Chapter One
-The Mark-
I put my gear on as I usually do, and I prepared to make my daily rounds like always.
Being the only mailman of a whole city has its advantages, such as not having to split the rupees, but being so busy starts to wear away at you.
My grandfather always told me the exiting stories of the job as a child. Never anything boring was said when it came to being a mailman. Stories of lost love and the adventures of a strangely dressed boy wearing clashing green and a pointy hat. I always loved my grandfather's stories, and that is what led me to be the only mailman in Clock Town; Gods, maybe the only mailman in Termina.
As I said, I made my rounds like always, delivering letters, packages and money orders around town. Every now and then I would need to leave the city to drop something off at the Zora's Domain, then when break time comes around I would relax at the Milk Bar in East Clock Town. The day was completely as planned until it was time to go back to work. Just like everyday, I leave the Milk Bar, pass by the abandoned house in West Clock Town and enter the post office.
I came to the front desk to meet Imani, the beautiful and charming daughter of Romani, who was the former owner of Romani Ranch. The Ranch was closed due to the Milk Bar switching suppliers to a newer ranch up the road owned by the greedy Gorman brothers. When The Ranch closed, It forced Imani to work here with me as a front desk woman, she loved her job, but today there was something amiss in her usually captivating stare.
There was one last package on the desk waiting for me, and she seemed worried about it. The way her shaky hands slid the package towards me, I thought she was gonna have a breakdown. I asked in the most assuring way possible.
"Good evening Imani, is everything okay?"
She just looked at me in horror. Then glanced down at the package.
There was a marking there that I didn't notice before, right where the return address would be.
"I hope I can find the place then!" I mumbled.
I glanced over to see where I was supposed to deliver the package.
"Great." I said "Southern Swamp."
The package was large, but light for it's size. I fit the odd box into my sack and headed towards the door.
"Wait."
Imani's voice was startling. Like nothing I have heard her say before.
"Please be careful Quill." She had a tear in her eye. "Be safe and make haste."
Her concern for me was just as heartwarming as it was disturbing.
"Godspeed." she whispered as I walked out the door.
I closed the door behind me, only slightly worried about the journey ahead of me.
Imani usually over reacted a lot, but never was it over nothing.
I examined the package once more, and the marking on it. It was shaped like a heart, but it wasn't like any heart I have ever seen before.
The longer I looked at the shape, the more my mind began to race and wonder about the possibilities of what could be inside.
Although it was extremely illegal for me to open the box and see, it never hurt to wonder.
I held the box up to my ear and gave it one good shake. I listened for anything that could give me a good idea of what was in the box.
I pressed the box closer.
I heard something odd inside, but the shake did not cause it. Almost like a whisper. A whisper in a tongue I have never heard before. I pressed the box so close I thought it was going to break against me. My mind was racing.
'Is it alive?' I thought to myself.
"HEY MISTER!"
A young nasally voice startled me to the point I almost dropped my delivery. I looked around to see what could've caused my stomach to sink like it did.
Glancing down, I saw a young boy. He was wearing a bandanna on his head, and was clutching a red rupee in his hand. Almost like his life depended on it.
"Hello good sir! May I help you?" I said kindly to the young boy.
I recognized him as one of the Bombers, a small group of friends that would play in North Clock Town. It was a traditional 'gang' that the children of clock town have managed to keep going for about twenty years.
"The man in tha house over there has given me a red rupee if I tell you to come meet him”.
He pointed frantically behind him to a dark house that I thought was always empty, then sprinted off before I could ask anything else.
The thought of someone living in that horrifying building made me shutter
Slowly walking up to the house and knocking on the door, scared for my life, I turned around out of fear and almost made a quick escape before I heard a faint and tired voice say:
"Please... Please come in."
I turned around to see an odd man at the door. He smiled at me and said
"It's about the package".
A new and serious tone seemed to fall over the conversation at the mention of the package. I followed him inside.
Chapter Two
-Down The Rabbit Hole-
The man had an odd appearance to him.
He had a limp that he seemed used to, and he wore a large bag on his back that almost seemed to outweigh him. Yet he always smiled. It was a comforting smile, but it seemed forced.
Like he was trying to sell me something.
Every now and then he would cough into a white handkerchief, and follow up with, "Pardon me". He certainly was a gentleman. He offered me a seat and asked if I wanted a jar of milk.
"No thanks, I quit for good". I lied through my teeth.
I looked around the empty house. Which was obviously not his. He walked around as If he had trouble finding things and he certainly did not look at home.
"Now I am sure you are wondering what this is all about." He said coughing again into the handkerchief.
"Yes, the package as previously stated, but that is not just any package. It is a very deadly package".
"Sir!" I interrupted his speech almost laughing. "I can handle a package. I deliver many every day, no need to tell me how to do my job."
He looked at me with a deep sadness that I have never seen in a full grown man before in all of my days of travel.
"I assure you that the package you are holding holds a power that you can not possibly imagine."
He grew stern and very serious.
"I have spent my whole life protecting the world from the evils that are in that package, and I will not have you throw that away."
His voice began to rattle me with every new breath he took, and with every sentence the old man changed moods. The man was unpredictable, jumping from heart-breakingly sad, to horrifyingly angry.
This certainly was not how I wanted to spend my night.
He went on about an evil power and the down fall of man. More stories of a boy in a pointy green hat like my grandfather used to tell.
Then, I realized how old this man must be.
'Did he know my grandfather?' I thought.
He then coughed into the handkerchief. I saw blood. Lots of blood.
He was dying.
"Please." The man pleaded. "Please bring this package safely to my nephew."
He looked back at the box that I had set on the table with his jar of milk.
"What is that?"
His face this time was that of a frightened child, but not one scared of the dark. This man was scared of something dire.
I then saw that he was looking down at the mark on the box.
"Who is responsible for this? Did you deface my package?"
He snatched the package and looked at me with eyes of suspicion.
"Sir please... I don't know what is happening here at all... I'm just trying to do my job."
He looked at me. Looked down at the package. Then back to me.
"I can tell how sincere you are. It's just... that marking is an evil one. Not of my doing. You have been marked."
My stomach dropped. 'What could that mean?' My mind began racing just as it did outside.
"There is a group of evil people; a cult. The leader is a god or a demon, or... something, and the evil of that entity is sealed inside of a mask of great, great power."
He looked over at the box at the mention of the mask.
"Someone got the package before you did, and now the cult knows what package is the one they need. The package containing the mask."
"What have you gotten me into?" I screamed. "I'm just a postman! Why would you do this to me?"
"Because no one else will!"
The house grew silent.
"Because it's your job!" He continued.
Chapter 3
-The Walls of Clock Town-
His face changed again, but this time to a disappointed expression.
"Please, I won't ask again, but for the sake of mankind."
He was a smooth talker. I found myself taking the box and heading towards the door.
I turned to put the box back into my bag, then I was stopped by the old man.
"Wait!"
His voice was cheery. He was beaming cause he got his way.
"It's dangerous to go alone!"
I turned around to look at him. Expecting him to come with me. But he had something in his hand.
"Take this!"
He handed me an object wrapped up in a dark green cloth. It was a small dagger; very dull with an odd feel to it, almost like a child's toy.
I say this like I have handled a sword many times, but I have never even seen one close up like this, let alone hold one.
Surely the delivery was far more dangerous than I thought; and he knew it all along.
Without another word. I headed out the door. It was almost the eighth hour of the afternoon. Almost nightfall, but refusing to go back inside with that aggravating man to negotiate a possible reschedule, I continued to the southern gate.
On my way to South Clock town, I passed the Church of the Fierce Deity. I never really was one for religion, but when it came to the Church of The Fierce Deity; I thought they were especially mad. A small man in a robe, that from far away appeared to be a child, stopped me and asked for a donation.
As I usually did when something like this would happen, I told him that I had no money to spare and that I was on a very important delivery.
And as he usually did when I would say this, he continued to call me a heathen and shook his fist at me. This was an everyday thing for me so my feelings were far from hurt.
I continued on to the southern gate to show the guard my credentials. He gave me an odd look. Then I realized, I'm standing there, eighth hour, balancing a awkward box and a small blade, stumbling like a drunkard and asking to leave the city.
When the guard asked what I was doing out so late, I tried explaining my evening.
I could tell his attention span could not withstand the first sentence that I spoke, so I left mid-story without further words.
I could hear him grumbling about 'fancy words' and 'stupid post men'. I tried to ignore him on my way out.
Outside always felt different to me. It was the same weather, same sky, and same air; but I always felt free there. The air felt right. I never really knew how to describe it except for that. Just right.
I guess it could be just being free of loud crowds and taxes and such, but no matter what it is, there is nothing quite like being outside the walls of Clock Town.
At first I walked slow, I just wandered around outside kicking weeds and whistling some unknown tune. Until I realized how late it was getting.
I tightened my hat and sprinted down the dirt road to the Southern Swamp.
Chapter 4
-Memories of the Southern Swamp-
It was my first delivery. Back when my grandfather was alive.
"Keep up boy!" He would always tell me in his dead-sprint.
I never really understood him. He was old as dirt, but he had the appearance of what could be my father, and people would often think of him as such. More often than not, he wouldn't deny it.
That was my grandfather, always keeping a young appearance. That is why it came as a shock to everyone when he passed.
He was a great man. Delivered packages faster than you could imagine. You could think he was inhuman when you see him sprint down Termina Field.
"Keep up boy!"
He was truly a father to me.
My day dreams of the past lead me straight to my destination. A small cabin in the woods with the door wide open.
I was in a great mood. Thoughts of my grandfather sprinting through my mind, and even better I could deliver the package safe and sound with no trouble.
A sudden THUD tore me out of my dreamy state.
I turned to see a body lying there. Mangled and ripped to pieces. His face was torn off.
The body fell out of the trees.
This horrifyingly gruesome sight caused me to jump into the nearest bush. I gave my brain a second to focus and get my mind straight.
I was horrified and almost screamed if it wasn't for me biting down onto my tunic so suppress my shriek.
A voice whispered from the trees above me,
"That wasn't him boss, but his face will make a nice mask don't you think?"
"Shhh you idiot!" Another voice called out, "He will be here any minute now".
I took a breath and clutched the dagger the old man gave me. If that old man would of been there, I would've used it on him.
I slowly stood up, ready to make a break for it.
Suddenly, another THUD from right behind me. Headache. Then blackness...
"Come play..."
Chapter 5
-Darkness Falls-
Trying not to make a sound I shot up from what felt like a bed. It was damp, along with my whole body. I was sweating so much I thought I would collapse from dehydration. The room was dark and from what I could tell it was a well furnished room. A bed, tables, food, chairs and even a fireplace. I felt warm inside, and at home.
But maybe that is what they wanted.
The only doorknob rattled. No windows, no weapons, no means of escape.
I felt a weight off of my shoulders. Like I was ready to give up and die. I accepted my fate and prepared myself for whatever lied on the other side of that door.
The door flew open to reveal a short shadow. I couldn't make out who it was, or did I care.
I was ready to die.
The figure moved closer to the light.
What a way to go. The one thing I loved in life would be the death of me. Being a postman. I wished I never went into that house. I wished I never saw that package. I wish I shared my feelings with the lovely Imani.
Oh Imani, the most beautiful woman in the world.
The only thing I got out of bed for.
The only one I longed for.
The only one standing right in front of me.
There she was, almost as if on cue straight from my thoughts, Imani came out of the shadow with a smile.
My confusion cleared when I realized I was in Imani's home. I was so happy to see her I pulled her close and kissed her. Then I realized I was lying in her bed and in my undergarments. Before I could push her away and explain she slapped me across the face.
"Quill! By the Gods; what are you doing?" She jumped up and screamed.
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