Written in Blood

XXIV . Back to my old haunts

Tonight, the shadows of my past have made another appearance. I wonder where it'll take me now.

The cold bites at me and I can feel the wind whipping at me, threatening to send me down the cliff and into nothingness.

The owl's perched on one of the stone pillars on the edge of the Goron Village, and I can see the entrance to the Shrine across the chasm. How does he expect to get me over there? I don't go over yet though, seeing the thick drifts of snow piling up on everything, a wet, icy mess in my hair and on my clothes.

The air's so cold and empty and even though I know there must be souls near me, I've never felt so isolated. Heck, Tatl's floating around my head, the only light in the grey morning, and yet I could be the only person in this world.

This cold desolate mountain is a shocking change from the muggy forest I'd just found my way out of, Woodfall. The only trees around here are sturdy pines, and they're sparse at that. The only others besides the Gorons that stay here are those two blacksmiths near the foot of the mountain, the blizzard whipping around us all.

I don't know why I'm apprehensive to talk to the owl, but I keep trudging through the powdery snow, which soaks my boots.

The owl starts a rapid fire conversation, and my mind seems to fill up with ice or freeze or something, because I can barely comprehend what he's going on about. Nasty shivers rack my body, my knees knock into each other as my teeth began to chatter, but I keep as much of a grip on it as I can, trying to thaw my head.

He's going on and on about not being fooled by appearances and relying on my feelings to cross the emptiest space I've ever seen in my life. Is he trying to tell me something to get rid of me?

"I'm going to fly there now, so stay close behind. Remember, don't be daunted by appearances, the true path shall open before you as you trust your feelings. Ready?"

The owl begins to takes off as he spreads out his impressive wingspan, cleaving through the air towards the opening in the distance against the white and grey landscape.

Tatl's muttering next to me about the mental state of said owl but I just take to keeping a close following distance, watching the pure white feathers falling. They hover in the air, which surprises me. I thought they'd fall into the bleak darkness below.

It seems ridiculous, but he said to follow him. I try to collect all my courage, try to remind myself that there's no time to waste, and then I jump out into nothingness. My end starts to flash in my head but I land on something solid, still alive. My feet slide and I start to lose my balance, teetering on an invisible platform.

I start to go faster, not wanting to leave the owl behind. The wind tries to push me off, and I start to slide more, losing my footing. Near the end of the path of feathers, I jump with too much speed, sliding across the whole icy platform, too fast to try and catch myself.

I fall down into the chasm, the great opening in the earth, down to death. Everything passes into black, with flakes of snow blowing in my mind.

I snap awake, my heart runs on terror and for a second I forget that I'm out of there, that I don't have to start those days over again.

I'm drenched in a cold sweat, and I start to shake as I get out of the bed, my body tense.

I need to get out of here again.

———

It's still open, the Milk Bar. I'm in front of the door, the only building with its lights still on at the unholy hours of the night.