December 16, 2008 :: 9 days to go!
Link knew how to drive. Mario had let him move the cars around when they came in for repair. He let Link drive them into the garage. And he would get there much quicker if he drove. If Mario was bleeding and wounded, then every minute counted. He had never driven on the road, but Link sussed that he would surely not meet any other cars at this time of night.
He went to the car and got into the driver's seat of the Austin. He turned the ignition key. The engine coughed once and started. Slowly he backed the car out of the garage. The sidelights were so dim Link hardly knew they were on.
Link didn't pretend he wasn't scared. The road seemed awfully narrow in the dark. What speed was he going at? Fifteen miles an hour, the speedometer read. He decided that was quite fast enough. If he did 60mph, it would only take six minutes. At 30mph, it would have taken twelve.
15mph was fast enough.
Jarvis Woods was not on the main road. Link's eyes widened when he saw a beacon of yellow light. In a few seconds, the long white beam of headlamps disappeared past him. He caught a glimpse of its body and knew it was the police. Any policeman in the world would stop if he passed a small boy in a tiny car at half four in the morning.
At the crest of the hill, Link saw Jarvis Woods. Immense trees rose up towards the sky. Link stopped the car, turned off the motor and all the lights. He took the torch with him. The trees closed in above his head like a roof. He couldn't see the smallest hint of sky or a single sky. He couldn't see anything at all.
"Mario!" Link called out. "Mario, are you there?"
His small voice echoed through the forest. Link listened for an answer, but none came.