An Eye in the Sky

My business, which is the business of buying and selling rare valuable items, forces me to travel to all corners of the Great Sea. I’ve been told it’s a strange vocation for a Goron to have, but I wouldn’t trade my life for anyone’s. My favorite part of the job is the many interesting people I meet. Some friendly and some not-so-friendly, some pleasant and some quite strange. Whatever the case may be, I also have a story to tell.

Here’s one such story, about a man I met on a small island to the north. An island called Windfall.

I had made it to shore on a clear bright morning a few months back. I was there to meet an old friend of mine, another purveyor of hard-to-find goods. But as luck would have it, he was not at his stall that morning, and was engaged in a meeting with the local government. A barkeep in a nearby tavern informed me that the meeting was to end before too long though, so I decided to spend the time surveying the surprisingly vibrant village. I met a kind old teacher, and group of troublesome youths, a peculiar and temperamental young man, and many others. But the one I met while enjoying the view from balcony atop the town’s windmill, my experience with him stuck in my mind.

He was a middle-aged man, modest in size and demeanor. Yet his friendliness made him the most memorable person there.

“Boy,” He said as he joined me on the balcony, “it sure nice out today, wouldn’t you agree? I could spend all day out here, just watching all the action down below.”

I said I agreed, though, I wasn’t sure what he meant by “action.”

“Well, just take a look,” the man said as he gestured for me to look down. I saw a strange mustachioed man wearing red overalls. The man looked back and forth, clearly nervous about something.

“See him? Everyday, like clockwork, he takes a stroll down to the post box, and judging by the letter in his hand, I’d say today he’s going to try again today.”

I asked the man what our new friend was about to try.

“It’s not hard to figure out, just look at how anxious he is. I’ve seen him send a letter out at least once a week, and lately it’s become more and more frequent. Clearly, there’s a girl whose attention he’s trying to catch. I can only wish him the best. He’s a persistent one, nobody can’t say otherwise.”

I myself have never been enraptured by someone, but I had to admit, there was something to admire about a man chasing a dream.

“See?” the man said with a grin, “You get my point. Everyone on this island goes about their day trying to make the most of it, but we should all stop and see who’s around us. We might see someone who needs help, or that has been helping all along, or maybe that we all have a lot more in common than we think.”

The man walked to another side of the balcony, titling his head to encourage me to follow.

“Let’s take a look over here and see more of what I mean. See that kid down there?”

He pointed to the disturbed young man I had met earlier, which I made a point to explain to him.

“Yeah, that boy can rub a person the wrong more often than not, but he’s not all bad. He’s got some baggage, clearly, but I’ve seen him at night as he stares out at the night sky. He always seems so contemplative and so at peace. I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking about. Is he remembering an old friend? Or an unrequited love? Or maybe some lifelong dream?”

I nodded in agreement and replied I had never considered all of what might be.

“That goes back to my point earlier,” the man moved back to the other side of the balcony, “We could all stand to do a better job of watching out for each other. The more time I spend up here, seeing what everyone goes through, the more that fact has become unavoidable for me. That’s why I’ve trying to do what I can for this town.”

This intrigued me and prompted me to ask what he meant.

“Whatever I can to help people’s lives. A friend of mine started a beautification project, and I’ve been helping with that. We even do nightly auctions that I will find items for. But what I want to do most for these people I just don’t have the resources for.”

He had complete command of my curiosity at this point, and I asked what he needed resources for.

“This windmill, as you can see, it doesn’t work. It’s been finicky, and it won’t start up unless perfect conditions are met. It would take a miracle to get the right wind it needs. And on top of that, the lamp at the top has burned out, and I have no way to get up there and reignite it.”

It was a shame to hear about the condition of the windmill, and I told the man how I respected his desire to help.

“Thank you. I still hold out hope though, and in the long run, what I want most to see more people help as well. That seems to be happening, so I can take some comfort in that.”

I asked where he had seen it happening.

“A kid. New to town. He comes and goes a lot, sailing on his small, read boat. I’ve seen him making an impact on the town in such a short amount of time. When he showed up the first time a little more than a week ago he helped a group of kids get along with their teacher, and during his last visit, which was only two morning ago, he played matchmaker for a young couple. The boy seems to have a heart for others.”

The boy seemed like a real benefit, I said in agreement. This was when I spotted my friend, returning to his stall. I told the man my time was up, and that it was good to meet him, and proceeded to leave.

“Alright then, have a good day. And on your travels, remember that there are good people out there that deserve some consideration. Help out as you can, especially if you meet other doing their part, such as that kind young man sailing on a small, red boat.”