DISCLAIMER: "The Legend of Zelda" and all rights, including the copyrights of the games, scenario, music and program, reserved by Nintendo. TM and (r) are trademarks of Nintendo. All rights reserved.
~Enjoy!~
"Grasshopper, where are you?" Romani whined to herself impatiently. It seemed to be taking an eternity for him to arrive. She tapped her foot and paced madly in hopes that it would make time pass quicker. She had been waiting for him for at least six hours now. Of course, the fact that she had woken up at the crack of dawn hadn't helped her situation. Romani had not wished to get up at that hour, but the pangs of anxiety for this day had warded off any chance of sleep.
However, from an optimistic point of view, her bothersome wake-up call did give her an early start. She offered to assist her older sister around their ranch, and for the most part that kept her busy and her focus off of the future events. Her sister, Cremia served as her guardian for as long as she could remember, living with Romani on their ranch and because of that, they were very close. The two sisters also had a similar physical appearance, with lengthy mahogany hair, pointed ears and blue eyes.
Romani Ranch (named after none other than herself) was a quaint yet functional ranch with a couple horses, numerous cuckoos, multiple cows and even a small dog racing track, complete with several dogs. The cows on this ranch supplied the greatest export of milk to Clock Town, located just east of the ranch itself. Lush fields of fresh grass covered its rolling hills. At this moment, the blades were bent towards the east due to the powerful breeze, and Romani's eyes followed their direction, glaring at the entrance with a wistful expression.
When her sister noticed her eagerness to help her, she put Romani to work brushing and feeding the horses, where Romani took extra time to nuzzle their soft, velvety noses along the way. Although trying her best to waste as much time as possible anywhere she could, their quiet whinnying and sweet, hot breath was a constant reminder of Grasshoppers horse Epona. The act of brushing the horses was relentless and she worked distantly, her mind returning to upcoming events. Romani tried to concentrate on the task at hand and the movement of the brush. Apply, rub, lift, apply, rub, lift. Her thoughts wandered back to Grasshopper and she realised the diversion was futile. Soon the attempt at a distraction in the stable was dismissed and Romani departed to tend to the cows.
Her cows.
With them in mind, she left the stable post-haste, slamming the door behind her. She took off running as quick as she could, her dress billowing behind her and her hair mimicking the dresses actions. Romani did not look back or stop for a second until she reached the cow barn. Throwing the door open with a loud bang, she rushed inside and immediately embraced the cow nearest to it. Romani stroked its bristly head and leaned against her tall, sturdy back. Tears of worry rolled down her cheeks, causing the cows fur to become damp beneath her reddened face.
"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise you this." she murmured gently into the cows flank. She wasn't sure however, who she was trying to reassure more: the cows, or herself.
Romani had been dreading this night more then any other of the year. Every year, around this time - the Carnival of Time- deviant creatures would fall from a glowing orb in the sky and attack her ranch. These creatures were not normal by any means. With no legs, they floated, approximately a metre from the earth and never touched the ground. Although legless, they had short, stubby arms with pointed claws at the end. Circular eyes covered their orange faces and emitted an eerie yellow glow. Their whole body seemed to radiate with iridescence. These aliens moved stealthily and made no noise, as they drifted towards the ground to abduct the cows of Romani Ranch, which were never returned. She knew they were still out there, waiting for the opportune moment- night. Fear for her cows had been gnawing at her since she learned about these ghosts, as she officially called them, so many years ago.
As she imagined the potential fate of her beloved cows, she whimpered and squeezed the cow harder. Before the tears could spill any faster, Romani heard her sister call her name from outside the barn; a distant hum almost drowned out by her sobbing. At once she perked up and hesitantly left the barn, wiping all traces of the tears away on her now soggy sleeve.
From beyond the ranch gates, loud, even clopping noises could be heard. Romani dashed towards the source of the sound at top speed, her feet making harder thudding noises then the previous ones. The figure was visible now; a tall image trotting through the entrance to the farm. Romani continued to run, only stopping when the figure reached her and she instantly embraced it as she had done her precious cow. Breathing heavily, heart thundering in her chest she cried in relief and glee, for this is what she had been waiting for all day.