"A Shift in Reality"

As I walked through the front door, I couldn't help but notice my sister, Kat, getting ready to head out. She was rummaging through her closet, searching for the perfect outfit. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and she waved enthusiastically. "Hey, sis! I'm going out with my friends tonight. Want to come?" I shook my head, still trying to process the events of the day. "No, I'm good. I've got to watch Max tonight." Kat nodded sympathetically. "Oh, yeah. Mom and Dad are going to that party, aren't they?" I nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, they are. And I have to take care of Max." Just then, Max, my five-year-old brother, came running into the room, giggling uncontrollably. "Link, Link, Link! They're all dying!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. I exchanged a worried glance with Kat. She had no idea what had happened, but I knew that Max had somehow picked up on the news. I tried to explain it to him, but he just laughed. "Linkin Park, Link from Zelda, Link Hoffman... they're all gone!" I said, trying to make him understand the seriousness of the situation. But Max just started singing a ridiculous song. "Links are dying, links are dead, they're all gone to their dread... Linkin Park, Linkin zoo, all the links are boo-boo!" Kat and I exchanged a worried glance. Max didn't understand the gravity of the situation. He thought it was all just a game. As I tried to make Max understand, I couldn't help but think about how I had ended up with this strange ability to shift between universes. It was a gift that only a select few possessed, and it was what my friend Olivia had dubbed "stranger girl" abilities. Only Olivia, Max, and I knew about it, and I had to be careful about how I used it. I looked at Max, and a plan formed in my mind. I knew just where to take him to make him understand the seriousness of the problem. I took a deep breath and knelt down beside him. "Max, I want to show you something. Are you ready?" Max nodded enthusiastically, and I took his hand. Closing my eyes, I focused on the familiar sensation of shifting between universes. When I opened my eyes, we were standing in the middle of Hyrule, from The Legend of Zelda. Max's eyes widened as he took in the sights and sounds of the fantasy world. And then, he saw him - Link, the hero of Hyrule, lying on the ground, his sword still clutched in his hand. Max's face fell, and he looked up at me with tears in his eyes. "Sis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make fun of it." I hugged him tightly. "It's okay, Max. I just wanted you to understand that it's not a game. It's real, and it's serious." As we stood there, I knew that I had to find a way to stop this strange curse that was killing all the Links. And with my abilities, I was the only one who could do it.