📖 The Immortal Gazette: Tales of the Immortal, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The atmosphere in the studio was thick, almost suffocating, as Alice sat, still as stone, her fingers curled around her untouched tea. Rumplestiltskin couldn’t resist the obvious shift in the air. He cocked his head, eyes gleaming with mischief, while Loki leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lazily on the armrest.
“What’s going on, Alice?” Rumplestiltskin asked with a wicked grin, knowing full well that something was off. “You haven’t touched your tea since we started. Did someone forget to refill it, or is the mystery of today’s story making you... uncomfortable?”
Alice flashed a wicked grin back at him. “Oh, you know, it’s just Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde today. Just a little lighthearted tale about a man who turns into an entirely different person... after some helpful potion consumption. What could possibly be wrong with that?”
Loki raised an eyebrow. “You know, Alice, when you’re being all sarcastic like that, it makes me wonder. What’s really going on here? Why the silent treatment on the tea, hmm?”
“Let’s just say... something about the dual nature of humanity has been hitting a little too close to home,” Alice muttered, her eyes narrowing. “But enough about me. It’s time to dive into the mess of this particular story, and, trust me, it’s a doozy.”
The tale begins with the good Dr. Henry Jekyll, a well-respected, upstanding man of science. He’s a physician, a man who, by all accounts, is a paragon of virtue and morality. But deep inside, Jekyll is struggling. He feels as if there’s something within him—some darker side—that he can’t keep at bay. He wants to be a better man, but there’s this other side of him that he can’t control.
Enter Mr. Hyde.
Now, Mr. Edward Hyde isn’t just some charming, misunderstood character. No, he’s the epitome of darkness—cruel, vile, and utterly lacking in morals. And here’s the kicker: Hyde is Jekyll’s alter ego, a creation of Jekyll’s own making. See, Jekyll concocts a potion, believing that if he can separate his good and evil selves, he’ll be able to live a better life.
But oh, how that backfires.
Loki couldn’t resist jumping in. “I mean, really, creating a potion to turn yourself into a literal monster? What could go wrong?” He chuckled, almost too gleefully. “It’s almost like someone’s asking for a little chaos, don’t you think?”
“Exactly,” Alice replied, rolling her eyes. “Jekyll thought he could control it. You’d think he would’ve known better by now. But no, he drinks the potion and—bam—Hyde is unleashed. And let me tell you, Hyde is nothing but pure chaos. He runs wild, terrorizing the streets, doing all the nasty things Jekyll would never do in his right mind. People are dying, his reputation is ruined, and yet, Jekyll just can’t stop drinking that potion.”
Rumplestiltskin shook his head, tutting in mock sympathy. “You’d think a man of science would realize that splitting yourself in two isn’t exactly a healthy plan. Oh wait—he did realize it. But it was too late, wasn’t it?”
Alice shot him a dark look. “Yes, Rumple, it was too late. But you know what’s the best part of all this? Jekyll—when he finally realizes the full consequences of his actions—tries to make amends. He’s horrified by the things Hyde did. He even locks himself away in his lab to stop ever becoming Hyde again, but surprise surprise—Hyde keeps finding a way to sneak back in.”
Loki snorted. “Honestly, he didn’t even need the potion. Jekyll had that darkness inside him all along. Just needed a little push.”
Rumplestiltskin clapped his hands together. “Exactly. The whole ‘man of science’ thing? It’s all a cover for his true nature. It’s what makes the story so tragic. He couldn’t control the beast he created. And what happened? Hyde ends up murdering someone—a man named Sir Danvers Carew, an important figure. The police get involved, and Hyde’s little reign of terror comes to a screeching halt... but not before things get so much worse.”
“Right, and when the authorities start closing in on Hyde,” Alice continued, her tone turning cold, “Jekyll has no choice but to keep switching between his two selves, like a puppet on a string. He’s losing control, and he knows it. It’s not long before he realizes he has no way out. Hyde is taking over. The situation’s spiraling out of his control.”
Loki let out a low whistle. “Now, that’s drama. I mean, the guy literally can’t escape himself. What a way to go. Imagine being stuck in your own skin, only to have it turn on you.”
Alice leaned forward, her eyes glittering with amusement. “And in the end? It’s the worst kind of self-destruction. Jekyll tries to kill Hyde before Hyde kills him, and it ends—tragically—with Jekyll taking his own life. But Hyde doesn’t get off scot-free. No, no. He’s locked inside that body, and he’s done for too. It’s a mess. A real mess.”
Rumplestiltskin sighed dramatically. “You know, it’s a shame really. All Jekyll had to do was accept that we all have a little darkness inside us. But no—he had to go and try to be the good guy and split himself in two.”
Alice raised an eyebrow. “Right. Because pretending to be all sunshine and rainbows doesn’t always work out. Just ask anyone who’s tried to keep their darkest impulses buried. They always have a way of coming back, don’t they?”
Loki let out a low chuckle. “You know, I think the lesson here is clear: don’t create your own worst enemy.”
The Verdict: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a tale of humanity’s inner struggle between good and evil—except it’s taken to extremes. One man’s attempt to separate his two sides only results in chaos, death, and the complete destruction of his life. The story is a tragic exploration of identity, self-control, and the dangers of trying to run from one’s own darkness. The potion may have been a terrible idea, but the real problem? Jekyll didn’t know that sometimes the monster inside is something we need to confront, not lock away.
Rumplestiltskin grinned, looking over at Alice. “Oh, and Alice? Just drink the tea next time, alright? No need for any more potions around here.”
