Wow! A chapter! After three years! Awesome to know you're enjoying the story enough to make it this far. If you're not, well, flame me. ;p And what're you doing this far into the story, anyway? You confuse me.
Over the last three years, I wrote 11 chapters (10 chapters besides this one), but the story's nowhere near finished. The next submission will be in two years – same reasoning as shared in the last chapter's AN (editing the story as a whole so I feel free to change things as desired) – and I'll again hope I'll finish the story by then. Even if it's not finished, I'll share my progress. Injury sprinkled with irresponsibility stopped me from working on the story more this time around, so I apologize, since it was mostly the irresponsibility.
HUGE thanks to my betas who helped me with both editing and the LoZ world, as the only game I ever finished in the series was this here Spirit Tracks. (I got to mooch off my sister's other LoZ games for short periods.) Thanks to Skystar901 and sapphire316 for their knowledge of the Legend of Zelda-verse and for sharing their general opinions on the chapters, thanks to ZeldaAddict42, Light Onthemayo, and my aforementioned sister (last one's not a username lol) for the HOLY WOW in-depth editing, comments, and knowledge. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
To give the end of the chapter a more proper feel, I shall place my unnecessary comments here:
*I had a lot of fun reading the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Dying Detective." Old stories' dialogue fills me with great mirth and joyful delightedness. (awkward wording intentional)
**Emmett, the Special, the Most Interesting and Important One: "I think I heard a whoosh." (The LEGO Movie)
I trudged along and sang in a low voice. "On the rails again… On the rails again…" Obviously instead of going to Aboda this time, I was going to the forest.
"On the rails again…"
I walked by the blue rectangular train I'd passed earlier. I said to no one, "The tracks are fixed, you know."
Suddenly, I realized, It's quiet. Too quiet. I didn't even hear birdsong or wind rustling through plants.
"Aargh!" I pounded my head. "Enough with the cliché phrases!" I'm talking to myself more than usual. Fantastic. I shook my head and growled. "Zelda! Get over here so I can feel less insane!" She was floating around with a flock of pigeons that were flying several yards away, but she left them and came over.
"Like, at least you already know you're, you know, insane."
"Huh?"
"You said so you can like feel less insane, not, like, be less insane."
I rolled my eyes. "Never mind. Go away and shut up."
"Like, nope! You're like more fun than smelly birds."
"Then at least shut up."
"Like nope!"
I walked a few more steps. Okay. I have an idea. I let myself collapse onto the ground. "Ohh, Zelda, I got bit by a poisonous smelly pigeon. There's nothing we can do. I'm going to diiiiee." The side of my face that was on the grass itched. Jeez, some pointy seeds right here. But I can't let myself move now.
She gasped. "Nothing? Like, nothing-nothing? Nothing, like, at all in like the whole wide world will like save you at all?"
"Nothing," I breathed out dramatically. "Oh, I'm dying—I'm gone!"* I flopped my tongue out. "Bleh."
"Oh!… Oh… Liiiiiiink!" she wailed. "Like, NOOOOOOOO!"
Once her cry trailed off, I could feel her staring at me. Go away, you stupid ghost.
She muttered to herself, "Does this mean I'll have, like, a ghost-buddy now?"
Oh jeez.
I waited. I really wanted to scratch my face and it was uncomfortable to lie still for so long. Zelda started humming and singing out of tune.
Oh jeez.
I waited longer. She started wailing an opera. "Like, all ye OOOOLLDE OOOLLDE Hylians, gather afore mine narratiOOOON, as I, like—"
"Fine!" I jumped up. "I'm not dead!"
"Yay!"
"Shut up."
She probably didn't hear me. She zoomed ahead, all excited. "Yay yay yay!"
I sighed again and groaned.
Which was when I heard an airy whoosh.** My gaze ended up on the abandoned train. I was standing in a place so that I could clearly see the front of it. Staying at my distance, I inspected it for a moment. Purple seeped out from the bottom. That doesn't look like oil…
The train began shaking. I took a step towards it. "There an animal or something in there…?" (Zelda kept shouting, "Yay yay yay!" Maybe she'd get lost in the forest before I even got there. I'm allowed to hope.) At my second step, the train's body creaked and snapped into an oval. I froze. The grates on the front widened into a fiery mouth, and pupil-less eyes opened up, fire blazing behind them. The wheels on each side blasted into each other and seemed to meld to make one large wheel on each side. It was an evil, two-wheeled train.
"Um…" I stared straight into its eyes, flames roaring out of them.
The train accelerated… right at me!
"Crap!" I made a quick ninety-degree turn; I knew trains couldn't change direction too fast.
The chugging kept thundering toward me.
I somehow ran faster.
The chugging—
…quieted. Then headed off into the distance.
I didn't stop running, just in case it was trying to trick me. "Zelda!" Time to give up my hope that I'd lose her.
I heard her distant, "Oh!" She flew over to me. "Like, yes?"
"Where's the train!"
There was a pause. I assumed she was looking around to see what I was talking about. She answered, "You mean like the heebily-jeebily trainily demonly thingily?"
A wheeze for air: "Yes!"
"It's, like, waaaaaay over there. I don't like think you need to worry."
"It's on the tracks?" I managed to say.
"Like yeah… Like duuuuh. And you're like getting farther from the forest."
"Good!" But I stopped running. "Okay! Fine! I'm going to the forest!"
Zelda stared at me.
Talking to myself again. Great.
It was a long walk. Well, kind of. It wasn't exhausting, but it was boring, Zelda's blabbering included. Where's an evil flying trumpet-ball when you want one? Not that I did.
I looked up at the forest. It was much further into the day than when we'd first gone through. This time the sun was starting to set, but only just barely. The shadows weren't notably long yet, and the sky was just as blue. The forest was still just as dark. The stupid logs warning about excruciating death were still just as stupid and creepy.
I sighed.
Zelda said, "Like, you like sigh a lot. Did you like know that?"
"I think I started sighing more after I met you." I cringed. Yikes. That almost sounds romantic. I hope she didn't catch that.
She didn't.
"Okay," I huffed. "Time to go IN to the forest." I forced a leg forward when I said "in" and stiffly made my way into the place. I repeated under my breath, "IN to the forest. IN to the forest…"
I went into the forest. I squeaked. "Oh Farore." I could more feel my limbs' silhouettes than see them.
"Heehee!" giggled Zelda. "It's like so dark! I like just like love the like dark!" She giggled again, swirled around up into the air, and silently disappeared into the trees' canopies.
I realized it felt cold. I crossed my arms against my chest and hunched over. Okay, I thought. Singing. Singing's usually supposed to cheer people up. I shuffled along and started my favorite song, the Song of Discovery. I probably sounded pretty pathetic. And it didn't help me feel any less stupid since most people thought it had the lamest lyrics of all time, but I sang it anyway.
"A treasure chest
It is the best
It's — mine."
All the singing helped with was making me feel like a dork. This sucks. Then something rustled. I swung out my sword. "Who's there!"
From somewhere far away, Zelda came shrieking toward me, her noise getting louder every second. Freaking out, I demanded, "What was it!"
"Like, like, like, a like, like, spider!"
I groaned and put my sword away. "For real, Zelda?"
"Yes, like, for real! It was like, like ten feet tall! It like—"
"Shut up." There was too much to freak out about without Zelda being jumpy.
Some more walking. Zelda whimpered every step and insisted like, the spider was, like, fifteen feet tall. Its size changed every time she described it. I ignored her until I heard something rustle again.
"Hold on a second," I said to no one. "Normal-sized spiders aren't large enough to make anything rustle. That means…"
"IT'S LIKE GOING TO EAT US!"
"…that there's something else here with us."
"Like no!" Zelda yelled. "You're wrong! It's likelikelikelikelikelikelikelike—" She couldn't seem to quit rapid firing "like"s.
A bush rustled and a twig snapped. I heard angry grumbling, a shout, and the pak of someone getting hit. I took a step forward. Zelda managed to shut up and listen.
A high-pitched gurgling voice behind the bush shouted, "Fine!" before its owner dove through the bush and landed in front of us. I was more hearing all of this than seeing it.
"Kid," the gurgling voice barked.
I asked, "Is this going to be a civil conversation, or am I going to have to beat you up?"
Some other similar high-pitched gurgly voices chuckled. It sounded like they were gargling water as they laughed. "He's got guts," one commented, and "Yup. It's gotta be him," said another before hocking a loogie onto the ground.
Whatever was in front of me snapped at the other voices, "Shut up will ya!" They didn't stop their watery chuckling.
Zelda murmured in fear, "I, like, do not like the sound of these guys…"
I shook my head. "Me neither." I said it without thinking. I forgot most people or whatever couldn't see or hear her.
"HA!" Someone else leapt out from the frikkin' bush I frikkin' couldn't see and stood right in frikkin' front of me. He, it, maybe her, whatever, seemed about my height, so not very intimidating, but I hated that I couldn't see who they were. And height isn't very important if someone's a good fighter, anyway. The second one said, "He even talks to himself! Just like she said he would! We've gotta take him!" Another pak and the guy groaned in pain.
I knew I couldn't let my annoyance or fear show in my voice. "Get to the point, numbskulls."
The last one behind the bush said, "He's perfect."
The first two giggled like flower girls. Flower girls with their faces in water. One started repeating, "I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I can't believe it…"
The other said, "Can I have your autograph?"
Pak and groan.
I growled, "I'm leaving if you don't tell me what's going on."
"Wait, no! Okay okay! We, uh, we uh… Come on, guys! Help me here! I'm, like, in front of my idol!"
The voice behind the bush said, "I'm not going near him."
It was official. They were idiots. "I'm going," I said. "Later, morons."
"Wait!" One of them stomped their foot. "Wait, no! That went nothing like I wanted it to!"
I kept walking and kept listening to what they were doing. If they tried to rush me, I'd be ready. But instead they just kept shouting and calling each other names. I kept my sword out, but as their voices faded, I couldn't help feeling a bit relieved. Nothing bad had happened. Just really, really weird.
I started talking to Zelda, "Sooo… Any idea how to get out of here?"
She seemed distracted. "I think, like, you know, um, think I saw—EEEEEEEKK!"
I ignored the banshee and put my sword away.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"
Ignoring her didn't change anything. "Zelda! I can't hear anything over your—"
Suddenly I couldn't move one of my legs. I could still feel it, so it wasn't numb. I hadn't lost circulation. It just wouldn't move. I looked down to see what happened, but of course it was too dark to see anything. I tried to take a step with my other leg, but that one got caught, and I flipped forward and smashed my head on the ground.
Zelda was still screaming.
My head throbbed, stung, and burned all at the same time. "What's going on!" I shouted.
"MILE TALL SPIDER!"
"Frikkin' Zelda," I snarled and twisted around so I wasn't facing the ground. "Would you shut up about the—DIN, SAVE ME!" I screamed so loud, my throat seared with pain.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"
A behemoth of a spider, larger than the train Anjean gave us, darted out from the canopies of the trees. Its body was so massive, it bent the branches around it for split seconds as it moved past, letting in strobes of light and so I could see the monster. Its body was a gigantic poisonous yellow bulb with black splotches melding into the face of a screaming skull. It accidentally snapped a large branch off a tree, so light shone through in a steady beam. This thing wasn't scared of the light, though. The light just gave me a chance to see how the spider was going to kill me.
Zelda zoomed all around, eyes screwed shut, not paying attention to where she was going. She flew through trees, through branches, it didn't matter. The spider's fangs parted to shoot poison, or venom, or whatever, or SOMETHING painful at me. I cringed away but kept watching it.
With her eyes still shut and still shrieking, Zelda flew into the spider.
And disappeared. She didn't fly out the other side.
She, and even her screaming, was gone.
I screamed.
The spider's jaw froze, partly open. Its many eyes brightened and changed to red.
"Eeeeeviiiiilll!" I screamed. My hands shook as I tried to get my sword back out. I somehow managed and held it in front of me as a last hope of poking out one of its eyeballs. I quivered as I waited for the spider to come closer.
It didn't move.
It blinked instead.
It turned its body to the left, then to the right, like it was looking around confused.
It turned back to me. It said in a girly voice, "Um…"
"AAAH!"
It raised a front leg.
I screamed. "AAAH!"
"I think," it said, "that, like, something weird is going on."
"It's going to annoy me to death! Noooo!"
It somehow huffed in annoyance. "Oh yeah, Link. Like, thanks a lot."
I realized what had happened. "Their minds melded," I said in horror.
It blinked again. " 'Their' minds? Are you, like…" The front leg raised a bit higher. The red eyes focused on it.
The spider lurched backward. "NOOOOOO!"
"AAAAAAHH!"
"EEEEEEEKK!"
"AAAAAAHH!"
"EEEEEEEKK!"
I screamed until my side hurt and until I was too exhausted to scream anymore. In which case, we were probably there for at least a good ten minutes. I ended up staring miserably at the spider. I said, "I'm going to starve to death before you eat me, aren't I?"
"Oh! Um, like, we need to get back to Gage."
I frowned. "Noooo… Zelda and I need to get back to Gage. Not 'a freaky spider that eats ghosts and I.' Creep."
"But, Liiiiiiink," it whined, "I am Zelda."
"First I talk to invisible people, now I talk to insects. Fantastic."
It scoffed. "You like know that spiders aren't insects, right? They're like, arachnids." If it had been Zelda talking, I could imagine her flipping her hair back.
I stared at the spider a bit longer. I tried to wrap my mind around what had happened. "Zelda," I said. I still wasn't sure I got it.
"Like, yeah."
"Uh… huh."
We stared awkwardly at each other. I realized her eyes were a bit more pink than red, and they reminded me of her barf-worthy room. My side strained from being twisted to look back at the spider for so long.
To break the silence, Zelda offered, "My legs are hairy like a gorilla's."
I offered back, "My legs are trapped in spider excrement."
We stared at each other again. Weird pink spider eyes.
"Like, right. I, like, might be able to do something about that."
"Good."
"Like yeah."
It was weird, to put it shortly. Zelda crawled down to the ground, and I found out that spiders can eat their webs. She gently tickled the webs off my ankles, and when she finished, I stood up and pushed away. A person-spider had just eaten webs off my legs, and the whole situation was just… "Okay," I said. "I'm gonna go and throw up."
"Like me too."
Good point. She was the gross spider-person.
Zelda and I walked off in opposite directions. A good distance away from her, I decided I didn't need to throw up, so I relieved myself instead. A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do.
When I finished, I wiped my hands on a tree trunk and called out, "Zelda! We need to get going!"
The enormous red-eyed spider darted out from the top of a tree and dropped to the ground with a surprisingly quiet pat. "Like," she said, "where do we go?"
I groaned. "I hoped you'd know. Well, we lost the train tracks a long time ago. Maybe we can see the Sanctuary's clearing from the treetops. Wherever they thin out's probably where we need to go. Let me ride on your ba—"
"YEEEEK!"
I whipped around to try and see what freaked her out. "What!"
Zelda blubbered, her mandibles or whatever clicking in distress, "I'm a spiderrrrr. Waaaaah!"
"Yeah…"
"I forgo-o-o-o-o-o-ot. Like, waaaaaah!"
"Well, get out of its body."
"B-b-b-b-but I like don't know how!"
I huffed. "Then deal with it."
"WAAAAAAH! You're like the meaniest loseriest loser jerk in like all of the whole like wide wooorld!"
"Let me go on your back."
"WAAAH!"
I grabbed onto one of her spindly hairy legs. Weird way to describe Princess Zelda's legs, but anyway. I grabbed onto one of her spindly hairy legs and climbed up it onto her back.
"WAAAAH!"
"Hey, Zelda."
"Aah! Link! You like teleported!"
"Sure."
"Like, woah!"
"Yeah."
Her body started quivering.
"Um, Zelda, what's…"
She whispered, "I'm, like, a spider."
"Yes."
Her quivering amped up so much I nearly fell off. "Woah! Zelda! Calm down! You can't—"
Her spider legs curled up toward me and the knees or whatever peaked above the body, almost as if trying to make a pyramid. Suddenly the quivering stopped and a blue glow overtook her body. "Whoa!" I shouted and jumped off.
Zelda, a normal human ghost again, was floating hunched over in front of the spider, her back to it. She sobbed into her hands. I glanced at the spider. It was dead, and the glow was gone. That's why its legs had moved up like they had: it'd died, so its legs curled up, all creepylike.
"Z-Zelda," I stuttered. "Y-You killed the spider."
She kept sobbing. I walked up and stood next to her. I tried, "W-We…" I stopped for a moment to get my voice together. I could feel my hands shaking. After a minute, I felt confident enough and said, "We need to get going."
"They're like so scary," Zelda cried. "They're like all wrong. They like have too much hair and too many eyes and too many legs…" She sobbed again. "Like, all wrong…"
I scratched my nose. "Um…" I didn't know what to say. I thought she was saying stupid things like usual. They're spiders. No big deal. Except for when they're big. And going to eat you. That's a big deal. But spiders in general, I don't care.
Zelda looked at me. "They're like all wrong, right?"
"Well," I shrugged, "they are scary." At that size.
She nodded and wiped her nose. She said, "The Sanctuary's over here, like." She started drifting ahead.
"Whoa! Hey!" I ran after her. "How do you know it's over here?"
She stuck her tongue out at me.
I scooped up some dirt and and flung it through her but kept following anyway. She was considerate enough to lead me around trees so I wouldn't run face first into any.
In about thirty minutes, we were in the Sanctuary. I stabbed a couple chipmunk monsters, and Zelda told me I was like being a meanie poopoo head for killing the little like cute innocent things, even though when she'd seen them behind her castle she'd thought they were gross. Whatever.
I went through Mr. Evil Man's time-out field with all the faceplanted and stacked statues and with Mr. Evil Man still staring at his corner with his dunce cap. The blue square door that Gage originally came through was still hunkered in the ground, and I walked over it into a large circular room.
On the walls, an emblem that looked like an angular cartoony cat's large nose and mouth curling up in a closed-mouth smile decorated the grey stone walls. Two tall fat trees in the back had busted through the room's ceiling and made an opening so the whole place was well-lit.
A rock platform a few yards across took up the center of the room, and a few steps led up to it that were each half as tall as me. Gage's wheeled Lokomo butt sat in the middle of the platform, and he angrily scrunched his face at me.
If only Gage weren't in there, I'd have loved to take a nap. Make the place my own little hangout spot.
Gage broke the friendly silence. "Your reappearance," he said, "places me in ireful affections."
I backpedaled. "Ew!"
Gage jolted backward. "What in the world do you suppose I claimed!"
"Gross old man."
He was still baffled.
Zelda burst out in a fit of "hee-like-hee"s.
I wanted to leave after what he'd just said. (I wanted to leave even after just seeing him. I wanted to leave and nap after finding out my family history got me sucked into a quest. But not like the spirits cared. Nope.) There was no way I was going to be around someone who I gave "affections." Other than Niko and Alfonzo, I guess, and Zelda. But they're like family. Niko and Alfonzo, I mean. I didn't have a choice with Zelda.
"I'm, uh," I said, "I'm going to leave." I stuck my tongue out, and as I started walking back out, Zelda swooped over to Gage. She loudly whispered, "Because you said 'affections,' he thinks you like loooove him."
Gage's jaw dropped. He said to me, "Leave it to an adolescent such as yourself to shatter my calm countenance! I cannot envisage the source of your linguistic inabilities."
Napping every time Niko talks, I answered in my head. Then it was my turn turn to be surprised. I understood that! He was wondering why I don't understand his fathead words! Okay, I really need to get out of here. "Well," I said and turned back around, "fancy words back at you, old man." Gage's frown tightened. "I'm here to bring the spirit tracks back and to get rid of her." I pointed to Zelda. She pressed her fists against her cheeks, crossed her eyes, and stuck out her tongue.
Gage gazed upward and spread his palms. "Oh dear spirits, how have I transgressed against thee to warrant such castigation?"
Everything he said sounded dirty, and he hadn't even used the word "defecation" again. On my first step up the platform's stairs, Gage twirled around so his back faced me and he crossed his arms. What a baby. As I stepped up onto the platform, he sighed, dropped his arms, and turned back toward me. "I postulate that an industry such as cooperating with an individual whose cranium is filled with so much defecation as your own is a necessity if I am to uphold my oath of assistance to the benevolent spirits."
He said words, and I understood just about none of it. Zelda must have noticed my bamboozlement. (As stupid as that word is, it explains exactly how I felt.) She translated, "Gage means like he has to work with you." Gage rolled his eyes at my ignorance.
I felt self-conscious and sarcastically said, "Thanks for sharing that with everyone, Zelda."
"Like, no problem!"
Gage and I glared at each other. Zelda picked her nose.
Gage shook his head then elegantly waved his hands. Sparkles gathered, and a cello slowly faded into existence in front of him.
I took a step back. "What just happened?" I said. Gage grabbed the instrument's neck and a bow appeared in his other hand. I blinked. "Wha…?"
"It is my own sacred instrument. To bring back the tracks to the Forest Temple, two sacred instruments need to play a sacred song," he explained.
I understood that, but it didn't seem as if he'd used any fancy words that time. Was he dumbing down what he was saying for me? I must've waited too long to respond, because the next thing he said was "Well, what's going through your empty head, piece of poop?"
Yeah, he was dumbing his Hylian down. That was somehow even worse than when I couldn't understand him. But I had to work with him anyway. "You're a jerk," I said.
"Same to you," he nodded.
"I'm going to cut that afro off someday."
He frowned. I was glad he didn't like that.
"So," I said. "Sacred instrument. You think I have one because…?"
Zelda moaned. "Like, Link. You know, like, my pan pipe? Like, come on!"
They were both ganging up on me. It took all my willpower to not try and punch Zelda or try to do something to annoy her. My hands shook in frustration as I took off my backsack and took the pan pipe out. I held it up to Gage. "This look like a sacred instrument to you?"
He nodded.
"Good," I growled. "Now what's the song?"
He inspected the instrument for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and clasped his hands. He bowed his head, as if he were praying. Shortly after, a little globe of blue light drifted over above the pan pipe. My anger suddenly disappeared. I wondered if the blue light had done that, but I felt so relaxed I didn't want to ruin it by thinking too hard.
The light landed on the pan pipe atop the orange-ringed pipe and changed to orange, but the mote didn't seem to have any weight; the pan pipe didn't move or feel any different. Then the little ball let out a soft whistle, reminding me of the weird flying-or-exploding sculpture in front of the Sanctuary and how no killer monster had tried to maul me when I'd come back here on foot a few minutes ago. I'd need to check that spot out when I left.
The light slid to the next shorter pipe, ringed with yellow, changed color again, let out a whistle a note higher, and then slid to the purple pipe and changed color and let out a bit higher note. The mote lifted off the pan pipe, changed back to blue, and bobbed next to me expectantly. I cautiously blew the notes in the order it showed me. It bobbed deeper a couple times, as if approving. I looked to Gage. He was looking at the mote with a small smile. I blew the three notes again.
He still looked content and faced me. "Yes," he said, "you appear to have learned your part. Now all that is left is for us to play the duet."
First, I was surprised at how not irritated I was. Just three notes. That ordinarily would've made me feel like the spirits were treating me like an idiot, but I was fine. And playing a duet with Gage ordinarily would've sounded repulsive, but I was fine even with that.
Gage said, "I play with my part first, then you play yours, and we continue as so several times. I enjoy playing with my eyes closed so I may absorb more of the melodious ambiance, but I will open my eyes when it is your turn so you know when to play. Please be sure to play with the beats."
"Beats? What beats?"
The light mote took off and disappeared into one of the angular cat mouth emblems and all of the emblems on the walls took on a dim yellow glow. The glows started rhythmically pulsing, and each pulse had a gentle ding. Every fourth ding was still gentle but just a smidge higher.
Gage smiled at me and put his bow to the cello. "Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded, and he closed his eyes.
He slid his bow across the cello, and a warm deep tone came out. His notes glided up and down with the beats, like a lullaby, and my stomach clenched. I recognized this song. If Alfonzo hadn't beaten all the cussing out of me, I would've cussed right then. I doubted I'd be able to play my part with the lump in my throat, but somehow I played my three notes when Gage opened his eyes.
After I did, Gage closed his eyes again and let the next part out, similar warm notes but higher, as if emanating joy. I played my three notes again, still amazed that I was keeping it together, and Gage played the same notes as at first, and I played mine. Then he played a longer part, going up before it went down, then bouncing up a bit, and then taking a short note before ending on a normal length note.
Gage and Zelda were gone. I was gone, and the room was gone. The pulsing dings disappeared and were replaced by peaceful harp strums, falling and then lilting back to their beginning, gently, over and over again. The music Gage and I had just played started again, with the warm notes and the airiness of the pan pipe. The music this time didn't make me want to cuss. It just was. I just was.
Then I felt a soft hand on my forehead. I had a forehead? I had a body? My confusion was calmed by the glimmer of a woman's smile.
Finally, the song was coming to its end, but this time at the end the three airy notes synchronized with the warmth's closing tones.
I faded back into existence. I was aware of the gray rock walls around me. I felt heavy, and… my face was warm.
I'd been crying.
I swore.
My mind suddenly felt literally cold, and I quickly turned my back to Gage. I didn't want him seeing my face or me wiping it. I wasn't going to do that and give myself away until I was out of sight.
All business and face to no one, I said, "So, you suppose the tracks have been restored?"
The emblems on the walls were still. No more light came from them, and there was a short silence. I wondered if Gage was confused about where my peacefulness had gone. My strongest thought was when I'd get a chance to wash my stupid face. Zelda. Where was she?
I heard her laughing outside the room. "Hee-like-hee! You both need to like come out here and see this!" I turned my face down and quickly walked out. I heard Gage rhythmically thunk down the stairs. He didn't fall or get hurt. He just kinda thunked down each step, one at a time, until he reached the bottom. Okay. Good for him.
I glanced at the tracks. They were glowing bright yellow, and I heard Zelda clapping her ghost hands. But while I made sure not to run, I booked it into the forest and muttered to myself, "Frikkin'... frikkin'... frikkin'..." More warm tears poured down my face. It was like a sink had started running with no one to stop it.
My throat started to get scratchy and a lump pressed in. "Crap crap crap crap crap crap…"
I swore again and ran.
I was back in the forest's darkness, and I heard Gage and Zelda shout. Probably saying my name. But I didn't care. It was just sounds at that point. The forest and distance muffled them too much, and my mind split into two panicked conflicts.
There are killer spiders in here! What are you doing?!
Shut up shut up! There's no way Gage and Zelda are going to see this!
Do you want to die!?
Shut up shut up shut up!
I ran over some glowing yellow tracks, but I didn't care about them. I just swore again. I was too focused on getting away from Gage and Zelda. All I hoped for was that I somehow wouldn't get trapped in a monster web and that I would get out of Gage and Zelda's earshot before I…
I broke down. A guttural cry wrenched out of my throat, then I couldn't keep myself from coughing out sobs. It wouldn't stop. The music spun through my head.
-My little baby,-
-don't you fear.-
-Love will protect you,-
-hold you dear.-
-With care I'll hold you,-
-keep you near.-
And then the longer verse, with the shorter, bouncier notes near the end of each line. I wailed.
-With sweet love I will care,-
-no need for tears.-
Another fit of sobbing broke out from my core and shredded out of my throat.
I convulsed one more time, before I was just left with my throbbing head and my sore warm face. I couldn't believe I'd broken down so quickly and completely. I was curled up, hugging my legs and head down.
I wanted to swear again, but that would have taken too much effort. I don't know how long I was there. The song kept spinning.
—
It had been years since I'd seen her, or even heard any news of her. She went off with my dad because Hyrule had gotten word of a sorcerer who kidnapped a prince in a neighboring kingdom. Of course my dad and mom felt like they needed to do something. Of course they left. Niko said they didn't want to, but whatever, I guess. They frikkin' went anyway.
She used to sing that every night. Dad would sometimes butt in at the end and press three syllables into the song himself: "My dear boy." It didn't rhyme, but he said what mattered was the love, not the rhyme. I never believed him, but I liked him joining in anyway.
After I got an interest in trains and Alfonzo started taking me aboard each day, sometimes she'd even change the final line.
-All the rest you'll outsteer,-
-small engineer.-
—
I stayed curled up there for a while longer.
When the song started to leave, I imagined an ambush of gigantic spiders gathering in the trees around me. I shivered and forced myself to sit up. I did need to get out of there. I asked myself what it was I needed to do next. The Forest Temple. I wiped my face with the recruit's hat and stood up.
I let out a big sigh, hoping I'd be able to find my way back to the Sanctuary and the train. Tracks. Right. Find a trail between the trees with enough room for tracks. I could follow them to either the Sanctuary or to the Temple. I didn't know which direction I'd come from, so I had no way of knowing which way to go for the Sanctuary.
Hopefully I wouldn't die.
I shook my head and pulled out my sword. It pulled down my hand and felt heavier than it ever had. I was numb.
A twig snapped.
Pak and groan.
Suddenly I was furious. "GET OUT OF HERE, LOSERS!"
Some scuffling, and the high-pitched gurgling voices squealed. "Oh crap!" "He heard us he heard us he heard us!" "Hide!" "Aaah!" Then they stopped, but I heard them breathing.
I bellowed, "I said leave!"
One of them asked the others, "What do we do? We can't go back without—"
I swerved around trees and sprinted at the voices.
They screamed. I heard two run away, but the third stayed. Was it going to fight? I stopped several feet in front of it and snarled, "What is it you guys want?"
A short pause. Then the high gurgly voice answered simply, "You."
I shuddered. "Well go away."
It was silent.
I wondered how well it could see me. Could these things see in the dark? Had they heard me crying? Probably. Were my eyes still red? Probably.
I haughtily turned my chin up at it. I was trying to make it look like I couldn't care less about it standing its ground.
The thing stayed silent. What was it thinking?
Suddenly a rush of wind blasted my face, and the thing wasn't in front of me anymore.
A rush of wind on my back, and—Did it teleport?! I began to spin around, but before I could turn around completely, a tiny hand grabbed my shirt and I was in the middle of a cyclone. Wind pressed my clothes against my skin, I spun, my hair flew, and suddenly I was squeezed and flattened, and sucked straight down, spinning into a hole.
The hand still grasped my shirt, and I twisted to try and cut down its owner. I kept spinning in the darkness. I was dizzy and past disoriented. I jolted and flailed all around, at the very least to make it let go of me. Finally, I gave up trying to make it lose its hold. I dropped my sword and the blade disappeared.
I changed tactics. With all the chaos I somehow unclasped the belt on the recruit uniform and started wiggling out of the green shirt and undershirt. Wind reeled around me and the hand's owner realized what I was doing. It latched its other hand onto my hair, but I yanked my head forward, and burning burst across my scalp. I wiggled more, and I slipped head and all out of the two shirts.
The wind stopped.
I smacked into a tree.
