A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

A Pair of Time

Chapter 40- Down Below, Part 2

Bottom of the Well; Day

After exploring the rest of the basement (or so they think), our young heroes feel that the Bottom of the Well is more of an annoyance than a torture chamber. To start off, when Malon and Link reached a room with flamed Keeses and a Beamos, it took them many tries just to get past the 'lie'-riddled floor (they resorted to using a poking Deku Stick). And a Like-Like on the other side does not settle them as a good reward. Link got himself swallowed by it, then lost his Deku Shield during the spit out. Fortunately, out of determination and… frustration of the basement, Link chopped the Like-Like into many little Like-Likes, recovering his shield back.

"You know, ever since we got down here, we haven't seen that ghost you're talking about earlier." Link remembers.

"Yeah… I'm getting doubts about that," Malon agrees. "This place is annoying. More annoying than scaring the heck out of me. Stupid illusions…"

"And we still haven't found that instrument."

"Hmm… Let me see the Map," Malon asks.

A spot on the basement's Map reveals a secret room in the empty pool of water at the beginning.

"How about there?" Malon points. "Should be something there…"

The somethings are pale, bony hands that Malon and Link can easily assume, 'Hey, they're dead!' Each has red, malicious-looking nails, and the arms are very long and sickly-looking. Four of them, their source from the ground, are waving in the air aimlessly in polar directions from each other.

"Navi…" Link calls.

"Hmm…" Navi scans the arms as soon as she comes out. "No idea. Looks a little too strange to me."

"What should we do?" Malon questions.

"Chop them?" Link suggests.

"I don't know… exactly…" Navi replies. "Maybe slicing them, but… I don't know if that's a good idea or not."

Link draws his little Kokiri Sword and steadily ambulates his way towards one. He soon comes into range within it and him. For a second, nothing happen. Then, the hand bolts for Link's head and grasps it, halting the surprised Link by holding him.

"Link!" Malon cries.

"Malon, behind you!" Navi calls.

A large monster looms out of the ground. It's a disfigured form of some sort. Its skin is of the same characteristics as the hands. Pale, bony, sickly. But, this big being is more 'humanoid' shape. It has a body, but with no feet. It has arms, but no fingers whatsoever, just oversized red nails. It has a neck, but it stretches long. It has a head, but… it's bent back to where its face is completely looking at the ceiling.

"Dead Hand!" Navi shouts from her position above the monster. "That's where these hands came from! Don't bother with those hands! They're lifeless, so you can't kill them! Aim for the head here!"

Malon aims a Deku Seed at the weak point, but it ricochets off to a wall.

"Malon! Just let it come to you! It'll lower its head and then you can attack it!"

With a nod, she waits. The undead beast comes as close as possible, and for a split second, Malon thinks of retreating, but stays still. The Dead Hand lowers its head, revealing a gruesome, deformed face with empty black eyes. Mistake it makes, however, as the face gets a Deku Stick whacked to it. Shocked, the Dead Hand turns around, cowering away from its underestimated enemy. Soon, it buries itself underground.

With a realization that he could release himself, Link hacks away the hand stuck to his head. The thin grappler lets go, and takes time to recover itself beneath the surface. Link gags as he tries to soothe the nail marks on his neck.

"Fairy boy!" Malon calls him. "Do that again!"

Link coughs. "Do… what?"

"Get one of the hands to grab you again!"

Is she INSANE? Link gapes to this plan.

"WHAT? I'm not going to-"

"You will have to if you wanna get outta here alive!"

That's what I'm TRYING TO DO!

"C'mon, do it, Link! I have it worse by taking care of the Dead Hand!"

"Oh, yeah? Just come over here and let one of these hands grab your head!"

"Look, just do it!"

Malon jumps forward and pushes Link towards another hand. Like before, the cold, thin, but strong body part clutches Link's head. On the other side, Dead Hand rises again, seeking out its captured victim. Again, Malon blocks its way, and gives a smacking to its head. Scared, it finds safety in the ground once more.

"Mal, are you crazy!" Link snaps as he frees himself. "I'm not going to- HEY!"

Malon, ignoring Link, shoves Link again and lets another groping hand lay itself on him. The Dead Hand reappears for a repeated performance. Fearsome as it is, its brain is acting like it's dead as Dead Hand finds itself in Malon's Deku Stick trap. One hit, and it groans a final tune. The head leans over and drags the body to the ground. Malon, alleviated, sees Dead Hand twitching as it starts to quickly decompose on itself.

"Yay! Another victory for the farm girl!" Malon cheers. "And this one bites the dust… Hee hee…"

Sometimes, a little cheer like this in a place like this is a little too strange…

"Fairy boy, I got 'em! So, that makes the score between us- What's wrong?"

Link stares at her with great restraint in his mood. His eye is twitching, and a blood vessel is showing through his forehead.

"Oh, nothing," Link replies with the same strain in his voice. "I just feel… a little irritated right now."

"Uh, sure… Whatever." Malon shrugs. "Hey, look! A treasure chest!"

Inside is a glass tinted with purple on one side, blue on the other. It's a darker shade in the middle, in a form of a diamond. The colored glass is encased by a dark purple handle, with maroon spikes on top.

"This must be it." Link examines the fine tool. "The truth instrument."

"So, how does it work?" Malon takes the glass from him. She looks through, but everything seems the same.

"Hmm. Let me check the chest…" Link finds a wet piece of parchment on the bottom of the chest. "Okay… 'Congratulations, to whoever defeated my ghost, the Dead Hand. I shall now be free of my curse as you're reading this. The curse of knowing the truth, being completely rational, and never showing emotions, namely, my mercy towards others, has greatly made me suffer the moment I died. I now realized my mistake and resolved to be a better person. Defeating my ghost is the final step towards freedom. I'd thank you personally, but I must be going to rest in peace. Now, for my treasure. The Lens of Truth that you now hold in your hand simply lets you see pass physical illusions against the mind by, well, looking through the glass! Isn't that handy? Instead of those damn trainings of the mind to let the eye see the truth, I just made this special lens and got it over with. Check everywhere for mysterious things, including my basement if you want some more spine chilling thrills! And also outside, because there are physical illusions everywhere! That's why I made the Lens of Truth… and the Lens of Truth is why I created the physical illusions here myself, just to have fun and torture people… Heh heh heh heh…'"

"Um, okay, I get it…" Malon nods slowly. "But, why did he write laughter at the end of his letter?"

None of them answered.

"Well, whatever. Let's try the Lens of Truth!"

Malon and Link find the Lens of Truth to be highly useful in dodging the basement's illusions. Soon, their eased annoyance turns into cold wit scaring as they find a torture chamber in the middle of the basement. Blood, oddly shed new, covers the walls and the floor. Planks, where they serve a variety of torment, litter the place. Chains for goddess knows what hang around the ceiling.

"Horrible place…" Link takes another look around. "Look at all the blood."

"He actually tortured and killed them… here…" Malon said. "Sick. I feel sick all of a sudden… Let's get outta here. We got what we came for."

"Malon…" Link starts to point his finger towards an object, "is that…?"

Meat? Like the blood, red, detailed meat are scattered around, and also seems fresh… Cut and torn freshly flesh…

"Okay, NOW we're getting outta here!" Malon declares, pulling Link by his arm before he could react.

Before Link could say, "What the…," Malon has already dragged him to the hole leading back to the opening of the well.