Average Middle-Aged Man
Title | Master Locksmith[1] | |
Race | ||
Gender | Male | |
Member of | Gang of Thieves (formerly) | |
Games | ||
Location | Entrance to the Desert of Mystery | |
Related | Blind (ex-boss) | |
The Average Middle-Aged Man,[2] also known as the Strange Middle-Aged Guy,[1] is a character from A Link to the Past.
The Average Middle-Aged Man is found at the entrance to the Desert of Mystery, just west of the Great Swamp. He sits in complete silence, not speaking to Link even if Link is trying to communicate. A sign can be found next to the man that states, "Pay no attention to the average middle-aged man standing by this sign. Leave him alone!"[2] If Link lifts up the aforementioned sign, the Average Middle-Aged Man will begin to follow Link, continuing to do so until Link leaves the screen. If Link tosses the sign aside, the man will reluctantly break his silence and tell Link, "Why did you take my sign? It says plain as day to just leave me alone! Sheeesh!".[3]
The Thief that lives within the Den of Thieves in the Lost Woods mentions the Average Middle-Aged Man. The thief informs Link that the man that is staying at the entrance to the Desert of Mystery is an ex-member of the Gang of Thieves.[4] Another former thief that mentions the Average Middle-Aged Man is the Storytelling Hand, found at the east part of Ice Lake within the Dark World. The Hand mentions that the Average Middle-Aged Man is just a disguise to blend in and that he once was a Master Locksmith.[1]
The Man is a master locksmith, capable of picking almost any lock.[1] If Link enters the Dark World and visits the Village of Outcasts, he can come across a Locked Chest located in a building corresponding to the Smithery from the Light World. Furthermore, this chest only appears if Link has led one of the Dwarven Swordsmiths back to the Smithery. Link can take this Locked Chest all the way to the Average Middle-Aged Man in the Light World. The Man tells Link that he heard that Link knows he used to be a thief[5], and offers to open the Locked Chest for him if he promises to keep his past thievery a secret.[6] If Link agrees, the Man will pick the lock for him, allowing Link to discover the treasure within: a Magic Bottle.
After the man has opened the Locked Chest, he no longer cares if Link picks up his sign that is right next to him.
During the ending credits, the Average Middle-Aged Man is seen within the Desert of Mystery having returned to his old criminal past.
Trivia
- The Average Middle-Aged Man makes a reference to the iconic line from The Legend of Zelda when he tells Link to keep his thievery "a secret from everyone."[7]
Gallery
Link carrying the Average Middle-Aged Man's sign
References
- ↑ 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Heh heh. Thank you. To tell you the truth, I used to be a thief in the Light World... some of my fellow thieves went into hiding because they were afraid of being caught. One of them was a master locksmith, but now he is hiding the fact that he was a thief... ...by pretending to be a strange middle-aged guy! Ha ha ha..." — Storytelling Hand, A Link to the Past.
- ↑ 2.1 2.2 "Pay no attention to the average middle-aged man standing by this sign. Leave him alone!" — Sign next to the Man, A Link to the Past.
- ↑ "Why did you take my sign? It says plain as day to just leave me alone! Sheeesh!" — Average Middle-Aged Man, A Link to the Past.
- ↑ "Hey kid, this is a secret hide- out for a gang of thieves! Don't enter without permission! By the way, I heard that one of our ex-members is staying at the entrance to the Desert." — Thief, A Link to the Past.
- ↑ "I heard that you know I used to be a thief, right?" — Average Middle-Aged Man, A Link to the Past.
- ↑ "Well, I'll open a chest for you. Will you keep it secret from everyone else? Would you please promise ? :Promise not to tell :Tell it to everyone" — Average Middle-Aged Man, A Link to the Past.
- ↑ "All right, bring that chest over here... Seriously, keep this a secret from everyone." — Average Middle-Aged Man, A Link to the Past.