Kafei smiled as he looked up at the moon. Nothing could bring down his mood, the moon only enforced that feeling. It was one of those things that was there every night, something he could rely on to stay the same. A month from now he was going to be married to the most wonderful girl he had ever known. Soon she would be by his side, as constant as the moon in the sky. He was walking through West Clock Town that night just smiling and enjoying his bright future. The sun's mask carried in his arms.
At the edge of the courtyard a strange figure loomed not far away from Kafei. He was wearing a strange mask and two fairies were following him. “Hello stranger, it is a wonderful night.” said Kafei happily.
“What's so wonderful about it?” asked the figure, “If you think it's so wonderful lets see what you think once I've had some fun.” he shook his head about in an unnatural way and Kafei felt extreme pain all over his body. He felt as though his body were being twisted and warped. When he looked he saw he was a child.
“What have you done to me? Why?” he called out, his voice much younger than it had been. The masked figure was no longer there. “Anju!” he thought, what if she was in danger as well? He headed toward North Clock Town, it was the fastest way to the Stock Pot Inn from there.
Just as he was about to reach East Clock Town he was tripped up by a prancing thief. The smiling man knocked him over the head. Kafei's vision blurred as he was losing consciousness. He watched helplessly as the thief picked up his sun's mask. “What have we here?” asked the smiling thief, “I'm sure it valuable.” he started to run off.
Kafei lay helplessly in the road, “Come back,” he said feebly, “That's for Anju.” after that everything went black.
Kafei dreamed, he dreamed about the strange figure that had taken his life away from him. He dreamed about confronting Anju without the mask.
“Anju I'm sorry, I was not able to keep my promise.” he said to her. The shattered and disappointed look on her face was worse than any nightmare. If he was not worthy of her before how could he possibly face her now? Anju grew larger and larger in her anger.
“What have you done?” asked Anju, “I could never marry a man so irresponsible! You deserve to remain a child forever!” with those words the nightmare Anju turned Kafei away.
Kafei was startled awake by the nightmare. He woke in a room he had seen several times before. He recognized his friend Sean sitting in the chair at the desk of those cramped quarters.
“You scared me kid.” he smiled, “Look just because you went and got yourself turned into a kid doesn't mean you can go and black out on me for three days. I've got a shop to run you know. And you're scaring me with all that sleep talking.”
“Three days!” Kafei explained, he sat up to fast and fell back into the bad with an instant headache. “What about Anju, how is she?”
“Hey you aren't ready to be getting up yet! She's fine, she wasn't hurt…Well actually she's really depressed that you went missing but she hasn't been hurt.”
Kafei sighed in relief, “Good, I'd hate to see her get hurt.”
“What're you gonna do man? You got a month before your wedding and you look like a kid!” asked Sean.
“What's worse the mask is gone, how am I ever going to face her when I'm not even a responsible groom?” he asked. He looked out the door and into the laundry pool. “Look, she's out there on the bench.” he said, she was crying, “”I hate to be the reason she cries.” he said shamefully. “I have to get that mask back.”
“Hey man I'm all for helping you but shouldn't you worry less about the mask and more on, well…” he eyed Kafei's childish form. “It's just weird, like looking at a moving pictograph of our childhood days.”
“My form matters not, I made a promise to Anju, that is the most important thing.” he declared.
“You can use this place to keep an eye on my shop, everything that gets stolen usually ends up there, maybe you'll find the twit that took your mask.” offered Sean.
Kafei hid out in the house by the laundry pool as one week turned into two and the month was slipping away quickly with no sign of the smiling, prancing thief. Kafei would dread the days when Anju would sit in the laundry pool and cry. He hated seeing her cry only less than he hated being the one causing her to cry. Three days before the wedding Kafei decided to send Anju a letter. The floor of his small quarters was crowded with crumpled up papers with all the wrong words written on them. Finally he found words he could be satisfied with and went out to send his letter.
Clock Town looked a lot different than when he had disappeared. The carnival was being prepared for and the town was lively with merriment and music. The only thing that looked out of place was the moon. It was definitely far to close and it's face was contorted in anger. Kafei paused to look up at the celestial orb in terror. “I don't have much time.” he thought. He fed the letter into the postbox and fled back towards the laundry pool. He only hoped Anju didn't read it in anger.
He waited fearfully for her reply, not once leaving the little house for to long lest the thief came back to the curio shop at some point. Kafei knew he would recognize the prancing man easily if he were to just show his face. “Come on you smiling fool, I wont let you hurt Anju anymore once I get my hands on you.” he muttered.
He awaited the mail eagerly the next day. He just had to know what Anju thought of his apology. Would she reject him? Would she understand? Even worse, would she blame herself? When two o' clock came around Kafei was ready for the postman at any time. When he received Anju's letter he was relieved to know that she was fine and that she wanted to be with him still. She also mentioned someone that would help them. A strange boy with green clothes and a fairy. Kafei wondered when this boy would contact him. He didn't have to wait long. While Kafei had been away the boy had snuck into his house.
“Green hat…green clothes. Anju spoke of you in her letter. Anju trusted you. I shall trust you also.” Kafei removed his Keaton mask for the boy. “I am Kafei.” he announced.
“Not the Kafei we're looking for. He's an adult and you are just a child.” laughed the ridiculous fairy that bobbed around the boy's head.
Kafei explained his predicament for the two. “Oh, I pity you.” answered the fairy.
“Please.” he begged, “give this to Anju and let her know…I'm coming for her.” he removed a pendant that he had worn since childhood. Anju had made it for them when they were both children. The boy who had not spoken the whole time left with the pendant. All Kafei could do now was wait. He looked up at the moon. It was far to close now. “It's going to fall.” he thought, “I hope she stays safe.” He fell asleep that night to a worse kind of nightmare. He dreamt Anju was crushed under a great moon and all he could do was stand by and watch, helpless, powerless. He awoke in a cold sweat.
He peered into the curio shop for a moment, every muscle in his body tensed. He felt the blood drain from his face. The smiling thief was there. He was selling goods that looked like they came from the bomb shop. Kafei's fist were clenched so tightly that he could feel them turning white. After he left Sean turned around and looked at the peep hole. “Woah buddy, you look like you're gonna be sick!” he laughed.
“Who was that customer of yours? Just now. What was his name?” demanded Kafei.
“Oh that guy? That was Sakon, he's a regular here, sells me stuff all the time. He's got a hideout in the Canyon. Hey! Where're you goin'?” but it was too late, Kafei was out the door and sprinting for the Canyon. He was going to dash this Sakon guy's brains all over the pavement when he got his hands on him.
He made it to the Canyon before any sign of Sakon. The hideout was pretty obvious and Kafei hid behind a stack of petrified wood to wait in ambush. It was almost evening when Kafei heard footsteps jogging up the path. Kafei was getting ready to attack when the green-clad boy rounded the corner. “Oh, it's you. Did you get the pendant to Anju?” he asked. The boy nodded. “You don't say much do you?” he asked. The boy just shook his head, “Right.” said Kafei.
The two sat there in complete silence. It was almost to easy to hear Sakon prancing up the path. He opened the door to his hideout and that's when Kafei made a run for it. He entered the door and there was no sign of Sakon. The suns mask was sitting right in front of him. “this almost looks like a trap.” he thought. He didn't care, he had to get that mask. This was his wedding day and he was out of time.
He walked forward slowly. Suddenly the sides of the case closed shut and the mask was being carried along a conveyor belt. “Help me!” he begged of the silent boy. At first the fairy protested but, working together Kafei was able to retrieve the sun's mask. He ran as fast as he could towards Clock Town. His feet were lighter than ever he was so happy. He ran to his future bride. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms. And so he did.
