It was my first year in high school. I was extremely nervous. I was walking through the dark gray halls, When I was pushed against a locker. I glared in the direction of a senior that pushed me into the locker. I brushed it off and walked to the office to get my locker number for the year.
"You have got to be kidding me." I said as I found myself in front of the same locker I was pushed against. "It must be a coincidence." I thought to myself as I put my books into my locker. I set up my locker and I started getting a feeling that my locker wasn't a normal locker. I shrugged it off and headed to class, but the feeling never went away as I continued to ignore it. I was never very popular in school, I didn't have many friends. I had one friend, but she lives in Texas.
It was weeks later when the same senior from before shoved me into my locker. "Hey!" I yelled as they shut the locker. I sighed as that feeling came back. I all of a sudden fell backwards. "Woah!" I yelled. It was almost like the rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland, but it hurt when I hit the ground. "Ow..." I sat up rubbing the back of my head. I started looking around and what I saw was astonishing. It was A beautiful forest filled with things I have never seen before. Then it all disappeared before my eyes. A Large golden gate appeared before me.
I approached the gate in complete awe. I reach out to try and push it open, but a gust of wind blows me back. I look back and see a beautiful woman in front of me. "What is your heart's greatest desire?" she asks me. I thought for a moment, what was my heart's desire? " I want my family and friends to be safe." I said confidently. " I can guarantee that if you stay in this world forever." she stated. My heart dropped. Stay here...forever? I looked down thinking of what choice I should make then I decided. "No," I said looking up at her, "Once I get back home I will be able to protect everyone I care about!" I stated proudly.
The lady looked down at me with a smile. "You have passed my test of courage, you may pass through the gate." She said and then as fast as she appeared she was gone. I was confused at first, but something inside of me kept telling me to continue the journey. I start to walk towards the gate when I hear a familiar voice. "Shinko?" the voice said from behind.
I turn around to be faced with my best friend,Zuzu. My eyes go wide and my mind begins to race. How did she get here?! I thought she lived in Texas. " How are you here Zu?!" I asked, extremely confused. She sighed and looked at me,"I did but then one day I was shoved into a lake and woke up here and I could never figure out how to get back home." she said with a sad tone, then she smiled and she looked happy for the first time in awhile, "but Being here has been a great experience! I've learned to appreciate life a lot more!" She giggled.
I thought for a moment and smiled at her. "Mind showing me around?" I said smiling brightly. Her eyes lit up like Christmas lights as she grabbed my hand and started leading me to the huge forest. I looked around me as I saw trees with cotton candy like leaves, and animals that you could only imagine! As I was looking around, Zuzu stopped in her tracks. " You ok?" I asked worriedly. I looked over her shoulder and saw a giant, red dragon.
"Why are you just standing there?! We need to leave Zu!" I Say frantically as I pull on her arm. She pulls away from me and hugs it. " Who's a good boy?" She asks the dragon. I stand there dumbfounded," What?" I ask. I then start laughing softly. "Of course you made friends with a dragon!" I laugh out. She glares at me at first but then sighs and smirks. " Wanna take a ride?" She asks me.
"This is a horrible idea!!" I yell as we're on her dragon and higher than high in the sky. Zuzu laughs softly as we zoom through the sky. Once you ignore the fear of heights part, the sky is beautiful. It's close to night, so the sun is setting. The clouds are pink, orange, and blue. I was staring at the sky when the dragon darted down to land. I quickly grabbed onto Zu so I wouldn't fall and before I knew it we were on the ground.
I got off him and could barely walk. "Woah," I said wobbling,"never doing that again." Zuzu giggled and sighed as we sat around a fire. "One day, I'm going to go home." she said leaning against my shoulder. I smiled softly yawning, "I'll help you if that's what you want Zu, I promise." I said and drifted off to sleep.
I awoke to the sound of fighting and I quickly jumped up and looked around me. I see Zu fighting oger like creatures, I grab a sword and join the fight. We fought and were pushed back to the golden gate. " Zuzu! Grab my hand and come home!" I said as we neared the gate. I saw her hesitate and then sigh. "This is my home now, you go Shinko." She says with a smile.
I ended up getting pushed into the gate by flo. I'm back in the locker, now knowing there is another world on the other side of this locker. I find it open and the senior that started this story in front of me. "Now, it's your turn." they said and disappeared. My eyes widen as I look around seeing the halls empty. Nothing changed from the time I left.
I still visit the world of the golden gate. I talk to Flo still and we see each other every time I visit. I will never forget my experience there and my view of life has changed completely. I smile a lot more and my imagination is off the rails. My strongest subject now is English due to the stories I write. The thing that no one knows is how every story I write has happened to me.
I am now a senior and I will soon need to pass this responsibility of keeping the two worlds connected to someone new and join my best friend. I'm walking down the hall and see a freshman boy at my locker and smile remembering how I found the new world. I walk up to the boy and whisper," Make the hard decision to pass through the golden gate." Then I push him in the locker and soon follows him and meets up with my old friend.
