Chapter 3- Is this a Dream?
The next morning, around 8 a.m...
Link woke to the bright sunlight in his eyes as he always does. He mumbled and sat up, stretching his arms out. "Well, time for another hard day of work." he said to himself.
As Link turned around to get out of his bed, he noticed that he wasn't in the same place as before. "Huh? Where am I? Why am I outside?" he wondered out loud. Link quickly stood up and looked around him. It looked as if he was in a forest, but the trees seemed a lot larger than the ones he knew, much bigger than the ones in Kokiri Forest. Some trees looked as big as the Great Deku Tree, while the smaller ones still towered over him like a normal-sized building. Link was very confused and a bit ruffled about this. "This doesn't make any sense. Was I sleepwalking?" he said to himself.
"Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnkk..." came a voice that seemed to surround Link.
Link jumped at the sound of that. "Huh?! Who's there?" said Link, instinctively reaching for his sword, only to realize that it wasn't with him, along with the rest of his equipment. Link gulped when he realized that.
"Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnkk..." came the voice again, this time a bit louder.
"Who are you? What do you want?" yelled Link, getting a bit tired of someone speaking to him that he couldn't see.
"Tee-hee! You don't recognize my voice?" said the voice again, but this time it sounded more clear. It sounded...feminine.
Link thought for a moment, but then realized who was talking to him. "Saria?! Is that you?" he called out to her.
"Took you long enough." said Saria's voice, giving a slight giggle.
"Are you contacting me with your song or what?" asked Link.
"Nope, I'm near you." said Saria's voice.
Link was getting more confused by the second. "Well, where are you then? I don't see you!" asked Link.
"I'm hiding, silly." said Saria, giggling again, "Why don't you come and find me?"
"Saria..." Link said with a groan, "Didn't I tell you I have no time for games?"
"Aw, c'mon, Link! Just this once? I have a surprise for you if you find me!" said Saria.
"Another surprise?" Link said with a hint of disgust in his voice, but Link knew that finding Saria would probably get him some answers as to why he's out here, so he shrugged his shoulders. "All right, but the surprise had better be good." he said.
"Don't worry...it is!" said Saria's voice.
Then, just to make sure that he wasn't lying, Link called out in a not-too-playful tone, "Ready or not, here I come!"
Saria's voice giggled again, and Link set out to find her. I just hope she's not in trouble or this is a trick by a Skull Kid or something. Link thought to himself as he scanned the area. From where he was standing, there didn't seem to be any kind of place even a Kokiri could hide. The terrain looked to be made of wood, and there were no other forms of vegetation growing there, save for the rest of the gigantic forest surrounding him. Soon, Link came to a slope that led down to what appeared to be a large rock covered in green grass. Link knew that it was too steep a dropoff, so he took a step back to avoid slipping. He examined the grass-covered rock near him. It looked...peculiar and yet somehow familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Saria? Am I close?" he called out.
"You're red-hot, Link!" came Saria's voice again, this time seeming louder and closer.
Link was puzzled by this. He had solved many puzzles in all those temples, but this one was a brain-buster to him. He looked around, but still saw no signs of Saria. Finally, Link decided that this wasn't fun anymore. "All right, Saria..." he said in a somewhat disgusted manner, "I give up. Where are you?"
"You sure you give up?" asked Saria.
"Yes." sighed Link.
"Okay, then. But since you tried so hard, I'll still give you that surprise." said Saria.
Link smiled, knowing that Saria was always nice to him. "Okay then, let me have it!" he said.
"As you wish!" came Saria's voice.
What happened next was going to be the biggest surprise that Link was ever going to get. Link could feel a faint rumble as the large grass-covered rock he had noticed earlier began to move and lift itself up! Link shuddered at that, but stood his ground bravely. Soon, however, he saw some certain features on the rock he hadn't noticed before. There were two flesh-colored spires coming out of two ends of the rock, and they almost looked like...ears? Soon, however, the ground rumbled and Link fell off his feet and onto his rear. Link closed his eyes tightly and waited for the rumbling to stop. As the rumbling subsided, Link held his head and looked at what was going on. What he saw next were two tree-sized objects rising out of the ground, and they too were flesh-colored. But then...Link heard Saria again.
"Hey, Link! Up here!" came her voice again.
Link got a bug-eyed look when he heard that, and slowly looked up...and up...and up. He had arched his back to the point he would fall over when he finally saw Saria. The only thing was...Saria was gigantic!! As it turned out, that grass-covered "rock" was her head and hair, and the tree-sized objects were her legs! Link just dropped his jaw in disbelief, thinking that this was a nightmare for being so rude to Saria and the other girls earlier.
"Well? What's the matter, little Link? Speechless?" asked an amused Saria.
At first, Link didn't respond to that, but as soon as he gathered what little wits he had at the moment, he hopped to his feet and ran off in the opposite direction, screaming his lungs out. Saria knew he'd react like this, but oddly enough, she let him run. It was almost like she knew something that Link didn't. As Link continued to run, many thoughts were racing through his mind, but one stuck out: What in the name of all of Hyrule is going on here?!!
As if to answer his statement, Link all of a sudden ran into something...soft. He fell to the ground again and looked to see what he had ran into. It looked to be a wall of some sort of white, fabric-like substance. Wait...fabric?! Link's eyes bugged out again when he noticed that it WAS fabric he had ran into, and the designs on it looked familiar as well...too familiar in fact. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard another loud feminine voice.
"Hey, fairy-boy! Good morning!" said the voice.
Link broke in a cold sweat. There was only ONE person he knew that ever called him that, and he was almost deathly afraid at who it was when he looked up to see Malon towering over him as well. Malon just looked down at him with a smile and waved at the diminuative hero. Link, on the other hand, just sprang to his feet and ran off again, away from the gigantic Malon and Saria, all the while saying to himself, "This isn't happening...this isn't happening...this isn't happening!"
But in his panic, Link wasn't seeing where he was going, and he again ran into something. As soon as he fell to the ground, he instantly saw what he had ran into...another "wall" of fabric. This one was light pink in appearence, but the large Triforce symbol on it was a dead giveaway on who it belonged to. "No...not her too...!" Link said with gasping breaths. He knew he shouldn't look up to see who it was, and he probably already knew who it was as well, but he had no choice as he lifted his head to see none other than Princess Zelda looking down upon him, also towering over him just like the other girls.
"Hello, Link." said the titanic princess.
Link just froze. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Soon, the other two girls stood by Zelda and looked down at him. Link just continued to not move and see his three best friends all of a sudden had somehow become enormous. He almost felt like he was having a heart attack, but without the fear of dying from it. Zelda leaned her head towards the little Link. Link put his arms up in his face, expecting the worst to happen, but his fears were somewhat calmed when Zelda spoke up. "Link? How do you feel this morning?"
Link sprang to his feet again, and suddenly felt a rush of courage flow through him. "What in the name of Nayru has happened to me?!" he shouted, his face burning with anger and confusion, "Why are you girls so big?!!"
"We're not big, Link." said Zelda, keeping her voice a little quiet so as not to harm Link's ears, "You're small."
Link looked as if he was going to faint. "I...I'm...I"M WHAT?!!!" he yelled again.
"It's like I just said." replied Zelda, "You're small. About 3 inches tall to be exact."
Link groaned and sat down on the wooden surface. "How did this happen to me?!" he panicked.
"I believe it was...me Link." said Zelda.
Link once again sprang back to his feet, totally surprised at Zelda's response. "WHAT?!! You mean YOU did this to me?!" he yelled, pointing at Zelda's large face. For someone who was really small at the moment, Link certainly didn't seem too afraid of the titanic trio of girls near him. But then again, if you've faced gigantic monsters several times, you wouldn't be afraid either.
"Guilty as charged." said Zelda.
At that point there was only one question that popped into Link's mind, and he wasn't afraid to ask it: "WHY?!!"
"I'll explain, Link." said Zelda, sitting down in the grass so she could be eye-level with Link. The other girls followed suit and sat down near Zelda. "You see, after you yelled at us like that yesterday, me and the girls decided to take some action. I used the shrinking spell I taught you to make your equipment small on you."
"But, that spell only shrunk my equipment!" said Link, seeming a little confused.
"That's only half-true Link." continued Zelda, "The spell works on living things as well, but it'll wear off in 48 hours. It's kind of a fool-proof way that the spell wouldn't be used for the wrong puropses."
"Wrong...purposes?" replied Link, sounding a little angry, "And shrinking me isn't wrong?!"
"I see nothing wrong with it." replied Saria.
"Same here." added Malon.
"Okay, okay..." said Link, sitting back down, "But that still doesn't explain WHY you shrunk me!"
"That's easy to answer, Link." said Zelda, giving off a smile, "I shrunk you so you could have some fun with us!"
"WHAT?!" yelled Link, getting tired of hearing the same thing from them again, "Didn't I tell you playtime is for little kids?!"
Zelda was about to respond to that, but soon her eyes went wide and she smiled a bigger smile. She looked at Saria and then Malon, and they had the same looks on thier faces. Soon, the trio of girls just started laughing. However, Link was taken aback by this, and wasn't amused. "What's so funny? Did I say something?!" he yelled.
The three girls just continued laughing for another minute or so before thier laughs faded into chuckles and giggles. Then, Zelda looked down at Link again with a smile on her face. "Link..." she said, trying to stifle her laughing, "...you ARE a little kid!"
Link was about to retort back at Zelda, but soon, he went silent for a moment, realizing what Zelda had meant. "Oy..." he groaned as he fell on his back in disgust. Zelda and the rest just giggled.
"So, what should we do first?" asked Malon, "Any ideas?"
"Yeah, I have one:" said Link, sitting up, "Change me back to normal! I don't have any time for this!!"
Zelda leaned towards Link, which made Link flinch a little. "There are two things wrong with that, Link." she replied, a hint of sterness in her voice, "First, I don't know how to reverse the spell, so you're stuck like this for the next two days. Second off, I don't think you're in any position to make demands, okay?"
Link admitted that she had a point on that second thing, and just sighed and nodded at her. "So, I'm stuck like this for the next two days, aren't I?" he asked.
"Yes you are." replied Zelda, the sterness leaving her voice, "So, you might as well get comfortable and used to being like this. In fact, I think you look kinda cute when you're so little." Zelda giggled a bit after that.
"Zelda...you're embarassing me..." said Link, his face blushing a deep red.
While Link was blushing, a faint grumble could be heard. Link's eyes went wide as he knew that the sound was his stomach growling. "Oops..." he said, continuing to blush, "I guess I haven't had anything to eat since I got back to the forest."
"So it seems." said Zelda, "I could hear that grumbling too."
"Huh? How? I'm so little I have to shout just so you can hear me!" said Link, a little confused at Zelda's remark.
"Have you forgotten, Link?" said Malon, looking down at him, "We're Hylians. Our ears are quite sensitive, so we can pick up the smallest of sounds, including your now-shrunken voice!"
"Oh, yeah...I forgot that..." said Link.
"Still, we should at least find some food for you..." said Zelda, but she looked disappointed, "Drat! I forgot to bring food for our little excursion. I guess we'll have to go to the market to find some..."
"That may not be necessary..." replied Saria, getting everyone, including Link, to look at her with questionable looks, "There's plenty of food here in the forest, like berries and stuff."
"Good thinking, Saria!" said Link, happy to see Saria was as bright as ever, "But, I can't go and get it...I'm too small, and who knows what dangers could happen to me?"
"Not a problem, Link." said Saria, looking at him with a smile, "I'll go out and find some food. In the meantime, you can stay here with Malon and Zelda and talk for a short while. Be right back!"
"Don't be long, Saria! And be careful!" said Link.
"I will!" replied Saria, and she went off to find some food for the little Link. As she walked off, faint tremors could be felt for Link, since he was so small and to him, her footsteps were like thunder.
As Link saw Saria walk off to find some food, he noticed that only Zelda was with him, and that Malon was nowhere to be found. Link looked all around him, but no Malon. Only Zelda was there, still sitting in the grass, looking at Link. "Hey, where'd Malon go?" asked a puzzled Link.
"Huh? I don't know...she was here a second ago..." replied Zelda, looking around to see Malon was gone.
Soon, however, Link got his answer...
"BOO!" yelled Malon as she sprang up from behind the stump Link was on. Link was downright scared, and nearly lept a few feet in the air (to him, at least), all while screaming his brains out. Malon just gave a loud giggle. "Oh, that was priceless!! You should've seen the look on you face!" she said while giggling.
Link, a little dizzy from the sudden startle, looked over at Malon with a dizzy, yet angry look. "Don't EVER do that again!" he said to Malon in between large breaths.
Zelda couldn't help but to giggle as well. "That wasn't too bad, Malon." she commented, "You sure scared the pants off him!"
"Geez...this is not going to be a great two days if this keeps up..." Link muttered to himself as he regained his bearings.
A few minutes later, Saria had returned to the group with what looked like a handful of berries. Saria showed the group the berries in her hand. They were a little bigger than a grape with a smooth and slightly bumpy greenish-blue skin. "What're those?" asked Malon.
"These are a special berry that only grow here in the forest." said Saria.
"I know these!" said Zelda, recognizing the berries, "They're Likan berries!"
"Likan berries?!" said Link, still standing on the stump. His eyes went wide and a hint of drool came out of his mouth. "Saria, you never cease to amaze me..." he said.
"Ummm...can someone tell me what's so special about these?" asked Malon, being the only one here that didn't seem to know about them.
"Likan berries (pronounced "Like-an") are sweet, yet tart-tasting berries that grow here in the forest." explained Saria, "They're called that because mostly anyone who has tasted them like them. They're very delicious and quite plentiful too."
"Not to mention some consider it a delicacy, such as myself." said Zelda, "Wow, you're so lucky to be able to eat these all the time, Saria! I only get a shipment of them every two weeks at the castle!"
"Yeah." said Link, which made the girls look down at him again, "Now, c'mon! Let's eat!"
The girls nodded and Saria split the berries between everyone, but she held onto a few for Link. Malon was still a bit unsure of the berries, but knew she should trust in her friends and gulped one down. "WOW! These're great!!" she beamed. The other girls and Link smiled, seeing that the berries still lived true to thier name. However, Link seeing the girls stuff themselves with the berries was making him even more hungrier.
"Hey! What about me? What am I, chopped liver?" asked Link in a sort of impatient tone.
Saria looked down at Link while holding a few Likan berries in her hand. "You'll get yours, Link..." she said, but then her face twisted into a sort of cruel smile, "...But you need to earn it."
"WHAT?!" yelled Link, "Whaddya mean I have to earn it! I'm starving!!"
"I think he should earn his breakfast, since he was so mean to us the other day." said Saria, looking at Malon and Zelda, "What do you think, girls?"
The other girls nodded in agreement. Link, however, wasn't pleased at this one bit. "Hey! That's not fair! Why do I have to work for it, anyways?!" he yelled.
Saria leaned towards Link. "First, you yelled at us, then you say that we're treating you unfair?!" she said, not bothering to keep her voice down. Her voice echoed in Link's ears. "Think of this as punishment for yelling at us. Besides, didn't you say that you don't mind working anyways?"
"But-but-but-but-!" Link stuttered, but the look Saria was giving him meant that he shouldn't argue. Link just slumped his head down and sighed in disgust. "Alright...what do I have to do?" he groaned.
Saria's serious look turned to her heartwarming smile that she always had. "Seeing as how you're my lifelong friend and all, Link, I got an easy job for you." she said. Link looked at Saria with a smile. Even though she was now a lot bigger than he was now, she still called him a friend, even after the yelling episode he gave her yesterday.
"So, what's the job?" Link asked, but then gulped in nervousness.
"Simple." said Saria, "All you need to do is give me a backrub."
"Wha-HUH?!" exclaimed Link, surprised at the "job" he was given. "How am I suppposed to do that at my size?! And what kind of job is that anyways?"
"Well, while I was picking the berries, I tripped and landed on my back, so it could use a good massage." explained Saria, "As for the size problem...well, you're a smart boy. I'm sure you'll think of something."
Link didn't know how to react to this event, but his growling stomach got the better of his judgement and he decided to go ahead with it. "Okay, fine. I'll do it." said Link.
Saria smiled and handed the remaining berries to Zelda. She then lied down on her stomach next to the stump and motioned Link to get on her back. Link, still a little nervous, carefully slid down a smooth part of the stump down onto Saria's back. He took a few steps and was rather intrigued at how differently the fabric on her shirt felt at this size, not to mention how it looked. He could see how the shirt was threaded together ever so carefully. Still, it gave him enough room to not step in a hole or anything, so he made his way to the center portion of her back. "Alright, so, where should I start?" he asked Saria.
"Right where you are is fine." said Saria.
"Okay..." said Link, taking a long breath, "Here goes nothing..."
Link pressed his hands against Saria's back and started massaging it in an up-and-down motion. Though Saria barely felt it, she admired how Link, despite how little he was, was doing his best. Link started doing circular motions with his hands, being especially careful as to not make anyone think that he was doing something inappropriate. He was nervous the whole time he was doing this, and his eyes trailed towards Zelda and Malon, who were just sitting there and watching the whole thing with smiles on thier faces. Link blushed as he saw thier smiles, not knowing that because of this he had stopped rubbing Saria's back. Saria noticed this and poked Link with one of her fingers.
"Hey, Link! I don't feel anything moving up there!" she said in a teasing manner.
Link snapped out of his nervous state and began to massage her back once again, this time a little faster and more rigorously. He then started moving up and down her back, trying to cover a wider area. Saria was content this whole time, and her back was feeling much more relaxed, even though it was being massaged by someone only 3 inches tall. Soon, Link had massaged the center part of her entire back, but he was tired from moving around so much, that he just sat down with authority on her back. Saria noticed the sudden stop in movement and got worried.
"Something wrong Link?" she asked.
"Just...tired..." said Link in between long breaths.
"Okay. You've done enough. Now just apologize to all of us and you can have some berries." said Saria.
Link stood up and brushed himself off. "I'm sorry, girls. You are my best friends, and I never should've yelled at you like that. Can you ever forgive me?" he asked with a slight pleading tone in his voice.
The girls thought for a moment, and then Malon carefully scooped Link off Saria's back and set him back onto the stump. The three girls then sat down next to the stump, facing Link.
"We forgive you." they all said together.
Link smiled as the girls fogave him and saw Zelda place the two remaining Likan berries next to Link. "Eat up, Link." said Zelda with a smile.
Link didn't argue with that and immediately sat down next to a Likan berry and took a bite out of it. To Link, the berry was just a bit taller than him in height, but that also meant that there would be more berry for him to eat. Link savored the flavor of the berry with each bite he took, and he was getting juice all over him in the process. Soon, Link had eaten his fill, even though he had only eaten half the berry. Link sat down on the stump and patted his stomach. The girls just smiled at him.
"So what now?" asked Malon, "What do we do first with our little Link?"
Link looked up at Malon with an annoyed face. "Do you have to use the word 'little'?" he said, annoyance in his voice.
The girls just giggled. "Sorry, Link." apologized Malon.
"No harm done." said Link.
"Let's let Link's food settle first. We don't want him to get sick during activity." said Zelda.
The others nodded in agreement, and everyone took a little break. I wonder what kind of activities they have in store? thought Link to himself, I just hope they know what they're doing...
