Ch.5: That Still Small Voice

        After she put on the deputy’s badge, there was some shaking and phones began to ring. Then they found out that some mines collapsed. After Regina told everyone that she was going to turn the collapsed tunnels into city property by paving them, Henry told Archie and Katherine that they couldn’t let her do that, saying that something could be down there that she was trying to hide.

        “They’re just some mines,” she assured him.

        “That just so happen to collapse after you get here? It’s working. You’re weakening the curse,” he told her. “Did you do anything different today?”

        Regina interrupted them.

        “I told you to wait in the car,” she told Henry whom then left. “Deputy, do your job.” Katherine walked away, which gave Regina an opportunity to threaten Doctor Hopper, and tell him to get Henry to stop thinking that fairytales are real. Then Regina walked away.

        Later, Hopper tried to do as he was told, not wanting to be fired, so Henry went down into the old mines to find any proof that something was down there. Since he’d gone to Katherine before going down into the mines, they knew where he was headed and went after him.

        After Hopper went in after Henry, there was a cave in, so Katherine got some construction workers to help, and Ruby had Pongo’s leash whom was Hopper’s Dalmatian dog. Because she called some people to help, Regina found out, so she was there too.

        Regina started arguing with Katherine.

        “Why do you think he went down there in the first place? Because you made him feel like he had something to prove,” she reminded Regina.

        “Why does he think he has something to prove? Who gave him that idea?” Regina replied.

        “Don’t blame me,” she warned her.

        “Oh, please, lecture me until his oxygen runs out,” Regina replied, before walking away from her.

        After Regina gave the order to blow it, they did so.

        Katherine went over to see if it opened up, and then came back and told Regina that it didn’t open.

        “What did it do?” Regina questioned.

        They found out that it didn’t do anything, and then Katherine saw that Pongo was whining from the fire truck front seat, so she let him out. Pongo went straight for a patch of dirt, which led them to a mine shaft. They took the vent off and made a harness.

        “Someone needs to go down there,” Gepetto said, though because of the curse, he didn’t know he was Gepetto.

        “I’ll go,” Regina said without hesitation.

        “No way,” Katherine replied.

        “He’s my son,” she told her.

        “I don’t think he’d be very happy to see you right now after what you tried to do,” she pointed out. “Forgiveness isn’t given overnight, you know. I know that from some personal experience,” she added.

        “Just bring him to me,” Regina stated.

        It didn’t take long for Katherine to get down to them.

        “You guys okay?” she questioned.

        Hopper got to his feet.

        “Yeah, we’re okay,” he assured her.

        Soon, they were out of there.

        Afterward, Hopper finally stood up to Regina and then left.

        Later, Henry and Katherine were sitting down on a rock together.

        “You really scared me,” she admitted. Something she normally wouldn’t admit to anyone but herself.

        “I’m sorry,” he apologized.

        “Well, come on. Your mom wants to take you home,” she said. She was about to get to her feet.

        “Hey, listen,” he suddenly said, before she did so.

        They listened and once in so many years, they actually heard crickets chirping.

        “Crickets,” Hopper stated.

        “They’re back,” Henry stated. He looked at Katherine. “Things are changing.”

        While everyone was having a party by the mines, Regina was standing by the shaft, looking down into it.