In my search for free online games to play, I came across some site like
www.freegamesonline.com, or something.
On it they had a link to "Zelda Online."
I then made an account and started playing.
Somehow I got stuck in the water paths ways below the castle, and, being the nub I was, didn't know about unstick me.
I remember PMing some staff person, who never replied. So I gave up and quit for the time being.
Later I came back to it, about a month or two before 1.28 was released, I think.
And so on and so forth.