The Hero is Defeated

The tower finally crumbled down, causing a thick cloud of debris to smother the two figures who stood at the base with only the lava bubbling below. When the air cleared, what remained was a mound of broken walls four stories high at least. Zelda sighed and said, "It's over... It's finally over." Then gave a smile to Link who gave one in return. "Link... I'm sorry I couldn't help you in the battle before!" Link gave her a meaningful smile, but the moment was short-lived as there was a loud thud. The sound caused the pair to jump in surprise and Link waved Zelda back in case if something happened.

The hero ran toward the mountain of rumble to make sure that the battle was truly over, but he had a feeling it was just starting. Link didn't have time to begin examining the rubble as when he approached it, a ring of fire encircled the floating rock with the destroyed castle and forced Zelda away. Link looked back with surprise then felt a few pieces of stone hit him accompanied by a loud thud, then in a moment's notice Ganondorf emerged from the wreckage, his eyes blazing with an unearthly yellow glow. His body was torn and bloody from the battle, and he took deep breaths as if he had no energy.

He gave a deep growl and raised his right fist and the triforce of power began to shine on the back of it, and began to draw on its power and gave a roar of rage as his body began to change. Link, Navi, and Zelda, all saw the true dark power Ganondorf had created with the goddess's gift, and within seconds the evil king started to grow and transform into the terrible beast Ganon. This new form was several times larger than Ganondorf was but had the same blazing eyes full of hate and malice his human form had moments ago. Two great horns adorned his skull and curled upward and came to razor sharp points. His head was small and featureless with only his tooth filled mouth and blazing eyes taking up much of the space. His head was made that much smaller with his massive neck and large horns surrounding it.

Link gasped at the sheer sight at this transformation and felt the force of Ganon's first roar. Then two swords, also in great size, appeared in Ganon's hands. He stomped one great hoove then the next all the while swinging the blades around with little aim. Link raised the Master Sword to defend on the dangerous swipes and in doing so protected himself from an attack. But in return for protection, the sword was tossed into the air and over the flames where it landing in the ground near Zelda. The princess ran to the sword and gripped the pommel attempting to free the Master Sword from the ground but it would only budge for the Hero himself. Link turned back to his foe to see it roar and swing the blades in attack. Link back flipped out of reach and put on his shield to defend.

Ganon crossed his arms with his swords and began to walk after the Hero of Time, who jumped out of reach of the mighty blades and ran while figuring out a plan.

"Link!" Navi cried also avoiding the attacks, "Try using another sword or weapon!" Link ran behind a block of rubble and tried to figure out what to use. He pulled out the Biggoron Sword given by a great Goron blacksmith at Death Mountain. The Sword was taller than the hero was himself, and weighed almost as much. Link gave a small smirk and felt like he was ready to fight back.

The rubble shattered behind Link and the force of the impact sent him spiraling onto the ground. Ganon roared and crushed a block under his hoof. Link jumped back to his feet and gripped the Biggoron Sword in both hands and swung it up to attack position. Ganon swung and Link parried with his sword. The strength behind Ganon's attacks made Link's arms shake and shutter. Link swung at the beast but missed as the sword's weight made it difficult to maneuver and use as efficiently. Ganon, seizing the opportunity, used the hilt of one of his blades and knocked Link literally across the battlefield.

"Link! Ganon is fast and strong, and with the Biggoron Sword, you're attacks are too slow. You need to find a way to stun him or slow him down!" Navi shouted catching up to Link who was rising back to his feet.

Link looked at his adversary and knew that the battle needed something to change, a different tactic to use. Then he got an idea.

He stuck the Sword into a pile of rubble and pulled out his Hero's Bow. Using the power of light he can harness now, the arrow he knocked began to glow with the light of the heavens and aimed it straight at Ganon's eyes. He let his fingers slip and the arrow carved a path of light right into the eyes of Ganon who, when struck, reeled back and became apparently stunned. Link took this chance and pulled the giant blade and ran around the monster. Then he spotted Ganon's weak point. In his transformation, armor had grown all over his body except for a small part on his tail. Blue skin pulsed between the armor plates and Link heaved the heavy sword over his shoulder and on the weak point. Ganon squealed and fell to the ground making the fire diminished around them.

"Link! The Master Sword is over here! Hurry Up!!" Zelda called.

Ganon took another swipe at Link but was too stunned to land a hit, and so growled angrily as the young man rushed over and retrieved the Master Sword. He gave Zelda a nod and ran back into the arena with the fire of the barrier nipping at his heels when it rekindled. Ganon pulled himself back to his hooves, eager to turn the tide of the fight back to his favor.
Link stood his ground with the Master Sword in hand, it's pommel weighing heavy with the fate of the world. Ganon stomped forward and crossed both its blades and swung them both out, cutting the air in a burst at Link. Link felt the power in the swings but felt a renewed confidence with the legendary blade in hand.

Link fired arrow after arrow and delivered blow after blow with the sword and each time Ganon grew slower and angrier. Finally Link slashed through Ganon's tail and the beast fell to the ground extinguishing the flames around. As Ganon fell to the floor, Zelda summoned all her might and sent a beam of light that hit the monster while shouting, "Link! I'm using my power to hold the Evil King!" She paused for a moment to keep her hold then ordered, "You use your sword to deliver the final blow!" Then the last of the energy left and held down Ganon, also allowing the Master Sword the charge up with power.

Link swung his sword and ran it across the face of the king, then back again a few times, then the tip of the sword met the forehead of Ganon. It sunk in and Ganon froze for a moment, the trashing he was doing to get free stopped, then Link pulled the sword free and Ganon roared up in pain. He rose to he feet and swung his swords around then dropped them and slumped down to his knees.

Zelda rose her chin and shouted to the heavens, "Six Sages... Now!!" Then released the last of her energy to join with the other sages in the Sacred Realm. When the light sphere rose to the sky, she fell to the ground.

In the realm of the sages, all six had gathered ready to open the seal to the evil realm where Ganon would stay. Rauru called out, "Ancient creators of Hyrule! Now, open the sealed door and send the Evil Incarnation of Darkness into the void of the Evil Realm!!" All Six rose their arms and readied their spirits to combine and open the seal and to pull Ganon in through the seal.

They stationed themselves around the opening and began to draw the king into the realm. Ganon appeared still in his monster form and began to enter the light, but something went wrong. Though he appeared to be defeated, the King still had the power to fight and in one horrendous move appeared before the sages and gave a snarl, then waved his arms and sent the six of them flying to the separate corners of the Sacred REalm. He smiled and roared closing the gate to the Evil Realm and reentering the battlefield where Zelda and Link and just come together.

The beast dropped from the sky and gave a roar of victory, with the sages defeated he was now back in the realm of Hyrule and ready to defeat his foe.

"I don't understand, what went wrong?" Navi questioned.

"The King of Evil still had more power than the sages and I combined, let me see the Master Sword!" Zelda replied reaching out to Link who handed over the Sacred Blade. She looked at it and saw scratches along the surface and no glow from the steel.

"I don't believe it, it is missing the sacred power bestowed on it by the goddesses. It's just a regular sword!" Zelda cried out and looked in fear at the King who began to snicker and revert back to his human form.

Now he was back to Ganondorf and was back in his full armor, even his cape.
"I see my secondary plan worked just in time." He smiled as he spoke, "I have to give you credit boy, you would have won if the sparkle from the blade hadn't been taken at the last second."

"What did you do Ganondorf!?" Navi shouted.

Again the villain laughed, "I must gloat about my plan, while my original plot was to keep the sages' captive so the Evil Realm would remain closed, I had a secondary plan I stumbled upon with a book I found in the Main Library of the castle titled, The History of Hyrule. In this book it had a chapter about the mystical blades of this land, including the Master Sword." He smile even broader now and waved his arms in a mock embrace, "To make it simple, I found two other sages that, to quote the book, when evil would rise, they would rise to give sacred light to the blade of evl's bane. I simply took care of the other two sages the same way I took care of the others."

"But you defeated the sages in the Sacred Realm again... That means..." Zelda's face grew pale and she shouted, "Link we have to send you back! We have to secure the safety of the other two sages! We have too..." She was cut short by an energy shot from Ganondorf.

"Do relax my dear princess, rule under me is not as bad as you make it seem. For me at least!" He gave another laugh and Link swung the sword which Ganondor sidestepped back from. The King dodged for a few more moves then smacked Link's shield from his arm and grabbed Link's sword arm and throat. Navi buzzed around and rammed into Ganondorf a few times before a shot of energy around him send Navi into the ground.

"Now, to repeat myself from earlier, these toys are too much for you." He said and the Triforce on Link's hand began to glow, "I demand you return them to me!" The glow left Link's hand and moved to Ganondorf's hand which now had both power and courage.

"There is no more need for you and your dear princess boy, I hope you two enjoy the lava!" Ganondorf said and then tossed Link toward Zelda who was still unconscious. The Triforce on Zelda's hand began to glow then leave to Ganondorf.

"Now that I have all three pieces, I have no need for you two." Ganondorf said, "Enjoy your afterlives!" And in one final swoop The True King of Evil kicked the pair from the stone platform and hurdling into the lava below. Navi fluttered her wings for a moment then became ensnared in dark energy.

"Don't thing I forgot about you pest." Ganondorf said then sent the fairy down after Link and Zelda. He gave one more laugh and raised his hand with the complete Triforce on it and called out to the goddesses, "Here I stand! With all three pieces on my hand! Deliver me the Triforce and grant my Darkest Wish!"

The ground started to shake and to answer his call, the Triforce began to resonate on his hand and become the three sacred Triangles in front of him. With one touch, Ganon had his wish, to have control of the entire world, and for it to be a reflection of his heart: Evil. All races became miserable, hostile to themselves and others, and monsters plagued to lands for years to come, up until the next Hero and princess would be reborn one hundred years from then.

THE END?

Good and Evil

The party was in full swing, all the couples danced together, the show offs took the spotlights, and the wannabes kept flailing like fish on the shore. Yep, you could say everyone was having a good time, except for one, easily jealous jerk caught some guy he didn't like talking to his girl. The innocent one here is me, yep I knew this girl since I was in preschool and we were both the best of friends, and besides, I was already here with my girlfriend who was standing right beside me.
The bully immediately made a beeline for me, I swear tossing each unlucky dance that stood in his way as if they were sheets lined up to dry. He cut in between us actually pushing the his girlfriend back and stared me dead in the eyes. The first thing he asked was "What do you think you're doing?"
I replied that I was just having a conversation with my childhood friend but he didn't care, all he heard was "I was hitting on your girl because I think you are dumb and can't do anything about it."
I know he thought he heard that because the next words out of his mouth were, "I ain't dumb! I'll show something I do to punks who hit on my girl."
My girlfriend tried to intervene at this point, she thinks at times that I can't handle myself, but he already had pushed me away from her and his girl. He asked me again about what I was trying to do and again I repeated myself, he must have lost his ear drums to the black hole that filled his head.
Anyway, he started to ball his fists (he probably already had them closed but I hadn't noticed till they were up at my face), and slugged me once in the side of my face. The people around had stared to give notice to our struggle when it started but after that hit, it was like the music died and everyone locked on to the fight.
I'm pretty sure someone was saying "Fight! Fight! Fight!" like they always do in the movies but I couldn't be sure as my hearing (as well as my vision in my left eye) became fuzzy from the impact.
The moments ticked by slowly and I heard the watery cry of alarm from my girlfriend calling my name, but the second the next hit connected with the side of my head, I didn't even hear that. I fell to the floor my head throbbing violently from the impacts and a foot went into my ribs again and again as I curled into a fetal position.
My new position took most of the damage to my arms and legs instead of my main body and I opened on eye to see what was happening. My girlfriend was coming behind the brute and she slapped him across the face. He staggered back a bit but then directed the rage at her. He said something but it was heavily slurred, presumably because of beer he had.
At the sight of his menacing walk and dangerous talking, something snapped inside of me, like a rubber band that had been stretched too far and in an instant was standing with my fists clenched and my teeth bare.
Before then I had never been in a fight, if I was challenged I refused, if I was hit, I didn't fight back. I had developed a reputation around campus that said I was tough because I would take the hits but never show a bit of weakness. But this was different. He was verbally threatening the one I love and I knew the only way to stop him was to actually fight.
I had seen plenty of action and fighting movies (what guy hasn't?) but I always thought that I would never be able to use any of the moves the people did.
I surprised myself. In a barrage of punches I landed at least three solid blows as he maneuvered his clumsy arms to defend. I landed one in the gut that made him lean forward, then I repeated his tactic on my: attack the face and landed two on both sides.
He fell to the floor like I had and coughed a bit while holding his head, now he knew what I felt. I thought for a moment that that was it, he wasn't a threat at the moment and I could leave with my girlfriend, but his friends didn't seem to think that way. Two goons jumped from the crowd and took swings at me landing decent blows to my shoulder and chest. With my temper already spiked at the big jerk's threats, I started to fight back and began to take these two out. In the process though, I began to enjoy the fighting, the blood rushing through my veins and watching them yell out in pain and fall. During this the big cheese head got back up and began to fight as well so it was three on one, and the one was getting stronger.
Then I felt it again, another thing snapped and I knew everything was different. I took a step back and knocked all three opponents to the floor with one sweep of my leg. Everything became fuzzy at this point and I could think about was hurting them, and to allow as much of my anger as I could to create bruises and marks on their faces.
You could almost say I became: demonic.
I started my assault on them, leaving them no room to attack or defend, using my fists, feet, knees, forehead, anything that I had that could hurt them. They started crying out for mercy but I gave them none. I fell upon them faster than a shadow from a dark cloud passing the sun, my desire for pain growing with each second. I knew when they all became unconscious when they fell to the floor and didn't move, but my fun had just started. My dark eyes zipped along the crowd and I turned to my next victim. Who that person was I can't say. Male? Female? Young? Old? I didn't care, I only wanted to cause pain.
As I took my slow, cruel steps, I made sure to crunch each piece of broken glass, each piece of garbage, anything that came in my path. The person must have been frozen because they didn't move. I raised one hand and laughed, a deep cruel laugh that the devil himself must have created, and threw the punch. But something happened. The fist stopped in midair inches from the nose of the target. I gave a puzzled looked to it and the fist, under its own accord, turned and hit me smack in the nose. I felt the feature collapse and the blood come gushing out of my nostrils, I knew my nose was broken.
The fist began to attack again hitting anyplace on me it could reach and, though as strong as my other hand was, the fist was stronger. I fell back against a wall, attempting to evade my own hand out of instinct but I was still getting pummeled. Blood rained from my chin now and my fist began looking like it was dipped in red syrup. I gasped and tried to pull away, to gain control of it but then it grabbed my throat.
I twisted and pulled but the grip was too strong and I actually was lifted off the ground by this possessed hand. The crowd gasped and “ah”ed and their reaction confused me, I thought it was being lifted, but instead it was the blue and white light that began to stem from the elbow of the uncontrolled arm and painted in all hues and shades into the form of myself only transparent. The ghost’s eyes stared into mine with intense focus but with a hint of understanding.
My body at this point began to feel heat the likes of which was beyond anything natural. My skin began to burn and spit flame and in an instant became a ball of fire in the hand of a spirit. My vision changed to that of the spirit and I felt my anger cool and my mind focus. Skin began to grow over my transparent skin and I stood there, in my new skin, and knew the demon was sealed for now, but for how long I had no idea.
Slowly I turned to the stunned crowd and motioned for my girlfriend to come with me. We left that party, and tried to get the events that took place, as short as they were, out of our minds.

Almost, but not now...

My entire life has been spent wondering, waiting, hoping there would be a time for it. That one moment I would realize what my purpose would be, and what I am meant to do.
I never expected what happened to ever happen.
You see, I only recently entered a relationship and though I was told so many times in my life to be careful, I still went ahead at her call.
I satisfied my selfish appetite with the fuel of desire so strong my very soul shook when thought of...
But then it happened.
There was an... accident and the barrier we put up was broken, opening its doors for a new life. We didn't know at first, she kept regular and didn't show any real signs til about three months she started to get sick often, and complained of her hands and feet swelling.
To be safe, we bought two pregnancy tests that both told us she was not. After that we relaxed a little, even finding some seasonal jobs, which in hindsight was a bad decision at the time.
They worked her to the ground, taking advantage of her "can-do" attitude and generous nature. She was asked to carry boxes as heavy as she was, and to multitask beyond the point of human. Her manager, in light of her hard work, berated her for slacking which only added more to her stress.
I didn't work the same job as her, and she didn't tell me what was happening till the jobs ended. I thought everything was fine, until she called from work.
She coughed out my name as she was sobbing from the restroom, wailing out of pain between her words. At first, she wasn't able to explain to me what was happening, then she said what I didn't know I feared:
Miscarriage.
I felt a cold wind take over, squeezing the breath from my body and forcing the blood to my feet. I told her to stay put and rushed to pick her up wanting nothing more than to be there with her.
When it was over. She relayed each terrible detail about the incident. The child was gone, lost to death leaving behind a grieving woman, and a boy who didn't realize the full extent of his pain.
The months afterward passed on til a full year was completed. In that time, she and I became a true aunt and uncle and grew attached to our small niece, making life more pleasant. But also during that time, hiding the shadows of my mind was the incident replaying over and over in my eyes.
And with that a single question: Would I have been a good father?
Not having one around in my life for the most part, I was unable to understand who made a good father and who didn't.
Did I have what it took to be a good father?
I don't know, but when I realized the full extent of the pain that night had caused me, I understood that I would have already known if I was or not.
I would have a bouncing, bubbly almost year old right now as I write this. Of course if there was a child, I wouldn't be writing this at all.
My family wouldn't be happy if they knew, nor would they have been happy to be introduced to my child.
But I wouldn't have cared what they thought about me having a child of my own. Ruined my life? I don't believe it would have, in fact, it would have made it better. I would have someone would would need and love me their entire life.
To me, that sounds like the only true happiness that we all could one day hopefully achieve.

-~-

The Waring Brothers- A Celestial Battle

There they both stood, on a plain of fire and ice. Lava reached over the tundra and the frost took over the ashes. The brothers stared with hateful eyes, eyes that shined fire and ice in themselves.
The moon stood behind the brother with the deep blue jacket atop a black shirt and pants. The color of the jacket matched the left eye of the man and the frosted blade in the man's right hand. The right eye was a deep red that had a fire burning inside it.
He stood opposite the man in red, who had the sun on his back. This man had a deep red jacket with the same black shirt and pants, the same shade of red as the heated blade in his left hand and the man's left eye. The right eye of this man was a dark blue, the same shade of his brother.
They feuded for control for centuries, the ice and the fire. But neither could subdue the other.
The brothers were drawing for the final battle, ready to win this never ending war.
As one, the two held their blades high and charged, perfectly synchronized. Before the blades hit a powerful light radiated from the collision created the end of existence. The balance of nature was thrown out, and the entire cosmos began to unravel.
How does this end? This battle repeats itself, with each new collision bringing a revival of the battle. This constant cycle is embodied in the creation of life, and the destruction of death. With each explosion life was destroyed then brought back in another form, one different than the last. The fusion of ice and fire brings about new worlds, and with each new world comes a new battle.

The Sewer

Larc scrambled to his feet, which were pruned from the waste water in the village waterways . The smell burned his eyes and the air forced him to cough, but he still pulled himself up after slipping on the slick brick path.
He wasn’t given more than the clothes on his back and a small, candle lantern for this task: he had to clear the blockage by hand up front.
Normally, the waste was carried away quickly down to the man-made river that diluted and cleaned it, but the sewer became backed up recently and Larc was chosen to clear it out.
The tunnel was a cramped square where Larc, as young as he is, had to duck to move quickly. The boy knew he was getting close to the blockage when he realized the water was slowing down and almost still.
He sensed it before he found it in the lanterns light, the mass appeared from the darkness. The curtain of light moved toward the mass with each step Larc took until it opened over a person sitting with their back turned toward the boy.
The lighted showed the back of the person, whom Larc judged as a man, with thin arms, matted hair, and tattered clothes. Larc called out to the man, concerned as to why he was there in the tunnels, which were restricted to the common citizen. The man gave no response, just sat there.
Larc took a step forward and poked the man with his finger to try and wake him. Instead, the man fell backward and revealed his discolored skin, torn up chest cavity, and newly born maggots burrowing into the eye that still stared pleading for life.
Larc jumped back at the discovery then realized the blockage was a mass of human bodies, each with their chests torn open and most of their organs ripped out. Sweat beaded down Larc’s chin, the sight of the bodies made the young boy start to panic. He took a step backward, hitting his head on the ceiling as he felt the walls close in on him.
On the verge of screaming, Larc rushed back the way he came , desperate to get to the surface, to be free of the pleading man’s eye.
He slipped again and again, the feeling of the dead coming after him, though none gave chase.
When the stairs were in sight he discarded the lantern and ran toward them, panic driving him forward. Once out of the sewer, he sprinted to the controller of the sewer and reported what he saw in shallow, exasperated breaths which were followed by the contents of his stomach which had finally caught up with him.

In the Matter of the Ritual...

Dear Leader,
The annual rite of passage is a time-honored tradition, encompassing the very divine authority the people of Drominia hold. The young must learn through example, and create their own future with their most powerful tool; their mind. By changing that fact you endanger the very future of our race!
By eliminating the ritual, you risk the child’s untapped potential lying to waste, forgotten into imagination, and turned into fear.
You and I have been through the ritual, and both of us have become successful in life. You have climbed to our most prestigious position as our leader, and me, taking up the noble role of master scribe. I had hoped that our continuing race would thrive under your rule; I can see now that you held false hope.
Starting out with destroying our children’s imagination? I must say that this a sorrowful error. That is why I am writing to you directly about this travesty.
What would your father think? Or your mother? Do you honestly believe they would approve of this?
My childhood friend, I wish for you to reply to this, there isn’t much time before the time the ritual would have been.
It’s not too late.
Sincerely,
The Master Scribe.

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.

The Thoughts of a Father

She was beautiful.

Once again I found myself staring out this window and wondering: How can I even think to let her out of her own? I once could hold her in my hands and could tap her feet till she giggled in my arms. Now, I can’t hold on with even one hand; she’s gotten too old for that.

She used to ask me about the birds and how the plants lived; how life was so pretty, but now she tells me about her friends and where she is going in her life.

It’s strange to think back on her as a child, all innocent and adorable. Now she has a fiancée and a brand new life she is starting without me.

It makes me proud, I did my job, my child is grown up, living in today, reflecting on the past, and dreaming for the future.

I’m sure her mother fells the same about our darling.

Gone are the days of homework helper, gone are the days of messy finger paintings, and so long to the days when I held her hand when she needed me after a bad dream.

Now I can only watch her mature through her voice and actions.

I’ll still be her father, I’ll still want to know what she is doing and offer her advice but I have no control anymore.

She can take care of herself now.

-~-

Christmas Day

It's Christmas Day.
Do you feel happy? Excited?
No. You feel bad don't you? The presents under the tree? For everyone else.
Are any your's you ask?
Only the feeling of hopelessness and fear that have taken to your heart.
They don't care what you get and no matter what is is, whether you want it or no, you cannot muster the feeling that should be associated with it.
When you grow older, if you grow older, what will you do? Will you cry and plead of happiness?
I certainly hope not.
You write what you feel right?
What do you truly feel?
Before it was fear, sadness, and pure rage.
What is it now? Acceptance? Determination? Or is it the same?
You ton't truly deserve to live and do you know why/
Because you are too different. Most poeple would have killed themselves by now.
Why have you lived? Why do you fight?
Is it for her? Or is it for you future?
Maybe it's to repent for you past sins and present thoughts.
you are changing. Something you are not too ignorant of.
Now my final question.
Will you perish for nothing? Or with a cause?
-~-