"Shoo shoo shoo!" Blake heard from above their covered head and the laboured breathing. The wood felt grainy against a sweaty forehead, bits of black fuzz and the occasional coal coloured feather was caught here and there. A series of dissatisfied clicks and clatters followed, slowly they dared to raise their head to see those black fuzz balls were being chased away by none other than another one of the sock covered creatures. "Leave the player alone! Shoo!" it boldly recited, wings beating.

"But, but Cologai," whined one small one, it picked closer, but ducked it's head in the face of the slightly lighter tinted so called sock gremlin. It wore a striped sock like a hat on it's fluffy head, it sat limp between it's massive ears. "Surely this can't be a player, it's weak and wears the colour of the enemy!" a feathery wing was wagged and gestured, it turned it's narrowed judgmental glowing yellow gaze back to the human huddled on the floor.

"If I say the this is a player I mean this is a player! Don't argue with me! Besides Colotik, it's very rude to scare people like that, now leave and go make sure the others are ready to fly out, the nest isn't going to move itself!" The creature spoke with a projected voice that Blake wouldn't say was harsh, but just steely. It was tough and worth respecting, but still kind in a way you had to squint, spin around two or three times and then tilt your head a bit to see. A small thud followed as the so called Cologai landed beside them, skipping in front of the human. "Worry not player! The others mean you no ill will, I assure you!"

"Could of fooled me..." Blake uttered, sitting up. "So your name is Cologai..?"

"That's righttt!" The black two foot tall creature danced around them, Blake's head turned to follow until their neck stained. "The others are just worried, we all are a little worried, seeing someone new is weird after all, but weird, weird is good!" It spun around on the tips of its toes, Blake rubbed their forehead, trying to keep up with the energetic fluff ball was making them dizzy. "And your name player?" Blake's eyes opened in a start.

"Um.. I don't remember, I've been calling myself Blake but.. Besides that, I don't have a clue, not of my name or how I got to this strange messed up place. I thought it was just a dream, but no matter what I try I can't seem to wake up!" They had started ranting, the first thing they met that could talk was a sentient pile of feathers wearing socks like a scarf. "I don't know where I am or where I'm going, I've been attacked by mushrooms, rained on by glass, fell down a creepy hole and now I was just attacked by stuffed animals wearing socks!" They drew in a huffy breath. "No.. no offense, I'm sorry, but I've been through so much and I don't know how to deal with it, and it's only going to get worse from here, I'm sure."

Blake felt the creature's soft feathers brush their arm, they wiped away a fresh layer of tears.

"Fret not player Blake, while the path may seem impossible, it's only impossible if you believe it to be." The sock gremlin gave them a nudge, than a slightly harder shove. "Come, come, come, I know these halls well, I can lead you through the rooms."

"You'll ... help me?" Blake's brown eyes managed a glimmer of hope, Cologai's ears perked as it heard the human's voice.

"Of course I can, and all I ask for is those shoes in your bag!" The creature flapped up, perching upon Blake's shoulder.

"S.. shoes? I don't have any shoes in my backpack," Blake stumbled under the weight of the sock wearing creature, surprisingly it was heavy for just being a living pile of black feathers.

"Of course you do silly, they're right here, in your bag, shoes!" Cologai hopped onto the top of their bag, trying to snag the zipper to spill out the bag's contents. A hard task for a creature who had no hands, it's foot nudged the zipper in a prying mannerism. Blake knelt once more, half because of the excited creature's weight, half from the ease to take off the bag sitting offered. A series of intrigued clicks followed, the sound of the zipper opening brought them to but a quiet peep. A pair of red runners sat still in the bag, nestled between the faded books and other objects.

"How strange, these weren't in here before," Blake pulled them out, placing them next to the sock gremlin. "These are way too big for you! What could you want with them?" Blake explained, the tops of the shoes met the midst of the creature's face.

"Shoes, they go with socks player Blake, and socks are important, nearly as important as shoes." The creature nudged the laces with a small toe. "Shoes take you to distant lands and seas, and take you to new and exciting places. You see they are very, very important, and you must not let anyone beat anything other than your own song into them."

"I.. I don't really understand, but your welcome? Do you need me to carry them for you?" Blake rubbed the back of their head, hands feeling through their white green tipped mop. It reminded them once more that they had been trapped in this weird dream for at least four days, four days with no hygiene, four days with no food.

"Oh no, leave them here, I'll come back for them. Now as promised, I'll help you! But player Blake, tie your shoes first, we can't have you falling again." The creature eyed their laces, before spinning around to take off, hoping between the fancy wooden rafters that decorated the roof, crissing and crossing every which way.

"Hah hah, yeah I probably shouldn't do that, again." Blake laughed, laughed for the first time since they had woken up here, it.. It felt good, warm in their chest that ached from crying. "Hey wait up!' They jumped up, backpack slinging over their shoulder. As they ran, with cologai's words in mind, they listened to the sound of their soles hitting the wooden floor. Had someone ever walked here before? Besides a practical tsunami of sock gremlins, or were they the first human ever to walk here? The halls ahead weren't as scary to face with a guide, who held it's head high and had no doubt if it was left or right.

"Hey Cologai?" Blake started, not wanting to waste perhaps the last conversation they'd have, not wanting to go back to their voice feeling funny from lack of use. But what to ask? How can you speak english? Perhaps where were they going was a good one, or maybe how to leave this place? "Why do you keep calling me player?" Finally they decided. Cologai's head swerved from where it was perched on a lever, a lever that dropped and opened a door to yet another room of puzzles, this one but a simple sliding puzzle that Blake felt like they had done once before. Perhaps they had, in the lifetime from before this one. Maybe they were the best and they reigned supreme over all that played.. Or they were the worst, that seemed more realistic.

"Because you're a player, why else? Player Blake you should call things by what they are, it's only formal, like the placement of a tea set at grand party!" it clattered, tail swishing back and forth as it watched Blake slid the panels around and around on their wooden frame.

"Well, yes I guess that's pretty important, but what's a player? Why am I one? Is it what you call humans?" They pressed, seeking for an answer they realized was not coming when the sock gremlin promptly asked, "what's a human?"

"Well, I'm a human, have you seen anymore of me, and by me I don't mean like me me I mean have you seen other players?" They hastily corrected before they froze, "wait I take it back are there more mes?"

"Player Blake is the first player Blake i've seen, I'll keep my eyes out for more though." Cologai swooped forth to slide the last piece to place, it all shifted and the wall parted to reveal what seemed to be a wooden slide to the pits of the darkest places. "Can't say I've seen any other players, you're the first in a very, very long time you see, these halls haven't seen players for.. Oh .. at least a thousand days." They gestured a wing down the hole, Blake doubtfully sat on the edge, feet dangling. Cologai was quick to plop on their lap, unlike them they seemed as giddy as a small kid. A slide inside a house, but what if you wanted to get back up? Was there stairs somewhere? In the place that rained glass and had talking feather dusters? Probably not. They pushed back the anxious fear that came and let themselves slide down, down, very far down. The eyes of the sock gremlin became their only light for a few moments, before they fell into a pile of, surprise surprise, more socks. Socks that Colpogai quickly began to rumage through. "Oh joy, oh joy, player Blake would you look at these? Socks!" It held up a red one with yellow polka dots, and with a click of satisfaction it strung it around it's tail. Blake smiled, plucking a sock off their head.

"Looks good on you, but aren't you wondering why the socks are here to begin with?" Blake pushed themselves up to a stand, looking around the new room. What puzzle did it have? What was it going to throw at them? To their surprise, there was no puzzles, no tricks, just the next door there for them to open.

"Player Blake, if I spent my time worrying about things like that, I'd waste time I could spend appreciating the things I have, like this new fabulous sock! I shall take them back to my flock, and all shall have socks!" Cologai nodded, as if it was so certain of everything it said. A certainty that Blake didn't have nor could ever see themselves having. "Now are you going to open the door?" Blake stood up and went to grab the handle, expecting more rooms of wood, only to gasp when chilly wind blew against their skin, and their eyes were stung by the white snow. It was open space, that stretched on for what seemed like forever.

"O-outside? But it was warm before! Really warm it couldn't of suddenly snowed that much!" They explained, a handful of white flakes blew into their face.

"No player Blake, we're still inside, and somewhere in all that white cold stuff is the next door." Cologai landed on their shoulder, plopping a sock in their hands. "I'm afraid I can go with you no further, I must return to my flock. Take this glorious sock to remember me by!"

"Thanks, it's lovely." Blake smiled, tucking the multicolored striped sock into their pocket, their gaze straying to their hand, the hand still branded by that mark. The number was still the same, 185, it hadn't changed. What did it mean, well, maybe they'd find the answer. "I don't think I could forget you, now the real challenge will be getting people to believe me whenever I get back to.. Wherever i'm from." Blake's brown dreary gaze fell back on the land of ice and snow, when they looked closer they saw bridges and spires of ice hanging from the 'sky', was it a hologram? Was the field of gold and giant mushroom trees also just a big room? They took a step outside, the crunch of snow under their shoe wasn't as welcoming compared to the soft pitter patter the wood made, they paused, breath leaving slowly as they shook their head slowly. "I'm scared." They uttered, a shiver passing through their body, but it wasn't because of the cold.

"It's okay to be scared player Blake, but believe in yourself, you've started listening to your shoes, now listen to your heart. You'll get through this, and think of the stories you'll have to share next time you have a tea party, or any party! But tea parties are the best ones." They gave Blake a warm look, before flapping up, gathering the socks with a sweep of it's wings that lifted the socks into the air, more magic in the world Blake was starting to accept had no logic.

"Oh and player?" Blake's hope dwindled at the sudden hard tone. "Beware the red lights, they are the bane of all the good things."