The next morning, Link set off early to explore Lake Hylia. The ride
was enjoyable. He slowed Epona down to a nice trot, and took in the sights
that he had normally whizzed by. Hyrule Field was truly a beautiful place!
As he approached the Lake he was surprised to hear the slight buzz of
conversation. As he got closer, he saw where it was coming from. In the
lake were hundreds of Zoras.
Link dismounted and left Epona to graze. He hurried up to the shore of the lake, and called out to a nearby Zora. "Are you looking for fish?" The Zora turned, and nodded.
"Have you noticed any around here? We could really use some help. Every pair of eyes we can get is needed!" called the Zora.
"I am sorry. I wish I could help. I haven't noticed any fish, and I can't stop to help look either. I do wish you luck, though," Link replied. He hated to leave his friends in such an awful position, but Saria needed him, and her state was probably a little worse off than the Zoras'.
Link walked up to the old laboratory. The building was in need of repair. The sides were crumbling and the roof looked like it was close to caving in. He went inside and met up with Griff, the old potions master.
"Why, if it isn't Link. You know, I still know how far your last dive was, young man. Care to see if you can beat that record?" Griff asked Link. Link shook his head as he studied the old man. Poor Griff was getting older. He had once had little tufts of white hair on the sides of his head, near his ears, and they were now gone. His wrinkles had multiplied many times over since Link had last seen him, and he seemed to be leaning a little farther over these days.
"Not today, Griff, perhaps another time. I've come to ask a favor of you." Griff waved Link on. "Have you noticed anything strange around the lake lately?"
"What, besides those pesky fish-people? They come here, day-in and day- out, splashing around making so much noise that I can hardly hear myself think. They knock on the door, every day and ask if I can lend them a hand. Why can't they leave an old man in peace? I'm a potions master, not a fisherman! It's no wonder they can't find any fish what with all the racket they make out there!" Griff said angrily.
"I'm sure they don't mean to bother you. There's been a shortage of fish lately, and they're trying to find as many as they can. But besides the Zoras, have you seen anything weird?" Link asked. Griff scratched his head.
"No. But, now that you mention it, Talon, you know, the man that owns Lon Lon Ranch, he was out here delivering milk the other day, and he told me that he was having a hard time getting his cows to give milk. It was almost like they'd been milked before he ever got to them. I don't know if that helps any, but it seems kind of strange, doesn't it?"
"What does?" asked Link, leaning forward slightly.
"Well, there's a shortage of fish, there's a shortage of milk, and there's a shortage of rocks," Griff said.
"A shortage of rocks? What do you mean?" asked Link.
"Why, the Gorons of course! Who was it that was telling me.oh, I don't remember, but that cavern of theirs, you know, up there on Death Mountain, it's not yielding the amount of good rocks that it used to. I don't know if you'd consider that 'weird' or not, but that's all the information I've got for you." He turned back to his table of potions and brews and Link knew that he'd gotten all that he would out of the man.
Link ran up to Epona and went as fast as he could to Lon Lon Ranch. He let Epona go where she pleased, and knocked on the door to their house. Malon answered the door. Link was taken aback for a moment. Malon had grown. She was no longer the dirt-covered little girl that he remembered. The years of hard work on a ranch had done nothing to harden her features. Her eyes were the softest blue, her skin was the color of the milk she peddled, and she was taller now.
"Link?" she asked. He nodded. "Oh! It's so wonderful to see you again!" she cried. "Is Epona with you?" She and Link walked out to the pasture and Malon ran to her beloved horse. "You've taken such good care of her, Link. I thank you for that. Now, tell me, what brings you here?"
"I heard from Griff, the old man who lives at the Lakeside Laboratory, that your cows aren't giving the amount of milk that they used to," Link told her.
"That's true. Father and I will go out to milk them in the morning, and it will be almost as if they were milked that night. They're practically dry. They shouldn't be, but they are. We've tried to milk them later in the afternoon, but it's the same then. We get very little out of them. We're losing business because of the price we have to charge people now. There is such a high demand for milk and such a low supply. Many people are just giving up on us. It's been rough. The thing is, it just sort of happened all of a sudden. One day, they were milking just fine, and the next they weren't. And it's all of the cows, not just two or three," Malon said.
"Is there anything else odd going on around here, besides the missing milk?" asked Link. He was beginning to wonder though, if perhaps the fish, the milk, and the rocks were all connected to Saria's dilemma.
"Well, sometimes, at night, I hear strange noises coming from the pasture. I've looked out my window, but it's dark and I can't see anything. I've walked out here once or twice, but there isn't anything, and I always pass it off as my imagination. But I hear it every night. But other than that, no. I'm away during the day a lot. Father's been out delivering, and I've been trying to find a potion that might make the cows milk more. You're actually lucky you caught me at home."
Link and Malon walked back to the house, Epona on their heels. Malon invited Link inside, but he politely declined. "I have just one more question. Have you heard anything about the missing fish, or the missing rocks in Dodongo's Cavern?"
"Yes. Father told me about them both. He heard it around town when he delivered milk. No one seems to know what's going on. Do you think the fish, the rocks and the milk are all connected?" Malon twirled a piece of red hair nervously, wondering what sinister forces were at work. It reminded her of what had been going on not that long ago with that dark man that took over the castle and all the evil that he brought with him. She knew she was being ridiculous. His evil had been much worse than milk stealing and fish snatching, but all the same, it made her shiver.
"That's what I was thinking, actually. I should really go and visit the Gorons now. They might have some more information for me. I need all that I can get. Thanks for all of your help, Malon," Link said.
"Come back anytime you need something. And if you hear anything about what might be causing our cows to not milk, please let me know."
"I'll do that," Link promised. With that, he mounted Epona and set off for Death Mountain.
Link dismounted and left Epona to graze. He hurried up to the shore of the lake, and called out to a nearby Zora. "Are you looking for fish?" The Zora turned, and nodded.
"Have you noticed any around here? We could really use some help. Every pair of eyes we can get is needed!" called the Zora.
"I am sorry. I wish I could help. I haven't noticed any fish, and I can't stop to help look either. I do wish you luck, though," Link replied. He hated to leave his friends in such an awful position, but Saria needed him, and her state was probably a little worse off than the Zoras'.
Link walked up to the old laboratory. The building was in need of repair. The sides were crumbling and the roof looked like it was close to caving in. He went inside and met up with Griff, the old potions master.
"Why, if it isn't Link. You know, I still know how far your last dive was, young man. Care to see if you can beat that record?" Griff asked Link. Link shook his head as he studied the old man. Poor Griff was getting older. He had once had little tufts of white hair on the sides of his head, near his ears, and they were now gone. His wrinkles had multiplied many times over since Link had last seen him, and he seemed to be leaning a little farther over these days.
"Not today, Griff, perhaps another time. I've come to ask a favor of you." Griff waved Link on. "Have you noticed anything strange around the lake lately?"
"What, besides those pesky fish-people? They come here, day-in and day- out, splashing around making so much noise that I can hardly hear myself think. They knock on the door, every day and ask if I can lend them a hand. Why can't they leave an old man in peace? I'm a potions master, not a fisherman! It's no wonder they can't find any fish what with all the racket they make out there!" Griff said angrily.
"I'm sure they don't mean to bother you. There's been a shortage of fish lately, and they're trying to find as many as they can. But besides the Zoras, have you seen anything weird?" Link asked. Griff scratched his head.
"No. But, now that you mention it, Talon, you know, the man that owns Lon Lon Ranch, he was out here delivering milk the other day, and he told me that he was having a hard time getting his cows to give milk. It was almost like they'd been milked before he ever got to them. I don't know if that helps any, but it seems kind of strange, doesn't it?"
"What does?" asked Link, leaning forward slightly.
"Well, there's a shortage of fish, there's a shortage of milk, and there's a shortage of rocks," Griff said.
"A shortage of rocks? What do you mean?" asked Link.
"Why, the Gorons of course! Who was it that was telling me.oh, I don't remember, but that cavern of theirs, you know, up there on Death Mountain, it's not yielding the amount of good rocks that it used to. I don't know if you'd consider that 'weird' or not, but that's all the information I've got for you." He turned back to his table of potions and brews and Link knew that he'd gotten all that he would out of the man.
Link ran up to Epona and went as fast as he could to Lon Lon Ranch. He let Epona go where she pleased, and knocked on the door to their house. Malon answered the door. Link was taken aback for a moment. Malon had grown. She was no longer the dirt-covered little girl that he remembered. The years of hard work on a ranch had done nothing to harden her features. Her eyes were the softest blue, her skin was the color of the milk she peddled, and she was taller now.
"Link?" she asked. He nodded. "Oh! It's so wonderful to see you again!" she cried. "Is Epona with you?" She and Link walked out to the pasture and Malon ran to her beloved horse. "You've taken such good care of her, Link. I thank you for that. Now, tell me, what brings you here?"
"I heard from Griff, the old man who lives at the Lakeside Laboratory, that your cows aren't giving the amount of milk that they used to," Link told her.
"That's true. Father and I will go out to milk them in the morning, and it will be almost as if they were milked that night. They're practically dry. They shouldn't be, but they are. We've tried to milk them later in the afternoon, but it's the same then. We get very little out of them. We're losing business because of the price we have to charge people now. There is such a high demand for milk and such a low supply. Many people are just giving up on us. It's been rough. The thing is, it just sort of happened all of a sudden. One day, they were milking just fine, and the next they weren't. And it's all of the cows, not just two or three," Malon said.
"Is there anything else odd going on around here, besides the missing milk?" asked Link. He was beginning to wonder though, if perhaps the fish, the milk, and the rocks were all connected to Saria's dilemma.
"Well, sometimes, at night, I hear strange noises coming from the pasture. I've looked out my window, but it's dark and I can't see anything. I've walked out here once or twice, but there isn't anything, and I always pass it off as my imagination. But I hear it every night. But other than that, no. I'm away during the day a lot. Father's been out delivering, and I've been trying to find a potion that might make the cows milk more. You're actually lucky you caught me at home."
Link and Malon walked back to the house, Epona on their heels. Malon invited Link inside, but he politely declined. "I have just one more question. Have you heard anything about the missing fish, or the missing rocks in Dodongo's Cavern?"
"Yes. Father told me about them both. He heard it around town when he delivered milk. No one seems to know what's going on. Do you think the fish, the rocks and the milk are all connected?" Malon twirled a piece of red hair nervously, wondering what sinister forces were at work. It reminded her of what had been going on not that long ago with that dark man that took over the castle and all the evil that he brought with him. She knew she was being ridiculous. His evil had been much worse than milk stealing and fish snatching, but all the same, it made her shiver.
"That's what I was thinking, actually. I should really go and visit the Gorons now. They might have some more information for me. I need all that I can get. Thanks for all of your help, Malon," Link said.
"Come back anytime you need something. And if you hear anything about what might be causing our cows to not milk, please let me know."
"I'll do that," Link promised. With that, he mounted Epona and set off for Death Mountain.