Battle for Time

by Winter Morgan

  Brett added, “Everyone should leave the area. It’s very dangerous, and we don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

  A reporter wearing a fedora and a brown blazer spotted Poppy walking toward Brett and ran over to her, overwhelming Poppy with questions.

  “Did you have any warning that something like this might happen? Do you have any idea who might be behind these attacks? Are you planning to rebuild?”

  Poppy had no answers. She just stared at her work of art and cried. “I don’t know why anyone would do this to the skyscraper or why someone would attack the peaceful town of Meadow Mews. I built this skyscraper so people from across the Overworld could enjoy it, not destroy it.”

  The reporter didn’t take notes. He just listened, as he saw the pained expression on Poppy’s face. While Poppy explained how devastated she was about the explosion, a thunderous boom was heard, and the crowd jumped.

  Everyone was relieved as rain fell upon the crowd. Poppy said, “Thankfully this wasn’t another explosion.”

  Poppy wanted to run back to the skyscraper to search the building for TNT. She didn’t want another attack to happen. The damage on the first two floors was an easy repair, but if more TNT exploded, she worried that she wouldn’t be able to save the building. Poppy thought about the rooftop farm and all of the amenities the building had, and she started to race toward it. She had to save the building. She had worked hard to create this skyscraper, and she wasn’t going to let anyone destroy it.

  Her feet were drenched as she ran through puddles. She stopped short when two arrows stung her arm. Poppy looked up to see several skeletons and zombies attacking the crowds.

  Brett called out, “Poppy! Where are you going?”

  “I have to save the skyscraper,” she cried out.

  Brett said, “I’ll help you,” and handed her a potion to regain her strength and instructed her to drink it.

  As they raced toward the skyscraper, they could hear Joe cry out, “Help me!” They turned around to see Joe and Nancy in a serious battle with the skeletons. If Joe moved back a step, he would fall into the hole in the ground. The rain was falling harder, and another thunderous boom shook the ground. Brett watched as Joe fell into the portal.

  Poppy said, “We have to save Joe!”

  Brett and Poppy dodged a barrage of arrows as they made their way toward the hole in the ground. Brett could feel the chill as he approached the hole. He held Poppy’s hand as they jumped into the portal together.

  4

  COLD ARRIVAL

  No matter how many times Brett fell through a portal, he would never get used to the cold. This time the cold, coupled with his wet T-shirt, made him feel as if he were turning into an icicle. He couldn’t think about himself, though; he was too concerned with finding Joe when he entered whatever time period this portal decided to throw him in. The trip through this portal felt longer than the others. Brett felt as if he had been falling in this cold darkness forever. When he jumped into the portal, he was holding Poppy’s hand, but the wind had broken them apart, and she fell below him. Brett feared he’d land on her when he emerged in this new land.

  “Poppy,” Brett called out, but there was no response.

  After a few minutes, Brett heard someone faintly call his name. It didn’t sound like Poppy, but it sounded familiar. Another burst of cold rushed through the portal, and Brett’s teeth chattered. He was about to lose consciousness due to the frigid conditions when he landed on the ground with a plop.

  Brett made an imprint in the snow when he landed. Oh great, he said to himself. There’s no way I will warm up here.

  Brett looked around at the miles of snow that stood before him. In the distance he could see a large igloo. He grabbed a bottle of milk to regain his strength and then walked toward the igloo. As he trekked through the snow, he called out for his friends, Joe and Poppy, but they were nowhere in sight, and Brett was worried. He didn’t understand why they hadn’t landed in the same spot that he did.

  A voice called out in the distance, “Excuse me. Friend of Poppy’s. Excuse me.”

  Brett turned around and recognized the reporter in the fedora and brown blazer.

  “What’s your name?” the reporter asked as he approached Brett.

  “Brett. Yours?”

  “Pete,” the reporter replied.

  “Did you follow us in the portal?” asked Brett.

  “Yes,” Pete said, “but I didn’t know it was a portal. I had no idea what I was jumping into when I ran after Poppy.”

  “Why did you run after Poppy?” asked Brett.

  “I had to. I was writing a story about her.”

  “Wow, you really make sacrifices for your job.” Brett couldn’t believe Pete was that brave.

  “Where’s Poppy?” asked Pete.

  Brett looked around, but all he saw was ice, snow, and the igloo in the distance. He didn’t know where Poppy or Joe were, and he was concerned. It made no sense. How could Pete be in this biome, but Joe and Poppy were missing? He looked at the snow and replied, “I don’t know and I’m worried.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll find her,” Pete reassured Brett.

  Brett pointed at the igloo in the distance. “I think we should go to the igloo. Perhaps Poppy and Joe are there. I have no idea, but it’s the only structure in this frozen world.” Brett’s teeth still chattered as he spoke. The cold weather was bothering him, and he hoped he could warm up in the igloo.

  As they walked toward the igloo, Pete said, “It was really cold when we were falling through the hole. I’ve never been this cold before.”

  Brett explained that it wasn’t a hole in the ground but a portal, and they were most likely now in another time period.

  “Really?” Pete was excited. “You mean we could be in the future?”

  “Or the past.”

  “Wow! This is going to make the best article. I could write a feature about time travel and portals. People need to know about this. This will change the entire landscape of the Overworld and our beliefs about time.”

  Brett chuckled. “I bet this would be interesting to read about, but when you’re living it, it’s very scary.”

  “Have you been through a portal before?”

  Brett didn’t want to go into details about the multiple times he had been in a portal, but he replied, “Yes, a few times. Each time I always wonder if I will make my way back to my own time period. It’s missing home that always gets to me.”

  “That makes sense,” said Pete.

  As the duo approached the igloo, they saw something walk behind the igloo.

  “What was that?” asked Brett. “It looked like a skeleton.”

  “It’s a stray,” said Pete. “I wrote an article about them. They are like skeletons, but their arrows are filled with a potion that makes you move a lot slower. Once they have you in their clutches, they destroy you.”

  “Sounds like a witch,” Brett said, and he recalled the many times a witch had thrown a potion on him and then charged toward him, ready to attack.

  Brett wailed and grabbed his shoulder, and then he felt as if he couldn’t move an inch. “It hit me,” Brett mumbled, but his voice sounded like it was in slow motion, and he slurred his words.

  Pete took out his diamond sword and hurled it toward the stray, striking the wintery skeleton-like creature with his sword and destroying it. The stray dropped a bone on the ground.

  “You’re a good fighter,” remarked Brett. The arrow’s potion had worn off, and he drank a potion of healing to regain his energy.

  “Thanks,” Pete said. “We have to watch out. There are probably a lot more strays around, and we don’t want to get destroyed. We have to find Poppy and your other friend.”

  “Joe,” Brett said.

  “Yes,” said Pete.

  “We have to go inside the igloo,” said Brett.

  The duo readjusted their armor before they opened the front door of the igloo. They weren’t sure who was living in this icy home or i
f they were friendly. Brett slowly opened the door and called out, “Is anybody there?”

  There was no response, and they walked inside the igloo. The igloo was made of snow blocks, which gave the appearance of the interior being brighter than it was. There weren’t many windows, but there was a bed, a furnace, and a crafting table. Brett walked over to the crafting table and perused the blocks on the table. “It looks like someone was crafting a sword.”

  Pete lifted the floor carpet, and Brett asked, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m a reporter that specializes in design. I know all about various structures, and I know that all igloos have a trapdoor under the carpet.”

  “Really?” Brett questioned. “You write about design?” Brett was disappointed. He was hoping Pete wrote about serious news.

  “Yes, that’s why I wanted to interview Poppy. She’s the best builder in the Overworld. It was a big story for me. Of course, I think I fell”— he laughed —“into a bigger story. I might have to write about something other than design for this article. I mean, we could be in the future.”

  “Or the past,” Brett reminded him.

  Pete lifted the lid of the trapdoor. “Do you want to go to the basement with me?”

  “Yes.” Brett stood by the opening to the basement.

  “A few quick tips before we go. The basement has a few snow blocks that are infested.”

  “Infested? With what?” asked Brett.

  Brett didn’t know a lot about the cold biome. He had once been asked to build a farm there, and Poppy had constructed an igloo in the cold biome, but he had never studied this region. Brett wasn’t a fan of cold weather and did his best to stay in sunny biomes like Meadow Mews. He listened as Pete explained.

  “If you break an infested block, you will find that the block is filled with silverfish.”

  “You have to point those bricks out to me. I don’t want to be attacked by those little menacing insects.”

  “I will,” Pete promised.

  As they crawled down the ladder to the basement, they heard someone call out, “Help!”

  5

  IN THE BASEMENT

  Brett didn’t recognize the voice. He looked over at Pete and said, “We have to help them.”

  Pete agreed, but added, “I hope this isn’t a trap.”

  Brett pulled a torch from his inventory. The light wasn’t that strong, and he couldn’t see. “Where are you?”

  “Help!” the voice called out again.

  “It sounds like they are over there.” Pete pointed down a long hall past a brewing station, which was covered in bottles, and a cauldron. Pete warned Brett, “There is usually a cage with a zombie villager in an igloo basement.”

  Brett didn’t like the basement; it creeped him out. It was also colder down in the basement than it was outside. He followed closely behind Pete. He wanted to leave, but he knew he had to help the person crying for help.

  “Help!” the voice called out again, but this time it sounded much closer than before.

  Pete rushed toward a cage, which housed the person who was calling for help. “Are you okay?” Pete asked.

  “No,” came the reply. “I was trapped down here.”

  “Aren’t there usually zombie villagers in those cages?” asked Pete as he pried the doors open.

  “There was,” the person replied, “but I destroyed them. Just when I was about to open the chest in the corner and get my loot, someone pushed me in here and closed the door.”

  “Who?” asked Pete.

  “I have no idea. I didn’t have a chance to see their face. I remember they were dressed in blue.”

  “Dressed in blue!” exclaimed Brett.

  “Why? Is that a big deal?” asked the released prisoner.

  “Yes,” Brett explained. “There were people who were dressed in all blue, and they tried to attack my friend Poppy.”

  When Brett mentioned Poppy, his heart sunk. He wanted to know where Poppy was, and he wouldn’t rest until he found her.

  “Thank you for helping me get out,” the person said as she pulled a bottle of milk from her inventory. “I was in that cage for weeks. This is my last bottle of milk. I would have starved if you didn’t rescue me.”

  “I’m Pete, and this is Brett.”

  “I’m Claudia. What were you guys doing down here?”

  “Looking for our friends,” explained Brett.

  “I hope they are okay. It’s a grim time in the Overworld,” said Claudia.

  “It is?” asked Pete.

  “Yes, unless you guys haven’t been affected by the ice age and the shortage of wheat,” she said.

  “What?” asked Brett.

  “How could you not know about the ice age and the shortage of wheat? You know it’s too cold to grow wheat in the other biomes, and people are starving,” said Claudia.

  Pete said, “The ice age, but that happened . . .” and then he paused. He didn’t want Claudia to know they were from the future.

  Brett knew a lot about this time period. He had studied the ice age and wheat production when he was learning how to construct a farm in the cold taiga. He also knew they never discovered why it had happened.

  If they had, it wouldn’t have lasted as long and the impact wouldn’t have been as devastating. He had no idea how he could stop it, but he wanted to help. However, he had to find his friends first.

  Brett said, “I know how to build a farm in the ice.”

  “You do?” Claudia was impressed. “That could save us. Can we build one now?”

  As they made their way out of the igloo, the sun was beginning to set. Brett wondered if building a farm in the icy biome was a good idea. Maybe they should set up a home base and then search for their friends from there. They could craft beds in the igloo, and he could build the farm outside the igloo. He replied, “I think I should build a farm here. I can help us gather wheat, and we can feed the hungry.”

  “What about Poppy and your friend Joe?” asked Pete, and he added, “And how long do we plan on staying here? Isn’t building a farm a lot of work?”

  Brett never thought building a farm was work. He enjoyed it so much. He said, “I think this is the only plan that will work. We have to help the people of the Overworld, and if we stay here, we have a better chance of finding our friends. They have to be close by.”

  Brett was correct. As he spoke, Poppy and Joe came running toward them. Behind Poppy and Joe trailed a couple who were screaming at each other.

  “Poppy! Joe!” Brett called out.

  Poppy ran to Brett. “When we emerged in this cold biome, these people arrived seconds after us. They are awful,” she said in a whisper. “They were at the grand opening, and they accidentally fell into the portal. All they want is to go home. I don’t know how I can help them.”

  “Portal?” Claudia was confused.

  “Who are you?” asked Poppy.

  “I’m Claudia. I am a treasure hunter. Your friends saved me. I was trapped in a cage,” said Claudia.

  Brett wanted to mention that a person dressed in blue had trapped Claudia in a cage in the basement of the igloo, but he didn’t have a chance to speak. The two people who had fallen through the portal after Poppy and Joe were fighting with each other. Brett walked over to them and said calmly, “Can you speak one at a time? Also, is it possible to lower your voices?”

  One of them, a man wearing glasses who introduced himself as Carl, said, “It’s getting dark. Is there a place we can stay before we are attacked by hostile mobs?”

  “Yes,” said his friend, who introduced herself as Alexandra. “We don’t want to be attacked.”

  “We can all stay in the igloo,” said Brett. “We just have to craft beds.”

  The gang followed Brett to the igloo, but as they approached the door, a barrage of arrows struck them. Brett didn’t have enough energy to open the door to the igloo because the arrow injected a potion of slowness

  into his body. Exhaustion set in, and everything
felt like it moved in slow motion; it was taking a long time.

  “We have to fight back,” Pete said.

  “I know,” Brett said, but instead of leaping at a stray, he let out a yawn.

  6

  ATTACK OF THE STRAYS

  The strays were multiplying as the gang tried to gather enough energy to pull potions from their inventories to help them regain their strength. Everyone was moving in slow motion as the strays made their approach. Brett was able to swing his sword, ripping into the rattling bones of the frozen beast and destroying it.

  Night was setting in, and it was hard to see the strays in the darkness, but the strays knew the gang could hear their bones creaking and feel the stings from their arrows. Poppy used her bow and arrow to fight back. She hid behind the side of the igloo and shot arrows at the strays. The only person who was having trouble fighting the strays was Claudia. Her inventory was empty, and she had one heart left. Poppy noticed Claudia moved at a snail’s pace and offered her a potion from her inventory.

  “Thank you,” Claudia said.

  As Claudia took a sip, four strays surrounded her. With renewed energy, Claudia struck the strays and destroyed them. One of them dropped an arrow on the ground. Claudia picked it up and handed it to Poppy. “You can have this.”

  “No, it’s yours,” said Poppy.

  When the final stray was destroyed, the gang rushed into the igloo. Brett suggested they craft beds in the living room near the one bed and the furnace.

  “Sounds like a good idea,” said Joe. He was tired from his day of time travel and battling the strays and wanted to get to sleep.

  “It’s a good idea, but it doesn’t sound good to me,” said Carl.

  “Do you want to go outside and be destroyed?” questioned Joe.

  “No, he doesn’t,” Alexandra replied. “We want to go outside and find the portal to get back to the grand opening celebration, but we know it’s too dangerous.”

  “What were you celebrating?” asked Claudia.

  “I built a skyscraper, but the celebration was ruined because somebody blew up a few floors of the skyscraper. I hope the rest of the building is okay.” Poppy’s eyes filled with tears. “I worry that the building is destroyed and I will have to rebuild it.”