Meggy: Please, don't ask why. I just felt like it.
Link: First One-shot ever! And Meggy owns
nothing!
I never thought they would come out like that. I didn't expect the river to stop. I couldn't believe this was happening to us.
Those were my first thoughts when it happened.
I had to hide him someplace where they wouldn't find him. Daddy might have… changed a little bit, but he was still my father. Daddy wasn't one of them and he never would be.
The stream powering the Music Box ran dry. Our luck was going downhill quick. Without the Music Box, they could come and go as they pleased. I knew that with Daddy in his state, they would haunt us until he came out.
But he wouldn't. I would make sure they didn't get him. They could circle all they wanted, but they weren't going to get Daddy!
I chose to hide him in the closet downstairs. No one would find him down there.
In time, they came, just like I knew they would. Moaning, groaning, shuffling their feet, they went around us for days, never stopping at all.
I couldn't eat much, I didn't sleep at all, knowing that they were just outside. Daddy was moaning in the closet with them, like he wanted to go with them.
I felt like I was going to break apart when the forth day came. I probably would have, too, if something didn't catch my attention.
I was staring out the grimy window (again) when I saw a little boy quite a bit older than me outside. He seemed puzzled at the sight of all the monsters. Slowly, he worked his way around the house and out of my vision. He didn't come back.
He was the first child I'd seen in a long time. I wished he had stayed and tried to fend of the monsters with that sword he had with him. I think he had a fairy with him too, but I couldn't see it very well.
I started thinking about that boy for a few minutes to pass the time. What was his name? Where did he come from? Why did he have that sword with him? Who was the fairy? And, most importantly to me, what was he doing here of all places? The rumors in town said this place was teeming with the dead (that was true) and there was no way he couldn't have heard it. So why come here?
A sound jerked me out of my thoughts. Rushing water. I hadn't heard that sound in what felt like ages.
Then another sound, this time from deep within the house. It got louder and louder until…
The music blared out of the house and into the surrounding area. The Music Box House had come back to life! We were saved.
Outside, the groans and moans got much, much louder. There was a loud crash and dust flew everywhere, blocking my vision of the yard. When the dirt finally settled, the monsters were gone. Every last one of them. Even the groans had stopped. The music of our house echoing through my head was the only sound I could hear for a while.
Finally, I decided to go and investigate myself. I grabbed the doorknob and, for the first time in what felt like forever, I walked outside.
The air was deliciously fresh for me. I could still hear the Music Box sounding out its wonderful melody. Underneath the music, I could hear the flowing stream. I walked over to the edge and gazed at the crystal clear water.
Could I be simply dreaming? What if I finally fell asleep and my mind thought this all up? I dipped my cupped hands into the river and brought the water to my face, splashing it all over. It felt so refreshing! I almost did it again when I caught my reflection.
I was a little messy, not to mention dripping wet. But who was going to see me anyway? There was no one out here but me.
At least, that was what I thought. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of movement. I quickly spun on the spot. Standing there, not five feet away, was the boy from earlier. When I had first seen him through my window, I couldn't see much details because the glass was so dusty and dirty. Now, I saw him crystal clear.
He had golden blond hair that reminded me of the sun at noon. The outfit he wore was a modest, forest green tunic, an equally green pointed cap, and thick brown boots that were heavily worn. His skin was a lighter peach than mine and there was a small sword on his back, covered by a much bigger shield. Yet, his eyes amazed me the most. They were a deep, sapphire blue and filled with confusion. But there was a certain sparkle, a courage far beyond his years. It seemed like he had seen and braved dangers that I couldn't even imagine.
We stared at each other for a few minutes. Then, realizing what I was doing, I jumped to my feet and ran into the house. I sat by the door and waited, my ear pressed against the wood.
I heard small footsteps approaching the house. There was a knock and a soft "Hello?" from outside. I stayed silent, wondering what he would do.
"I don't think she's going to open the door, Link," another voice mumbled. It must have been the voice of the yellow fairy I saw with the boy.
"I guess not," he replied. I suppose his name was Link, then.
A million questions popped into my head. Was this boy the one who caused the stream to go dry in the first place? Or did he make the water come back? What did he want? Then a terrible thought entered my mind. Maybe he was here because of my father's state. Perhaps he'd heard about the monstrous creature that lived in the Music Box House. Maybe he had come to put Daddy… 'Out of his misery'…
I heard a loud crash from outside. As quickly as I could, I bolted out the door and down the front steps. The boy Link was nowhere to be found. Did something happen to him? I walked a little ways from the house. The noise I heard sounded more like a 'boom' than a 'crash' to me. Maybe… a bomb, perhaps?
I wandered farther from the house. There didn't seem to be any damage…
A stir in the dust, a blur of green, the thump of a door. I turned to see a green something disappear into the Music Box House. I dashed back to the door and darted inside, cursing my ignorance all the time. While I had walked away from the house, that Link person must have snuck over to the house. If he opened the closet door and found Daddy…
I heard a soft melody as I entered the Music Box House. A soothing tune, yet I paid it no mind. Praying I wasn't too late, I rushed down the basement stairs.
The boy stood there with the fairy at his side, a tiny smile beginning on his face. Across from him was the closet, flung right open and empty. The last thing I noticed made my heart pound with a mixture of shock and joy. There, standing between the boy Link and the closet, was my Daddy. There were no bandages wrapped around his arms, no clawed fingers, and no bloodshot and glaring yellow eyes. He was normal.
I tried to speak, but my voice got lost on the way to my mouth. I swallowed and tried again. My voice was faint and weak, revealing the hours I had spent crying, the days I had spent in worry, and my lack of sleep and food. It uncovered how scared I had been the past days and how surprised I was at that moment.
"…Father?" Their attention sped over to me. Daddy stared at me in confusion. It was clear he didn't understand what was happening. The boy simply gazed with that strange and mysterious smile. I just realized that he had a beautifully crafted ocarina in his hands, blue as the cloudless sky. But it didn't mater.
Tears weld up in my eyes and blurred my vision. I sped across the room and into my father's open arms. Daddy was really back. He wasn't going to become one of them. The battle was over.
Daddy stroked my hair. "Pamela, what have I been doing this whole time?" he asked. He didn't remember when he was… what he had become…
I decided it was best if he didn't know. That way we could get on with our lives. I came up with a story, but it was hard to get out because my throat was clogged with tears. "You…you haven't been doing anything," I choked out. "You were just having a bad dream, that's all. Just a nightmare…"
Yes. That's what this all was. Just a terrible nightmare, coming to a close at long last. It was a perfect way to describe what had happened to us.
Daddy understood that he shouldn't press and silently held me, bringing me comfort I hadn't felt in an age. I was dimly aware of the boy picking up an object that laid on the stone basement tiles. It didn't mater to me. The warmth in Daddy's hug washed over me like a steaming bath. Finally, he was home.
My ears picked up the faint pitter-patter of the boy's leather boots on the stairs. He was leaving. It suddenly dawned on me that he must have done this. I couldn't let him leave without a thank you of some kind.
Gently, I broke the embrace. "Daddy, I have something I need to do."
My father nodded and stood upright. "Take as much time as you need," he told me.
I ran up the stairs and through the door. A few feet away from me, Link had his back turned to the house and was heading in the direction of the old Ikana Castle.
I called out to him. "Hey! Wait a minute!" He turned around and waited patently for me to get to him. When I did, he asked quietly, "Did you need something?"
"I…um…never…got your name," I stuttered. It occurred to me that I didn't know what to say. Just saying thank you didn't seem enough. I was staling for time.
He smiled again. "Link. My name is Link," he said in that soft tone of his.
"Oh. Well, Link…uh…" I couldn't really think of anything to do. My eyes randomly shot around for inspiration and met with his. Instantly, I was lost in their endless blue depths. There were many emotions hidden away that I found: joy, care, determination, and thoughtfulness. But there were darker emotions as well: sorrow, desperation, and fear. One stuck out in particular. Loneliness. Something told me that Link was often alone.
I don't know what made me do it. Perhaps I just couldn't think of anything else to do. Maybe the emotion just took a hold of me. Yet I think the most likely reason is that I understood how he felt. When Daddy went off to study, I was left to stay at home. It was very lonely, but I knew that my father would be back. For Link, it seemed different. No one was going to come. This pained me.
Whatever the reason, I threw my arms around him and gave him a heartfelt hug. Needless to say I surprised him and he almost toppled over. Soon, he regained his balance and did something I didn't expect. He hugged me back.
"Thank you, Link," I said. Without thinking, I planted a tiny kiss on his cheek. I could feel the heat come off him as he turned red. The fairy hovering beside us giggled as she noticed the boy's face change color.
I carefully broke away from him and looked him in the face. Link was blushing a deep rose red, his mouth curved into a shy smile. The dark emotions had disappeared from his eyes to be replaced with modesty, embarrassment, and a spark of laughter.
"It was nothing," he mumbled.
The fairy's giggles had subsided by then and she bobbed over his shoulder. "Come on, Link. We need to get going," she said. She had a bossy sort of tone, like she was use to giving orders.
Link nodded as the blush faded. "Okay Tatl."
I looked at the dirt-covered ground of the canyon. "Could you please not mention what happened to my father? He can't remember it at all, so I think it'd be best if he never knew."
Link smiled. "Yes, I can do that. In exchange…" He reached into his tunic and pulled out something round. "…can I keep this?"
The item was a bandaged up mask that looked just like one of the monsters that circled our house before. Now I knew what he had picked up in the basement. I nodded.
"Thanks!" he said. Though I'm sure he meant to say it with enthusiasm, it was still in that shy, quiet tone. It was like he wasn't use to talking; his voice wasn't often used. Link turned and ran off to a hole in the stone wall beside the castle's doors. Only stopping to wave at me, he disappeared inside.
I smiled to myself, hoping that I had lifted some of his burden. He was on a quest of some kind, I could just feel it. Whatever you're doing, I thought, I hope it works out. As started to head back to the house, I whispered, "Good luck…little hero."
Meggy: Okay, I'm done! I've gone COMPLETELY off my usual way of writing. Yeah, I know, this isn't normal with me. Usually it's all random nonsense and humor! Trust me, it will be next time!
Link: G'bye!
