Terminan Journal: Entry #2

I emerged from the clock tower and was met with a bright, sunny morning. I found myself in a small plaza, filled with what looked to be stands and tents set up for some kind of market or festival. But they were all empty. In fact, the only people around were a handful of carpenters and a single mailman that quickly brushed past me. I found it a bit odd, but Tatl interrupted my thoughts and told me a little bit about this place.

We were in what was called Clock Town, center of the land of Termina. And if we needed information, the best thing to do would be to speak to the Great Fairy, who lived in the fairy fountain in the north side of town.

So we set off to speak to the Great Fairy, and I made sure to take notice of as many things as possible along the trip. I wanted to track down the Skull Kid as fast as I could, before he had a chance to get away, and I figured it would save time to investigate while moving. And with this being a strange, foreign land, with many things to learn, I knew that conserving time would be very important.

I could tell that something big was about to happen. Everyone seemed busy or preoccupied. I figured they were all getting ready for whatever event was being prepared for in the main plaza. But oddly enough, I noticed that the town seemed a bit underpopulated, considering the coming event and the town's apparent importance. It kinda felt like Hyrule's castle town, but only populated by the residents of Kakariko Village. I noticed that the temperature and weather were both very mild, not unlike in Hyrule Field, which lead me to believe that Clock Town was similarly situated between several different climates. I took note that the moon looked rather large, and believed that to mean that we were at a higher altitude. But strangest of all, I couldn't shake the feeling that a lot of these people looked very familiar to me...

Tatl and I reached the Great Fairy's Fountain, but what we found was not the Great Fairy. The fountain was filled with strange looking fairies, unlike any I had ever seen before. But when I approached, they all spoke to me at once, like a single entity. They claimed to be the Great Fairy, but the Skull Kid had shattered her body to pieces. One of these pieces had been lost, and needed to be returned for the Great Fairy to be restored to her normal self. Could the Skull Kid truly possess such terrible power, stronger than even a Great Fairy's magic? The idea made me very uneasy.

So Tatl and I searched the town for this stray fairy. While we searched, I began to learn more about Clock Town and its inhabitants. Clock Town seemed to be a center of commerce, with people from all over Termina visiting to shop or partake in what I learned was called the Carnival of Time, a yearly celebration honoring gods of Terminan lore. This festival was indeed happening soon, in three days. But I still couldn't help noticing that the town felt too empty for a coming festival. I also noticed that many of these people kept mostly to themselves. There were no friendly chats or outings, and there was no general conversation on the streets. The only people I saw interacting were the ones working or practicing for a show. I tried to leave town through one of the gates, to explore the outer walls a bit, but none of the guards would let a lone, young Deku Scrub walk into the dangers of the fields.

And then I came across the town hall. I heard what sounded like a large debate, so I stepped in to investigate. And what I heard was rather chilling. The town was so empty because the people believed that the moon was actually falling, and a large portion of the population took shelter elsewhere. Some thought the whole town should be evacuated, while others felt that the mere idea was foolish, and the moon was perfectly fine. I could tell this debate would last a long time, so I stepped out. It was true that the thought of the moon simply falling out of the sky sounded outrageous, but I couldn't help thinking that the moon did look a bit larger than it did earlier that day...

Later that evening, I finally found the stray fairy, floating high in the air in front of the inn. I brought it back to the fountain as fast as I could. As soon as I entered the fountain, the fairy went to rejoin the others, and they all swirled together, forming what I instantly recognized to be a Great Fairy. She thanked me, and bestowed upon me some magical power. She told me that this would help me reach the Skull Kid, and that I should return to see her after I had regained my true form. She also told me that the man in the observatory just outside of town could help me find the Skull Kid.

As I left the fountain, I became aware of how tired I was, and how long it had been since I last slept. There was a Deku flower not far from the fountain entrance, and without even thinking about it, I burrowed in and rested for a bit, ignoring Tatl's complaints.

The next morning came too soon. Tatl woke me up and demanded that I get back to work. I was annoyed, but agreed that I had better things to be doing than sleeping. I decided to try out the magic that the Great Fairy had given me. I discovered that I could blow bubbles with my large snout and fire them at distant objects. I saw a child using a large balloon for target practice with his pea shooter. Perfect for practicing with my bubbles! I took aim, blew a bubble...

And missed. I instead hit the balloon that was keeping a strange little man suspended in the air. I ran up to apologize to him, but he was too busy calling me a fairy and trying to sell me his maps to listen to anything I had to say. I purchased a map from him, both for its practicality, and to get him to shut up.

My second attempt at shooting the balloon went much better. So much, in fact, that the child that had been shooting it insisted I become a member of his gang! I was about to decline the offer, until he mentioned that their hideout was the observatory. Since the guards would not allow me to leave, I had no choice but to join this gang to use their tunnels. All I had to do to gain access was play a game of hide and seek.

It began to rain as our game started, but it didn't take too long for me to find them all. Their leader wanted to make me a full member, but the rest of the gang refused to allow a Deku Scrub in, so I became a mere honorary member. But it got me into the tunnels, which was the important part.

When I arrived in the observatory, the old astronomer greeted me warmly, and allowed me to use his telescope. He had been keeping track of the Skull Kid as well, noting all the mischief he had been causing in town for a while now. He had also been studying the moon, and noted that it did indeed appear to be falling. Sure enough, it did look even larger than it had the day before. But before long, we caught sight of the Skull Kid, perched high atop the clock tower. The astronomer told me that the only way up there was to wait for the doors to open, which happen on the eve of the Carnival of Time. Midnight of the next day. I thanked him for his help and made to leave, but before I could there was a loud crash outside. A stone called a Moon's Tear had fallen from the moon, and the astronomer let me take it. It was a beautiful stone, but the fact that pieces of the moon were falling made me fear what was happening even more.

With my goal in sight, the fact that all I could do was wait made me exceedingly anxious. It was my third day in Clock Town, and there was a very thick air of foreboding everywhere. The few remaining townspeople were all as anxious as I was, and the moon was still growing larger. The ground even began to quake due to the moon's now unignorable proximity to the town. With nothing to do, I simply waited in front of the clock tower. A passing Deku Scrub had seen my Moon's Tear, and traded me his Deku flower for it. Said it would make a fine gift for his wife. I was happy to help, but more happy that the flower gave me a way to reach the doorway to the top of the tower. Tatl and I waited in silence until midnight, both of us too nervous to speak, simply watching the moon and feeling the ground tremble beneath us...

When midnight finally struck, the tower exploded with activity. Fireworks went off in celebration of the carnival that was simply not there, and the face of the clock actually folded up and back to form an observation deck. Tatl and I rushed up the newly opened steps to the top of the tower.

We were greeted by the Skull Kid and Tatl's brother, Tael. He had the Ocarina of Time, but I was saddened to still see no sign of Epona. I hoped that she was okay. Tael tried to tell us something, but the Skull Kid struck him silent, which Tatl was none too pleased about. There was certainly something wrong with the Skull Kid, and he didn't even care when Tatl revoked their friendship, but I had no time to think of it. The Skull Kid had used his strange power to cause the moon to fall even faster!

While he was distracted, I took my chance. I blew a bubble and knocked my ocarina out of his hands. With the precious item back in my hands, it reminded me of my last meeting with Princess Zelda. She had told me to play the Song of Time should I ever find myself in danger. With possibly minutes left until the moon crashed into the ground, I figured this would be the perfect time to do just that.

But it seemed that the Skull Kid's magic went farther than changing just my body. My ocarina turned into a large set of Deku pipes as I drew it to my mouth! Luckily for me, these pipes still retained the ocarina's magic. As I played the Song of Time, I could almost feel the notes reaching out to some far-off force. Time itself seemed to slow to a halt. Everything began to blur around me, turning into a whirling mass of images, faster and faster, until...