Sleepwalking

Welcome to Storybrooke

The next day when I got home from school, there was a strange envelope addressed to me in the mailbox. Which was strange, because what twelve year old got mail. I ripped it open and read the letter inside. I smiled wider than I've smiled in a long time when I found out that I had won an all expense paid weekend at a tiny Bed and Breakfast in an even tinier town in Maine. What better way to spend my last weekend with my mom, then in a quiet sleepy town up north. "Maybe the quiet and fresh air will help. And she'll decide not to go away!" I thought, as I sat down and started making a list of all the reasons why this weekend getaway was perfect. I knew it was going to take a bit of convincing for Mom to agree to the last minute mini-vacation.

When she got home, I immediately broached the subject of our impromptu getaway. At first she said no, claiming it was the worst time to be going away. To which I countered that, this would be the last chance we would have to go away, since neither of us knew how long she would be in the facility for. I begged like a small child begging for a cookie before dinner, and in the end she relented. But only if this offer was real. No one just sends out free weekends to complete strangers for no reason.

Twenty minutes later, she got off the phone with the owner of the Bed and Breakfast. According to the sweet older woman she spoke to, the offer was, in fact, real. My name had been selected at random to spend a weekend in their new Bed and Breakfast. The only stipulation was we would have to consider perhaps writing a nice review that she could use on her website, if we enjoyed our stay of course. Looks like we were going to Maine after all.

Friday afternoon, we loaded up mom's trusty yellow bug and we drove north towards the state of Maine. It took us almost six hours to get there, and as soon as we passed the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign, we both released a sigh of relief. Mom seemed to relax almost instantly the moment we crossed the town line. Maybe it was the salty sea air, or the charming quiet streets that allowed her to decompress. Either way, my plan was already working.

We quickly found the Bed and Breakfast, and climbed out of the car, stretching our legs after the long drive. As soon as we opened the front door, we were greeted by a very lovely young lady with long black hair with red streaks. Her name tag said "Ruby" and she wore a bright smile on her face that no doubt made her cheeks hurt at the end of the day.

"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?" She asked, her face looking like she was about to burst into laughter.

"Yes. It's under "Swan". Emma and Henry Swan." Mom answered.

"Oh yes. The lucky mother and son pair who won the free weekend. Welcome to Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Let me show you to your room. It's the best one!" Ruby smiled, grabbing a large key from the cubbies beside her.

We followed Ruby upstairs and into the large room they had designated for us. Before she left, she reminded us that part of the package included free meals at the diner connected to the building. Our stomachs grumbled at the thought of dinner and we promised to pop into the diner as soon as we have settled in.

Fifteen minutes later, we made our way into the diner. You know that cliche movie moment when someone walks into a place, and everyone in the room stops what they are doing and stares at them? That was exactly what happened when Mom and I walked into the diner called Granny's. Ruby told us to take a seat, and every single set of eyes followed us as we made our way to a booth in the back.

"I guess they don't get a lot of tourists in these parts." Mom laughed, as Ruby came over with some water and our menus.

"It's a little 'Children of the Corn' here." I laughed, as the chatter slowly started up around us.

We quickly ordered and ate our meals, practically licking the plates clean, even ordering seconds on dessert. I could tell mom was mentally preparing herself for institution food by stuffing her face with the good stuff while she could. People continued to stare at us, and even a couple people even came over and welcomed us to town. I couldn't tell if it was creepy, or hospitable.