A Link to the Past starts off in a rather auspicious way. Link hears the voice of a woman in his mind and rushes out and into the storm to save her. It’s a quick way to establish two things. First, Link is the hero and he needs to save people. Second, there is something paranormal at work in this world. Whether it be ghosts or plain old ESP, something spooky this way comes.
A central element to this (and, let’s be honest, most) game is the battle between Light and Dark. A Link to the Past goes a step further by taking it out of the realm of metaphor, creating both the Light and Dark Worlds. However, sometimes things get caught between worlds, leaving us with the ghostly apparitions in the Haunted Grove.
The Haunted Grove is to the south west of Hyrule Castle, in between Link’s House and the library. It’s a small area. A hollow in a copse of trees. In the center is a stump, surrounded by animals. On the stump, a boy is playing a flute. When Link approaches, the animals scurry away and the boy vanishes.
Ooooh. Spooky.
Later on in his adventure, Link ventures into the Dark World, a mirror of Hyrule created by a corruption of the Golden Power. The Haunted Grove is much the same in this world barring some cosmetic changes, except for one major thing. The animals are gone.
On the stump is a creature with a long nose. It’s the Flute Boy. He wandered into the Dark World, turning into a hideous creature, unable to play his flute. After obtaining the Flute, Link plays it for the boy one last time. The boy’s last wish is to return the flute to his father in Kakariko Village so that his father knows what happened to him.
After the last note plays, it’s eerily quiet in the grove. Slowly, the boy petrifies, turning into a tree.
Fortunately, after Link defeats Ganon and wishes on the Triforce, the boy is returned home. No longer a tree, he returns to doing what he loves most: Playing his flute for the animals in the Haunted Grove.
The Grove does return in A Link Between Worlds. Continuing with the lost boy motif, Link can find Gulley, the Blacksmith’s son, sitting on the same stump, playing with the animals. Gulley bears a striking resemblance to the Flute Boy as well. Gulley may serve as our link to the past, of what Hyrule used to be like. Maybe he is our link between worlds, if you will.
