What Was Lost: Part 1

By Arianwen P.F. Everett

Anna and Drew Schwester strolled arm and arm through the woods, absorbing the familiar sights and sounds. For as long as they'd been in Storybrooke, the two sisters had hiked in the woods daily. It was the only little luxury the curse had left them with. Their mother had hung herself when news of the coming apocalypse had reached their village. Her hated stepdaughter had married the prince, while her own daughters who were not nearly as pretty as Cinderella, were condemned to spinsterhood. Anna and Drew couldn't take their mother's way out, so like most people in the Realms of Fairytale they had placed all their faith in the Savior, the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, and held onto each other as the curses inky manifestation surrounded them, bringing them to a land without magic.

Now the curse was broken, and they remembered it all. That, however, didn't return their small family estate. As with everyone else, the curse had taken what they loved most, their comfort and financial security. But Emma Swan's breaking of the curse hadn't helped Anna or Drew. A week after the curse's demise, they still shared a tiny apartment and worked as nurses aides at Storybrooke General Hospital for barely more than minimum wage. For them, the breaking of the curse seemed just another curse, allowing the two sisters to remember what they'd once had and lost while still leaving them no closer to true love. And to make matters worse, Sheriff Swan had kept them from their walks for the past four days, only this morning removing the crime scene tape that had blocked their path.

The reason for this lay in the current missing person's case. Some kid named Paige went missing the morning after the curse was lifted, leaving home but never showing up at school. With the curse broken, everyone knew the girl, whose real name was Grace, wouldn't be found. Her true father, the Mad Hatter, had obviously learned of magic's return and absconded with her through his hat. But Sheriff Swan insisted that procedure be followed, which included cordoning off the area where the hat was found and through which the sisters routinely walked.

Now back amongst the trees and tiny creeks, the women could relax and forget the pains of both worlds for an hour or two. That was until Drew stepped on a sharp piece of metal, which cut through her shoe and entered the sole of her foot. Falling to the ground, she ripped off her shoe and found what appeared to be a broach, the pin having stabbed her. With her sister's assistance, she removed the metal, wiped off the blood on the stick pin, and examined it. To her surprise, it was pure gold, and well crafted. A flash of light caught Anna's eye, as her sister put her sock and shoe back on. Scrambling towards it, she found a silver pendent, encrusted with onyx, but missing its chain. Realizing the amount of money all this could bring, the sisters started crawling around, seeking more. And to their amazement, they found three more exquisite pieces… and one plain brass ring. The two sisters knew that they couldn't sell these things in Storybrooke. You don't lose valuable jewelry like this without filing a police report. However, they could mail them off to one of those 'we buy gold' places you saw on late night television or sell them on eBay. While nobody could leave Storybrooke, the mail went back and forth easily, so within a few weeks they'd have a few thousand dollars for a rainy day fund and no longer have to live hand to mouth. Maybe this was the beginning of their happy ending.

"So what do we do with the worthless ring?" Anna asked her sister, flipping it around in her palm. Suddenly on one of the flips a man's face appeared inside the ring, and the giddy feeling of windfall vanished as the two sisters realized the ring held magic. Magic was dangerous. Magic had made their stepsister rich, powerful, and loved, while they were poor, powerless, and lonely. Neither wanted anything to do with it, especially now that it had returned to their world.

Getting to her feet again, despite the slight throbbing in the foot that had been stabbed, Drew looked around for a place to dump the magic ring. It was with the other pieces of jewelry and if it were found with their fingerprints on it could compromise their selling of the more valuable finds on eBay. Finally her eyes fell on the wishing well farther up the path. Sitting directly on top of Lake Nostos, it was rumored to return that which was lost, and Drew came to the conclusion that it could return the ring with no direct involvement from them, washing away their prints in the process. "Why not send magic back to magic."

Seeing what her sister meant, Anna smiled broadly and the two raced to the edge of the well. Neither one wanted to be the one to dump it. Who knew what two magics combined would do? But the idea of being able to go out to dinner for once having some money in the bank got the better of them, and together they threw in the ring.

For a few seconds, nothing happened and the sisters laughed off their nervousness. Then, all of a sudden the wishing well started spewing file folders, like a ball machine at a batting cage, shooting file after file into the clearing. In shock, the two sisters turned and ran behind a large tree, waiting for the chaos to end. About three minutes later, it finally did, and cautiously Anna and Drew emerged. It was a miracle that the paper hadn't come loose, or the mess would have been magnified. As it was, barely an inch of ground could be seen. But that wasn't their problem. As Drew turned to leave, Anna picked up a file folder and looked at it. "Drew, it's from the hospital. See, it has the andrology lab's insignia. They all do."

"We'll make an anonymous phone call from the pay phone behind Granny's. Now come on. I want to get home and soak my foot. Good thing the hospital gave us those tetanus shots three months ago, huh?" Drew responded, eager to get home. The longer they stayed the more likely someone would see and report them when Sheriff Swan came to investigate.

"Yeah. If they hadn't, we'd end up waiting in the emergency room all night and paying a co-pay for the pleasure," Anna replied as the sisters left the scene, their steps taking on an urgency that burned off their nerves. This afternoon had been eventful to say the least and the neither Schwester sister had ever liked eventful. That was their mother's specialty and look where it had gotten them.