergencies.

     I read the story in Sidney’s paper one more time and read that I would be sworn in as mayor today. I walked to town hall as fast as I could and when I arrived there was Sidney as well as some others who I recognized. Some of them were holding these strange boxes up in front of their faces and bright flashes of light would shoot forth from them. I was too stunned the first time it happened, and the only reason I didn’t defend myself was that everyone seemed to think this was normal. Sidney made some remark about what a great picture this would make, but I remained cautious. At this point in the day I wasn’t carrying much in the way of a weapon. This land doesn’t possess magic like the old one, but it’s clear that it has its own that I must learn immediately in order to fit in.

     There was a swearing-in ceremony followed by some questions by the group. They all seemed to be carefully rehearsed as though to prevent anyone from asking anything controversial, which I liked. One person asked a question I wasn’t prepared for.

     “How does it feel to replace your father as mayor?”

     Why did my father have to even be mentioned in this world? Killing him was supposed to harden my heart so I could carry out the curse, but bringing him up only reminded me of what I did. I had to tell myself that he was allowing me to carry out my plan of ruining Snow White and those who hurt me, and this was the proof.

     “It is bittersweet.” I succeeded in closing my heart again. “I will do my best to serve Storybrooke as well as he did.”

     My day after that was long. The office where I will run this town is an ample space decorated to my liking. One thing I’ve noticed about the few places I’ve been is there are hints of the enchanted forest everywhere. It’s as though we took the old land with us. My assistants are guards and maids from my castle. They informed me of future appointments with local business owners, meetings with the school board and the many appearances I’ll have to make just for this month. Finally the end of the day came and I prepared for my walk home.

     The night comes quickly this time of year. Already it’s cold here, or maybe it always is? Everyone but me was dressed for rain and they all left well before me. I had stayed behind in order to search for my safe haven. I don’t know what I was thinking; why would it be somewhere anyone could find it? When I finally left, there were hardly any lights on around me and the rain was coming down heavily. I’d only walked a few feet from the building when I was slammed to the ground and a pair of hands placed around my neck. I tried to breathe, but he kept shouting at me.

     “WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE ARE WE?! HOW DID YOU BRING ME HERE?”

     I couldn’t answer him. Not with his hands closing off my windpipe. I didn’t even know who he was, at that moment. I tried pushing him away while cursing myself for not being smarter. To do all of that hard work, make all of that sacrifice and come so far all to be strangled to death on the second day because of a madman?

     BANG! The loudest sound I’ve ever heard tore through the air. It made my attacker let go of me and run as fast as he could. When I’d finally caught my breath, familiar hands were helping me sit up.

     “Just try to focus on your breathing.” My huntsman encouraged me. He wasn’t wearing much in the way of armor, just some simple uniform made of fabric that was getting wet and clingy in all the rain. I did as he said and soon I was well enough to stand.

     “Why are you letting him get away?” I demanded.

     “My deputy is going after him.” His pants were very tight, which I’d seen some of the other men wear. Was this normal? “My first priority is your safety.”

     “Then you’ve succeeded.”

     He drove me home in his carriage. I sat in the front with him and wanted to keep my eyes closed as much as I could. But I willed myself to watch what he did.

     “Why did you walk to work?”

     “I like walking.”

     “It’s a shame to let that nice new car of yours just sit in the garage. Is this because your driver retired?”

     I didn’t say anything, but I was relieved to know I wasn’t supposed to know how to drive a “car” in this land.

     “Why don’t you let me teach you?” He insisted more than offered. “I would feel better knowing you weren’t walking home in the middle of the night.”

     I agreed. Before he took me home, we went to the sheriff’s station so he could ask me questions about my attacker. I couldn’t tell him the whole truth, of course. “I suspect someone didn’t have their memory wiped” wouldn’t have made much sense to him. It could have been a number of men, but there were only three I was concerned about: Rumpelstiltskin, Jefferson and Charming.  

Sunday, October 23rd, 1983

     It worked.

     I was concerned.  When you’re a Queen who uses magic – especially when you’re trying to make an impression—you have to act like you know exactly what will happen.  I knew this curse was ideal and that it would transport all of us to the land with no magic.  Transporting this many people isn’t as simple as passing through a hat. 

     Still, I wasn’t completely sure how the curse would affect everybody.  Along with transporting everyone I wanted, the curse was also supposed to make everyone I wanted miserable.  And let’s be honest: while I had no issue with making some people comfortable, everyone here (except me) deserves to be miserable. 

     I woke up this morning in a quiet, white room.  It was almost as though watching Charming die in Snow White’s arms before the curse took us all had been a pleasant and triumphant dream.  It’s a pity that since I’m the one who cast the curse, I’m the only one who will remember that moment.  At least for twenty-eight years; the child did escape.  I emerged from my covers in a simple white nightgown.  To add further insult, looking out my window revealed my house was only two stories tall!  I thought I was supposed to be rich! 

     It is no matter; the curse allowed for me to bring Charming to this land and it’ll be fun to watch him and Snow be tortured here.  I’m the only one who will remember everything from our own world, while everyone I’ve brought along had the memories of their past selves replaced by identities and memories suited for this land.  All I knew coming into this land was that it had no magic.  Apart from Wonderland, I have little knowledge of and haven’t traveled to any other realms.  Still, I wasn’t worried. 

     But I was about to be.  I found a robe in my closet and explored my new home.  The kitchen’s impressive, but it appears I have no servants.  The curse is supposed to provide for much, but it is such a complex curse that I couldn’t have known every specific detail.  I was able to transport some things along from our land to help me feel more at home, and through an impressive window looking out to the back yard stood my tree.  The bright red apples hanging from it was a welcome sight.      

     Then a bell rang. I had no idea what it was or where it was coming from.  I wandered all over the place as the bell continued to ring, until finally the ringing stopped and was replaced by knocking on the front door.  I grabbed the nearest weapon—a wooden bowl off the dining table—and opened the door. 

     “Regina!”  The Genie from my mirror was standing before me in a coat and hat.  Was my name Regina here, too? 

     “What can I do for you?”  I hid the bowl behind my back. 

     “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to wake you, Madam Mayor.”  He held out a rolled paper.  “Fresh off the press.  I thought I’d deliver it myself.  I know you’ll want to read the front page story!”

     “You wrote it?”  I took it from him.

     “Of course! Who else to write about your victory than Sidney Glass?”

     It worked.

    “Thank you, Sidney.”  Relief.  When he left, I found the button outside my door Sidney had pushed to activate the bell.  I pushed it myself a few times and it’s really clever.  So far, this is one of the things I like.

     Back inside, I opened the dirty paper to read the front page story.  My name in this land is Regina Mills and I won the impromptu election for mayor after the previous mayor died in the summer.  There was no mention of who that was.

     I was hungry before I'd finished the story.  The kitchen had food, but it did me little good with no one to prepare any of it.  I dressed myself and went outside to look for the stable, but there was none.  I found the carriage house, but in it was the weirdest carriage I’d ever seen.  There was no place to harness a horse to it.  It seemed odd that the curse wouldn’t provide me with a horse, so I decided to walk into town and buy one after I’d eaten.

     The town itself was easy to find and I quickly learned why I had no horse.  Other people had carriages like mine and they were travelling inside them.  But there were no horses pulling them!  This is one of the things I don’t like.  That doorbell thing made sense to me but this made none.

     Across the street from me loomed Granny’s Diner.  I guess some people didn’t get new names.  Crossing the street was a challenge.  I waited as carriages zipped by so I could cross, but they were always moving.  They would stop and go as a lantern hanging above the street changed color.  It took a good while before I figured out the pattern and made my way into the diner without getting killed.  I sat at a table while the maids ignored me and others sneered at me.  Finally Granny herself came over.

     “I’m surprised to see you in here.”  She was as delightful in this land as she was in the old one.

     “I don’t know why.”

    “Most people around here think you bought the election, just like you buy everything and everyone else around here.”

     “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Which was true. “I just want something to eat. I’ll take some venison.”

     “We don’t have venison.”

     “Duck, then.”

     “We don’t have duck.”

     “Shepherd’s pie?”

     Her narrowed eyes made me wonder if this land had crossbows.

     “Well, what do you have?” I asked.

     “Read the menu.” She practically threw it at me. “Or do you have someone do that for you too?”

     I ordered the first thing I saw. To go.

     “Excellent choice, Madam Mayor.” Her back was already to me.

     Before going home, I stopped at a bookshop and got a cookbook. I learned some very important things today. First, the people here are miserable and they don’t know who they are. Second, they don’t like me, so I need to learn to cook until I can hire someone. Finally, if I can buy everything and everyone, I must be rich! 

     It worked!