Chapter IV-Memories on the Ranch
Malon brushed the sweat off her brow as she finished the last bit of the day's work. She slumped down on a nearby crate and let out a heavy sigh of relief; the work seemed to be getting harder as the years passed on. The stallions and the mares continued their sprints around the farmland and the chickens were to the right, still bouncing around in search of food. Visions of he past revisited her when her gaze shifted towards the center of the ranch; there she stood, glowing in the blue light of the moon. Her mother's song was gently being sung by her younger self, floating into the nighttime atmosphere. From the gates another figure took shape and approached. It too was glowing in the light and looking on as if in some kind of trance.
The fairy-boy! It's really him!
With song overhead the boy walked closer to the singing girl, who was still unaware of his presence. Grass rustled underneath his boots; her eyes opened and realized that someone was there. From the distance Malon continued to watch, humming the song unknowingly.
"Mother," a new voice called out, "mother, are you okay?"
The images were gone now, Malon blinked and looked up, "Yes... yes I'm fine."
"I just wanted to let you know that supper's ready, I got it sittin' on the table," she pointed to the house. Navi smiled to herself. She enjoyed cooking as much as her mother loved working around the ranch, if given the opportunity she could do it for hours and if possible, days on end. While working inside she would sing to herself and...sing? Something new came to mind when she thought about the singing. Something concerning the tune her mother was quietly humming to herself. What was it? It sounded strangely familiar. Shaking it from her head she smiled at her mother.
"Supper," Malon looked up at the pink and orange sky, "Oh, I didn't realize it had gotten so late, sorry." She stood up next to her daughter, who was still clad in her baggy and tattered overalls with a red shirt underneath.
"Don't worry about it," she replied with another grin, "I'm thirteen it's really no big deal."
Malon returned the smile and took her hand and ruffled Navi's light orange hair and began to laugh. The sun continued it descent as the two walked through the door, Navi going in before Malon. The door closed behind them and the old wooden floor began to creak as the weight was set upon it. Chickens hiding in the hay on the opposite side of the room stirred at the sound. Halfway up the stairs Malon brought up the question concerning where Ingo was. Navi had replied as they walked through the second floor door that he had simply gone into Kakariko, yeah to get a few drinks.
In Kakariko, just before dinner at Lon Lon had started, a certain farmhand came stumbling out of on of the buildings. Ingo staggered around the village quite a bit, unsuccessfully trying to find its entrance that led to the field. After a few trips around the grounds he soon found his way by falling face down near the tall tree by the steps. By this time many people around the village had caught a glimpse of him one way or another. Most looked disgustedly through their windows at him while children and a few others just stood and watched from where they were.
"Damn it," Ingo stated with a minor slur in his voice, "S-shomtimes, I wonder why I drink *hic* so much."
"I know," something in the background whispered, the voice was very deep but it had whispered, "I know why you drink."
Ingo crawled up to his feet and slowly made his way down the steps trying to shake the voices from his head. When he reached the bottom and started through the grass the voice returned, this time shouting his name.
"Son-of-a-bitch voice," he screamed back, "shut the hell up and let me go home!"
"You can go home, but let me talk with you first," the voice said, this time much more relaxed. Ingo stood in agreement, waiting for the person to appear. Dark matter began to surround him. It began to swarm over him; soon he couldn't see his own two hands in front of his face. His heart began to race; he had no clue what was going on. There's no way that this is a hallucination! Before losing all conscious thought Ingo vowed silently to himself that he would never drink again.