by Mark Mulle
know because we have hidden cameras to watch them, and we’re worried that they will die if food is not brought to them quickly. What we want you to do is bring some food to the tribe to save them from starvation. Do you think you can do that?”
I had to take all of what Dr. Shelly said in for a little while. This was one of the craziest things I have ever heard before. I didn’t even know there were still primitive tribes living in the Overworld. I figured that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I told the doctors that I would take on the mission.
Tomorrow I will go back to the same building to collect the food and a map. I am so excited to go on this mission. That’s one of the great things about being an adventurer, it never gets old!
Day Five: Collecting the Supplies
Dear Diary,
I returned to the building today with Ghast to collect all of the supplies I needed for the trip. Ghast stayed outside with Dr. Martin because that’s where all of the food was. He helped the doctor to put the food in chests so it could be transported easier.
While he did that, I went inside of the building to talk to Dr. Shelly. She gave me a map that had the place where the villagers lived marked with a big red X. “The villagers have lost much of their lands due to outsiders cutting down trees, so most of them live in a large stone temple. There is a train station here,” she pointed to an area that was marked with a blue X. “You can get on here and take the train for most of the way. You should only have about a five-mile hike from the last stop on the train to the temple. Do you think you can handle that?”
“I can handle anything,” I told her.
After my talk with Dr. Shelly, I went outside to see if Ghast was done packing up the food, which he was. It took up one large chest. I tried to pick it up, but it was too heavy. Ghast easily put it on the top of his head and carried it back to the motel, though. I was glad to have Ghast by my side. Without him, I would have had to quit the mission already because the chest was too heavy for me.
Tomorrow, we are taking the first train out of the village and heading towards the temple. If we make good time, we should be there before nightfall. Diary, wish me luck.
Day Six: The Jungle Train
Dear Diary,
Well, it was time to hit the road this morning, or I guess I should write, it was time to hit the tracks. Ghast and I had a train to catch if we wanted to make it to the temple before the sun went down. The village we were in had Iron Golems to protect the village from monsters at night, but out in the jungle... well, let me just write that no one knows how many monsters are out there, but I’m sure there’s more than the two that Ghast and I could take on our own.
Ghast carried the food while I led the way to the train station. We hopped aboard and a few minutes later, the train was on its way into the jungle. I had been in the jungle before, but it was always so crazy to see one up close and personal. Every jungle was different, which is probably what makes them so cool. There’s always new types of plants and animals to look at. Sometimes I wonder how wild the Overworld would be if villagers and humans weren’t always cutting down trees and making roads and houses.
I was watching the scenery, taking it all in when suddenly the train made a funny noise. I asked Ghast if he heard it too, and he did. I stood up, as did some of the other passengers on the train. An announcement was read over the loudspeaker by the train conductor. “Please stay calm. The train is dealing with some mechanical complications, so we will be stuck here until help can come to fix it. Passengers should expect a three days’ delay to get to their destination.”
I grumbled when I heard this, and so did most of the other passengers on the train. “Come on Ghast, we need to get out of here. We don’t have time to wait for three days.” I stood up and talked off of the train with Ghast behind me. It looks like we have a lot more than a five-mile hike ahead of us now...
Day Seven: Witch!
Dear Diary,
Ghast and I walked through the jungle all day. Luckily, it was still daytime when the train broke down yesterday. I was able to build a makeshift shelter before the sun went down and the monsters came out. I could hear them walking around in the night. I’m just glad I didn’t add any windows to the shelter. It would have been terrifying to hear and see them...
Anyway, once it was light out again today, Ghast and I left the shelter and started to walk to the temple. We were pretty far away, probably about twenty miles away from it. We probably won’t get to the temple until tomorrow, which is a bummer, but it’s still faster than waiting for the train to be repaired.
While walking through the jungle, I started to hear a funny noise. Funny, as in, it was pretty weird. Not like, “ha ha” funny, even though it did kind of sound like someone was laughing. I wanted to avoid whatever was making the noise, but I couldn’t. Whatever was making the noise was in the same direction as the temple, and I wasn’t about to take a detour and get myself lost by trying to avoid it.
As I got closer, I noticed that it wasn’t just any laughing noise I was hearing, it was a cackling! Ghast and I had come across a witch! I had heard about them before, but I had never actually seen one in real life. I didn’t know what to do at first. I figured out what to do when the witch started to chuck potions at me: fight!
I pulled out a bow and arrow and started shooting. Ghast flew up into the air and followed my lead by shooting lasers at the witch. The witch was smart enough to know that she was no match for us. She ran away before we could do much damage to her.
When she left, Ghast and I continued on our way. I noticed that the witch had dropped some of her potions, so I picked them up and put them into my backpack. You never know when a potion would come in handy.
Well, it’s time to continue on this path. I hope I get to the temple sooner than later. This jungle creeps me out...
Day Eight: To the Temple, Finally
Dear Diary,
Ghast and I survived another night in the jungle without any problems. I made another makeshift shelter to stay in during the night. I heard more monsters than I did the night before. It makes me wonder if there are more creatures closer to the temple or not. I sure hope not.
Speaking of the temple, Ghast and I have finally arrived. It’s pretty late, and the sun is almost down, though. When we got here, we looked around the temple to see if we could see any of the villagers anywhere. Believe me, I looked hard, too. I walked up, down, and around the whole thing without seeing anyone else but Ghast.
Tomorrow Ghast and I are going to explore the inside of the temple to see if we can find anyone. We would have done it today, but it was just too dark outside for something like that. Sadly, there is nothing I can use to make a shelter tonight, so Ghast and I are going to take turns keeping watch. Ghast has the second shift, so I’m going to go guard now. I’ll write more tomorrow.
Day Nine: The Villagers
Dear Diary,
I woke up this morning to the bright light of the sun. I didn’t know the sunlight could be so bright through the dense leaves of the jungle trees. I had to rub my eyes because the sun was so bright. When I was finally able to focus again, I noticed that Ghast and I weren’t the only one at the temple anymore. We were surrounded by villagers, all of which had bows and arrows out and aiming at us.
I slowly got up and put my hands up, so that the villagers knew that I wasn’t going to put up a fight. The villagers looked at each other and one of them said something that I couldn’t understand. They were speaking a strange language that seemed to have nothing in common with English. I looked towards Ghast and said, “I think we need to give them the food and just get out of here before they try to attack us.”
He nodded. He moved towards the chest, and the villagers changed their aim from the both of us to just on Ghast. I tried to make a motion that meant to look like everything was okay, but since I can’t even describe this motion well, I’m not sure they understood what it meant either. Half of the villagers moved their aim back to me again.
They picked up the chest and began to carry it inside of their temple. I was ready to leave, but then one of the villagers grabbed my hand, and another grabbed Ghast’s tentacles, and they led us inside the temple. I am writing by torchlight now as we walk. I wonder what this temple will have in store for us...
Day Ten: Inside the Temple
Dear Diary,
This temple is amazing! That’s probably the best way for me to describe it. Sure, I’ve been inside of temples before, but none of them have been as grand as these ones. All of the other temples I have been to have been in ruins, wasting away in other jungles or in the desserts. This temple has some cracks and dents, but for the most part, it seems to be in great condition.
There are paintings on nearly every wall, decorations in all of the rooms, and enough torches to light the way no matter where I go. Speaking of that, the villagers have given