I will never forget that day.
Thinking back on it, I find that my indignation with you was perhaps uncalled for. After all, you are but a child, and mistakes are supposed to come with your growth. The problem was something rectified easier than I had expected—arranging the logs in the fire pit correctly wasn't impossible, you did not have a well-rested night, all that needed to be done was rotate them all in the opposite direction. But instead, I lost my composure with you, and you fled.
The roads outside are very dangerous and we have been fortunate throughout our lives to dwell safely within the confines of the palace. When you did not return at the end of the day, I feared for your life. The day became weeks, and weeks became months. I received not a single word from you, and though I was granted leave in hopes of finding you, I did not. I returned to my service bitterly. My heart grew cold. I did not want to believe that I would never see or hear from you again. That was not in your nature to remain silent for so long.
Things became very strange after you left. The waters became murky and toxic. Life began to die around us. Giant, putrid-smelling flowers colored like blood bloomed where beautiful marsh grasses had before, and hideous, multiple-armed creatures infested the swamp. The moon itself appeared much closer; menacing, almost. A terrible curse had fallen upon us, and some nights, I wondered if it served as retribution for my outburst toward you.
Frequently, the princess asked about you, and I believe she was as heartbroken as I was knowing you hadn't returned yet. How else would she learn to play the pipes properly? You made it fun and exciting for her. Everything spiraled into chaos when she disappeared, too.
A witness testified that he had seen the princess skulking around with the monkeys late at night, one of whom had been injured and abandoned by his brothers. He was hurriedly imprisoned and interrogated but refused to cooperate. Unsurprising, given his intelligence. He spoke like we did without abnormalities; had had the cunning nature of humans.
The brassy sonata of the royal family was heard one day as if from nowhere, and when it became clear that the monkey taught it to an intruder, the king ordered for his punishment to be carried out immediately. It took me a great deal of time to comply with the command.
It was merely a fleeting glance that caught my attention, and the intruder was escorted out of the palace in the blink of an eye.
I thought, perhaps, that you had returned.
Soon afterward, the intruder infiltrated the palace once more, this time with intents of quelling the violent wrath of our angry king. His powers were like none I had ever seen before—he transformed into a human before our very eyes, and with him was our beloved princess. The king was overjoyed to find his daughter safe and sound (although the same could not be said on her behalf; the monkey proved to be innocent after all), and we discovered that, miraculously, the swamp had been restored to its former beauty.
Who had our goddess sent to us in such a crisis? This mysterious youth asked for nothing in return other than an few minutes' respite, legs swinging gently in the open air where he sat on the king's stage, watching as the other servants hustled about left and right, restoring things to their natural order. The mask lying beside him intrigued me, and it occurred to me that, although it wasn't much, perhaps he could find some use for the mask that I used while cooking. After submitting my request to the king, I humbly requested leave for the rest of the evening and hovered off to the shrine behind the palace to wait for him.
To my surprise, the boy came to meet me. I suppose I could have handed off my mask to him then and there, but even with his weary posture, I saw a radiant flame of courage in his eyes and thought that perhaps he reminded me of you. I would give it to him regardless, but I asked for him to follow me.
The boy did not hesitate to charge forward, raising his mask to his face and transforming into the scrub I had seen earlier. Whether or not he expected the obstacles within the shrine is beyond my knowing, but he kept pace with me the entire time, avoiding everything flawlessly. There was not a bead of sweat on his tired brow, but the exhaustion was there in his eyes. I knew then that this boy was no ordinary child. His life, short as it was, had been filled with much difficulty and heartache.
But he did not give up. He did not turn back. I thought of you again.
As I handed him my mask, I apologized for keeping such a brisk pace, and told him how you had gone away and how he reminded me of you. He listened without a sign of impatience, fingertips tracing gently over the carved snout of the mask, lips playing upward in amusement of its comical appearance. When I finished, the boy thanked me with a smile and told me that he would be sure to keep an eye out for you.
Meeting the heroic youth restored my faith in the world. I would hold out hope just for you. I knew in my heart that I would see you again, and shame on me for ever doubting that.
Life continued rather normally from that point, and as the Carnival of Time approached, I wondered if I would see you in Clock Town. The menacing moon had returned to its rightful place in the sky, and the annual procession through the Southern Swamp to Clock Town took place as it always did. We passed a wedding on our way there, and I made sure to offer a token of happiness to the newlyweds. I thought of myself and your mother and how many years ago I had been in that young man's shoes, and I thought of you taking the hands of a beautiful girl in your own some day, offering the moon, the stars, and all of the love in the world to her.
Clock Town was alive and noisy in celebration as it always was, and while I enjoyed myself, I found myself growing weary of the commotion before the clock tower had even opened and excused myself from the king's presence once again to have some time to myself for a little while. With hundreds of people rushing about in every building, I struggled to find a place to rest without leaving town itself, but I finally found mercy within the dreary darkness of the tower's basement.
What a beautiful carnival, I thought to myself, and what a terrible shame that I could not spend it with you. I wandered for what felt like hours, listening to the mill churning water and the roar of crowds above me. At the bottom of the walkway, I discovered a staircase I hadn't known was there before. Curiously, I entered, venturing slowly down a hallway that appeared to twist and contort before me. But perhaps that was merely my weary imagination playing tricks on me, and it was a sign for me to turn back and return to the carnival. The clock tower would be opening soon.
Instead, I pressed onward, intrigued by an unusual patch of foliage at the end of the hall. The cave I had discovered was bare aside from protruding stalagmites and flowers that looked as though they had bloomed very recently. I kneeled before the tree I had discovered and, upon further inspection, discovered it had been carved in a way that made it resemble a face.
It was perhaps the saddest looking tree I had ever witnessed, with such a despairing, sorrowful expression. I could not help but feel sympathy for it, and placed my hand on its side, guiding it up an arm of the tree to brush against a cluster of branches at its end that reminded me of a child's fingers. On a whim, I entwined my fingers in them, wondering why the tree had grown in such a lonely area.
I held the tree's hand in my own. As I scrutinized its face once again, I was suddenly reminded of you; how your hands had been this tiny when I had seen you last. There was a trembling in my limbs and a tightening in my throat. My free hand rose to the top of the tree's head where three brittle, brown leaves had once sprouted, now dead and crumbling.
I looked at your face again and felt as though the world around me had shattered.
How many moons had passed since I had last seen you? Where were you intending to go, wandering so far from the safety of this town, the safety of the palace? I can only wonder who did this to you, who robbed you of the vibrant life you lead, who took you away from the world that loved you. I fantasized about how you would grow up to be so handsome and talented; I knew great things awaited you. I saw the same things in the mysterious youth's eyes; your limitless ambitions, your unwavering courage, and your unending kindness.
I finally found you.
I am so sorry, my son.