Wish Rumplestiltskin's Once Upon a Time Books

Wish Rumplestiltskin'sOnce Upon a Time Books
General Information
Origin:	Wish Realm
Physical Description
Type:	Authors' books
Color:	Black, red and silver
Usage Information
Created by:	Rumplestiltskin (Wish Realm) †
Possessed by:	David Nolan Henry Mills Jacinda Vidrio Kelly West Margot Mary Margaret Blanchard Rogers Tilly Roni
Used by:	Sir Henry (Wish Realm)
Used on:	The Blue Fairy (Wish Realm) Henry Mills (unsuccessfully) Margot (unsuccessfully) Rogers (unsuccessfully) Tilly (unsuccessfully) Weaver † (unsuccessfully)
Used for:	Condemning people to prison realms
Show Information
Only appearance:	"Leaving Storybrooke"
Relevant Pages

“

Mary Margaret: When we went to rescue Regina, we found a room full of new storybooks.
David: And let's just say for each and every one of us, he's crafted a terrible fate. One that's designed to pierce our hearts and break our spirits.

”

—Mary Margaret and David ^src

Wish Rumplestiltskin's Once Upon a Time Books are magical items featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. They appear in the twenty-second episode of the seventh season.

History

After Fifth Curse

Wish Rumplestiltskin makes a new spell, one which allows him to create storybooks for "every hero in every realm" to entrap each of them in alternate realms where they live out unhappy endings. Since potent darkness within the Author is needed to open the portals to the realms, the Dark One has the Wish Blue Fairy brought in as a test subject for the spell. Rumplestiltskin carefully guides Sir Henry into reliving how satisfying it was for him when he cut Roni earlier with his knife, to which a vortex opens and pulls the Blue Fairy into it. He explains to Henry how the books will condemn the others to the same fate and says that once Henry kills Roni, their faiths will be sealed.

When David and Mary Margaret rescue Roni from Sir Henry's dungeon, they find the storybooks and bring them to the Wish Evil Queen's palace. Regrouping with the other heroes in the castle's war council room, Mary Margaret and David explain that the storybooks will condemn each person to alternate realms where they will live out their unhappy endings. As everyone has a chance to look through their own storybooks, David explains that although the stories are complete, they can still work to prevent Rumplestiltskin from making the realms real. While everyone else works on preventing the realms from becoming real, Roni attempts to steer Sir Henry away from the path of vengeance by telling him about the family he still has in her realm who can help him heal from his pain. Henry refuses as he believes only her death can satisfy him. As Roni reluctantly duels with him, the darkness in Henry's blood reaches a boiling point, enabling Wish Rumplestiltskin to open Weaver, Tilly, Margot, Rogers, and Henry's prison portals. The storybook pages turn in the wind as everyone hangs onto a table to prevent themselves from being sucked into the portals. When Alice loses her grip, Rogers grabs onto his daughter's hand to prevent her from being sucked in, although this gives him excruciating pain. The portals close without absorbing any of them after Roni persuades Sir Henry to turn away from his darkness. ("Leaving Storybrooke")

Trivia

• On-Screen Notes
• Cultural References
• Set Notes

Roni's Book

• When Roni opens her storybook, a micro-excerpt from the Brothers Grimm's version of the "Cinderella" fairytale can be glimpsed. The excerpt is taken from a 1884 edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales called Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm (or a similar translation), translated by Margaret Hunt. This is the excerpt in its entirety, with the unseen text set in fuchsia: ("Leaving Storybrooke")

"the step-mother said, "If thou canst pick two dishes of
lentils out of the ashes for me in one hour, thou shalt go with us." And she
thought to herself, "That she most certainly cannot do."
When the step-mother had emptied the two dishes of lentils
amongst the ashes, the maiden went through the"

*Note that the book contains a misprint: Between row one and two, the words "went through the" appear, even though they are supposed to appear – and do appear – later in the excerpt.

• The illustration in Roni's book shows Regina sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean, with a shipwreck in the background. The caption reads, "Regina knew the most important thing was not to lose hope. She'd see her son again. ("Leaving Storybrooke")
  • The illustration is based on a frame of Regina sitting on the floor in her office in "A Tale of Two Sisters".

Roni's prison

Original frame from "A Tale of Two Sisters"

Mary Margaret's Book

• An excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "The Pink" can be when Mary Margaret opens her book. The translation is taken from The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, a 1909 edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales published by Doubleday, Page & New York, translated by a "Mrs. Edgar Lucas" and illustrated by the famous book illustrator Arthur Rackham (link to text). Some of the text in Mary Margaret's storybook is obscured or illegible; the following is the excerpt in its entirety (note that the excerpt on page one actually takes place before the excerpt on page two; also note that the topmost line glimpsed on the first page, which ends with "for the", is not from "The Pink"; most of the text on page one is obscured, but an identical text can be seen on the back of a prop page created for Lucy's book, auctioned off on eBay. The prop page reveals that page one in Mary Margaret's book actually consists of excerpts from no less than three fairytales: "The Four Skillful Brothers", "The Seven Ravens" and "The Pink"; the top line glimpsed on-screen is actually from "The Seven Ravens". Also note that the prop page concludes with an excerpt from "The Four Skillful Brothers"; however, this excerpt does not appear on-screen. In addition, the second page opens with the words "A long time ago", which were added by the prop makers; they are not in the original fairytale.): ("Leaving Storybrooke")

PAGE ONE aside, and said to her, 'To-night, when the boy is asleep, go and drive this knife into his heart. Then bring me his heart and his tongue. If you fail to do it, you will lose your own life.' Then he went away ; but when the next day came the Maiden had not yet obeyed his com- mand, and she said, ' Why should I shed his innocent blood, when he has never done harm to any creature in his life? ' The Cook again said, 'If you do not obey me, you will lose your own life.' When he had gone away, she ordered a young hind to be brought and killed ; then she cut out its heart and its tongue, and put them on a dish. When she saw the old man coming she said to the boy, ' Get into bed, and cover your-self right over.' The old scoundrel came in and said, 'Where are the tongue and the heart of the boy? PAGE TWO A long time ago there was once a Queen, who had not been blessed with children. As she walked in her garden, she prayed every morning that a son or daughter might be given to her. Then one day an Angel came, and said to her: 'Be content: you shall have a son, and he shall be endowed with the power of wishing, so that whatsoever he wishes for shall be granted to him.' She hurried to the King, and told him the joyful news; and when the time came a son was born to them, and they were filled with delight. Every morning the Queen used to take her little son into the gardens, where the wild animals were kept, to bathe him in a clear, sparkling fountain. It happened one day, when the child was a little older, that as she sat with him on her lap she fell asleep. The old Cook, who knew that the child had the power of wishing, came by and stole it; he also killed a Chicken, and dropped some of its blood on the Queen's garments. Then he took the child away to a secret place, where he placed it out to be nursed. Then he ran back to the King, and accused the Queen of having allowed her child to be carried off by a wild animal. When the King saw the blood on the Queen's garments he believed the story, and was overwhelmed with anger. He caused a high tower to be built, into which neither the sun nor the moon could penetrate. Then he ordered his wife to be shut up in it, and the door walled up. She was to stay there for seven years, without eating or drinking, so as gradually to pine away. But two Angels from heaven, in the shape of white doves, came to her, bringing food twice a day till the seven years were ended. Meanwhile the Cook thought, 'If the child really has the power of wishing, and I stay here, I might easily fall into disgrace.' So he left the palace, and went to the boy, who was then old enough to talk, and said to him, 'Wish for a beautiful castle, with a garden, and every- thing belonging to it.' Hardly had the words passed the boy's lips than all that he had asked for was there. After a time the Cook said, 'It is not good for you to be so much alone; wish for a beautiful Maiden to be your companion.' The Prince uttered the wish, and immediately a Maiden stood before them, more beautiful than any paint- er could paint. So they grew very fond of each other, and played together, while the old Cook went out hun-

• Mary Margaret's unhappy ending reads (see "Props Notes" for the full text): ("Leaving Storybrooke")

[image begins] tiger! Snow
[image begins] Cave of Wonders?
[image begins] with a deep, rumbling,
[image begins]bs my slumber?" the
[image begins]ow faced him uncertain-
[image begins] is not treasure that I
[image begins]" The Tiger con-
[image begins] allow you to pass.
[image begins] [two illegible words] never see the open
[image begins]ought. It seemed
[image begins] [two illegible words] jaws of this
[image begins] [illegible word]? Perhaps if she
[image begins] would be clear again
[image begins] her way out of
[image begins] thanked the
[image begins] she walked into
[obscured]

• Fittingly enough, the illustration shows Snow White in the middle of the Agrabah desert (see "Props Notes" for more information). The caption beneath the illustration reads, "The shifting sands had Snow disorientated and heartsick with yearning."
• The character being trapped in a desert realm is ironic, given that her first name is Snow.
• The illustration is based on a frame of Snow White in the Enchanted Forest in "Red-Handed".
• The story is based on Disney's Aladdin, where the Disney version of the Cave of Wonders is protected by a sand guardian taking the form of a giant tiger's head, which kills anyone besides the chosen individual who attempts to enter.

Mary Margaret's prison

Original frame from "Red-Handed"

Kelly's Book

• Kelly's book contains an illustration of Zelena looking out the porthole of the Nautilus. The caption reads, "“I hate fish and I have no desire to live like one,”" Zelena thought as she looked out the porthole." ("Leaving Storybrooke")
  • Zelena being trapped underwater is a reference to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where the Wicked Witch of the West is killed when Dorothy tosses a bucket of water at her.
  • The illustration is based on a promotional image of Zelena for Season Three.

Kelly's prison

The Nautilus in "Dark Waters": notice the design of the porthole; it is the same vessel

Season Three promo picture

Rogers' Book

• A somewhat blurred version of Rogers' illustration can be seen upside-down when he holds his own book.

Upside-down and zoomed in

Upside-down screenshot

Original screenshot

Upside-down and zoomed in (a different screenshot than the previous one)

Upside-down screenshot

Original screenshot

Other Books

• When the portals to the storybook realms are open and everyone hangs on to prevent themselves from being sucked in, pages from the storybooks are turning in the wind: ("Leaving Storybrooke")
  • One page contains a blurred illustration of Sleeping Beauty lying on a bed. It is called "The Sleeping Princess" and is from the 1916 fairytale collection The Allies' Fairy Book (link to page), illustrated by the famous book English book illustrator Arthur Rackham.

Storybook page

"The Sleeping Princess" by Arthur Rackham

• One book contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "Little Sister and Little Brother".

• The opposite page contains another excerpt from "The Pink". The same excerpt can also be seen in the storybook lying next to Weaver.

• Another page contains a blurred excerpt from the Brothers Grimm's version of the "Cinderella" fairytale.

• The opposite page contains another excerpt from "Little Brother and Little Sister".

• A third excerpt from "The Pink" can be glimpsed on another page.
• Yet another excerpt from "The Pink" is printed in the storybook next to Rogers.

Disney

• Mary Margaret's unhappy ending is based on Disney's Aladdin, where the Disney version of the Cave of Wonders is protected by a sand guardian taking the form of a giant tiger's head, which kills anyone besides the chosen individual who attempts to enter. ("Leaving Storybrooke")

Wish Blue Fairy's Book

• According to an eBay prop auction, the Wish Blue Fairy's story reads:

The Blue Fairy soon realized she wasn't in her
home anymore. In fact, she wasn't anywhere near her
home. She was in another realm entirely, and that
wasn't even the worst part of all of this. Not only had the
spell ripped her away from home, it had brought her
somewhere very dark, and very dangerous. Because this
was not an ordinary forest, and these trees that surround-
ed her, nearly blotting the sky, certainly weren't ordinary
tress. They were moving, slow at first, then faster, their
branches starting to articulate like limbs, their knotted
trunks forming what began to look almost like a face if
you squinted just right. The Blue Fairy thought for a
moment of flying into the air for safety, but saw the
branches closing over her like some kind of net, meant
to catch things that foolishly sailed into the sky. She set
herself for a battle, realizing that she may need every bit
of magic she possessed to make it out alive. As
she prepared herself, she tried to remember the lessons
that had been taught to her as a novice fairy, all those
years ago. To be confident and brave and remember that
fairies are emblems of goodness in the world. And what-
ever forces of darkness may be arrayed against them, the
goodness will always win. She said those words over and

over in her mind trying to give herself the strength,
trying to imagine that her sisters were with her. But she
found that courage was hard to summon as self doubt
crept in. If only she hadn't been so foolish, she
thought, allowing herself to be captured. She shook
those thoughts out of her mind, knowing that no
time for negative self talk. This was a time to be reso-
lute and strong, and everything a fairy must be to sur-
vive.

• A behind the scenes photograph posted by Keegan Connor Tracy on Twitter, and a prop page auctioned off on eBay, reveal that the illustration shows the fairy crying in a forest. The caption reads "The Blue Fairy soon realized she wasn't in her home anymore".
  • According to the eBay auction, the back of the illustration contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "The Seven Ravens".
  • An alternate prop page auctioned off on a different website, contains a different story on the back of the page, in the form of yet another excerpt from "The Pink".

Prop photo

Roni's Book

• According to a prop page auctioned off online, Roni's unhappy ending reads:

Harsh sunlight beat down on Regina as
she stood on a slippery rock. She squint-
ed through the brightness, trying to get
a sense of where this other, darker Rum-
plestiltskin had sent her. All around her,
in every direction, was an endless expanse of ocean.
Regina looked out at the horizon, but there was no land
in sight, no sign of life. She yelled out to the watery
void, "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" But there was no
response, not even an echo of her own voice. Just the
crashing of waves on this lonely rock she now called
home.
Regina knew the most important thing she could
do was not lose hope. There had to be a way to escape,
a way back to Henry and her family. Maybe, she thought,
she could use magic to conjure a rowboat. She extended
her arm toward the sea, flexed her hand... but nothing
happened. Regina realized in this realm, she was
powerless. Her magic was gone.
Ever determined, Regina would not let this setback
stop her from escaping this prison. She took a deep
breath, and without hesitation, she dove into the water.
Regina swam, every stroke and kick filled with the prom-


ise of seeing her son. But the currents grew stronger and
stronger, until Regina became swept up in a massive
wave that took her right back to her barren rock. She
tried again. And again. But no matter how hard she
swam, the water would always pull her right back where
she started.
Regina collapsed onto the rock in exhaustion. "A
ship will come," she thought. So she watched the hori-
zon. But a ship never came. And as days turned to
weeks turned to months, any speck of hope in Regina
faded away, and she came to realize she would never
see her family again.

• The back of the page contains a combination of excerpts from the Grimm fairytales "The Seven Ravens" and "The Pink".
• An unseen page from Roni's book also contains a combination of excerpts from "The Seven Ravens" and "The Pink".
• Another unseen page contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "Little Sister and Little Brother" combined with another excerpt from "The Pink".
• Another unseen page contains another excerpt from "The Pink", while a third page contains another excerpt from "Little Sister and Little Brother".

Mary Margaret's Book

• A prop page auctioned off online in November 2019 reveals Mary Margaret's unhappy ending in its entirety. The text that cannot be seen (or is indecipherable) on-screen is set in fuchsia, or, in the case of links, is underlined:

Sandstorms whipped around Snow White as she
trekked through the endless deserts of Agrabah. Things
were looking dire. The oasis she imagined had turned
out to be nothing but a mirage, a cruel trick of sunlight
and fatigue, and she was in desperate need of some water.
If only her camel hadn't run off! She could have been
back in the city bu now and sough shelter from this
dreadful storm. Snow looked at the ground to see
her footprints had disappeared. Now she knew not in
which direction she had come or which direction she was
going. Which way was forward and which way was
back? It was quite impossible to tell. Snow sunk to the
ground in defeat when a golden scarab landed on her
hand. She gazed at it, eyebrows furrowed in confusion,
when the scarab flitted off. Snow took after it --perhaps if
she followed, the desert creature would lead her to a
source of water. Snow wrapped the scarf around her to
protect herself as best as she could from the elements as she
followed the little bug darting though the air. When
suddenly, the ground began to shake around her! The
sand beneath Snow's feet began to rise in mounds,
threatening to bury her alive as Snow backed away on
terror. She watched as the mounds of sands began to take

shape -- forming the head of a giant tiger! Snow
gasped. Was this the legendary Cave of Wonders?
Suddenly, the Tiger spoke to her with a deep, rumbling,
intimidating voice. "Who disturbs my slumber?" the
Tiger roared down at Snow. Snow faced him uncertain-
ly. "It is I, Snow White. And it is not treasure that I
seek, merely shelter from this storm." The Tiger con-
sidered her for a moment. "I will allow you to pass.
But touch nothing within or you will never see the open
sky again." Snow shuddered ath the thought. It seemed
a dangerous proposition to walk into the jaws of this
Tiger, but what choice did she have? Perhaps if she
could wait out the storm, the skies would be clear again
tomorrow and she would be able to find her way out of
this desert. Snow took a deep breath and thanked the
Tiger for its hospitality. And with that, she walked into
his jaws and into the gaping darkness.
but his own heart [sic]

• The story is based on Disney's Aladdin, where the Disney version of the Cave of Wonders is a hidden cavern filled with riches. It is protected by a sand guardian taking the form of a massive tiger's head, which kills anyone besides the chosen individual who attempts to enter. The location of the cave is revealed by using a magical golden scarab beetle.
• The back of the prop page contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale of "The Seven Ravens".

Kelly's Book

• A prop page auctioned off online on eBay in November 2019 reveals the unhappy ending planned for Kelly:

The Wicked Witch paced up and down the Cap-
tain's Chambers of the Nautilus, cursing the bloody
heroes, mocking the gumption that got her into this
mess. "Let's save the world! Things will always work
out! The good guys always win!" Well, they didn't
win this time. Wish Rumplestiltskin had his way and
now they were all separated. and sure, a large part of
Zelena didn't mind the solitude. She often took to her
farmhouse for weeks on end just to recharge. But her
farmhouse was infinitely better than this rat-infested hole,
and this time, Zelena was separated from her own daugh-
ter. It destroyed her to think of little Robin, left all
alone in Storybrooke, wondering what happened to
Mummy. Zelena vowed to get back to her, even if she
had to break through one of these portals and swim
there. Although Zelena didn't know how to swim. It
was a secret she had long held from the others, fearing an
enemy might use it against her... or that someone might
mock her. Not that any one should be surprised that
Zelena was water-shy; she was the bloody Wicked Witch
of the West, after all. Some might say water was her
Achilles Heel. Although she'd probably say it was the
backstroke that she feared most.

Zelena had to admit that Wish Rumplestiltskin had a
flare for dramatics and pain, trapping her in this water-
tight sardine can. Not only was she surrounded by
water, but he knew very well that she found fish bloody
disgusting and that traditional was her very least favorite
type of interior design. She dug her toes into the elabo-
rate rug beneath her. "Repulsive," she thought. And
that music! The Captain's pipe organ magically droned
on incessantly day and night. How many sea chanteys
must one listen to until they go mad? "What I
wouldn't give for one bloody round of Chopsticks,"
Zelena thought.
Suddenly the Nautilus shuddered, as if hit with ten
thousand pounds of force. The screws popped from the
walls and water sprouted in, spraying Zelena in the face.
"I'm under attack," she thought, terrified. Zelena ran
to the portal to see what hit her. And then she saw it...
"Giant bloody squid," Zelena sighed. As if this
under the sea entrapment couldn't get any worse...

• The giant squid is a reference to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the original story that the Nautilus is from (on Once Upon a Time, they are replaced by krakens, even though the show introduced giant squids before). The pipe organ is also based on the novel, where Captain Nemo has a piano-organ aboard the Nautilus and likes to play it.

• Another unseen page from Zelena's book contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "The Seven Ravens", while a third page contains an excerpt from an alternate version of the Brothers Grimm's version of the "Cinderella" fairytale, where the titular character is known as Ash-Maiden.

David's Book

• David's unhappy ending appears in a storybook page which was auctioned off online in October 2019.

Growing up, Prince Charming has always wanted
to have brothers. He had dreamed of hacing a pack of
other boys to run around with and play games and rogh-
house. He had always through that would be the idyllic
childhood. And yet here he ways, trapped with the Lost
Boys, as they lived out the dark and twisted version of
that childhood fantasy. Here, the "brothers" always
seemed to be in some sort of competition with each
other, and more often than not, the competition turned
deadly. They all dreamed of being the first among the boys,
and they would do anything to prove that they were the
most capable, the strongest, the deadliest.They tried to
drag Charming into their dark games, but he wanted
nothing to do with them, or this place. All he wanted
was to be back home. To see his wife and children
again. But he had learned through bitter experience,
that was impossible now. The magic that brought him to
this realm insured [sic] that he would never escape from it. So
he had nothing to do but look out into the dark water,
completely alone, dreaming of the life he once had. All
he wanted was to be back in his comfortable home in
Storybrooke, telling this tale along with the others.
Tales about impossible moment, the close calls, the

daring escapes. And yet, something told him that this
time was different. That something her was per-
manent. After all, it was always family working
together that got each other out if trouble. But for the
first time in many year he felt alone. Like maybe
this time, hope would not wind the day.

• David's unhappy ending is a reference to the first half of Season Three, where he was poisoned with dreamshade during his stay in Neverland and the cost of the cure was that he could never leave the island.
• The backside of the story page contains yet another excerpt from "The Pink".

• For David's book, a green field was used so that the illustration could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph from an online auction, the caption reads: "Charming knew exactly where he was, and yet had never felt so lost."
  • According to a different prop auction from October 2020, the back of the illustration contains another excerpt from "The Seven Ravens".

Lucy's Book

• A prop page auctioned off on eBay in January 2019 reveals Lucy's unhappy ending:

Lucy looked out the window one more
time. "That makes about a thousand
since I got here," she thought, despon-
dently. It had only been a day, but that
day had felt like a year. Lucy wondered
if eventually her hair, like Rapunzel's, would grow long
enough that it would allow her to escape. But she had an
idea that Rumplestiltskin wouldn't make it that easy.
Probably, she would be old before her hair got that long.
Or perhaps escaping the tower would only set her free in
a realm where she was a friendless stanger, still without
a way to get back to those who loved and cared for her.
At least the basic necessities were provide for her.
There as a hearth with a warm fire that seemed to
magically regenerate itself without either consuming
wood or filling the air with smoke. The flue had at first
struck her as a possible route for escape, but even if she
could make it to the roof of the tall tower, there was still
no safe way to the ground.
Food was provided as well, a small haunch of meat
at midday, along with an out gruel and a bucket of fresh
well water, all provided by magic. And there was a soft
bed waiting for her when she exhausted herself with

pacing the room and exploring every inch of it for a way
out. She wondered if she'd cry herself to sleep tonight
and wowed that she would not. She wouldn't give
Rumple, or the universe, the satisfaction.
She knew she should keep up hope right now.
But it was hard to have hope in this moment, with her
father and mother so far away, no doubt trapped in their
own stories of isolation. "I'm thinking of you," she said
to the sky outside the window as the first star
began to appear. "I'm with you," she added. But she
didn't say, "I have hope." She didn't want to lie.

• Lucy's unhappy ending is a reference to her step grandmother's imprisonment in Gothel's tower in "One Little Tear".
• The back of the page contains another excerpt from "The Seven Ravens".

• For Lucy's book, a green field was used so that the illustration could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph from an online auction, the caption reads: "“My hair will never grow long enough. Not in a thousand years,” thought Lucy."

Rogers' Book

• Rogers' unhappy ending was revealed in a prop page auctioned off on eBay in January 2020:

Captain Hook had fought his way out of a hundred
of skirmishes. He was quite experienced in the common
tavern brawl. And the Jolly Roger had been boarded by
enemy pirates more times than he liked to recall. But
perhaps he had met his match in Wonderland, where
nothing made any bloody sense to him. In fact it was all
quite upside-down. Hook feared he would be lost in this
absurd place forever. It was a miracle at all that he
managed to escape from the rabid Bandersnatch. If only
that ridiculous Caterpillar hadn't been so out of his mind
as to point Hook into a bloody den of them! Hook
climbed atop a large mushroom and surveyed the land
around him. In the distance, he could see the Infinite
Maze. Should he try his luck in that dastardly labyrinth?
Maybe the only way out was to go in.But Hook shook
his head to himself. There had to be some other way.
Hook turned and faced east where the Tulgey Woods lay
before him. The trees grew thick and menacingly in
those parts shrouding the woods in a perpetual darkness.
As Hook most often used the stars to navigate this way,
not being able to see them would present quite the prob-
lem. Perhaps his best chance would be to go through
the Meadow of Living Flowers. Hook had heard tales of

Bread-and-Butterflies large enough to swallow a grown
man whole. But with his cutlass by his side, this seemed
like a fight that he could win. The Meadow of Living
Flowers it would be. Hook climbed down from his
perch on the giant mushroom -- only to find himself
surrounded by more Bandersnatches! Bloody hell. Hook
raised his cutlass threateningly, but the Bandersnatches
only circled him more tightly. Should he fight them off
or make a run for it? Hook slowly counted down in
his head. Three.... two... one. And with that, he
bolted, the pack of Bandersnatches hot on his heel.

• Rogers' unhappy ending is a reference to his daughter Alice's trips to New Wonderland, as described in "Hyperion Heights" and "Pretty in Blue".
• The Bread-and-Butterfly, which does not appear on the show, is a creature from Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass.
• The Meadow of Living Flowers, which also does not appear on the show, is based on the garden of live flowers from the second chapter of the novel Through the Looking Glass, and the meadow based on the same location, from the animated Disney film Alice in Wonderland.
• The back of the prop page contains yet another excerpt from the Grimm fairytale "Little Sister and Little Brother".

• For Rogers' book, a green field was used so that the illustration could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph from an online auction, the caption reads: "Captain Hook climbed atop a large mushroom and surveyed the land around him".

Tilly's Book

• According to a prop page auctioned off on eBay, Tilly's unhappy ending reads:

It was cold, Alice thought to herself. Really cold.
Alice hadn't seen her breath like that since last winter in
Hyperion Heights. She watched as the breath floated off
into the starry night. A moment ago she had thought
she saw the light of a city in the distance, but as her
eyes adjusted she came to realize it was simply the moon
reflected off the frozen tundra that stretched away to
forever. Alice wasn't just cold, she was alone. Alice
slumped on a rock, hugging herself, trying to keep warm.
She wondered if she would survive the night. And more
than that, she wondered if she would ever see her father,
or Robin, again. She had spent so much of her life alone,
now it looked like that's how she would end her life.
Only just then, the rock beneath her bum began to
quake. Startled, Alice sprung to her feet, but the rock
rolled toward her as if in pursuit! She turned to fee, but
another rock from nearby her side rolled her way. And
another from behind her. And a dozen more, from all
directions. They circled, herding Alice through an obvi-
ous attack pattern! Alice readied herself. For what, she
did not know when -- The rocks unfurled themselves, as
rocks almost never do. Arms and legs formed on each as
one after the other they revealed themselves to be little

stone men. None were taller than Alice's knee, but
together they made an intimidating force. Alice knew
exactly what they were: Trolls. She had experience with
trolls, but she didn't know what to make of this little
army that surrounded her now. She was scared --

• The trolls in the story are the rock trolls from "A Tale of Two Sisters", "Family Business" and "The Snow Queen". The freezing climate matches Arendelle, the homeland of the rock trolls, after it is frozen by Elsa in the Disney movie Frozen, and by the Snow Queen in the Once Upon a Time episode "Smash the Mirror".
• The back of the prop page contains another excerpt from the Grimm fairytale of "The Seven Ravens".

• A prop photo posted on Instagram reveals that the illustration shows Alice in a winter forest with a frozen waterfall in the background. The illustration was created from a frame of Alice in the New Enchanted Forest in "The Girl in the Tower".
  • The caption reads "Alice shivered [obscured]ately to keep [obscured]".

Prop photo

Original frame from "The Girl in the Tower"

Appearances

Once Upon a Time: Season Seven
"Hyperion Heights":	"A Pirate's Life":	"The Garden of Forking Paths":	"Beauty":	"Greenbacks":	"Wake Up Call":	"Eloise Gardener":	"Pretty in Blue":	"One Little Tear":	"The Eighth Witch":	"Secret Garden":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"A Taste of the Heights":	"Knightfall":	"The Girl in the Tower":	"Sisterhood":	"Breadcrumbs":	"Chosen":	"The Guardian":	"Flower Child":	"Is This Henry Mills?":	"Homecoming":	"Leaving Storybrooke":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Appears