Termina is filled with unusual landmarks and creatures that your average traveler would avoid like the plague. But they are hotspots for those with a curious mind. In fact, one such individual becomes enthralled by the unexplainable undead that (un)live in Ikana Valley: the man who lives in the Music Box House.
We all remember the touching tale of a daughter so dedicated to her father that she protected him even in his monstrous form. It simultaneously shook and warmed our hearts, and is a shining example of Majora’s Mask’s emotionally-charged storytelling. One of my fellow column writers has written a wonderful article about this father-daughter relationship, which I couldn’t have said better myself.
What I’m interested in discussing though is the wider story surrounding Pamela and her father and the origin of the strange Music Box House. I wonder why they moved to this living graveyard, why Pamela’s Father is dying to stick around and continue his research, and just how deep his fascination with the Gibdo goes.
One of the first questions that come to my mind is where this curious little Music Box House even came from. With its rustic yet colorful exterior and gigantic golden horns, it really does stand out in a valley of mostly brown stone huts and simple patterns, which inspire memories of Inca architecture. Inside of the Music Box House, first impressions are that it’s equally as quaint and eccentric as its exterior.
There’s a particularly creative aspect of the decor I appreciate, which was added in the 3DS version: the pillars that extend in a semi-circle around the interior walls and ceilings. The lines and orange dots that run along them clearly resemble music bars and notes, and although I can’t quite align the song to the notes in my head, I’m convinced that they match some part of the “Farewell to Gibdos” song that plays from the house. To anyone who reads music: what do you think?
So, did Pamela’s father specifically build this Music Box House for his research? Or did he customize an existing one with new wooden framing, a splash of color, and a surround sound system once he realized the Gibdo were getting a little too friendly?
It’s also interesting to consider whether the waterwheel was already integrated into the house when Pamela and her father arrived. If it was, perhaps this building was once the mill of Ikana Village. After all, the game gives continuous hints that Ikana was once a kingdom. No wonder Pamela’s Father was so intrigued by it: Ikana clearly has a deep and dark history.
The Gibdo are what especially envelop his fascination, however. So much so that his entire basement looks like an edgy teenage boy’s bedroom rather than a research lab. I bet the sound that comes out of those stacked subwoofers is enough to send any tired mother or next-door neighbors into a frenzy. He’s more than just a self-proclaimed “famed academic, who researches fairies, ghosts, and similar so-called supernatural phenomena” — he’s a fan boy.
All joking aside, the basement is obviously the most intriguing part of the Music Box House. Looking at those gigantic speakers, the rusty tools littering the floor, and the intricate gears and machinery, you really do get mad scientist vibes down there. He also has a book seemingly filled with research about the Gibdo, as well as a neat little hint that they are weak to fire and turn into ReDead when set alight.
What really piques my curiosity however is that giant closet: the one that he popped out of in his cursed Gibdo form, less than two minutes before you started rummaging through his research. What is its purpose? The basement is clearly not their bedroom, so it’s not for all their clothes.
I honestly have a crazy theory about this, and bear with me on it — it gets a bit freaky. What if he specifically built this closet to hold a Gibdo? What if part of his research was going to involve bringing one into the basement to properly study it? Aside from the fact that we’ve clearly seen a Gibdo (albeit temporarily) contained in it, there are all sorts of suspicious hints around the room. He has what looks to me like handcuffs or some sort of binding tools strewn about the floor, not to mention a two-sided saw that’s big enough to cut something up, just casually lying directly underneath that Gibdo poster. Meanwhile, the closet itself has the purple, possibly sound-proof padding around the interior (Link couldn’t hear his ghoulish groans until he broke free), as well as what look to me like evil-warding tags (like Japanese Omamori) taped to the inner doors and back walls of the closet.
There’s also that giant mummified bear, which I suspect could be symbolic for the closet’s true purpose — aside from a creepily cute enhancement of the spooky vibes. To top it all off, Pamela’s Father has the Gibdo-disabling music blasting through the subwoofers that directly face the closet. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility for him to restrain one, I reckon.
Even his daughter says “Whenever anything strange happens, my father immediately starts talking about doing research…and he does all kinds of crazy things…” She and him both explain to Link that he went to the well to search for some treasure among the Gibdo, though he lost his memory of it after becoming cursed himself. He should’ve known what fate awaited him by venturing down there, as he told Link that the spirits of those who attempted to find treasure in the well linger and remain as Gibdos. If that’s not a bedtime story with a closing moral to not take obsession too far then I don’t know what is. Just how far was he willing to go for his studies?
I suppose we may never know, and hopefully their story ended with him never knowing either. He’s lucky he had such a dedicated and mature daughter looking out for him, otherwise he might have been taken by the Gibdo that circled their Music Box House day and night. It was no doubt Pamela who managed to get him inside that closet, possibly all the way from the well where he became afflicted.
We can only hope that, after he calmed down, he listened to his daughter’s words of innocent wisdom and moved on from Ikana, leaving only the dead to listen to the endless stream of music from the Music Box House.
