Winston L. Mercy

It started out as a simple community project for school. Didn’t want to do it but my dad made me. I think it was just an excuse to him to keep me out of the house while he “disciplined” my mom for her behavior. He would always tell me it was the alcohol that made it bad, but I know he isn’t always drunk when it happens. The “behavior” he accuses my mom of is actually his own. He would come home with someone, look at me and my mother, and then he would say,
“I’ll be upstairs.”
My mom would stare at them as they went upstairs, then she would cry a bit. Usually she had a bag of frozen peas that she would hide with he got home, then put over whatever was physically hurting her. I know it wasn’t enough to help her true pain.
Back to the story, I was supposed to have a certain number of volunteer hours in order to have a good grade. I didn’t want to do it, but eventually I did by my father’s wish. I decided to work at the local hospital, sit around all day and bring the occasional coffee.
It was actually like that. I brought drinks and snacks when a patient asked me to, and I sat around. I didn’t speak with the patients, just brought what was needed, until one day this old man came in because of some heart troubles.
His name was Winston L. Mercy, a retired military veteran who fought in many wars, and saved many more lives. A local hero.
Anyway, I was wondering the halls on my second day of volunteering and was called to bring another pillow to Mercy’s room. I grabbed one, and went to the man’s room.
He was watching the television, some older show that I don’t know, and he looked at me and said,
“Welcome! Welcome! Come on in, I see you brought a gift! I’m glad someone remembered my birthday!”
I didn’t know what to say, I handed him the pillow, but felt awkward if I were to leave. It was his birthday.
“Sit sit!” He said to me, “I’m going to need someone to finish this cake for me, diabetes, damn thing. But aw well, I still have my youth!” There was no cake.
He was an excited old man, but it didn’t take long for me to realize his mind was going. He told me story after story about his life, and all the challenges he had to overcome. I enjoyed listening to him, it was, for those moments, a way to get out of my own life and life his. All the adventure, all the places he visited, I saw them all in my mind.
I would listen until I was told to leave, but the next day I would be back, even after my hours were filled. Soon, I spoke to him about my life, and my problems. He listened and gave me kind words to help me move on.
“I’ll be your dad if you want to. But your mom has to like me first!”
I laughed at that, but it was true, I wish that that man was my real dad, or at least a grandfather I could go too. But he wasn’t. I knew that.
I visited for a week, and got away from my life for those few hours. Life was finally getting better for me, I thought for once I had someone to rely on. Till the last day I saw the old man.
I went in, got my volunteer sticker, and proceeded to Mercy’s room to wish him good morning. I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into the hallway. First, his door was closed. He always requested it open except for when it was absolutely necessary. After I entered the room, I noticed next that he had a few more monitors on him then the previous day, and lastly, I saw his face was paler and his breathing was labored.
I went to his side and immediately asked if he was alright. After a few seconds I asked again when I got no response, a bit louder, but still no real reaction. I wanted to touch his shoulder, shake him awake but I knew it wouldn’t help. The room was eerily silent, all except for the steady beeps, from the heart monitor, one of the only thinks keeping me hopeful he was alright.
I took a seat and just waited for a bit. The seconds became minutes, the minutes became an hour, and with every tick of the clock my heart sank lower. The truth was in front of me, hanging over my old friend like a dark cloud.
He was dying, and with each breath he became fainter. I didn’t cry. At the time, I refused to believe it, until finally he began to move. It was a quick twitch of the fingers, barely noticeable; I got up quickly and came closer the dying man.
His eyes flickered a bit, refusing to open without a fight. I whispered,
“Hey there. Feeling ok?”
He continued to fight to open his eyes and eventually they gave in, releasing his aged eyes to the room. I smiled, a true smile, one that broke to a frown at what Mercy said next.
“I’m dying.”
And with that I began to tear. I don’t know why, he didn’t yell, or seem scared. He spoke as if making casual conversation, even trying to through in a smile. I won’t lie, I began to cry. Tear by tear marched down my face and jumped from my chin.
“Why the tears son? Did something happen to you?”
He seemed to be more focused on making sure I was alright more than himself. I cried a bit more then said,
“Mercy… You’re dying.”
The old man looked confused for a minute then said simply,
“So I am aren’t I?”
He looked like he just lost something unimportant or something keep him a few minutes late. I looked at him confused.
“Everyone comes to this point, I’ve known that my entire life. Is that why you’re crying?”
I felt my face scrunch, and my eyes flood with tears. They dropped down onto the sheets, leaving large, damp spots on the blue sheets.
“Oh son, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. No tears now.”
I put my head down on the bed and cried harder, my sobs echoing in the quiet room.
“Son. I’m going to die, probably in the next few minutes but, I want to thank you. You kept me company the past week. I knew I could wake up the next day and talk with you, like you were my own grandson. I’m sorry about your family; I wish I could help more. The only thing I can tell you is get help. The police can help; it’s not right what your father does. You’re a good kid.”
He spoke slowly and with some labor, but he didn’t stumble or pause. He continued talking to me, comforting me as I wept for him. Finally, when he was done talking he closed his eyes and said,
“Time for me to go son, might want to stand back for the doctors to do their job.”
I looked at him and he smiled. I slumped up and forced my legs to back up. The heart monitor began to change, the steady beeps began to spike and in a matter of seconds, was dead.
I cried out in sorrow, in pain, in loneliness. I was all alone again. My only true friend just died not two feet away. That was that. The doctors came in, and I crumpled in the corner. A nurse ushered me to the waiting room. The entire scene was a blur, a flurry of movement as the nurses and doctors tried to bring the old man back. I knew that was not so, the man was dead.
The death shook me, much fiercer than I thought it would have. It was about three weeks after Winston Mercy passed away that I bought the gun. I got it from a kid in my class whose father was an avid gun collector. It was a small, handheld pistol. It probably only had one bullet now that I think about it.
I don’t remember what I was thinking, why I was doing it. My mind was autopilot, while I silently cried inside. Moving through the happy people, but knowing I went to an angry family… and facing it alone.
It was a rainy night, one that made me think the heavens were weeping for my sorrow. My father had just finished with my mom, and went down to the basement for his beers. I felt this was the last straw. I knew my mother could walk out of it if she tried but she insisted that he didn’t mean it, that my father was just going through a phase, but I knew he was too cruel to be in a phase. I wanted out, to feel the freedom I felt when I had my old friend back.
I sat on my bed, with my feet planted firmly on the carpet, and picked the gun up from under the pillow I housed it under. I had no thoughts, just a yearning for peace.
“Good bye mother.”
I whispered and let a single tear drop from my eye and put the barrel to my head. Time slowed down, I felt the weight of the gun in my hand, the muscles in my arm tightening; I became aware of every sense. Sounds that were far away or soft became loud and blaring, the lights made my eyes squint, and I felt every inch of my skin.
The moment was then, the moment I felt peace again. My hand tightened, my finger began to pull and then… then… I heard it!
“Don’t do it Son!”
I fired.
The bullet went into the wall next to me, leaving a quivering gun that dropped down to the floor. That voice I heard, I’m sure it was Mercy. He came to me to save my life. I began to babble Mercy’s name again and again, crumpling into a frightened heap on the floor.
So, to finish, the neighbors heard the gunshot and called the police. When they arrived they found a drunken man, a beaten woman, and a teenager with a smoking gun crying on the floor of his room.
My mother now is in a battered woman shelter, and my father is behind bars for a while. Myself, I am seeing a councilor now, living with my relatives. This is the first exercise I was told to do: write about why I had the gun and attempted suicide.
Looking back now, I am glad I didn’t do it. My freedom did come from the old man I guess. I thought I was free when he was around, but now I see he gave me a chance to live. His passing gave me the opportunity to live and now each day I thank him.
I wonder how the rest of my life will turn out; I’ll be seeing my mother next week. Maybe she is better now.
As for my father, I have resolved to live my life to repent his own sins. I will be a much better man than he was.
Good bye.

Zelda Fan fiction Story Summaries

This isn't the traditional Fan fiction, with the main characters as the protagonists and the antagonists. This is the untold story of the sages before, during, and after the events that took place in Ocarina of Time. This is a fan fiction an as such some information may be added or altered to make the stories simpler and easier to understand. The Legend of Zelda is not of my creation and is the property of Nintendo and It's creator Shigeru Miamoto. The stories will be up on blogger in the coming days.

SARIA

After her separation from her childhood friend at the beginning of the adventure, Saria had to deal with the comments of the kokiri children, especially Mido. To avoid the talk by the other Kokiri, Saria left for the Lost Woods, her only safe haven. While traveling in the woods, she played her ocarina and drew the attention of a lonely Skull Kid. He followed her to the Sacred Forest Meadow where Saria realized he was there. The two began to talk and played music together. It was after Link appeared in the Sacred Forest Meadow did Skull Kid begin to change. He became more distant, and after Saria spoke with Link about Zora's domain Skull kid tricked Saria into exploring the woods. She is lead around for a while until she looses sight of Skull kid. She finally finds her way to the Sacred Forest Meadow where the skull kid takes her into the temple, trapping her spirit with the Phantom Ganon.

DARUNIA

Ganon's pursuit for the Spiritual Stone of Fire lead him to Death Mountain and it's main inhabitants, the Gorons. After confronting the leader, Darunia, the evil man infested Dodongo's Caven with evil monsters and turned the Dodongos cruel and aggressive. Then, to add insult to injury, blocked the cavern with a large boulder, one the Gorons could not eat. After the young boy Link destroyed the boulder and defeated the King Dodongo, the Gorons became prosperous with the food supply back, the Gorons went back to crafting armor and swords for trade. But the peacefulness was short lived as the ancient dragon Volvagia began to waken and devour and imprison the Goron race. When the dragon finally rested in the Fire Temple, Darunia decided it was the perfect moment to attack, but without the legendary hammer of the ancient Gorons, Darunia was taken by Volagia and his sage soul was captured.

RUTO

Being princess of a powerful and prestigious race comes with certain responsibilities. One of these includes with whom the Zora princess marries. When Ruto falls for the young hero Link, and gives him the Zora's Engagement Ring in the hopes of marriage one day, her father becomes irate and demands that once the Spiritual Stone was no longer needed she will marry a Zora prince. At the call of this the young, stubborn princess leaves out of the secret waterway in Lord Jabu Jabu's spring. She winds up out of Hyrule and in the Great Sea where she meets a group of Zoras who live in the mystical land of Termina. She meets a traveling group of Zora musicians who take the young princes on a tour around the land and finds word of a young boy who defended the world from the following moon. At word of this, Ruto demands to know more about him and finds out he left towards the direction of the Lost Woods. With this knowledge Ruto dives back into the Sea and runs into the great Lord Jabu Jabu who informs her telepathically that Zora's Domain is frozen over by Ganondorf's power. She made it back to Hyrule and found Jabu's words to be true and dove into what was left of Lake Hylia and into the Water Temple. Once inside she meets up with Link and expresses her anger at him leaving her and swims off. Not long later she feels bad and looks for link to apologize but instead spots Shadow Link who leads her into Morpha's chamber and had her soul imprisoned.

IMPA

The story of Impa starts with her gaining the position of the princess' caretaker, which she didn't agree to at first for she was still working on becoming an Elite Sheikah. She was urged to take it by her mentor who told her it was something she needed. When she first began taking care of Zelda, she was upset and did as little as she could for the young girl. Until one day when Impa decided to leave Zelda to train for a while, the young girl wondered into a dangerous situation, and Impa arrived at the last moment. Zelda was so scared she wouldn't calm down inciting a memory of Impa and her mother. Impa began to hum the lullaby she was told at a young age and put the young girl to sleep. Impa stayed as Zelda's caretaker and, at times, mother-figure who was surprised by the girl's magical ability but believed in every word of the coming danger Zelda spoke of. When Ganondorf attacked the castle, Impa took Zelda away to the safety of a small Sheikahan village. That was where Impa kept the princess safe, and, at Zelda's demand, trained her in the way of the Sheikah. Word of Ganondorf's anger spread and Impa became worried the village will be found out. To save Zelda, the two created an outfit for Zelda to wear and to hide as a male Sheikah with the name of Sheik. When she found out the evil being Bongo Bongo escaped from it's confinement in Kakariko Village, she left for the Shadow Temple to seal it back up again. Upon meeting the monster she is easily taken in and her spirit is stolen.

NABOORU

Nabooru was born and lived as a Gerudo thief who lived for the good of the race. She worked as leader for a time until the single male was born to rule the Gerudos. That man was Ganondorf who took over as ruler after Nabooru. He began to rule with an iron fist, seeking power and control, making enemies with each race that came in contact with the Gerudos. Nabooru, concerned about her people, confronted Ganondorf about this but was exiled and sent to the desert. When she heard Ganondorf began to change his ways and begin to ally with the Hylians, Nabooru became suspicious, garnering the feeling that Ganondorf was laying a trap for the land. She found out from her informant that the Gerudo Witches, Kotake and Koume, sided with Ganondorf and were living in the Spirit Temple to aid the evil king. Upon hearing this, Nabooru rushed to the temple to do what she could to stop them. The way was blocked by a heavy block which could only be moved by the legendary Silver gauntlets, which were hidden in the temple. As far as Nabooru could tell, the only other possible path into the temple was a small opening that only a child could crawl through. As luck would have it, that was when Link appeared, the young child Nabooru needed to get to the gauntlets and convinced him to help. Once Link disappeared through the opening, Nabooru decided she was going to try and find another way through, in case the boy died. While investigating she heard the Twin witches entering the Temple. Nabooru hid from them but was found out. When she ran outside to get away the witches ganged up on her and began to pull her into their portal. The last thing she saw before going under was Link appearing up above with the Silver Gauntlets in hand. The next thing she remembered was being released from a trance-like sleep then was again taken and her soul was theirs.