Well, hi there! here is a new chapter that just came out from the oven. in my opinion it came out pretty good this time.

Be aware: english is not my primary language so some grammatical mistakes can be expected, but don't blame me a lot for that! i won't retain you any longer, just go and read it goddammit! XD

The big malevolent creature was chasing me. This creature was eyeless; it measured like 80 feet, it had purple spikes everywhere on its body, big pointy teeth that could crush a goron easily in moments. With every step it did, it made little earthquakes. I was running, escaping from the stomps of this giant creature in the black background.

Then the environment changed. I Was in a green open plain, and saw in the distance a house, and ran into it with the giant creature still following me.

I got in front of this house and glanced back. The monster was there, now opening its mouth, charging some kind of power on it.

I looked at him with rage on my eyes. The monster launched the energy on its mouth, targeting me. I wanted to run, I knew I was gonna die if I let that blast hit me, but I couldn´t move out where I was standing, I just kept looking at him angrily.

When the energy blast was right in front of me, I raised my both arms in front of me, and practically grabbed the enormous energy ball with my two hands.

"AHH-AAAAHHH-AAAARRG!" I shouted

I was trying to hold the enormous energy ball back. The pressure was so intense; the contact with this energy made my hands burn. I couldn't hold this for much time, now it was pushing me back, but I had my feet firmly on earth, practically burying them to the ground.

Then I understood that I was actually trying to protect the house behind me. Why? I don't know…

I couldn´t hold it anymore: the energy ball broke my arms and I fell backwards: the energy ball destroyed me while I was shouting in pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stock Pot Inn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up abruptly, sweating and trying to catch my breath. It was a nightmare. The room was still dark, only illuminated by the firelight.

I rarely have nightmares, I don´t even remember the last time I had one. I removed the sweat from my forehead and realized that the birthmark on the back of my left hand was burning me again. I stared at it confused:

(What's this? Why is burning me now? Does this have to do something with that nightmare?)

I decided to not pay attention to it. Yeah, it hurt, but surely it´ll pass in some minutes anyway.

I got up from my bed and glanced outside the window. There it was clock tower, but I couldn´t see the clock from there, so I looked up, and the sun hasn´t even come up yet. It was very early in the morning, so I decided to get back to sleep. I returned to my bed, covered myself with the blanket, and slowly, closed my eyes.

(I hope… I won't have that nightmare… again…)

I opened my eyes slowly, waiting for them to get used to the light. I sat on the bed and kneaded my eyes. I stood up, raised my hands up from my head and stretched my whole body while yawning. I smiled and scratched my head.

(Ahhh… that was some good rest…)

I unfolded my shirt from the drawer next to my bed and put it on. I went to the bathroom and wet my eyes with water of the sink, with that I got completely awake. I got out of the bathroom and put my sword on my back. Today I'll gather information about Epona, so I'm gonna explore the town today, so that's why I have my sword with me now; I don't know this city yet, so I have to be aware of it, anything could happen.

I grabbed my rupee bag, my endless pouch and the Clock Town map that Madame Aroma gave me, and got outside of my room.

I locked my room with key, and got downstairs, and I was ready to leave when someone called me behind the lobby counter.

"Alex?"

"Huh?"

I glanced back with my hand already on the front door's knob, and saw Anju behind the counter, holding a baby covered with a red blanket between arms.

"Good morning…wouldn´t you stay for breakfast?" she said while looking at her baby.

"Uhh…yeah! Why not?" I couldn't say no to her.

"Okay, then… let me show you the dining room… wait…" she said as she walked to the corridor behind the counter.

(Man, I still can't believe that Anju's a mom, she's too young…)

She came from the corridor behind the stairs, and said:

"Come…I'll show you the dining room, there you can meet the other guests" she said as she tickled her baby on his belly and the baby laughed.

I really don't have any hurry to go and gather information, so I followed her to the dining room. I walked by her side and examined the baby closer.

The baby was male and had big red eyes, and was not older than two months. The baby looked at me with playful eyes smiling; he raised his little hands up, like trying to reach my face.

Anju saw that her baby wanted to play with me, so we stopped walking.

I lowered my face to the baby, and he grabbed my nose, and him, me, and Anju chuckled.

"He likes you!"

"Hahaha! Yeah!…what's his name?"

(Giggle)"Daniel" she said as we started walking again.

We got to the dining room and was full of weird people sitting in front of a big wooden table, supposedly the guests, all of them glaring at me and whispering things to the ear. I counted six people sitting on the table.

"The breakfast is almost ready… please take a sit…" Anju said paying more attention to her baby.

Then Anju leaved to another room, maybe the kitchen. I sat on the only chair remaining, next to a bald man with a big grin on its face, bearded until his sideburns, as I sat, he said:

"Hey, boy…are you new In town?" he said while staring at me grinning.

"Uhh…yeah, why?" I responded awkwardly

"Woah! We never see any foreigners around here!" another man across the table said.

This man had a red sleeved shirt, and a weird hairdo, and sitting beside him was another exactly man with the same wry face but with a blue shirt being the only difference between them. They were twins.

"Oh, brother, why you always have to point the obvious, hoo, hoo, hoo!" he laughed in an weird but surely normal tone for him.

"Hoo hoo hoo!, I know brother!" these guys are just plain weird.

"Ignore them, what's your name then, kid?" The bald, bearded man said to me.

"Alex"

"You are the one who came at afternoon yesterday?, are you traveling, don't you young lad?"

"Umm… not exactly traveling, I'm looking for someone, but I might spend some days in here"

After that, a middle aged woman came to the room. She had the same factions that Anju, surely, her mom, but she was a little over weighted. She came with two bowls of soup with spoons on them, one on each hand, followed by Anju who also had two bowls of soup, (maybe her baby was asleep) and proceeded to give them to the guests.

They gave me the first bowl of soup, it was a simple noodle soup, but its smell made my stomach growl loudly.

"Here you go!" Anju's mom said as she gave me my bowl.

"Thanks ma'am!"

When I had the bowl in front of me at the table, I quickly grabbed the spoon and started eating the soup swiftly, as I always do.

When Anju's mom leaved to get the other two bowls of soup for the remaining guests, I got big glares from the guests because of me eating as fast as I always do. The bald bearded man just stared at me wide eyed, holding his spoon in front of his bowl. When Anju was leaving, I already had finished my soup, so I said:

"Excuse me, Anju! Can you serve me another bowl please?" I said while smiling.

Anju, already leaving the room, stared at me with her mouth open for three seconds until she said:

"Uhh… sure…" she then took my bowl and leaved to the kitchen.

Everyone in the dining table stared at me after witnessing my way of eat and how I was already asking for another bowl.

"I wish we eat like that! We are so skinny Hoo hoo hoo!" The wry faced man with the blue shirt said.

"Yes we surely are brother hoo hoo hoo!" his twin said.

"Young lad, calm down, enjoy the food-don't eat too fast!" the bald man said.

"Ha! Don't worry, always eat like that!"

Then Anju's mom came and gave me another bowl of soup, which I devoured in 10 seconds, gaining a surprised glare from her.

"For the giants!, what a glutton boy! I wish my daughter eat like that!" she said.

I was fully capable of eating another bowl, but I wanted to search for Epona right in that moment, so I stood up from my chair and waved goodbye to the guests.

"Thanks for the food ma'am!" I said to her smiling.

I leaved from the kitchen, leaving her with her hands on her hips with and with a confused face confused face.

"I don't understand why he's so skinny…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ East Clock Town ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got out of the Inn and got out the map of Clock Town that Madame Aroma gave me yesterday; I opened it and extended it with my hands. I got a little astonished because of the big proportions of the city! this place is even bigger than Castle Town, and that's saying a little. I searched and located the Stock Pot Inn in the map and pointed my finger in the exact place of its front door, where I was standing.

"Ok, so this is the west part of town…"

I glanced to the south part of the town from the map and saw that the south and west part of town were connected by a gate that was… on my right side. With the map still on my right hand, I walked towards this gate, where I could see a part of the Clock Tower already.

(…!)

But… just to get sure, I raised my left hand over my shoulder, and there it was, I was touching the hilt of my sword. I was glad that I didn´t forgot it this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ South Clock Town ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stood at the entrance of the Clock Tower, where I got my map out again. I pointed my finger at the entrance of the Clock Tower, and saw that the exit of town was not too far away.

I glanced forward to see the same mass of people that was there yesterday, in the same merchant posts, but in the distance saw this exit that the map told.

(Come on Alex; think… if yesterday there was a guard on the eastern gate, then there WILL be a guard on the southern gate too… maybe I could ask him if he had seen a horse…)

I put the map on my endless pouch and walked towards the town's exit.

I want to specifically ask the guard of this gate because if something happened around here yesterday, he will know. I could surely ask random people around this market, but I might not have luck, or they could just ignore me, so asking the guard was the fastest and easiest solution.

I passed through the mass of people in between the market, and got in front of the south gate's guard. He had his head down and I couldn't tell if he was sleeping or just plain distracted by his thoughts. In that moment, like yesterday, I realized that the guards' armor is exactly the same as Castle Town' guards, and the only difference between them was that the Hylian crest was missing from his armor, with the emblem of Clock Town replacing it. The big similarities can be just a mere coincidence, so I decided not think too much about it, instead I talked to the guard.

"Excuse me, sir"

"Uh!…" (He glanced at me some seconds) "…the southern swamp at Woodfall lies this way. Be careful" He looked drowsy and tired.

"Have you seen a horse pass through here yesterday, sir?" I just went straight to the point.

He then looked at me with an amused face.

"Ah! Yes I've seen a horse yesterday, it was running like crazy!"

By those words, a ray of hope finally came to my mind. My eyes grew wide in excitement.

"Have you? Tell me more!"

"Okay, man, this is the thing; yesterday a horse came running like crazy from the entrance of the Clock Tower! It made a little disturbance among the people at the posts, luckily, it didn't crashed against anybody; it was crazy man! Things like that doesn't happen every day y' know"

"Can you tell me how this horse looked?"

"Mmm…the horse had brown hair and a white mane…"

(He has seen Epona!)

"…and it had a man and a kid on top of it; one was regular, normal guy, and the other one was a boy dressed in green tunics, who was trying hard to not fall down from the horse, it was running madly! I have to say, they were really having a hard time taming that horse!"

(When I see those guys, I swear I'm gonna kick their asses hardcore.)

"Where did they go?" I asked impatiently.

"Hmm… after making that huge scene on the posts, it ran directly to the exit gate of town, right here, and it fled out to the field. I wasn´t foolish enough to try to stop an upset horse, so I didn't got on his way, horses aren´t allowed inside of town anyway, you know…"

I have finally tracked down Epona! In that moment that I went into an automatic mode that made me run straight out of town, hoping to see Epona somewhere on the field, even though I knew the probabilities of that to happen would be very low, I still had hope for finding her, it was the only clue I had. I leaved the town's walls leaving the guard still talking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Termina Field ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I got out of the city, I took some time to take a look to the field in front of me. It was a big and open green plain with some exaggeratedly big trees. I walked through the wooden-decorating exit, and walked past some big wood structures raising from the ground that were painted white, green and red at its ends, decorating the exit too.

I threw a big glance around the field, by my left, in the distance saw a circular shaped building with a big telescope on its top, followed by a series of trees that blocked my watch from seeing further away from them, and a path that securely lead to the swamp that the guard mentioned earlier. At my right side I saw far away terrain covered with sand (a desert maybe?) more closely saw more field with big extensions of tall grass on it, and on the distance saw a passage decorated with two tall wooden pillars that were holding a big sign that I couldn't read because I was too far away.

I looked everywhere in sight, but there was no trace of Epona or the bandits. It was such a stupid idea to hope that Epona could still be here roaming aimlessly, but there were no luck.

Then, a light bulb lit on top of my head and got an idea that may work…

I got out my old blue ocarina that my grandpa gave me from my endless pouch. This ocarina apparently was very important for my grandpa, when he gave it to me; he told me that I had to treasure it with my life. He said that "I hope that the moment when you need this never arrives" and taught me to play it. I have to say that it was kinda hard to move the fingers in order to make certain sound, but with some practice and my finger's coordination I mastered it. This instrument made such a sweet and soothing noise that always is good to hear.

I started to play the song that my grandma taught me to easily tame Epona.

A high note then a lower note followed by a note even lower, and repeated in that order three times and finally repeated the two final notes.

My fingers danced in the ocarina's holes as I played the tune. This song kinda relaxed me; it made me remember my life back in my house. This song represents everything in my youth, working hard with my parents at the ranch; the final notes represented the satisfaction of a long day of work: This was Epona's Song as my grandma called it.

"But why he's playing it?" I heard you say. Well, Epona can hear this song in a million miles away, and she would always come to the source of this song, no matter how far is it, she will come. It's like some sort of calling for her.

I played her song for like five times in a row, hoping she would appear somewhere… but there was no luck, she didn't appeared.

(This is all my fault… I let those bandits steal her… and now they have gone off with her somewhere, somewhere she can't listen to my call…)

I just needed a discharge from all this crap I was dealing with. In my frustration, I hit hard the wooden column that was near me with all my rage, making my ocarina fell from my hands. I punched the column with my left hand so hard, it made my knuckles bleed a little. I frowned and looked to the ground, trying to clear my mind. I looked my left hand still angry to see my wounded knuckles,. They were all red. But that was put aside when my birthmark started to burn me again.

"What again?…"

I stared at my triangle shaped birthmark on the back of my left hand. Now it was practically red for the burn, what's causing it? I don't know… I glanced to my feet and saw my ocarina on the ground. I eased my emotions by looking at it. I picked it up from the grass and put it on my endless pouch. Then I continued staring at my birthmark.

(sigh) (Get angry won't help me in the least bit…)

I absorbed completely that thought and calmed myself after taking a deep breath. Then I glanced to the background.

(Maybe I just need to wait for information…)

I looked to the open field on my sight, and wanted to explore a little further away to the place and I felt curious about what the big sign between the big structures said, because I couldn't read it from where I was standing, I walked towards it.

I started walking trough tall grass that covered me up to my knees, and I was approaching to the sign just the enough to read its big letters on the distance.

(Sink rode?) No, it can't say that…

(Silk road?) No, that wasn't, I kept approaching.

I kept getting nearer with my gaze locked to the big sign, but much for my astonishment, a Deku Baba rose from the grass. The sudden surprise made me grab my sword and unsheathe it.

The Deku Baba then rapidly tried to bite me with its large fangs, but when it backed to throw its attack, I quickly jumped leftward and sliced its blue head, thing that wasn't very good idea, because its head was so solid and hard. I barely made it a little scratch with that, so I had to change my strategy. It then faced me with its mouth open, tossing acid from it to the ground. It moved its head right and left, like trying to confuse me. I took the chance and sliced inside its mouth, which was soft in comparison to its head, and practically cut its head in two, making the lower part fall to the ground, and the other part, still attached to its body, disappeared in blue flames with the rest of its roots, like any other monster do when they die. A Deku Nut jumped from the rests of the plant and I caught with my right hand before it fell to the ground, and looked at it.

"Mmm, could use it later…" and I put the Deku Nut on my endless pouch.

Then I checked my sword and saw that its blade was all messy with saliva of the Baba, just a little collateral damages I thought, and sheathed back to its case on my back.

After that little commotion, I read the sign for good this time. I narrowed my eyes to see further.

"Milk Road?"

I finally knew what the sign said, but what's Milk Road anyway? Maybe I could go there and ask for a lost horse…

I walked towards that road that the sign said.

I walked for two minutes still on the tall grass until in my way I glanced a weird shaped stone pinned into the ground in the middle of the field with tall grass. This stone totally out of the context really got my attention, so I walked towards it to examine it.

When I was getting nearer this stone, I smelled a scent, a scent that I've never smelled before. I was a combination of metallic, cold and burned plastic, scent that grew with every step I made.

Now I was in front of this weird-shaped stone, at its sides it had strange letters carved on it in a language I've never seen before. I took a deep breath and noticed that the scent came exactly below of the stone, where it was cleaved. I was curious enough to want to touch it, so I extended my left hand to it and… I couldn't touch it. There was like an invisible barrier that repelled me to touch it, like when you want to join the same sides of a magnet, it repeals each other.

So I tried to touch it with my right hand stead, and as soon as my skin came into contact with the stone, I heard a ominous noise coming out from somewhere.

"…go…away…"

Immediately when I heard it, I turned back, and saw no one, then looked to both sides, and no one was around.

(Maybe I'm hearing things…)

I proceeded to touch the stone again. This time, when I touched it, blue sparkles came from the stone, so I took two steps away from it. I stared at this stone while the sparkles came from it, then I heard the voice again, now angry.

"Go away!" I realized that the voice was coming from my head as it made echo on it.

Then I suddenly felt an electric sparkle on my head that caused me an extremely painful headache. I put my hands on my forehead trying to reduce the pain.

"GO AWAY!"

My head was gonna explode if that voice kept shouting like that, so I listened to what it said and ran with my hands still on my forehead.

My head hurt like hell, I ran towards Clock Town to get a cure from it fast. My brain pounded painfully on my head five times each second, but as soon as I got away from the stone, the pain was going away too. I reached the south entrance of town and continued running until I got to town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ South Clock Town ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I reached the southern exit of town and stood there with my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath. I removed the sweat from my forehead and realized that the headache was totally gone.

"Sorry, you are Mr. Alex?"

I turned and saw that the guard was asking me.

"Yeah, why?" I responded breathlessly.

"Madame Aroma told us, the guards, about your problem, don't push yourself about your horse, leave that to us; we'll getcha any information we can collect"

"Are you serious? Thanks!" I said totally recovered.

"But be aware: it could take several days until any information arrives; you better get a job if you want to get incomes while waiting, time is money you know! Maybe you want to become a guard maybe! That would be awesome man!"

"Uh… no, but thanks…"

"Oh, well, at least I tried…"

I waved goodbye to him and leaved to the Inn, I had enough for a day.

But what he said was sure though; I need to get a job or else my remaining rupees will run out pretty soon, I already have to pay 30 rupees daily for the stay at the Inn. At least I don't have to worry about searching for Epona, but I'll have to stay in town if any information arrives, meanwhile I'll find a way to get back home.

But I have one thing clear: I won't get near that damned stone again.

How was it! this one extended more than i wanted, but that's a consequence of my mind being flooded with ideas.

see you next week.