his home.

Tae wasn’t always like this. Sometimes, he would laugh constantly for hours on end. Other times, like now, Tae was miserable. His dream was never to be living alone and working a 12 hour shift every day at only the mere age of 17. Tae had repeatedly told himself to snap out of his depressed state for years now, but nothing seemed to work. Yes, he was an intelligent kid, but the depression was too much, so he dropped out of his senior year of high school to get his mental state under control. Now, with nothing to do, Tae is forced to work with infuriating customers at the smallest shoe store in the town.
When Tae entered work that Monday morning, Sofia was already stocking the shelves, waiting for him.
“Hey Tae.” she grumbled, knocking over her coffee.
“Hey,” Tae mumbled back, “new shoes today?”
“Nope.”
The day dragged on, the occasional customer with the bratty child stopped in, only to decide they didn’t want to buy anything and ultimately wasted Tae’s goal of making it through the day. He was too tired to even clean up the spilled coffee from this morning. The smell was definitely not helping his mood, let alone the customers.
“I’m leaving Tae,” Sofia shouted from across the room, “lock up when you’re done.”
         It was merely 7:00, almost marking the last hour of his shift, when Tae spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Tae was ever so curious to find out what the shiny object catching his eye was. As Tae walked over, he slowly came to the realization that the object was a shoe, but no regular shoe, a warrior shoe. Tae was stunned at how beautiful the shoe was. Shiny green emeralds laced the top of the shoe, followed by a layer of blue, and then red. Freshly polished gold straps hung and crossed from the tip of the shoe to the toe.
“Woah.” Tae whispered to himself.
Tae was tempted to step into the shoe, just for fun.
As he took the shoe off the top shelf, he couldn't help but notice how dusty it was. Had this shoe always been here, or was it just Tae’s imagination? Nonetheless, Tae couldn't back out now, so he stepped into the shoe and waited for the result.
For the first few seconds, nothing happened. Tae was disappointed, to say the least. He eventually started to take the shoe off, when the world suddenly started to tilt and spin. Tae was confused, not knowing what to think. He began to feel dizzy, almost nauseous even. He squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn't feel his head spinning as much. As soon as it started though, it was over. Tae slowly opened his eyes, expecting the worst. What he saw however, wasn't half bad.
Beautiful lilac daisies lined a colossal stone wall, which also had bright yellow sunflowers planted in the rich soil. The sky, a vastness one can only imagine of what lies beyond, with it’s whimsical clouds in a partial canopy,playing hide and seek with the sun.  Pools of sunshine streamed through, leaving a heavenly glow below, and Tae could not fathom how one thing could be so elegant. He was so immersed in admiring his surroundings that he did not notice the individual behind him.
“Hello.” the individual speaks, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Who are you?” Tae questions, not having the slightest idea of what’s going on, “Where am I?”
“I'm Atrayu,” the boy speaks, “ Welcome to The Willows.”
When Atrayu finished speaking to him, Tae wasn't as confused. Apparently The Willows used to be the main city in the early 700 B.C. times. The land was filled with strange creatures Tae had never seen before, like the rock monster, who rumbled through the town on his stone wheel. Tae also found out that everyone left here in The Willows had a mission to achieve. Everyone, from the orders of the Emperor, must attempt to find a cure for the Empress, Maria. According to Atrayu, no one had found the cure, and it was only a matter of time before Maria died.
“Why hasn't anyone found the cure yet?” Tae asked on his 4th night.
“Oh you poor boy,” Atrayu responds sarcastically, “they're either too scared to attempt, or they die trying.”
Tae thought about this for a while before responding, “Why don't we attempt it?”
Tae knew Atrayu wouldn't agree, but he noticed how Atrayu’s eyes seemed to shift, almost as if he were contemplating this response in his head. What came next shocked Tae.
“Ok, let's do it.”
Tae and Atrayu headed for the mountains, ready to begin their journey but feeling anxious of the challenges to come. Tae wondered why the citizens were so afraid to attempt to find the cure. He didn’t understand what was so bad. Up in the mountains, the sun was warm on his tan skin, and there was plenty of food and water for the both of them. So far, the journey had been alright, aside from the occasional times when Atrayu would stop for a brief moment to partially gag and cough like there was no tomorrow. Tae didn’t understand. Atrayu was perfectly fine before they started their journey almost 3 days ago, what could be wrong with him? Did he have the same thing the Empress had? Tae felt bad for himself and Atrayu. For Atrayu, because Tae always feels bad for anyone. He knows how much he hates being sick. For himself though? This was his first time attempting to find the cure. Tae didn’t want to do it with a sick partner, let alone by himself.
Tae had talked to Atrayu that night, after their vicious fight with the quick sand.
“I’m postponing our journey.” Tae shot out quickly.
“What? Why?” Atrayu questioned, sitting straight up. “I’m fine.”
“Just get some rest.” Tae gently voiced, tucking him under the blanket.
“We leave in the morning Tae.” Atrayu whispered. “I’m not leaving you, you’re all I have.”
Tae thought about this as he rolled into his makeshift sleeping bag. Why had Atrayu said that? He’s never been nice to Tae before, so why start now? Tae slumped down further, continuing to think about anything and everything in the wee hours of the night. Wolves were howling, crickets were chirping, and stars were shining bright silver, making silhouettes in the jet black sky. Tae heard Atrayu shift in his blanket, and then sit straight up and walk over to him.
“Atrayu what-” Tae half-whispered.
It was then Tae noticed Atrayu was holding a knife. Before Tae could register anything, Atrayu leaped on top of him, jabbing the knife straight into his side. Tae roared in agony as the pain exploded in his ribs.
“Atrayu please,” Tae barely whispered. “don't.”
Tae knew if he didn't stop Atrayu, he would kill him. He knew that no one would really care if he died since he's not in contact with his parents, but Tae was only 17 and hadn't lived his life yet. So Tae came to the ultimate conclusion that he needed to kill Atrayu before Atrayu killed him first.
Tae wiped the blood off his hands and finished bandaging his side. He had no idea what to do now, since his partner was dead. Atrayu was the only one who knew this land, and considering that Tae had only been here about a week, he was clueless. He didn't understand how this world worked. People forced to risk their lives by order of their emperor, others getting so sick they turn insane only to have even more die than originally planned. Tae hated this concept, so he eventually decided to continue his journey, so no others would die.
The uncomfortable wet sponge feeling Tae was experiencing was due to the dark brown mud underneath his feet. He was having a hard time standing the constant squish, squish, squish of his damp socks. The sounds stopped though when a faint neighing sound was heard in the distance. Tae listened closely and followed the sound leading to its source. What Tae found was not expected. There, standing trapped in the middle of the mud, was a golden brown horse.
“Are you going to just stand there?” the horse said.
Tae’s jaw dropped. He was not expecting that.
“I'm Nicholas.”
“I'm Tae,” he spoke as he inched closer.
“What brings you out here Tae?”
Tae told him about his adventure as Nicholas carried him through the grass. He explained how he was going to get the cure for the empress. Nicholas laughed at that, saying there was no way one was able to do that. Tae snorted. Well he was going to do it, wasn´t he?
Tae also told Nicholas about Atrayu. How he had killed him, closed his eyes, and buried his body so he wouldn't suffer.
¨So, you just killed him?¨ Nicholas eventually asked.
¨Well, yeah.” Tae responded.
¨Tell you what boy, I´ll help you find the cure.¨
Nicholas had given him very specific instructions on what to do when he reached the front steps of the ice kingdom. Don't knock, don't look the guards straight in the eye, and do not look frightened. If you look weak, they won't let you in. Tae moved to hop off Nicholas and walk of the slippery stone steps of the palace. What he did not know however, was that as he stepped off of the reigns, his boot caught a hole at the bottom of it. Tae stood at the steps, unsure of what to do. Would they come out to get him? Would he stand there and freeze while they watched, laughing from afar? Tae was soon snapped out of his thoughts when the golden brass gates slowly swung open, and welcomed Tae in.
The inside of the palace looked surprisingly normal, compared to the other buildings in the town. Hanging from the massive clear blue walls were grey curtains, shading the inside of the kingdom. On the far end of the palace, there stood a grandfather clock up against the wall. The time read 0700 hours. Tae had been here for 12 days. Tae was abruptly cut off by an enormous white door. Tae wasn´t sure if he should knock, so he stood quietly. Soon enough, the door opened, revealing a grass green room with decorations and murals lining the walls. Sitting on a white twin bed, was Maria, the empress, looking sickly as ever. 
“Tae, I’ve been expecting you.”
Tae was taken aback. Not only had he never been here, but the empress and the guards know nothing about him. Tae never told anyone anything about himself except Atrayu, who was now dead so it doesn’t matter.
“How do you know my name?” Tae asked, confused.
“Why don’t you tell me how you got here, Tae.”
While Tae was considering his options, he took a look at the shorter girl laying on the bed. She was very pale, and sickly looking, with strawberry red hair and orange freckles that covered her nose in a delicate pattern. She couldn’t be older than Tae, maybe about 14 or 15 years. Tae didn’t know if she was trustworthy, but considering Tae could travel back to his own home land, he figured it didn’t matter who he told. Tae began with spotting the warrior shoe at his workplace. He told the empress how elegant it looked, and he swore to only try it on for a minute before he got sucked into whatever this land was.
“Ah, only true heros see the golden warrior boot.” Maria interjected with a thick british accent. “You are very lucky my dear.”
As Tae finished telling her his story, Maria looked delighted, proud even. He figured it was just because she finally had someone to give her the cure so she wouldn’t die. Tae didn’t have the heart to tell her that he didn’t have it. He thought maybe he would find it in her kingdom, but he hadn’t had a chance to look.
“Empress, what about the cure?” Tae inquired.
“Poor boy, don’t you see? It’s all an act. I’m not sickly and I’m nowhere near on my deathbed.” Maria replied smugly.
“Um, what?” Tae asked, a little concerned.
“The true cure here, is to gain courage.” the empress replied. “You have succeeded.”
Suddenly, the world began to shift. Tae’s stomach flipped as the surroundings changed.
“What’s happening?!” Tae shouted over the wind.
“There’s a hole in your boot, you’re returning to your home.”
Tae heard a loud whistling sound, then he felt a drop. He landed on the floor with a bang, bang, bang! The world went still and the surroundings went quiet. Tae slowly opened his eyes, not realizing he had ever closed them, and looked around. He was back in the tiny shoe store, with the boot ripped apart at his foot. The sky was still dark outside, and the time read 7:00. No time had passed. The coffee was still spilled across the table, and the lights in the store were still on. Tae was back.
The next day at work, Tae was as tired as ever, having gotten no sleep from the night before. All Tae could do was toss and turn and think about the events that had just occurred. Was it a dream? No, it couldn’t have been. It felt real and he woke up in the same place he was. He couldn’t be dreaming that too, right?
“Tae are you alright?” Sofia asked walking in the door.
“Yeah, I feel good actually.”
As Tae worked throughout the day, he realized something. Not only had he found himself wishing he could be working at the shoe store again on his journey, but he also realized that he was waiting for something good to happen. Always just waiting, waiting, waiting. The thing is however, sometimes before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger, and Tae realizes that he likes where’s he’s at right now. Sure, he did hate it at first, well everyone did. Sofia tells Tae all the time how much she hates this town and working in it. Tae however, doesn’t mind it as much anymore. He realized that while he was waiting for something special to happen, he was missing all the good things that were happening in his own hometown. Maybe things ultimately have to get worse before they get better. I mean, I had to kill my own friend. That has to count for something right? Tae thought. So maybe that was Tae’s darkness. Death. He hadn’t dealt with death before. However, he didn’t know if his parents were dead or not, but Tae’s darkness is death. His better? He didn’t know. For now though, it was home. Tae’s better is his home.