Chapter 2 - Flashback

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The girl was sitting on a tree trunk, near the main road, in the Enchanted Forest. She has just said goodbye to her family a few hours ago, but she already missed them. The Bears said that she was not bothering at all, but she knew that this can't go on anymore. She has been living with the Bears since she got lost in the woods and found their house. She ate their food and ruined their furniture, but they weren't angry at all. Okay, maybe just a little bit. They were so kind. When they got home and found her they took her in and said she could stay as long as she wanted. But she knew this day would come. She just wasn't expecting it to come this early. She knew she couldn't stay forever. And now, twelve years have passed, and she still didn't have a job or a clue what to do with her life.

The girl tucked her blond hair in her cloak's hood and shivered.

'Quite a cold evening, isn't it?' she heard a cranky voice behind her. She quickly spun around to find an old (a really old) man standing behind her, leaning against a big tree. The man was wearing a lot of brown leather and his skin was sparkling like fairy dust. The girl has never seen fairy dust before but she supposed it would look just like what was on the man's skin. His hair was greasy and his eyes... They looked just like some kind of beast's eyes. The girl has once seen a crocodile in a picture book, and she had to admit that she found some common features between him and the crocodile.

The man gestured towards the setting sun:

'It's getting late. Ladies like you shouldn't be wandering around at such a late time. The forest is filled with... what's the word?' the man asked. 'Ah... that's it! Monsters...' the man let out a strange giggle.

The girl started to feel uncomfortable. This weird man gave her the creeps, and he looked like someone mad enough to kidnap her or worse. This was the hundredth time she cursed herself for being born mute. She doesn't even have a chance to scream.

'What is it, dearie? You're afraid?' the man asked with a mad smile. 'There's no need to be afraid of me' the man said, but the girl could have sworn she heard him whisper 'yet' between his teeth.

'I'm not here to hurt you' the man continued. 'I'm here to offer you a deal.'

Now she was sure that the man was crazy. The man must have seen the girl's expression on her face, because he started to giggle again.

'Oh, how rude I am! I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Rumplestiltskin' the man said and bowed. The girl just stared at him confused, but the man didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that she hadn't replied to him.

'So what's the deal, you ask?' he continued. 'Well, let's just say that one of my suppliers has made a closer friendship with death, and I'm in an urgent need for a new one. And that's where you, dearie, come into the picture' he said pointing at her with his glittering fingers.

'Fine, what can you offer in return, you ask?' he continued unstoppably. 'What could I offer you so precious that you'll say yes to my deal? A home? Or a job? Both and something even better!' the man seemed to have finished the conversation with himself.

The girl suddenly realized that the man was moving towards her. Just a blink of an eye, and he was standing in front of her again. What did he do to her? The girl suddenly felt extreme pain at her throat for a second. Then it was gone, but it felt different. She felt that something has changed. It took her a couple of seconds to realize what the man did to her. He healed her damaged chords! She wasn't mute anymore!

The girl made a choking sound. Suddenly she felt her throat very dry. Oh my, what happened to her?

'Go ahead, try it!' the man encouraged her. She recalled some memories of people speaking, and she opened her mouth. The air flowed through her throat as she tried to produce her first word in her life.

'How?' she asked but it sounded more like a wolf's howl in the night. She found her voice very strange. So that's what it sounds like!

'It's magic, dearie. I can offer you your voice, a shelter, a job, and even more!' the man gestured in excitement.

'Trick?' she managed to pronounce another word.

'Ah, I see. You're a smart girl, dearie.' Rumplestiltskin laughed. 'It's just a little adjustment: whenever I whistle, no matter where you are or what are you doing, you will come to me. No matter what.'

That wasn't a big problem, she thought. She had no idea how the man knew she was mute or why he offered her a deal with so many disadvantages for him, but she had to admit that it was one hell of an appealing deal. She glanced at the man in front of her. What worse could happen than being a slave to some creepy magician? Death, probably, she thought.

It was a though question. If she stays here and no one else comes by, she might get eaten by some beast in the woods or might starve and suffer for the rest of her life. Or she could accept an imp's deal which was so appealing that it was almost ridiculous. She looked at Rumplestiltskin. He really looked like he wasn't going the hurt her. In fact, he was quite nice to her minus the mad giggles and gestures. And this might be the adventure she was dreaming of! After ten years of boredom at the Bears, she might finally be able to have her own adventures, not just stories that the family used to tell her.

The man noticed that she has made up her mind and a wicked grin spread across his face. He started to speak:

'So, what do you say, Goldilocks? Do we have a deal?'

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