Once Upon A Thanksgiving
Written by Katie Bienvenue
Chapter 1
Thanksgiving, a time for families to come together and be thankful for what they have been given throughout the year. For the small town of Storybrooke, Maine this Thanksgiving was going to stand out slightly more than the others in the past. This was because the townsfolk had a lot to be grateful for this year.
To begin with, Storybrooke isn't your typical town. Actually, if one was to look at a map of Maine it would be pretty hard to locate. It's not because the town is small. Actually, it is rather big. It is because up to twenty- eight years ago Storybrooke was nonexistent. This little town was actually brought over from another realm. A realm where all the Fairy Tale characters people grew up with were really alive and living out their lives. That was until the Evil Queen cursed them all to a world without magic and no memories of their real lives back in the Enchanted Forest.
There in Storybrooke they all lived, practicing the holidays that everyone else practiced and learning about their true identities as though they were just made up in some book. Now with the curse having been broken a mere few weeks ago, the townsfolk decided that this Thanksgiving was going to be for their new beginnings. If they couldn't go home then they were going to make the best out of what they had in their new one.
Down at Granny's, perhaps the best place in town to grab a bite to eat, Ruby and Granny work on preparing Thanksgiving meals for those who may not have a place to spend it and come looking for one.. Their Fairy Tale counterparts, Red Riding Hood and Granny, may not have known what to have for the holiday but with the curse being broken; they were able to access both sides of their memories. Their kitchen was full of stuffed birds waiting to go into the ovens. On the stove sits pots of mash potatoes, squash, and stuffing. Pies of all sorts sit out front behind glass containers. These women were prepared to give even the loneliest person in Storybrooke a meal and a family this Thanksgiving.
Down by the docks, Leroy works on setting up a makeshift long table out of old crates and plywood out in front of his houseboat. He brings out seven chairs and places them strategically around the table. One will be for him while the others will be for his six best friends and brother dwarfs. As much as it pesters him that they couldn't have this get together someplace else, preferably not outside, it made him happy to know that he didn't have to cook anything. It was also good to take the day off from mining to give thanks that he was back together with his family. The thought brought a smile to his face, even though he whipped it off as soon as it had appeared. He had a reputation to uphold!
In the darken library of Mr. Gold's house there is a table set for two. A candelabra rests in the center, its candles unlit. The plates are empty and the silverware untouched. Laughter comes from the kitchen where Belle sits at the counter wearing a beautiful blue dress. She watches as Mr. Gold struggles to make pumpkin pie. He is covered in pumpkin and flower and holds his failed attempt in his hands.
"I hope you don't mind pumpkin soup instead." he jokes in his thick Scottish accent. Belle giggles. If it had been anyone else Mr. Gold would have used magic and crushed them like a bug. He was different with Belle though. She made him calmer and reawakened feelings that he had not felt in a long time.
As much as there was preparations on their way for Thanksgiving feasts and dinners; no house was getting more prepared than the biggest house on Main Street. It was the house that belonged to Storybrooke's mayor, and she was preparing for the Thanksgiving that was going to put her to the ultimate test.