She ventured, further and further, heading through twists, turns and paths, but she couldn't find a way out. She halted upon reaching a strange clearing, with a tree stump somewhat near the middle. She sighed; it was about the fifth time she had passed this exact spot already. Pounding her fist to the ground angrily, she cried, “What the hell is wrong with this forest!?” She sat on the stump and held her head tightly, wondering why she chose to even enter the forest she knew she shouldn't enter.
Completely unaware though of two eyes watching her, she tried heading straight ahead to another path, the eerie forest silently shafting light down gently. She sauntered through, and saw a bridge overhead that she recognized and her eyes lit up. With a gasp she cried, “I'm almost home!” But the bridge was much too high. She didn't let this bring her down, no. Running off through the cursed forest, she passed the stump again. She saw something from the corner of her eye, something like…leaves. She shrugged it off, trying to get home. Without realizing it, she only got herself more and more lost.
After endless hours of trying with that new hope lit, it distinguished to ashes and her stomach begged for food. She ended up in the same clearing again, with the tree stump. With moaned deeply and fell to her knees, weeping solemnly. She jerked her head upwards though, with the sudden playing of music. She saw something like a kid, only he was clothed in leaves, and his face was dark with two red eyes piercing out. He played his flute gently, and the young Kokiri girl shuddered, “S-Skullkid?” She said, terrified.
The Skullkid ceased playing his flute and jumped down to approach her, “Are you lost?” he said in a cackling voice. The girl clothed in green nodded, hoping the Skullkid would help her. He only chuckled and did a perfect back flip, fading away like nothing more than a ghost. His voice, however, lingered with the trees, “Hehe...” The Kokiri girl wept, finding all hope lost. With a sad, trembling voice, she said, “I-I…should've never entered the L-lost Woods.”
Below these cursed woods lay the simple, peaceful forest of Kokiri Forest, where the child-like race of the Kokiri lived. All clothed in green, and with their fairy friends since birth, they know nothing of the outside world, and live all their lives as children, never growing up. Leader of the tribe, Mido, cried out in a meeting of the Kokiri, “She's been missing for almost a week now! We have to send searches to find her, or she might be in big trouble!” Another Kokiri spoke out,
“But Mido, if we do that, the search parties might get lost.”Mido huffed as the fairy-less boy he ever so loathed spoke out, “I'll find her!” He began to run off, but Mido tripped him,
“Where do you think YOU'RE going, Mr. I Have No Fairy?”
But another Kokiri girl stepped up, “Mido, don't be so mean!”
Mido scoffed, “Why are you always standing up for him!?” But she ignored him and helped up the other boy,
“Link, are you alright?” she asked with concern. Link nodded, “Yeah, but I hate that dang Mido!” Saria sighed, “Just don't do anything rash.” Mido stood up tall, “Fear not, for I, the great Mido will go in and save Linda myself!” the crowd murmured to one another, and Mido smirked with triumph. Link grew sour, and tackled Mido, “What do you mean, YOU'RE going? I said it first!” he did it more purely out of anger from being insulted than from what Mido said.
Mido kicked Link off him and jumped up; “because I'M the hero!” he darted into the forest, snatching a sword along the way. Link growled, following after him angrily. Saria sighed, sitting on a nearby stump and playing her Ocarina. Everyone else went about their business, and one stayed to listen to Saria's sweet sounding Ocarina. Link and Mido practically raced to reach the Lost Woods first, but ended up arriving at the same time. Once there though, Link looked around, crying, “Linda! Linda, are you there!?” there was no response. Mido clutched the sword in his hands tightly, shaking crazily from fear, “L-Linda..?” he said quietly.
Linda lied on the ground hopelessly, feeling the forest around her envelop her emotions. She thought she heard her name being cried out, but then the thought was gone, and she wondered, Who's Linda? The poor Kokiri girl's memory was fading, as well as her once beautiful face. She was starved, dehydrated and suffering. It felt as if months had gone by before she knew it, and she wondered just how long she had lied there, but then it didn't matter anymore. Nature seemed to grow on her, making her a part of it. Soon, she liked like a monster, as her eyes reddened. Only few sections of her remained humane.
Linda eventually crept up from her spot, and felt like…wandering the forest. Not trying to leave, but just wandering. The forest no longer seemed to have its creepy edge on her, and somehow, almost instinctively, she knew her way around. No longer did she end up going in circles, but her mind somehow knew where to go. She heard more flute playing, and found two Skullkid down below in a lower part of the woods playing. She wanted to join them, and jumped down. When she talked, for the first time in a long time, her voice sounded almost devilish,
“Can I join?” she asked. The two Skullkid looked at her, and silently handed her a flute before playing with a mischievous look,
“Play along!” they cried. And so she did, and she actually felt good for once. It was like the strange feeling of loneliness which wanted her to play tricks. She felt so at home, yet lonely, so she became confused. In her confusion, she ran off from the other Skullkid and hid away in the deepest part of the forest, where above her there were ruins of the Forest Temple. Holding her head, she wondered what had happened to her while letting out a shrieking cry of despair.
Link and Mido wandered the Lost Woods further. Link kept crying out Linda's name while Mido trembled. They soon came across two Skullkid happily playing their flutes a little below them. Link jumped down and spoke in a firm voice, “Have you seen a young Kokiri girl around here?” the Skullkid shook their heads, “Nope, we were only playing with another one of us Skullkid. It seemed to be upset about something and run off though. Not sure where.” The Skullkids giggled, fading away, but their music still lingered in the air. Mido tilted his head, “Well, we're not looking for a Skullkid” and he began to walk off, but Link jerked him back and looked into his eyes seriously, “Hey Mido, tell me again what happens to kids who get lost in the forest.”
Mido thought, his left eyebrow lifting, “Why, but that's easy. EVERYONE knows that, they become-“ he stopped, and trembled, “Oh no…” He ate his own words and ran off in a panic, “LINDAAA, WE'RE COMING!” Link pursued him with the same urgency, except without the screaming. Mido was about to make a wrong turn, but Link ignored him, in his mind hoping Mido would get lost. Mido caught himself though, and ran after Link, “W-wait!” He cried. They reached a place they both knew well; Saria's “hideout”. They heard something like crying, which filled their hearts with sadness. What appeared before them, weeping bitterly and floating in midair was a Skullkid. Link stepped forward and said in kind, concerned words, “Is that you, Linda?” the Skullkid veered around, staring at Mido and Link with crying, eerie red eyes. The Skullkid tried to hid its sadness and spat, “Who's Linda!?” Mido shivered,
“Ok, so it's not her, let's go Link-“ but her was cut off by Link,
“Are you…hiding it, Linda?” He said sadly. The Skullkid, once that beautiful Kokiri girl hissed,
“Hiding what? I have nothing to hide! Who is this Linda!?” Link clutched his fists,
“Linda, it's me, Link and Mido! I KNOW that's you, stop denying it…” but the Skullkid shook its head wildly, unwanted nostalgic feelings entering its head,
“Shut up! I don't know this Linda girl you speak of! Leave me alone!” Mido shoved Link,
“Just what are you doing!? That is a Skullkid, NOT Linda!” Link pushed Mido away though, and pulled out a beautiful green and blue marbled stone. He cried out,
“Linda, remember this!? You gave it to me as a gift when I was being made fun of!” He held it up high, so the Skullkid in the air could see it. The Skullkid shrieked, the nostalgic feelings turning into memories which took over her mind. The Skullkid shook about wildly, giving off the illusion of having a seizure. It spat,
“No! I'm not Kokiri anymore! I'm not Linda anymore! I'm a monster now, kill me! Linda is gone!” Mido and Link stared wide-eyed as the Skullkid slowly faded away, much like all the Skullkid do. Its crying, however, still lingered in the forest sadly.
Link and Mido stood there, knowing they had lost a friend. For how long they simply stood there, they don't remember, but after that time, they finally got enough strength to head back to Kokiri Forest, and tell the sad tale. In the Lost Woods, former Linda stayed in the most hidden part, where her crying still lingered on…and on.
