The Beginning of The End.

I pant. I'm hanging on by a little branch. Hanging onto the last piece of hope that I have of getting out of this alive. Out of the dragons layer. I peer down the the ravine, look at the glowing lava. The heat is so intense I'm having trouble breathing. I readjust my hands. I have a good grip on the branch. Unfortunately though, the branch does not have such a good grip onto the side of the hole. I slip. Tears pour down my face as I remember my parents. 'Boys don't cry' is what my father would say to me now, ' it's a sign of weakness.' It isn't .It never has been and it never will be.

I slip. the branch is still in the mud but I can hear it's inner roots ripping out. I decide I'm better than this. I try to reach for my staff but my sudden movements are the last thing for the branch. It gives way almost instantly, and I plunge into the depths of despair.

Lights. Bright. Dark. Dull. Colorful. Everything, yet nothing. I look around. There's nothing. it's so hard to imagine something if it doesn't even exist. I reach down to touch the ground but I'm greeted with nothingness. for some reason I'm standing on solid ground, even if I'm surrounded by...

"Hello" a booming voice interrupts my thoughts and I spin around to see an elderly man. He's wearing a long white robe, hemmed with gold and red ribbons, underneath he seems to just be wearing a shirt and jeans, "You must be..." he pauses then smiles, "We will call you Willow."

I look at him shocked. My name isn't 'Willow' and I wasn't planning on changing it. I open my mouth to argue, but decide against it.

"Why am I here?" I ask

"I want to help you, I saw how hard you battled on the field to save your people. I admire that. I'm sorry that you fell into that pit, it really was a shame." He pauses, "I will give you another life, another chance. You are to learn the lessons of us elders. Trust, forgiveness, patience and love."

I look at him. He's insane! He has to be. Where even am I? Where's the Dragon's lair? It hits me. I'm dead, full on dead, I never learned anything when I was alive, and he's giving me time to learn them. I nod. because it's the only thing I can do. The idea of being dead hasn't really settled and I'm frightened.

"Good," he says replying to my nod, "You shall become a willow tree and learn the five lessons."

Wait. A tree? That sucks. Five lessons? He only said four earlier. Before I get a chance to reply, the nothingness is gone and I'm surrounded by stars.