Pan's curse. It feels like an anchor has just dropped in Henry's stomach. Grey, heavy and ancient. Engraved into it is one word: dread. Pan's curse is coming.
He'd read of the Dark Curse, seen what it had done, lived through it and even helped undo it. But seeing it enacted was a different thing entirely. There were heavy purple clouds, buzzing with energy. The air around him crackled and sparked like an electric storm.
He watched Emma hug her parents. He'd never seen her cry before. He felt his eyes start to burn when Snow White kissed her forehead. He couldn't watch. He turned to Neal and hugged him then let go quickly.
"Bye, kid."
"Bye. Dad."
His nose burnt from the sharpness of each breath. His skin prickled. He adjusted his scarf and immediately regretted it. The scent of his home clung to it.
"...new memories," He heard his mom say. "For you..." she saw him and gestured him over. "And Henry. Happy memories of a life together."
New memories. He would forget his home, his bedroom, his toys, his comic books, his school, his friends. His mom. She touched his shoulder, squeezing gently before stepping back.
Her smile was teary. "Honey," she said. "It's time to go."
He would forget everything. Her voice, her smell, her face. He would forget her cooking, her lasagne and Favourite Food Fridays. He'd forget all the tuck-ins and bedtime stories, all the stolen cookies and ice-cream sandwiches, all the thunderstorms when she'd let him sleep under the covers of her bed, the rainy days they'd spend reading in the living room by the fire, the afternoons at the park. He'd forget all of it. All of it.
He hugged her. She jumped back a bit. Then her arms were around him, so tight he couldn't breathe.
"This is all my fault. If I would've just stayed under the curse with you. If I'd never found the book-"
"Henry," she stopped him, kneeling down to look up at him. He hated it when she did that. "None," she said, emphasizing that word, "of this is your fault." She looked down. "It's mine."
No, it's not! He wanted to scream. It's mine. I believed a book instead of you. I let poetic words and pretty pictures fool me. I told you I hated you. I told you I hated you!
"...I'm a villain. And you heard Mr. Gold. Villains don't get happy endings."
She tried to smile, as if accepting her fate. He couldn't let her. "You're not a villain. You're my mom." He hugged her again, this time not wanting to let go. "I love you," he whispered, afraid to let go.
"Henry," she sighed, hugging him tighter, "I lo-"
Thunder grumbled and the wind started howling. Th clouds got darker, almost running to them. He was pushed back. Emma's hands caught his shoulders, pulling him to the car. Henry tried to run forward.
"Henry, run!"
"Kid, we gotta go!"
"Mom!" He was shoved into the back seat. Emma got into the front. He tried the handle. "Mom!" The doors were locked. "Mom!" He hit the rear windshield. She was doing magic, her palm outstretched to ward off the coming clouds. The air around her crackling before changing to a lighter shade of purple. The storm calmed. The engine started. "No! Mom!"
His life danced around him in bits and pieces, stray memories played out across a big screen that was starting to blur at the edges.
"Henry," he heard her voice. He was looking up at her. She was smiling down at him. Her top was light blue and she was wearing a gold necklace. Her hair was slightly longer. He heard another person but couldn't make out their words. "It was my father's name," she told the person. And then she was gone. And the memory slipped away. Forever.
