Author: DragonFire6780

Name of the Player: Cole

December 14th, 2012

Based on a nightmare I had as a child. __________________________________________________________________

It had been a while since I've played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is my favorite game of all time to this day, and I'm talking about the Nintendo 64 cartridge release. I never really owned my own cartridge, I shared it with my brother but when the Xbox console came out he switched to Xbox gaming. I had my own N64, and it was fire-orange.

My brother gave me his old OoT cartridge. I was very happy, he said, "Keep this game. I don't play it anymore and I don't want to sell it because I know you still love and play it." As soon as I held the cartridge in my hand, memories came rushing back into my mind, like the time it took me five years just to learn that you could put the Master Sword back, when I didn't know what the "eye of truth was," or the time I beat the game for the very first time. Nostalgia was among me.

I played the game, but I stopped playing it for a few years after a while. I was 10 years old, and decided to look in my closet for some old things or collectables that I used to have. Among searching, I found posters, a Link figure, some old clothes, as well as shoes; but I found something that intrigued me the most. The same Ocarina of Time cartridge I played a few years back. It had a lot of dust on it, so I decided to wipe it off. I wanted to see if it still worked, so I popped it into my N64 console and watched the N64 logo flash.

The title screen popped up and I decided to watch one of the scenes that happens when you leave the title screen put. I began to play, and noticed one of my older files. It was named "ASDFjdsk" Since I never knew how to read or care to name him. I decided to choose it and see what was in it. The game was complete, with every upgrade besides 12 Skultullas. I saved and quit the game and decided to start a new file, and named it "Link." The intro cutscene started and I was into the game.

I made lots of progress, some glitches happened, but I thought it was just the game conveying its age. One of the most strangest ones was Link's body glitching as if I tilted the cartridge, more strangely it did this when I went away to get something, such as a drink.

I progressed and obtained the Goron's Ruby, but I then remembered that I didn't get the Sun's Song. I decided to head up Death Mountain first to get the magic meter, and hitched a ride on that annoying owl to land on the house with the cow in it, it was night at this point so I ventured into the Graveyard.

I thought I had entered the Graveyard before because I got the Hylian Shield here, but the cutscene when you first came here played for some reason. I went up the huge tombstone in the back of the graveyard, and played Zelda's Lulluby. Link's body glitched again like described earlier, and when the tombstone exploded, it didn't play a sound effect. Link didn't scream either, all that played was the glitchy noise that occurs when you mess with the cartridge. I entered the Royal Family tomb.

Upon entering, it seemed normal. I killed the Keese to unlock the door, but then a message box appeared and said, "One within the House of the Dead..."

I didn't exactly remember this, since it had been forever since I touched the game. I thought it was normal and proceeded into the door. I then made an angry sigh, since I knew Redeads were in this room. I walked slowly and quietly to the next area, and looked back for a moment to see a Redead appear then disappear quickly.

I ignored it and read the stone, and it told me to play the Sun's Song. I pressed the song's button pattern, > C V C ^ C, and the cutscene played. However, when it played, it didn't turn day in the cutscene, it remained night.

A text box appeared when I returned to playing and it read:

"An alternative route is a descent into the darkness."

I assumed that it meant to head back into the Redead room. I went back into the room and played the Sun's Sung to freeze the Redeads, and killed them for the hell of it. However, upon reaching the door, the Redead scream happened over and over again, and kept me frozen. Then a mysterious Shadow like body ran up behind Link and grabbed him, kind of like the figure in the Nocturne of Shadow cutscene.

The game flickered to a black screen, and I was spawned into a different tomb. There was a light fog on the floor, and appeared to be very eerie. Blood was on the walls, just like in the Shadow Temple and in the Bottom of the Well. The Shadow Temple music was playing in reverse, in a very low pitch.

There were also pictures of a strange head being lifted from the ground, similar to the walls in the Shadow Temple. Link didn't have any of his items or equipment, but his tunic appeared to be a more desaturated green... The grave had only four walls, and looked very similar to the Royal Tomb.

However, there was no warp out of the grave, or anything to do in it. A vibe came upon me, and it felt as if they wanted Link to die. A box of dialogue appeared and said:

"Here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred... An alternative route is a descent into the darkness..."

I could've sworn I had seen this text before, then I felt like I was being watched. There were chains dangling from the ceiling also, as well as a twitching Dead Hand body on the floor, which really got me the most. I walked up to it and it said "Check," and I pressed A. The text box was blank, and played a low pitched Poe voice with an echo, then his body disappeared.

I was in the tomb for several hours trying to figure out what to do. I noticed a strange script on a wall, and all it said was, "If someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil... If you want to see a ferry to the other world, come here..." I reluctantly went to the wall, and Link walked through it. All that was in there was the Lens of Truth.

After receiving it, another box of dialogue appeared and said, "One who gathers the Eye of Truth will be able to see what is hidden in the darkness..." I equipped the Lens to a C button, and used it. I saw spirits of people who have died... I talked to them and they all said, "An alternative route is a descendent into darkness..." I tried to comprehend what it was trying to tell me.

The Redead scream happened and I was spawned into the basement of the Bottom of the Well. Link's skin started to become pale. The Shadow Temple music played, but only the chants were heard. Poes were laughing in a low pitch in the background, along with Redead moaning.

I walked around the room and saw a chest placed there, which appeared to be a boss key chest. I opened it, and I received a bottled Big Poe. The text underneath it said:

"CURSED."

I couldn't get rid of the Poe, all it said, "This item doesn't seem to work here..." One of Dead Hand's Hands came up and grabbed Link, and dragged him into the ground.

I spawned into Dead Hand's room, but Link's hands were attached to a chain suspending from the ceiling. Link's face had a dark shadow underneath his hair, as if he were depressed... Dead head came out of the ground, but no music played. The only sound that played was him moving, along with the sounds of blades dropping. Dead Hand slowly walked toward Link, and Link looked at him with his depressed look.

A text box appeared, and seemed to be Link talking, "P-please hurry... It won't last long..." after this, Link made the sound when he dies. Dead Hand began to attack him, then the low-pitched Poe laugh reverberated. Link didn't make a sound, it were as if he were already dead. Link's body then fell from the ceiling, and it was lifeless. His body was picked up from an anomalous force, and he disappeared. The screen faded to black.

I was warped into Dark Link's room in the Water Temple, but there was no water or doors. Instead of water, it was just eerie fog. The tree wasn't there either; the sand patch was just a pile of skulls. Link transformed into Dark Link, and he just stood there. His eyes were glowing red, and it made me feel like I was being watched. The sound that played appeared to be birds along with dark wind. Dark Link was staying still, while the camera was slowly zooming into his blood-red eyes.

His voice was deeper than Dark Link's, he laughed in a way a maniac would laugh... A text box appeared and said, "Descent into darkness..." His eyes grew, then the screen faded to black again... for a few moments. His face was back into the camera again, and his eyes were glowing and dripping with blood. At the top of the screen, it said "CURSED" in the style of the "GAME OVER" text.

All that was heard was the background noises, the low-pitch Poe laugh, and the disturbing laugh of Dark Link. I reset the game, but it took me back to the same screen.

I turned it off and on, and it still took me back to the same screen... The "CURSED" text faded.

It was unknown as to why this happened to Link, but I knew it had to do something with descendents and abandonment, or as it felt to me...