Long Lost | Once Upon a Time (REWRITING)

Chapter Thirty-Six: Snow Drifts

...

Once upon a time, there was a young girl sent to a land far from her home of

The Enchanted Forest.

One day, she found herself lost, trapped in a place with no memory of her past.

Of her past in Oz.

...

This is how it happened.

~<>~

Lightning struck across the darkened skies as a cyclone tore its way through the ominous land of Oz. Close to the growing storm, a small village awaited the terrible damage that were to come. Among the village resided the fearful citizens, all of which were huddled nervously in the storm shelters of their homes. After hours of enduring what the tragic storm threw their way, it was light out once more. Following the harsh cyclone came a bright rainbow in the sky above, the colorful glare shining down on the destruction below. Among the damage of the past wind storm, a couple daringly stepped out of their home to face whatever devastation were to have met with their village. However, after inspecting the secluded town, the female of the pair laid eyes on a small, moving figure. Her eyes were quick to widen before she swiftly rushed over to it. Her hands met with the sides of the blanket, and within that blanket, a small figure moved. After a moment of looking down quizzically at the body, it's eyes twitched open, revealing two deep blue orbs. Immediately, a smile was brought onto the older woman's features as she gaped down at the infant, astonished.

A quiet chuckle slowly left the woman's lips before she found herself raising the baby up off the ground. "Oh," she let out as she continued to smile down at the somehow perfectly healthy baby. The girl twitched in her grasp as she adjusted to the new hold she now found herself in. Before long, the older woman found the small child looking up at her with a small, careless smile, earning yet another laugh from the former as she gazed down at her toothless gums, "what a beautiful babe, all alone in the middle of a storm." As the woman thought more about it, she became rattled. "Who could've done such a thing? Come here." She spoke as she lightly brought one of her hands up to just barely graze the side of the baby's face with her finger. The child cooed in her grasp and seemed to enjoy the small sign of affection very much. Again, the woman found herself laughing before a sign of color caught her gaze. She ever so slightly turned her head to view the red embroidery without disturbing the child in her arms. After reading the short name sewn into the knit blanket, she found herself testing the word on her lips. "Grace. What a pretty name for a pretty girl." She said sweetly before standing with the child and shifting her in her grasp. "I shall take you home with me. There, you can meet my husband." Earning yet another smile from the infant, the woman beamed happily back down at her. "We'll take good care of you. Don't you worry, Grace."

~<>~

In the early years of young Grace's life, she found herself in the loving home of Mr. and Mrs. Gale. And so, it was only fair for her to have adopted their last name--so long as she lived among them both--making her the beautiful Grace Gale, the mysterious child found in the wreckage of a cyclone, the audacious child the Gale's found themselves responsible for, as they swore to protect her from whatever dangers their daughter may find herself in, no matter the cause. That is, until disaster struck.

On one summer evening, the quaint family found themselves celebrating the anniversary of which they found Grace, the day they considered to be her birthday. Grace, now being the ripe age of eight years old, found herself happy in the small household. Even at such a young age, Grace knew both Mr. and Mrs. Gale had only been her adoptive parents. However, that didn't mean she loved them any less. She knew they were the ones who cared for her, who put up with her, and, more importantly, provided her with a bed and a roof over their heads. And they were more than happy to, as well. With the inability to conceive, Mrs. Gale found Grace to be a gift from the gods, as it truly was a miracle that Grace was around them all. However, that happiness, as good and seemingly unbreakable as it was, was sure to come to an end.