Shovels Make The World Go Round
Link had just convinced Marin to accompany him to Animal Village so that he could continue his quest. But he didn't really feel that it was necessary to hurry. Would you, if you had persuaded the girl you had a crush on to follow you? As such, Link had meandered around Koholint Island, having various misadventures and making small talk with Marin where possible. In a mildly memorable incident, Link had made the mistake of jumping into the well, only to have Marin land on top of him. His body still ached from that. While trying to think of more ways to pass the time, Link noticed that he was just ten rupees away from being able to buy the Bow from the shop. True, he could have just stolen it, but he didn't want Marin to think badly of him. He took out his shovel.
"Marin, I'm just going to dig a few holes for a minute, okay? I need just a few more rupees." Marin smiled and nodded. It was perfectly normal to take out a shovel and dig holes to earn a bit of money after all. She watched as Link stabbed the shovel into the ground and pull out a clump of dirt, bringing out a rupee along with it.
"Great! Dig it! Dig it! Dig to the center of the earth!" Marin cried. Link paused, then turned and stared at her. She hesitated, as though she was thinking about what she could have done to cause this. Then she blushed. "Sorry Link. I won't do it again." Link nodded, then dug another hole. However, Marin just couldn't help herself. "Great! Dig it! Dig it! Dig to the center of the earth!" Link turned to her again.
"Marin, is that really necessary?" Marin blushed again, then said,
"Yes, it is necessary actually." Link shrugged and replied,
"Okay. Carry on then." He turned back and continued digging holes. Marin, no longer afraid of Link thinking of her as an idiot, watched him intently. For some reason that she wasn't quite sure of, every time Link dug a new hole, she felt a rush of sexual excitement. She thought that Link just seemed even more appealing while he was digging. This was strange in itself, but at least it was still what she saw as a healthy attraction. But as the time went on, she began to have bizarre fantasies in which she and Link would both have shovels and be digging holes together. To her horror, this alone was enough to stimulate her. It was made more disturbing when she found that the fantasy immediately became more pleasurable when she imagined herself alone. Determined to find out what was wrong with her, she began imagining the various elements of the fantasy individually in an attempt to find out if there was a particular element that was appealing to her. She eventually found that it was the shovel itself that was causing these strange feelings. All of a sudden, now that she'd identified what the problem was, she wasn't disturbed anymore. In fact, she even allowed herself to feel wonderful about thoughts of the shovel. With a new zest for it, she continued to watch Link keenly. Unfortunately, Link soon found the last of the rupees that he needed. He put the shovel away, which caused Marin to moan sadly. She felt a rush of anger towards Link, then began to mutter.
"Don't you worry my love. I promise that I will free you from your captor. Then we can finally be together. Just you wait..." Unfortunately, Link heard this quite clearly.
"Uhh... Marin? You don't even like going in Tail Cave. I don't think you would be able to help me collect the Instruments and wake up the Wind Fish with that sort of attitude. Sorry."
"Huh? What? Oh! Yes, of course. I'm sorry Link. That was a stupid suggestion." Marin said quickly as she realised that Link had heard her.
"It's okay Marin. If you can learn to overcome your fears, I really wouldn't mind if you came along for the adventure."
"Oh well! Guess I'm just too much of a scaredy cat!" When he heard this, Link sighed sadly and began heading for the shop. Marin still followed him, but it was more subconscious than anything. She retreated into her thoughts. Why hadn't she gotten herself a shovel before? If she had saved every rupee she got, she would have been able to get one. But then again, maybe she could start now! She watched Link select the bow and pay for it. He held it above his head with a huge grin on his face. Link started to head for the exit. Marin hurried to the shopkeeper and asked him if he had another shovel. He told her that Link had the last shovel on the island. Marin began to despair. It was then that she made a decision. She would not rest until she had taken the shovel for her own. If Link had to die for that to happen, so be it.