Random Ramblings

It Is The Nature Of Dreams To End

Everybody has experienced a dream they wanted to hold on to a bit longer.

Last night I dreamt that I traveled to the moon, discovering there was life on that planet after all. A lush garden greeted me, bizarre trees and exotic birds, a carpet of alien flowers swaying in the wind as I gazed up at the blue orb we live on. It was all so vivid. When I awoke, I was filled with a deep sadness, longing to remain asleep for a few hours more so I could bask in that ethereal realm.

What is it about dreams that are so bittersweet?

I'm reminded of a game I played long ago, a childhood favorite that has stuck with me ever since. In Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, the titular hero Link is sailing home when a sudden storm overtakes his ship and sends him crashing against a mysterious island. A maiden named Marin finds the stranger stranded on the beach and cares for him.

When Link recovers and is strong enough to explore, he tries to leave but discovers it is an impossible task, prevented by an unknown force. Marin explains it is because of the Wind Fish. The creature sleeps within an egg atop the highest mountain, keeping the inhabitants of Koholint Island from escaping. The only way to free the villagers is to locate each of the eight magical instruments that are in the clutches of powerful monsters and to play a song which will awaken the Wind Fish.

So Link embarks on an epic journey to uncover the secrets of the island and return home. Along the way he falls in love with Marin, who expresses her desire to escape the little island as it is all she's ever known. She asks Link to take her with him and he promises, sharing a tender kiss.

The townspeople grow fond of the adventurer as he helps them with various troubles they suffer from, cheering as he defeats the monsters one by one. Marin is always there to give him encouragement, singing a ballad which lifts his spirits when he suffers defeat.

Eventually, Link manages to acquire each of the eight magic instruments and reaches the perilous mountain where the Wind Fish lays dreaming. He plays a haunting tune that cracks open the egg, freeing the beast. It thanks him for awakening it from the long slumber and flies away as the island melts into nothing.

Link discovers the entire place, the cheerful people, the savage monsters, the talking animals were nothing but a dream and awakens on his boat where it all started. He sails off into the sunset as the melancholy ballad plays, watching the Wind Fish fade into the sky. It was such a heartbreaking ending that to this day when I replay it I cannot bear to take that final step.

The longing to hold on to something intangible is truly the most human of desires.

Ballad of the Wind Fish