Regina awoke in the middle of the night, jumping up suddenly in her warm bed. Fear took over her entire being as she heard her mother shouting and her father's feeble replies. Unable to hear exactly what they were saying, Regina gently pulled the covers off of her and crawled out of bed.
As her tiny feet touched the cold floor, Regina grabbed her beloved teddy bear for comfort. She opened the wooden door to her bedroom as quietly as possible and crept down the hallway that led to the rest of the house. She tiptoed down the hall, stopping to peek around the corner. Regina's eyes widened as tears swelled in her beautiful brown eyes, watching her mother menacingly threatening her dear father.
She couldn't understand why her parents were fighting, and she felt helpless. She watched in horror as her mother, using an invisible force which Regina couldn't understand, pushed her father hard against the wall behind him. He hit his head with a loud thud and seemed to be trapped there. A tear made its way down Regina's soft cheek as she stepped out from around the corner.
"Mama?"
She stood so innocent, so very fragile in her beautiful white nightgown. Her mother jumped at the sound of Regina's meek voice.
"Regina?"
Her Mother asked this with a stern tone. Regina looked teary eyed into her mother's eyes.
"Wh… what are you doing to Daddy?"
Cora remained cold and pointed to her daughter's bedroom.
"Go back to bed!"
She raised her voice, and another tear fell down Regina's face.
"Now!"
Cora screamed the word so loudly, and it made the young girl jump in fear. With that, Regina turned around, clutching her teddy bear and ran back to her bedroom.
The tiny brunette shut the door and climbed up onto her bed. She adjusted her pillow and sat up in her bed, pulling the covers over herself for more comfort. Regina hugged her teddy and cried more tears. She heard more shouting. It was getting louder and louder by the minute. Regina loved her parents so much, and it caused her so much pain seeing them like this. Regina feared for her father more than anything. Her mother was a stubborn and fierce woman, especially with her husband. Regina jumped again as she heard the smashing of shattering glass.
Regina pulled her teddy closer and sobbed. She felt so alone, so very abandoned. Regina's room was dark, the bright moon above the only thing comforting her, as it always did. Regina looked up out of her bedroom window. The clouds in the night sky made their way across the beautiful moon, making her room darker and sending shadows onto Regina's bedroom walls. Regina again climbed down off of her bed, still holding onto her teddy bear for dear life.
The little girl stood at her window, staring up at the beauty that was the sky. As her mother's screaming began to get louder and louder, and more tears fell down Regina's cheeks, Regina began to softly sing a familiar song. Her mother had sung it to her since Regina was a baby. Regina would remember the song as long as she'd live. As she continued to gaze up at the clouds that passed the moon, she sang.
"There is a castle on a cloud. I like to go there in my sleep."
She heard more glass shattering and more weak replies from her father, and continued, "Nobody shouts or talks too loud. Not in my castle on a cloud." More and more tears made their way down Regina's rosy cheeks. Regina felt so completely alone. She felt more and more helpless with each passing second.
"I know a place where no one's lost. I know a place where no one cries. Crying at all is not allowed. Not in my castle on a cloud."
Regina would do anything in this moment to dance among the stars. She would do anything to find her castle on a cloud. Regina's eyes glittered with tears, and her tear soaked cheeks shined bright in the gentle moonlight. The shouting had seemed to suddenly stop. Regina remained where she was standing until she heard familiar footsteps making their way down the hallway leading to where the bedrooms were.
The girl quickly jumped back into bed, swiftly pulled the covers over her and pretended to be asleep. She heard the door open, and she heard her mother's footsteps making their way over to Regina's bed. She felt her mother's warm hand run her fingers through Regina's hair. She felt her mother lean down and kiss her head tenderly.
Regina still pretended to be asleep until she heard her mother turn and leave the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. Regina opened her eyes and stared at her bedroom wall. Designs danced upon the wall as clouds continued to glide across the moon that she so loved. She finished singing her song with sadness in her innocent voice.
"Not in my castle on a cloud."
Years passed, and Regina was sitting in her study, sipping a glass of red wine. She had been writing in her diary, when she decided to go upstairs to bed. She finished writing her journal entry, gently placing the book down on the table in front of her. She turned off the lights, making her way up the stairs. She passed her bedroom and opened her son's bedroom door.
Regina leaned on the door frame for support, staring at the bed that Henry used to sleep in every night. Pain made its way through her soul as she stared at the now empty bed. The bed was neatly made, the pillows untouched. She crossed her arms for comfort, making her way inside of the dark room.
The moon touched the room, the only thing allowing Regina to see. She sat down on the bed and tears made their way down her face. She grabbed one of the white pillows and held it. She breathed in Henry's scent, causing her to sob. Familiar shadows danced across the bedroom walls. Her gaze made its way out of the bedroom window closest to her.
The brunette placed the pillow back onto the bed and stood up, making her way closer to the window. She gazed up to the night sky. Clouds danced across the moon, and it brought back a familiar memory for Regina. She remembered the song that had once soothed her soul. She would never forget the gentle tune that her mother would sing to her as a child. Regina began to sing once again to herself with more tears grazing her now adult cheeks as they once did when she was so very young.
"I know a place where no one's lost. I know a place where no one cries. Crying at all is not allowed. Not in my castle on a cloud."