I stood on the bridge in the Lost Woods, ocarina in hand. Part of me was still screaming. Part of me couldn't believe my friend was leaving.

But the other part of me was stronger. That part was the adult part of me. I had to accept what was happening. And Link wasn't really leaving, he was going to save Hyrule! I should be happy for him.

But there was a third part of me trying to speak. It was the part I'm ashamed of. But I have to admit it: I was jealous. He was going off on an adventure. And where was I? Stuck here in the forest. And because I was Kokiri, I might not ever be able to leave the forest and stay alive. It is rumored that if the Kokiri leave, we will die. This is only a rumor, but no one wants to find out. Of course, that meant Link wasn't Kokirish.

That part hit me like a sledgehammer.

I began to feel betrayed.

But before I could sulk anymore, Link came running across the bridge. He was so excited he didn't see me at first.

I spoke. "So . . . you're leaving."

He stopped and came back toward me.

"I want you to have this." I handed him the ocarina. I continued. "I hope that when you play it, you will think of me."

He took the ocarina from me. For a long moment, we just stared at each other. Then, he took two steps backward, turned, and ran.

I felt my eyes fill with tears.  

But, as it always does, life went on. I hung out with my friends, and everything was peaceful. Unfortunately, Link was too far away for me to watch his adventures, but I saw some of them in my dreams.

And nightmares.

I wished he was still here.

Mido, however, was another story.

He was always following me around. And dissing Link. My defending him just isn't enough anymore. And why does he spread lies about Link?

Because Mido is jealous. Hah!

Too bad. He'd just have to learn that I just wanted to be his friend (and sometimes not even that).

One day, I had a vision. Link was coming back to the forest!

JOY!

I grabbed my "new" favorite ocarina and headed to my secret place.

The Lost Woods.

If there's one place I know my way around, it's the Lost Woods. Like I said, I am more in touch the forest. I've spent many hours, and even days, in the Lost Woods.

I could have waited in the village for Link. But I wanted to test him. Could he find his way through the lost woods without me? Hah! Of course he couldn't. That's why I was going to play my ocarina there. If he followed the music, he'd find me.

I spread the word around the village that I was looking for him, and then entered the Lost Woods.

I followed my usual route, but when I got to the Sacred Meadow, I was suprised. A Wolfos attacked! I knew that its coat was like armor. I wouldn't be able to hurt it.

My powers were weak, but it's amazing how much stronger they can become in the face of death.

Concentrating what little power I had, I telekinetically held the Wolfos in place and climbed the fence.

I leaped directly from the fence onto the raised areas of land in the maze because of habit, but looking down, I was glad I had. The ground was littered with Deku Scrubs. It wasn't unusual to see a few there, and they could spit nuts at you which gave a nasty bruise, but lately, more and more had gathering there. You couldn't walk without getting hit.

I raced along the top of the maze, keeping my balance perfectly. I jumped as quickly as I could to the ground, up the stairs, and over the three Deku Scrubs lounging there. Apparently, not many people had made it this far. But my coming had roused them. They would be alert when Link came.

Lucky him.

I stopped for a second, as I always did, to take a look at the massive place. There was an old, ancient-looking building, crawling with vines and plants. Some said it was the Forest Temple. Some said it was full of giant spiders. Me? Well, see, the stairway had broken off and decayed, so I had no way of getting up that high to the entrance.

But just seeing it was beyond cool.

Sometimes I wondered what its purpose was. Or why I felt so attached to it. I couldn't figure it out.

That would come later.

I sat at the base and began to play my ocarina.

I ran through a number of songs, playing each one only once until I got to the song many call Saria's Song.

As usual, when I'm playing, I lost all sense of time and direction. I could have been there three days and not known it was more than a half hour. But soon, I felt another presence enter the Sacred Meadow and defeat the Wolfos . . . the Deku Scrubs . . . the familiar sound of a young boy's walk.

I looked up and saw him standing before me. "Link!" I cried happily. For a moment, something passed between us. I stared.

He'd changed. Physically, yes, he looked stronger, but more ragged, more sloppy. But he also had an air of confidence about him.

That hadn't always been there. Sure, maybe he pretended to shrug off Mido's comments, but no one can do that for ten years and not let that affect them.

And I had changed, too. My powers and will were stronger. I was not as ragged-looking as usual. My other friends are much different from Link. Different games. Different life-style. Different.

We talked about what had happened. Link told me that he really was going to save Hyrule. This wasn't a game anymore. He could be killed, all too easily. A ten-year old boy up against--

". . . Ganondorf."

I nodded. I resolved to find out more about the man.

When Link stopped speaking for a moment, I stepped forward. I gestured to the building, and the meadow. "This place . . ." I remarked. "I get a feeling about it. I feel . . . that it will be very important to both of us . . . someday."

He shrugged. He doesn't know the full capabilities of my powers, but he did know that I spoke the truth. My predictions were always correct.

I felt something nagging at me. A vision! I gasped, and shook it off. "Listen," I said urgently. "Do you still have the ocarina I gave to you?"