How the Autumn loved the tree – The best children fantasy book in the century! Love in its frailest form, exquisite. [The Times]

“Noona… I’m sorry. Uhnk… wait… unh…” bubbles paraded out of Lee Joe’s lips as the child slowly twirled into the shining light above the surface, watching the clouds pass by as his lungs slowly filled with water.  The coughing, spastic movements had come to a halt while his heart started to beat in a calm pace, slowing down each second he slipped away from consciousness. He was dying.

Desperate, the child held out his hand as his fingers trembled amongst the cold serenity. He was calling out to his sister one last time. He wanted to see her one last time, at least for a moment. “Save me.”

≈

There were sounds of waves, currents everywhere and slowly Lee Joe could hear them clearly all around him. He wondered if it was over, the pain, the longing and the heartbeats. He wondered if he was dead. “It’s been a while now Lee, wakie wakie.” A warm, enchanting voice was calling him over and over, so gentle and loving. Bravely the child sat up and opened his eyes; squinting them the moment after from the blinding sunlight. He was on the riverbank, leaned against a brick wall and facing the raging currents. Was he saved? He wondered, but it was too peaceful and he was completely dry. Looking down to his hands, he grabbed the ground and devastatingly, the harsh, grubby surface did not trigger any kind of sensation. He was numb to the touch. A frail gasp escaped as his eyes slowly started to burn. “Noona…”

“Don’t worry. You are still very much alive.” A handsome, ethereal looking young man came and sat beside him, handing Lee Joe a can of warm tea. The moment he saw the latter, Lee Joe was speechless; the young man was breath taking. He had beautiful hair; red, brown and  brassy blonde, somewhat mimicking the colors of the fallen leaves during autumn while his eyes were a translucent color of deep hazel, like a gem under the beautiful sunlight. White, pale and glowing skin made all of his features pop out; the red flush on the man’s skin and his crimson lips. “Who.. who are you?”

“Hmm… I saved you from there.” The young man spoke gracefully as he pointed out to the river. “Bbut… I can’t feel anything!” the child pleaded, grasping desperately onto the older latter. He smiled and held Lee Joe’s hands, as his other one the child’s hair. “Yes, you are not in the world of the living yet, they are trying to mend you. I’m keeping you here so that later you can go back to where you belong.”

“So… I’m not dead?” Lee Joe asked again with his eyes glimmering with sadness and hope. “No, you’ll stay here for a while and later, when you get better you’ll wake up to the real world again.”

“Thank you.”

≈

The breeze was blowing his hair, making them dance under its beautiful symphony. Lee Joe held them in place as he sighed; he had been walking for so long. It was hard to follow the man especially when he doesn’t even know the latter’s name. Calling him as ‘Ahjussi’ would be rather inappropriate as he looked fairly young, almost like a teenager. So Lee Joe kept quiet and followed the young man’s lighthearted steps.

They stopped in front of a big, healthy tree with green leaves showering above them. The young man grinned brightly as he ran his fingers down the tree trunk, feeling its aged crevices. Then gently, he rested his forehead on it, eyes closed and smiling blissfully. After a moment, like a miracle, right in front of Lee Joe’s eyes, the leaves started to change color.

They were turning yellow, brown and red gradually as if it was mirroring the latter’s hair. And finally, there were no more green leaves on the tree, it was breathtakingly dying.

Seeing it, made the child gasped in shock. “Wha…what are you!” he screamed, fear tainting deep within his youthful, eleven years old eyes.

“I’m Autumn.”

“YAH LEE JOE!! NOONA… I’M MARRIED AND YOU’RE STILL BLOODY SINGLE?!! WHY?!!!” the young, drunken bride shouted as she grabbed Lee’s hair and shoved it around. Her newly wed husband was on his toes as he watched her violently scolding the younger man and though after a few failed attempts, he was still pulling her back. “Jagiyaaaa…” He whined, hugging her back and sitting the lady down on the chair. “Please, your poor brother is growling already. I really can’t handle another dogfight between you two today okay.” He demanded as he stared at the younger latter worriedly.

“Huh… I told you, I’m have someone okay. It’s just you guys haven’t met that person yet.”

Lee Joe pulled his hair back, veraciously gulping down a can of beer. He was older, much wiser but somehow, still very petite. His face however, grew to be a work of art. Blonde, glossy hair and a naturally mannequin-like nose, he was the heartbreaker amongst his peers. His eyes were as sharp as knives as he glared at his older sister and exhaled.

“Dude… you! Have been saying that ever since you woke up from that damn coma that lasted for one freakin season!! Like are you crazy man?!!” She shrieks; swaying as her head twirled into a mad rotating pattern. “Please, take this lady home would you Sungyeol hyung?”

“Haish, she’s the death of both of us really. Why the hell did I try so hard to come back to this really?”

≈

Lee Joe mumbled his way back, looking straight up to night sky. There were no stars, not even a glimpse of glimmer on the cloudy atmosphere. He whined and whined to a point where there was nothing left to say and slowly, his sour face turned into a smile. There were leaves, green ones falling off the trees and hitting his cheeks. They were gently grazing against his skin as he closed his eyes and hummed a song. As he walked on, a he remembered a particular person. “It’s almost fall. Great.”

“I’m Autumn.”

He could still see Autumn’s face, glistening and blissful while his mind replayed the latter’s voice beautifully. Just as he whispered, autumn was near.