“Belle has been in Fairytale Land in a locked asylum so, theoretically, she has never seen a phone, so a parking meter might frighten her” Do they mean Belle was in fairytale land then in a locked asylum in Storybrooke or do they mean she was in a locked asylum in fairytale land? Will Belle be viewed as insane by the rest of Storybrooke because of her lack of familiarity with everyday objects such as phones and parking meters and her willing association with Rumple?
I can’t guarantee anything but the way the sentence is turned seems to mean that for the 28 years that she was locked away in an asylum in Storybrook, she was in fairytale land in her mind… if that makes any sense…
As if the curse worked on her and effectively transported her in SB, but she arrived as a mental patient believing in fairytales. Therefore not giving her the chance to get acquainted with the ”real” world.