Why don't you come with me little girl, on a magic carpet ride
My active imagination and love of adventure, fantasy and escapism can be traced all the way back to my very early childhood, where my refuge from life in Manhattan/N.Y.C. and a tumultuous household was found primarily in books.
In the city there are so many things and people to be afraid of, and my sister, brother and I were warned about every single one of them. Still, I witnessed way too much. So, for a long time I ended up being afraid of just about everything. And as much as I was exposed to the harsh reality of the world, I was overprotected and kept on a very short tether that didn't let me venture outside of the confines of a few yards of the apartment building; except to go to the school that was ten blocks away. Imagine that! Ten whole blocks.
Our apartment in Queens was built over a row of storefronts which included a barber, deli, dry cleaners, bar (my father would call the ginmill), and my favorite, an old candy store on the corner. The candy store was owned by an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Rubin. The store was very old fashioned, appearing very much like you walked right into a classic black and white 1940's movie. It was small and dark, and it had a long candy counter with round stools so you could sit and have a prepared treat. There was an old phone booth tucked along an even darker side wall. My sister, brother and cousins would buy loose candies stored in small clear bins, and every once in a while, a delicious Egg Cream. My father would buy the newspaper to check sports scores and to see if he won any cash from a horse race he placed a bet on. This little dingy and tired candy store was the hub of a lot of activity. Most importantly, this is the place I would go to read comic books. I was rarely able to buy one, but the owners would let me sit in the store and read all the comics I wanted to.
All through my life I'd read anything that would let me fly away to another world, where I could imagine I was someone else, someone free to seek adventure, someone special, someone who could do great things, someone who can give to others, someone beautiful and brave, someone who falls in love with the Prince and lives in a beautiful castle... someone whose dreams come true.
Even when I was too young to read looking at the pictures and illustrations in books was enough to send my imagination someplace wonderful. It was amazing and still is. Sure, I can also blame my "issues with reality" on that too. But who would I be if I'd not traveled and explored the universe via magical stories. I'll tell you who I'd be- someone without imagination, creativity, and dreams.
You can find so much in a book- Education, answers, inspiration, adventure, and yes, you may even find yourself. For my very young self the places the tales would take me and the awe and wonder they provided, gave me hope my whole life through. Hope that there is a whole world outside of the confines of my City street and hope that there was something more, something better out there, and that I could be something more than just a dreamer of a magical life- Hope that I could live and share a magical life.
Dream on
Belle was trapped in the library and in the world of books until a little push from Dreamy and her trusty book in tow enabled her to use her knowledge and find strength and freedom to discover other layers of herself; in this episode it's her warrior spirit. Belle joins the hunting party, becoming a hunter. But her hunt ends up being a sort of search and rescue instead. Later we see Belle become the hunted, when Regina captures and cages her. It is important to note that in this episode we hear a couple of people say "It's not your fight" but Belle got herself involved anyway.
Belle is a very observant girl. She was calm, perceptive and smart enough to read and translate the SOS by the suffering Yaoguai, and being compassionate to the beast she was able to help free him from the curse that trapped him. We also see Belle's intuition and awareness at work in Storybrooke while looking for Hook's ship by listening carefully to the sounds on the dock, watching the birds land on the imperceptible mast and tossing sand onto the ghost ship- she is able to see the invisible.
Belle also frees Archie from his kidnapping and lovingly let's Rumple go freely to find his boy. She is brave and selfless.
I must inject a note that Henry is quite the architect. So far we've seen him recreate the pages of the fairy tale book when it went missing, and now we see him redesign the apartment with his own hand drawn blueprints.
Life is an adventure, it's how we learn. We face many things on the path and they show us who we are and who we're not. You may not know who you truly are, or know who lives beyond the mask you yourself wears, or the you you keep locked away, until you're going along an ordinary and comfortable existence and something Earth shattering happens leaving you broken and lost and even angry. For some, this heartbreaking catastrophe will leave them jaded and disenchanted for the rest of their lives, causing them to just give up, giving in to the situation; it's as if, in some weird way they feel they are cursed or "sick/infected." But for others, it is this very dramatic shift in life that once left them crumbled and hopeless, gives them a chance to face the challenges of these horrible circumstances and fight with everything they have, never giving up, to make change, to do something important or noble for themselves or others, to ultimately rebuild themselves and their life.
There may come a time in your life when you're spun around from your normal and have to face life through a new set of eyes. Will you discover you're not who you thought you were? Are you courageous and brave? Do you have a warrior spirit? There's only one way to find out... Hitch your wagon to a star and you'll go far!
Love potion number 9
Last week I wrote about not crossing a line, but this week is a bit different. Rumpelstiltskin must cross the border of Storybrooke into a new frontier to journey to find his boy. Rumpelstiltskin loves Bae and is driven by that love to let go of his fear, leave everything including Belle behind, and cross into another new unknown world. The shawl represents hope to Rumple, as it is an anchor that keeps him connected to Bae. All is good as long as it's not Rumple's security blanket as well. Nonetheless, Rumpelstiltskin has a goal, he is fighting hard is to bring his family back together, no matter the cost. He needs to make things right with his boy so they can move forward together.
I was troubled that Rumple uses the entire potion on the shawl. I think he should have saved some for a rainy day.
A pawnbroker offers "secure loans" to people who use their personal items/property as collateral or pawns, if you will. Do the items in Mr. Gold's shop represent hope for each resident of Storybrooke, and he is the keeper of these items, keeping them safe for them? Are those items triggers for them or are they discarded attachments of the residents? Will all of those items be reclaimed by their rightful owner after a debt is paid? I have so many questions about Mr. Gold's shop.
Things to Note...Questions to Ask...
๑ David admits to Mary Margaret that he grew up on a farm. Does she know the truth of his identity that he's pretending to be a Prince?
๑ Baelfire.
๑ Fire: around the head of the creature. The burning village. The Fireball
๑ The shawl is a connection to Bae and Milah
๑ Is it possible Bae doesn't want to be found and Hook is privy to that fact?
๑ The potion enchants an object not people
๑ Water
๑ Pennsylvania
๑ Sleep. Wake up- Awaken
๑ At Archie's funeral Ruby (of course, a wolf) looked Cruella Di Vil-ish in her fur jacket and dark sunglasses.
๑ Prince Philip under a curse cast by Maleficent.
๑ Test. Experiment
๑ Communication- language book translate
๑ Learn, listen observe- be aware
๑ Umbrella
๑ Right- Wrong
๑ Alcohol- wagon
๑ Hunting party- search and rescue
๑ Death. Funeral. Wake.
๑ Not dead
๑ Balance: Scale. Bicycle
๑ Books. Plot. Write. Draw. Charts. Blue prints. Diagram. Directions.
๑ Fresh Start. Redesign. Do over.
๑ Clean up your own mess-make things right.
๑ This world. Real World. Illusion.
๑ Words misspelled/wrong
๑ Who is this new stranger, this outsider?
๑ For fun- There's an adorable place called Storey Brook Bed and Breakfast.
and there is a Storeybrook Dr. in Newburyport, Maine
Vocabulary and Research...
๑ The Stranger or The Outsider (L’Étranger) is a novel by Albert Camus published in 1942.
๑ The Outsider is a non-fiction book by Colin Wilson-Wilson explores the psyche of the Outsider, his effect on society, and society's effect on him.
๑ Yaoguai: "Yao Guai 妖怪" is simply the Chinese term that means "monster" or "demon". A reference to T’ien-kou described this creature as a demon that looks like a large dog with a fiery tail.
Yaoguai are mostly malevolent animal spirits or fallen celestial beings that have acquired magical powers through the practice of Taoism. Not all yaojing are actually demons.
- Video Game
๑ The Chickadee plate is Maine's general issue plate. The first and only slogan "Vacationland" appeared on the plate in 1936.
๑ Off the wagon, Slang . again drinking alcoholic beverages after a period of abstinence.
๑ On the wagon, Slang . abstaining from alcoholic beverages. Also, on the water wagon; British , on the water cart.
๑ The Monkey's Fist can be used as a weapon or even as an anchor in rock climbing. Pirates have also used it to hide stolen precious gems.
๑ D. McLean:
- Don (Donald) McLean. 1971 Album American Pie, contains the song Vincent. Recorded a song titled (The Pattern is) Broken in 2010.
- Author Russel D. McLean wrote The Good Son and The Lost Sister
๑ Shawshank Prison is the fictional prison in Maine.
The Shawshank Redemption: a movie based on a Stephen King novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption that appears in his collection Different Seasons- subtitled Hope Springs Eternal.
✔ Golden LOST Thread Woven into the Tapestry of this Tale
✈ Fun bit of info- Claude is played by Paul Lazenby and on LOST we have a character named Nurse Susie Lazenby in Dave, The Beginning of the End, The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham, Happily Ever After, The New Man in Charge.
✈ 4
✈ Armory: The armory in the Swan Hatch was used to hold weapons, drugs/medicine, and prisoners.
✈ Books. Plot. Write. Draw. Charts. Blue prints. Diagram. Directions.
✈ Recruit. Sign up/call to Adventure
✈ Bagua. Octagon
✈ Bore- boar
✈ Ship
✈ Balance: Scale. Bicycle
✈ Listen. Hear. Look. See.
✈ FATE
✈ Words misspelled/wrong
✈ Banish. Exiled
✈ Clean up your own mess-make things right.
✈ Coward: Desmond. Charlie
✈ What it takes:
- Jack believed he didn't "have what it takes". We learn a bit about this in White Rabbit.
- Although he didn't have use of his legs, Locke believed he did have what it took. We see this in Walkabout.
✈ Adventure:
Locke- Walkabout and The Substitute
Desmond- Flashes Before Your Eyes
Michael/Kevin- Meet Kevin Johnson
Ajira Airways specialized in adventures
✈ Lighthouse
✈ The Hunting Party
✈ Tabula Rasa
✈ Fire + Water
✈ ... In Translation
Enough of my rambling... Here's your episode recap! Enjoy!
Gold kicks Smee over the line and energy charges through his body. The potion works! Smee knows his own name and knows Rumpelstiltskin, The Dark One. "I remember everything!" The experiment was a success. Rumple pulls Smee across the line back into Storybrooke and sends him on his way.
Rumple says out loud to himself "I have a trip to plan."
On board the ship, prisoner Archie fears Hook, who wants to know where the Dark One's dagger is. Archie doesn't know anything about a dagger. Hook believes him. He shares with Archie that it's the Dark One's weakness and asks if he has any others. Archie doesn't say anything. Hook threatens Archie with his desire to always have wanted to dissect a cricket.
Rumple- "Hey... this is my journey, Belle. This is my journey. I'm afraid it's something I have to do alone."
Belle hugs him, knowing this true.
Dreamy- "Well, maybe this one will have one too."
Belle doubts it. The last time she faced a beast it didn't end well.
Dreamy- "What are you talking about?"
Again Belle is instantly drawn to the newly expanded Team Yaoguai. The leader tells his group "Men, follow me. Yaoguai awaits."
Dreamy nudges her to get on that wagon, "Go. Take a chance." Belle thanks him, packs her book in her bag and heads on an adventure. Dreamy stops her long enough to give her a pouch of Fairy Dust; it may come in handy. Belle declines his gift because she's seen what magic does to people.
Dreamy- "You've seen what dark magic does. Fairies use this for good. Now go be a hero."
Once inside the elevator she calls Rumple on his cell from her cell and tries to tell him that she's trapped in there because she's running from a man who broke in and wants to kill her; the man is a pirate missing a hand. Unfortunately the communication between the two crackles and breaks up, by a poor connection/signal- Rumple can hardly hear her.
Back in the library elevator, Belle fears the pounding on the other side of the doors. The doors open to reveal Rumple is there to rescue her. He assures her she has nothing to fear "I'm here now."
Henry is sitting alone on the bed when Emma enters asking the kid if he's hungry; she manages to wrangle him up a PopTart. Henry, obviously feeling blue, declines.
Emma tells Mary Margaret "Well, that went well", as she feels awful she's doing all she can to sooth Henry's loss.
The ladies question their want to go back. Emma feels "We fought really hard to get here." The men are concerned about what Regina did to Archie Storybrooke isn't as safe as they thought. Emma assures them they will find her; there's only so many places she can hide. They've dealt with Regina before, they'll do it again. But the men's concern isn't just about her. The curse is broken.
Leroy/Grumpy- "There's a whole world full of people beyond the town line that don't know who or what we are. Ever think of what might happen if one of them were to come pay us a visit?"
Ruby feels he's right, and wonders what would an outsider think if they see magic and a girl turning into a wolf. Folks weren't exactly understanding even in their world. Emma doesn't want them to worry about 'what ifs', "No one is here."
Leroy/Grumpy- "Yet. Maybe they come-maybe they don't. That doesn't change the fact while we might enjoy things like penicillin... we're a bit homesick.
Mr. Gold/Rumple and Belle are crossing street when Belle asks him "Where are you going?" Rumple shares that the shop has many wonderful things in there that he can use to make sure that pirate never goes near her again. Belle doesn't want Rumple to deal with this, feeling they need to report this to the sheriff so they can take care of him. "You're so close to finding your son, please, please don't let your hatred for this man get in the way of that." But he tried to harm Belle and she wonders why. Although Rumple's issue with Hook doesn't concern Belle, he finally reveals the root of their battle. "Many years ago I was married to a woman named Milah... until Hook crossed our paths."
Belle- "She was Baelfire's mother?"
Rumple- "Yeah. And because of that marauding cur- he grew up without her. He took my wife. He took Bae's mother... so I took his hand."
Belle understands that's why Hook attacked her, but she asks about "her" and what he/Hook did. Rumple is hesitant to reply, so Belle tenderly takes his hand assuring Rumple he can tell her anything.
Rumple- "She died. That's all that matters."
Hook- "It's the end of the Crocodile's hope. Now he's trapped here."
Helpless, Belle isn't going to sit there and do nothing. Rumple demands she go back to the library, lock the door and wait for him to dispense with this problem. She wonders if Rumple will cast some sort of spell that gives her "no choice" if she doesn't do what he says. No, Rumple trusts she'll do as he wishes; as she trusts him to be a better man. "Belle, please. Hook has may be cost me the chance of finding my son, I don't want to lose you too. Here, look. {A gun} I want you to take this just in case Hook is stupid enough to come after you again. Point this. Pull this trigger and the gun will do the rest for ya, alright? Alright?!" Belle wants him to promise that him going after Hook is just about getting the shawl back. Rumple doesn't reply to her, he only walks out. {Note the scales behind them.}
Mulan- "The sun should be setting soon. We need to move out."
Mulan was impressed that Belle tracked the Yaoguai in a matter of hours, but it took her weeks. "You track the beast, and I'll kill it." Belle will be honored to help her.
Armed with her gun, she descends down to investigate the ship. Inside one of the rooms she hears a muffled voice call out, "Down here." Stunned, she finds the voice belongs to kidnapped Archie. Belle uses a sword to free Archie and instructs him to find Mr. Gold and tell him she's here and bring him back to the ship. They heard sounds above them, but Belle hurries Archie off.
Henry- "Doesn't feel that way."
David knows that. Mary Margaret touches her heart/chest to convey she feels his pain. Just then the door opens and Pongo runs in. Mary Margaret wonders "How did he get in here?" Emma is the culprit. She and Marco had a chat over how much Henry loves this dog and decided Henry should have him. Henry is up for taking care of Pongo; as a matter of fact he'll take Pongo outside and clean him up.
Mary Margaret thinks giving Henry Pongo is a great idea, but four people and a Dalmatian in the loft will get cramped. Emma agrees but feels they'll get creative.
Mary Margaret suggests "Or... we can get our own place."
Emma and David simultaneously say "You wanna move out?!"
Emma- "After 28 years isn't this what we've all been waiting for- to be together under the same roof?"
Mary Margaret says yes; she just imagined a bigger roof with turrets. "Being here in Storybrooke, we have a chance at a fresh start. Let's take it.
"I'm not afraid of you. And I'm not leaving without that." Belle shows bravery in the face of Captain Hook. In spite of her loyalty Hook feels Belle's fighting a lost cause, "What makes you think his son wants to be found, hmm? I'm doin' that boy a favor." Belle, feeling Hook has hurt Rumple enough; stealing his wife. But that's only part of the story. Hook's been hurt too.
Hook- "Tell me Luv, if a woman comes to you {He seductively gets in her face} begs you to take her away... is that theft?"
Belle- "Why would she leave him?"
Hook- "Because he was a coward. And because she loved me. I should have burned this the moment I acquired it."
Belle- "Why didn't you?"
Hook- "Because she made it."
Belle is sorry she died, but vengeance won't bring her back. Hook exposes the fact that it wasn't an accident she died from. Of course Rumple left out an important detail to Milah's passing- he killed her. "He ripped out her heart and then he crushed it right in front of me." Rumple will do anything to hold on to his power. Hook feels that's why anyone who has gotten close to Rumple has either run away or been killed and asks Belle what makes her think she's any different, and why would she want to fight for a man like that.
Belle- "Because I still see good in him. And because I believe he's changed. Because his heart is true. And yours... yours is rotten." She manages to knock him down, grab the shawl and get topside. Hook appears in front of her; he knows his ship like the back of his (hand). Rumple makes his appearance on deck.
Hook feels the crocodile looks different in this world, "Like the coward I met so long ago- limp and all."
Rumple- "And yet you still can't kill me."
Hook asks the Dark One what magic he'll hide behind today. Not magic, but good old fashioned ass kicking. Belle gets Rumple to stop by showing him what he came for, what is going to get him back to Bae- the shawl. Hook informs Belle she's wasting her time, as Rumple can't resist "He has to prove that he's not a coward." Rumple warns Belle to turn away because this isn't going to be pretty.
Belle calls attention to herself to draw the fiery Yaoguai closer to her. Although she is nervous, she pushes forward in her task of destroying the beast. She lures it closer and with her sword she cracks open a water pipe and douses the beast with water, putting out its flames. The suffering Yaoguai writes a message in the mud which Belle translates... "Save me."
Aboard Hook's ship Rumple continues beating up Hook.
{I put this clip in because it was my favorite Rumple moment of the episode. I got a great laugh from his reaction to Hook's mouthing off.}
At Granny's Diner Mary Margaret is excited to look through fliers of houses For Sale in Storybrooke. {Note items of interest on the flier} But David, who grew up on a farm, is distracted by burying their friend that morning. That event makes David realize he doesn't want to die here/in Storybrooke. He wants to return home; to the home Mary Margaret says doesn't exist, where the Ogre's have returned and Cora's in power. David feels that's exactly the reason to go back- to fight, to make things right. But Mary Margaret's tired of fighting and feels they have a chance here, a chance to be together.
David- "But what if we don't belong here. Isn't it worth it to fight for what we really want."
Mary Margaret- "Unless we don't want the same thing."
Emma assures worried Henry that she won't let Regina hurt him as she hurt Archie.
Henry- "What if she wants to take me back?"
Emma says that's not going to happen. There's a knock at the door, one that's stirs up Pongo. Archie has returned and shares it was Cora who kidnapped him. This makes Emma realize they're wrong about Regina doing it.
Henry- "I knew it. Maybe we should let her know."
Emma- "Yeah. But something tells me either way we're gonna pay the price."
Rumple- "This (shawl) would've been lost if it wasn't for you, Belle. I would be lost. After everything you've learned about me, after everything I've done, why haven't you given up on me?"
Belle- "I learned a long time ago that when you find something that's worth fighting for... you never give up."
Belle leads Prince Phillip over the ridge to her friend, Mulan {reading Belle's Yaoguai book by campfire light.} Mulan is happy to see Belle alive. Belle has defeated the Yaoguai- with a little help.
Mulan asks the young man "Who are you?"
Prince Phillips- "I was the Yaoguai."
Belle- "He was cursed. So I helped him, so now he's going to help you." She not going with them as she has another beast to face. The ladies exchange weapons; Belle returns Mulan her sword and Mulan returns Belle's book. The brave ladies say goodbye to each other. Phillip properly introduces himself to Mulan.
Looking out over the Kingdom below, brave and proud of herself, Belle, states aloud "I'm coming back, Rumple."
"Isn't that sweet? Still fighting for true love- even to the bitter end." It's Regina on horseback with a few soldiers. Belle wonders how Regina found her.
Regina- "You really should be nicer to your traveling companions, right Claude? Take her to the tower!"
Belle is taken and thrown into the Queen's paddy wagon, claiming she can save him; break his curse.
Belle- "You, you can't keep us apart forever. I'll fight for him. I'll never stop fighting for him!
Belle- "Now you can find your son."
Rumple- "Oh, Belle, I so wish you were coming with me."
Belle- "It doesn't matter."
Rumple- "Why not?"
Belle- "Because you'll find him. And when you do, I'll be here waiting for you when you get back."
As they kiss goodbye across the line, a gunshot is fired causing Belle to fall over the line and into Rumple's arms. {She took experiences magical energy through her body.} Hook fired the shot.
Rumple is panicked. "Belle! Belle!"
Belle- "Who's Belle?"
Rumple has blood on his hands from Belle's wound. {I'm not positive but it seems that Belle's feet seem to stay on the line for a time.}
Hook, pointing the gun at Rumple, tells him not to fear, as she'll live. "She'll just have no idea who you are."
Rumple- "What you've done cannot be undone."
Hook- "Well now you finally know how it feels! Well go ahead Crocodile, do your worst!"
Rumple places Belle back over the line into Storybrooke and he's about to unleash a fireball at Hook a car approaches causing Rumple to get out of the way and protecting Belle- but the speeding car hits Hook and crashes, hitting a big rock. Rain pours down.
