Time

   “Please take refuge. We are fine here. We shall greet the morning together.”

   “I won’t leave the town. I will attend to the moon. It’s my task to save Termina. Flee, because I don’t know whether I will accomplish it.”

 

   With these words, accompanied by the chime of the bell, Link stormed out of the room, heading to the Clock Tower.

 

   “I love you, Anju.”, aspirated Kafei. “Come. He is right. We got to get away from here.”

 

   As Kafei thereupon kissed his beloved Anju, something none of the two had expected, happened. Kafei himself felt a prickle and pulling in his whole body. Frightened, Anju let go of him and he saw, how his limbs and clothes started to grow larger and his view veered away from the floor. Also Anju was not less surprised to have her fiancée suddenly standing in front of her in his original form.

 

   “If I had known that!”, spat Kafei. “I’m such a damn fool! Of course! The strongest power is love! Would all this not have happened if I hadn’t so cowardly hoped for the Great Fairy’s help? But – ”

 

   The earth quaked heavier than ever. Then – strange sounds echoed unearthly through all cracks of the Inn. Kafei took Anju by the hand and pulled her outside, up the stairs to the Town Hall and on the roof of the Milkbar. The moon was now so low that there was hardly anything to be seen of the sky. Everything trembled. A glooming red shimmer laid itself upon the entire town and the quaking got increasingly jerkier. The noise of apparently gigantic footsteps predominated the rumbling of the approaching moon. In more and more shorter intervals the bell rang. Anju and Kafei stood tightly embraced on the flat roof, their hair and clothes flogging heavily in the wind coming from the moon. One of the Bombers stood next to them, the fear and uncertainty written on his face. Two more joined them and watched the approaching of the sheer unavoidable.

   There was a jar. Sounds, as the woe of the Gods, echoed scary through the dawn. Then everything stood still. The wind died off – the red shimmer faded – nothing trembled anymore. Though the silence didn’t last long. Suddenly it quaked again. A fluorescent golden and red vortex connected the top of the Clock Tower to the moon. Something was pulled upwards inside it. Something bigger followed. Then the vortex ceased and everything came to rest again. Kafei knew that this was their only chance.

 

   “Get you companions and everyone you can find on your way.”, he said to the boys. “Bring them to the Eastgate. Anju. Get the Postman. I’m sure, the poorest is still around. Look into all stores of the Westtown whether someone else is still there as well. Bring to me, whoever you can convince to flee. Can you do this?”, Anju just nodded shaking, thick tears in her eyes. “Hurry, everyone. I don’t know if and how much time we got left. But I won’t let anybody here I can rescue.”

 

   He himself also rushed off the roof and opened the door to the Mayor’s residence with a jerk. A helmed head gazed around the corner on the left.

 

   “Kafei?”, called the guard disbelievingly. “Captain! It is the Mayor’s son! He returned!”

   “What?”, he snobbed and peered around the corner in disbelief as well.

   “What by all means in the world are you still doing here?”, shouted Kafei, surprised by his own anger. “Get outside to the Eastgate! Quick! There is still hope for Termina, but we should flee anyway. There’s not much time left.”

 

   Without answering, fortunately both of them took Kafei’s words as direct order and left the building, whereas he pushed the door to his father’s office open. That one still sat in his chair, the face buried in his crossed armes on the table and cried bitterly.

 

   “Father!”, he ran towards him and tried to pull him up.

   “No. Can this be? Kafei?”

   “Yes, it’s me. Come on! We have to get away from here.”, he called upon him. “I’ll explain everything later. Where’s Mother?”

   “She’s still in the Milkbar, I guess. She said that she’s not going to flee unless you returned.”, Dotour moaned and wiped the tears from his eyes.

 

   Half stumbling, the two men hurried outside on the Eastsquare. In the meantime, more people than Kafei had feared, had gathered there. There was just one place where they were totally safe if there was going to be a blast wave – because, according to Kafei’s logic, a falling luminary could produce a very big blast wave – and there was just one possibility to get all those people there. He took his fingers in his mouth and created a melodic whistle. Then he attended to the Milkbar’s door that, to make things worse, didn’t want to open – and this shortly before the apocalypse. Without hesitating, he simply kicked it out of the hinge, ignoring the protests of his father, swung himself with two steps over the banister and landed almost gracile and untroubled a few feet away from his mother.

 

   “For Heaven’s sake!”, she struggled for air, stunned. “I knew that you are alive! But you don’t need to clarify it that much!”

   “All right, Mother.”, Kafei laughed and shortly embosomed her. “We musst get out of here. Link is trying to stop the moon. But nevertheless, we should get away. I know, where we are save. Wait. Take an empty bottle with you. I help you across.”

   “Link?”, hesitated Madame Aroma, as Kafei helped the barkeeper and his bottle over the counter.

   “Didn’t you ask for his name? The one you’ve sent on search for me!”, Kafei murmured, already on the staircase.

   “This – boy – tries – to – stop – the moon?”, she groaned with every, for her figure, really fast step upstairs. “He – doesn’t – shy – away – from – any – oh so – reasonable – task – does he?”

 

   Right as they left the bar, ten bonebeings were clacking through the Eastgate. They used to be horses, but now all that was left was their skeleton, held together with few sinews and the scantily, torn parts of drapery from their once richly decorated saddlecloth. Fortunately they still carried their saddles, otherwise it would have been a very uncomfortable ride. The whole situation was made even spookier by the fiery glooming eyes of the horses.

 

   “Mutoh was not to be convinced.”, Viscen sighed.

   “Well then.”, meant Kafei. “Then he will stay behind. Either his faith is stronger than my wit or he’s just naïve. Whatever. It’s his decision.”

 

   Quickly Kafei had divided. He helped his friend from the Curiosity Shop and Mr. Barten on one, the Postman and the Banker on another. Three Bombers at a time, as well as two guards each, shared a creature. His father and, in a wondrous way also his mother, managed to get up by themselves. Finally Kafei helped his shaking Anju up, before he swung himself behind her. Then he said something in a language that, in all likelihood, just his father and the mounts understood, because everybody else just looked at him with slight confused.

 

   “Run as fast the sand can carry you. Only the Dead can save us now.”

   “Which dead?”, Dotour asked unsure, as the Stalhorses, clacking and creaking, hurried out of town so fast that some of the riders had serious issues with holding on.

   “The Graveyard. The Royal Crypt is big and deep enough to give us shelter, if the moon sho-”, he broke off.

 

   Also the others marvelled at the gigantic legs outside the gate. As good as they could, they tried to get a glimpse on the being that was carried by those legs.

 

   “Should fall.”, Kafei finished his sentence. “The underground of the Clock Tower would also be safe, but we would need to go too far inside the passageway. Considering the mass of rock, we would probably need struggle our way up to the forests of Hyrule. And the Ancient Ways are not intact anymore. I don’t believe it. He actually called the Giants.”, one last time Kafei looked back, before they turned into the canyon.

   “What – what are these – ?”, stared Anju after the blue flaming skulls, between which they rode unopposed.

   “Don’t worry. They are no harm. At least not up here. If we walked, we would have some difficulties though.”

 

   But they hadn’t. Effortless the ghosthorses jumped over the fences and onto the stoneterraces, up to the Graveyard of Ikana. For a short moment, Kafei saw the rising sun flash from behind the Stone Tower, before the mounts, creaking and whinnying, ground to halt. One could not say who was more sceptic: the riders or the Stalchildren between the graves. One of them moved towards Kafei, who alone dared to dismount.

 

   “You can ride them?”, asked the skeleton in the strange language Kafei had used before.

   “Everyone can ride them as long as there is someone to call for them.”, Kafei answered grumpy, with obvious distaste for his opponent.

   “Of course.”, laughed the Stalchild. “But you are not welcome here. Leave and take your pack with you.”

   “I can’t. The moon is falling.”, Kafei pointed on the still deep hanging orb.

   “What do I care about the moon. I don’t need to fear this thing.”

   “You have made a vow of loyalty. Allegiance until death and beyond it. You all have.”

   “King Igos is dead himself.”

   “Exactly. Then you have to serve him even more. He has always seen the living and the dead as equals. So should you, Urol.”

   “Urol?”, breathed Dotour almost unnoticed to himself.

   “This cutthroat you have told me about?”, whispered his wife next to him.

   “Now do two of the last ones of your tribe a favour and step aside. And I warn you. One of you touches one of us even slightly and I will chop all of you into your pieces with my bare hands.”

 

   A few meaningful looks were exchanged and the Stalchildren backed up from the path, to let the refugees dismount. Hasty Kafei ran, followed by his anxious combatants, to the house of the gravedigger and pounded on the door as hard as he could.

 

   “It is me, Kafei! Open up! Quick!”, the lock clicked and a confused grimace peered through a small opened gap.

   “What the – ?”

   “Let us in. Please. I’ll explain everything when we are down.”

   “D-d-down? In the R-r-royal G-g-grave?”

   “Please!”, Kafei begged, als the floor shook instantly, because one of the Giants had buckled for a moment.

   “It is really falling, is it?”, moaned the gravedigger.

   “Please!”, begged Kafei again.

   “All right, all right! Come in. But I don’t have any torches left and the shadow is still down there.”, he aspirated as he let the lot inside.

   “The shadow that grabs you and throws you out? I can deal with that Wallmaster. Give me your shovel, please.”

 

   When finally all of them had crammed between the closed door and the staircase to the grave, Kafei stepped on the first stair and meant them all to stay inside the room. They were too afraid anyway, as to move down into the pitch-black crypthall. He however jumped down with one dart.

 

   “Kafei!”, Anju cried. “Do you even know, what you are doing?”

   “I’m well versed down there. I grew up here. Besides, I can see in the dark.”

   “What? How?”

   “I could as well, if I wasn’t overtired all the time.”, Dotour noticed.

 

   A weird murmur went through the room and the earth quaked again. Though the murmur hadn’t had its cause in the concussion, as solely three of them knew. The sparse light of the angle that shone between the door’s frame and the heads of the bulk, didn’t even make it a yard far into the darkness. Therefore Kafei’s action was only audible for the others. He though saw exactly what happened around him. Gently he laid the shovel down, as he knew that it would be useless for now. The head bent towards the painted stone floor, a smirk moved onto his lips. Then, as the outlines of the circular shadow in the darkness became most visible, he quickly hopped to the side and the huge hand smacked down next to him. Nimble he pulled a dagger out of his boot and faced the hand, which started dancing around him like a spider.

   When it jumped towards him, Kafei rolled beneath it and stabbed it three fast times in the joint. With a groan the hand broke down and burst into flames. He put back his dagger in the sheath inside his boot, grabbed the shovel again and started digging well-chosen in three of the loosely filled sandy earth pits. When he freed the first of the Eternal Flames, he made his attendance understand that they could now come down to him without need of worry. With amazement they stepped downstairs where they waited until he recovered the other two flames and went back to the middle of the room.

 

   “And?“, Viscen asked. „What now?”

   “Now – we wait.”, sighed Kafei, took a seat on the cold stone floor and meant Anju to sit down at his side.

   “Will you finally tell now?”, asked Madame Aroma, who sat, not without problems, next to Anju diagonally at his left side, while Dotour lowered himself at Kafei’s right. “I mean, you have at least vindicated yourself a tiny little bit in this letter. But this doesn’t explain, how a little boy can stop the moon that had been brought to fall by another, cursed little boy.”, also the others sat down gradually.

   “Yes. The Skull Kid. At least that is the name, everyone’s giving him. He had turned me into a child. When I, unnecessarily, as I had to find out before this action, wanted to go to the Great Fairy for asking her to help me, this bugger Sakon stole my Sun’s Mask. I’m afraid, I was a bit too ashamed of having been so careless. Therefore I went into hiding. But Link helped me to get back my mask. He brought Anju and me together again. This was the last thing he did, before he hurried to the Clock Tower, for trying to put an end to the whole madness, because not only Sakon is a thief. For us it might have been three days, but Link owns a powerful Ocarina. I assume, all of you know about the Ancient Melodies?”

 

   From their expressions he could tell it wasn’t even slightly the case. Only those knew of the Melodies who he had expected to.

 

   “They are the melodies that can free hidden magical powers. Though they are useless without one of the Divine Instruments. One of them is the Ocarina of Time. It is the most powerful and convertible instrument. It can only be played by a chosen one. Link had received it from Princess Zelda. Twice already. A Gerudo named Ganondorf, greedy for power, plans to subdue Hyrule. At the first time Zelda had thrown the Ocarina into the moat as she fled and taught Link the Hymn of Time via telepathy. Link collected the Ocarina and quick-witted he ran to the Temple of Time. There he opened the portal, withdrew the Holy Sword from its pedestal and suddenly woke up seven years later. Hyrule was partly destroyed, cursed and without hope. But Link didn’t give up and banished the evil spirits from the Holy Temples.

   “This little boy shall have done all this?”, Viscen asked.

   “Yes. By means of the Sages and a little more help from Zelda, he defeated Ganondorf and rescued Hyrule. Though for Zelda this wasn’t enough. When she had wanted to flee to Clock Town as a child, she had found Ikana dead and Clock Town buried beneath a huge rock.”, everything shook again. “Privily she knew that it was the smaller one of our two moons, as it couldn’t be seen on the nightsky anymore. From the pieces she read its story. The whole seven years she hid with her bodyguard inside the ruins of Ikana, as she also couldn’t travel back in time without the Ocarina or the Sword.”

 

   While he explained, memories of his own swamped Kafei. Memories he had long believed to have overcome.

 

   “When she felt that the time had come, she hurried back to Hyrule to assist Link. As the Leader of the Sages, she saw it as her fortune, to reverse the destiny of Termina. And she knew, who was capable of fulfilling this task. So she begged the clueless Link for travelling back in time. Though she meddled a little with the process and so he was thrown back further than he should have. They met again for the first time. But Zelda, as Link too, were aware of the coming events this time and she gave him the Ocarina immediately. She ensured he knew the Song of Time, gave him his actually future horse Epona, which is now still just an adolescent foal, because she knew, he would quite need a horse.”

   “How thoughtful.”, mumbled Dotour with clear sarcasm, but Kafei didn’t bother him.

   “Without telling him what to do, she sent him into the deepest depths of Hyrule’s forests, in hope that the Skull Kid would ambush him and force him to follow the Ancient Ways to Termina. Because Majora’s Mask knew its target and had taken possession of the little thief. Therefore nobody should blame this careless cub for our circumstance. It was the mask, created by those of us that dared to walk too deep into the darkest realms of black magic.”

 

   In the corner of his eye he noticed that his father now preferred to watch the moss dangling from the high ceiling instead of him, and how it swayed.

 

   “For us it were just three days. But Link was here for a small eternity. Here above Termina created by the Giants in cooperation with the Trinity, the Ocarina has much more power than in Hyrule itself. Again and again Link went back through these three days and helped anew. Each of us, sometimes more than once, just for being able to call the Giants and being prepared to destroy the demon living in the mask.”

   “Stop, stop, stop.”, one of the Bombers waved about. “He really did that all?”

   “Yes. And when he can save Termina, he will have to save Hyrule once more.”

   “Where do you know all that from?”, asked Anju. “When did he – in the very least – three days have the time, to tell you all this?”

   “He didn’t. It was’t important to him. He has no clue that I know.”

   “But from where – ?”, began the owner of the Curiosity Shop.

   “I, have read it out of his memory, while we were waiting for Sakon together.”, now Anju herself moved a bit away from him. “It actually went quite fast. Therefore it doesn’t surprise me that the Mask Salesman knew about it as well. But it has stunned me so much momentarily that I was heedless in Sakon’s hideout and stepped onto this stupid switch. Yet we managed in time.”

   “How – you have read it out of his memories – ?”, hesitated Anju.

   “I should really sleep more.”, Dotour sighed across the next quake.

   “Oh yes, you have to.”, Kafei conciliated. “When this is over, I will do your work for a while, so you can take a rest. Otherwise you won’t stop rusting away.”

   “When this is over, you won’t need to take on my work. I honestly don’t believe that he will manage it. He might be very able, but I doubt that he is capable of Majora’s Mask in the end. Not even though he, as you said, had done already so much. I too know about the force in this mask.”

   “While he fights on the moon – or wherever – against the demon, the time stands still! But only concerning the progress of daytime! Does this mean nothing? Therefore we sit here now. Yes, maybe because my comprehension was a bit bigger than my hope in the essential moments – perhaps only because Link himself doubted a little – but I trust him. I trust in the hope of Princess Zelda. She wouldn’t have sent him, if she had known that it was in vain anyway, because then she would have rather preferred to let him save Hyrule. Because one moon just falls once. But a tyrant destroys on and on. He too doesn’t think that his first victory over Ganondorf was enough.”

   “Anyhow. I don’t believe that he will be able to. When this whole thing is over, there will be no need of a Mayor in Clock Town because there won’t be a Clock Town anymore. Ikana however, needs a king.”

   “What?”, Kafei chuckled, not sure to have heard right. “Even if one could really expect me to take on such a burden; what I, probably to your discomfort, doubt heavily; haven’t you seen it? Haven’t you listened to me? There is nobody here anymore except Sakon, Igor and a scientist with his daughter. Ikana is dead, Father! Not just Igos and his attendants. We are well advised to be happy that we could escape! Mother – I mean my biological mother – “, he carefully disposed in Madame Aroma’s direction, “Was the first to be hit by his delusion.”

   “Don’t you tell me what happened then – ”

   “It was good that your intuition led us away from here. Even Igos had tried to destroy the mask. It had, back then, already taken possession of somebody. It was Urol. That double-crosser was sent into the castle by the mask, for making Igos an offer – immortality, you remember? Immortality for his whole folk. All they had to do was to touch the mask. He stole the mask from the Forbidden Shrine. Igos didn’t even know about the existence of the Shrine, as he was no Archpriest. But Urol had tortured one of them to get on information about their machinations.”

   “Why doesn’t that surprise me,”, whispered Anju.

   “He just got to know, that those, questing for acceptance, could riskfreely touch the mask with their bare hands. He also found out that first everyone else would become invulnerable but after a while die a horrible death. So he brought this assumed source of immortality to Igos, to get rid of him, as Urol himself was asking for acceptance by our folk, which he hoped to find in the throne. Mother was the probant. Urol took the lance of another guard and stabbed her. As nothing happened, Igos believed him. Though he wanted to lock the mask away safely for one night, just to make sure. In this night Mother died and we fled, when the mask came floating through our window. It took on the action itself and killed all inhabitants. Yes, Father, I was there too. I have seen more than you know.”

   “Because you ever had the talent to stick your nose into matters you weren’t – ”

   “What nobody knew, the demon hadn’t been evil at first. It was Urol’s crime that has simmered it with rage. It ran amok with its shell and didn’t just kill each and everyone, but cursed them to walk as undead to the morning after its own destruction. The mask disappeared, until one day it was found by the Mask Salesman, who fortunately was absent for a years lasting journey at the moment of the disaster. Because of his characteristic to snap out the sentences of everybody’s mouth even before they are said, he was refused everywhere and therefore couldn’t be harmed by the mask.”

   “Shall anyone say the banished stand no chance.”, the Curiosity Salesman threw in.

   “But instead of leaving it in the dead town, he wanted to bring it to Hyrule, for letting it be destroyed by the Sages. And there we go, the Skull Kid stole it from him. Father, Ikana is dead. Ikana doesn’t need a king. The Mask Salesman, Rim and we two are the last ones here. Even in other places there are just a few Sheikah left. Our folk doesn’t need a king anymore, because our folk is just a handful of hermits and us.”

 

   A bewildered silence occurred, just predominated by another quake – and a quiet rumble which turned out to be the Postman’s stomach.

 

   “Criminy!”, he just said and touched his belly.

   “Yes. I’m hungry too.”, sighed one of the Bombers.

   “And me even more.”, moaned a guard.

   “I too haven’t eaten much during the last days, as I constantly asked myself how from one second to the other a plumpy, overflowing account-sack with more than fivethousand Rupees named on a certain Link could lie around behind me.”, noticed the Banker. “Obviously this ink is more magical than I ever suggested. If it just could be eaten. I always carry a bottle with me.”

   “Bottle is exactly the right word. You really think I haven’t considered the basic needs?”, giggled Kafei.

   “You don’t mean to raid the tombs, do you?”, Dotour listened attentively.

   “No thanks, I don’t eat bones.”, said the Curiosity-Salesman shortly.

   “Who is talking about bones? Blimey! History is not your strength, is it?”, laughed Kafei.

   “It is a thousands of years old belief of the Sheikah, according to which the fruit of the afterworld are inedible.”, now began Dotour to tell. “Therefore the Archpriests tried to create a charm that conserves food for eternity and never lets it run out. The Hinterlands of Ikana are fruitful, yes, but once we were so many that we went often out of food during dry summers. With the success of the Archpriests neither the Sheikah in the realm of the living, nor those in the realm of the dead had to starve.”

   “That is why I wanted to take an empty bottle with me. The tombchambers are guarded by a rare, lighter Poe, a so-called Big Poe, that is hiding in one of these sandy fields. If I destroy its undead shell, I can fill its spirit in a bottle and afterwards settle it on its former hidingplace. It becomes one with the sand and this will become so light, that the door beneath it swings open. Then I will go down – pray for the Goddesses’ forgiveness – and get you lot something to eat. Shovel, please.”

 

   Dotour just shook his head, as his son thankfully accepted the tool, due to the heavier tremble of the ground a bit shaky, went to one of the sandfields and digged. Just seconds later a greenish-yellow ghost with poisongreen eyes and a lantern in its hand, floated aloft out of it. Kafei dropped the shovel, pulled his dagger and got ready to attack. The Big Poe narrowed its eyes and sped towards him. Kafei however moved aside in the last second, accompanied by the groaning of the mass, turned around and threw his dagger at the Poe’s back. For a short moment the ghost froze. This moment puzzled all of them even more than Kafei’s reaction.

   He reached out and the dagger simply rushed back to him. Skilful he caught it and let the ghost attack anew. This scenario he repeated numerous times with rising rage of the Big Poe, until it broke down in flames and its soul stayed hanging as a small lambent light just a few fingers away from the stone floor. Satisfied with himself, Kafei put back the dagger, asked for the bottle, caught the small soul in it and carried it to its longtime hideout. Yet a bit more worried Kafei paused, before he went down to the tombs and not much later returned with a big stramineous basket. Onto it he had laid a big urn which contained, as revealed shortly after, crystal clear water.

 

   While they ate, the intervals between each of the increasingly heavier quakes reduced. Nobody spoke a word. Even Kafei looked to the ceiling more often, whre sand trickled from its cracks. Anju found it difficult to eat, not only because she pressed herself so close to Kafei that she could hardly hold a thing in her hands.

 

   “I feel like a criminal.”, mumbled Dotour. “But who cares. We’re not going to life long anymore anyway.”

   “Dotour!”, warned his wife.

   “But it is true! Let’s not fool ourselves, Esra.”

   “Even if Kafei is not my biological child, he is like a son for me. And if he doesn’t give up hope, then I won’t either. A Rosa trusts in her family and in those who have helped her family.”

   “Esra?”, Anju threw in, probably to distract herself a bit. “Esra Rosa?”

   “Exatly, luv. In full bloom of her life. And therefore I won’t let the man I love persuade me that we’re going to be crunched by a moon.”, the far heaviest quake since they entered the Crypt, echoed fulminating through the walls. “Exactly! You hear me? You won’t get me down!”, she yelled up to the ceiling, though fighting tears.

   “Are you – are you related to the Rosa-Twins? Or are the name and the haircolour just coincid– ”

   “No, kid. First, I don’t believe in coincidences and second, you are right. The twins are my nieces.”

 

   Suddenly even entire stones came down. The former quakes had always been short, but this one lasted a real while. Then everything went silent again.

 

   “That was it.”, moaned Dotour, breaking out in tears. “There you got your moon. Now we can touch it.”

   “No.”, aspirated Kafei, shaking his head and looking to the ceiling. “No. It didn’t fall.”

   “S-s-s-sure. Stop it. It has – ”

   “Not fallen, Father. It was not heavy enough for that, believe me. Even if a legion of Dodongos would have stormed above our heads, it would have trembled heavier. Clock Town is still standing.”

 

   Nevertheless Kafei jumped on his feet and ran upstairs. They all heard how he kicked the door open. A massive hum also came in. It took a while until Kafei came back, not less in tears as the others. But his tears were of happiness.

 

   “Anju, let us get married! It is gone!”, he laughed shivering. “The moon – is gone! Look yourselves!”

 

   None of them needed to be told twice. As good as their legs could carry them, they all stumbled up to him and outside.

 

   “Quick! On the horses!”, Kafei shouted nervously. “The sun’s rising any moment! Otherwise we’ll have to run!”

 

   Though a bit clumsy, they all managed to get on the backs of the steeds. Already they galloped past the confused Stalchildren, down the canyon and into Termina Field. Within sight of Clock Town they came to halt. In front of them stood the carpenters, including Mutoh, whose usual, superior laugh echoed through the thin morning air. What they couldn’t see from where they were, also out of the other regions of Termina life was crowding into the Field, which didn’t believe their eyes. The town was still standing – as if nothing had happened. Just a rainbow-alike shimmer was floating above the roofs.

   Southwards from the town stood four gigantic figures, bigger than everything else. Only the height of the mountains could overtrump them. They seemed to hold a sort of meeting. But Kafei was distracted. To say it, he could just prevent in time, not to bump onto Anju with brunt. The first rays of sunlight had fallen past the Stone Tower and hit exactly that spot of earth they were on. The horses turned to dust and their riders ungently landed on the stony and sandy ground.

 

   “Where did you come from?”, Kafei asked the carpenters after he had pulled Anju up.

   “These cowards went hiding in a hole!”, laughed Mutoh. “I’ve said that the thing won’t fall! And when I say it won’t fall, it won’t fall, savvy?”

   “I totally agree with you.”, Kafei giggled, while he noticed the uncountable numbers of Gorons forcing themselves into the rise to the Mountain Village in far distance. „Come on! The Carnival’s taking place – if a bit late though. But first there’s wedding!”

 

 

 

   Anju and her mother nearly collided at the door to the Inn. When Cremia had seen that the moon was gone, they had summoned all non-animals on the Ranch, loaded them onto the wagon and rushed to town with highest speed possible. The wagon hadn’t even stopped when Anju’s mother already had jumped down and headed towards Easttown to ckeck whether her daughter was still sitting in her room. Finding her like that was nothing she had expected. The last thing however she would have thought of was seeing Kafei at her side.

 

   “Mother!”, beamed Anju. “Grandmother!”, Cremia with the wheelchair, breathless, came to halt behind her, Romani on her heels.

   “You – !”, panted Anju’s mother, her gaze pointed on Kafei. “You – haven’t – forgotten – her? You – you have – brought– her – into safety?”

   “Yes. That’s what I did.”, Kafei smirked.

   “A-a-a-and the moon? What – ? You don’t even have the slightest idea what – ?”

   “Yes, I also do have a slight idea what happened to it.”

   “Thought so.”, she snorted, her hands on her hips. “If there is somebody who must know it, then the Mayor’s son.”

   “That’s right.”, Kafei giggled, grinning up to his ears. “And exactly that is the one your daughter wants to marry now.“

   “Exactly. Yes.”, she let her arms down shaggy.

   “Immediately.”, warned Anju as cold as a rock.

   “I-i-immediately!”, her mother brandished hysterically.

   “Right away.”

   “Right away – oh dear!”

   “But outside the Westgate please. The town is still so empty. I want to get into the green outdoors.”, Anju begged.

   “Well – what are we waiting for then? Come, ki- no – woman! Come! Let’s put on your dress!”, without beating about the bush any further, she pulled the not-locked door to the Inn open and disappeared with Anju on her coat-tails.

   “And what’s with me?”, murmured the grandmother in the wheelchair. “I want to be beautiful too!”

   “There we go.”, panted Cremia still a bit and pushed her along, her little enraptured sister on her heels again. “Let us find something beautiful for you to wear.”

   “Preciesely.”, came it from the also panting Esra. “And you will put on something else than this tatters as well.”

   “For the last time, Mother. These tatters are an Ikana’n workaday-dressing.”

   “And totally dusty and manky! You are not gonna marry like this. Ikana to, Ikana fro. The main thing is that it’s festive-day-dressing, yes? This is your wedding, not an everyday-event!”

 

 

 

   Almost at the same moment as Anju, already squeezed in her crampy wedding dress, was prepared by the skilful fingers of her mother in her hair, pinning them up into an artistic hairdo, Kafei’s hair, to his discomfort, fought against his stepmother’s murderous comb, who, to her discomfort, lost the fight. Almost she had thrown the comb at Dotour who couldn’t hold and burst into laughter. A mysterious, hollow chant and a constant, abating tremble stopped her from doing so. The Giants had returned to their heavenly realm. Kafei took the advantage of the following silence, to flee from the comb. Slightly disappointed, Esra went after her stepson, not without a smack on the back of her husband’s head and threw the comb heedlessly over her shoulder.

 

 

~o~0~O~0~o~