The Creeper Invasion

by Winter Morgan

  “Poppy is missing? Why didn’t you tell me she was lost at sea?” asked Brett.

  “I knew this would happen.” Nancy placed the apples in her inventory as she spoke. “You went to the library. You weren’t there when she went missing. It’s easy to read about it in a book, but when you live it, you know the real story.”

  “Tell me the real story,” said Brett.

  “We looked for Poppy for a lot longer than they say in the history books. You never gave up. You spent every possible free day searching for her. You lived at sea for an entire year. You searched every underwater monument. You traveled around the Overworld tracking down anyone you thought might have trapped her somewhere. You went to every new town that was being built to see if she had wound up there and was building. You wondered if she had amnesia and had lost her memory. You were a changed person. It was kind of nice having the old you back. I knew once you found out about this, you’d become obsessed.”

  Brett said, “I have to find her.” He theorized, “Maybe that is why I got to travel into the future.”

  “Maybe when you get back home, you can warn Poppy and her friends,” said Nancy.

  “Yes,” said Brett, “I have to. How am I going to get back home?”

  “I don’t know,” said Nancy. “I was thinking of ways to get you back home. I know there is a cave outside of town and weird things have happened in there.”

  “Like what?”

  Nancy rattled off a list of strange occurrences. “Diamonds appear there all the time, people say there are no mobs in the cave, there is a rumor that an old man lives in the stronghold and he grants wishes …”

  Brett stopped her. “Wishes? Really? That seems pretty unbelievable, but I’d like to see him.”

  “I’ll take you there,” said Nancy.

  As she led Brett to the cave, the skies darkened again. This time they weren’t simply being attacked by a glob of green explosive creatures, but by the Ender Dragon, which spawned in the sky above them and shot a fiery bomb from its mouth.

  “An Ender Dragon!” screamed Nancy. “I haven’t seen one in years.”

  Franklin and Helen raced toward them clutching bows and arrows and aimed at the muscular gray beast that flew above them.

  The Ender Dragon swept down and breathed a fiery ball that landed on Brett’s legs, leaving him with one heart. He went to grab a potion from his inventory to replenish his energy, but when he turned around, a creeper exploded behind him. He awoke in Nancy’s house. He could see his friends battling the Ender Dragon from the window.

  “Help!” Helen screamed.

  Brett tore from the house and shot an arrow at the weakened dragon, destroying the beast.

  “Good job!” exclaimed Nancy.

  A portal to the End spawned outside of her house. Brett avoided falling down that portal. He had gone to enough dimensions he’d never intended to visit. He wanted to meet the man in the cave, the one who granted wishes. He knew that this was probably something his future self had done, and his wish obviously hadn’t come true, because Poppy was still missing.

  “I want to see the man who lives in the stronghold in the cave,” said Brett.

  “I’ll take you there,” said Nancy.

  “That man is a little nutty,” warned Helen.

  “Do you want to go with us?” asked Brett.

  Helen and Franklin agreed to go with them. They walked toward the cave, but they passed two block-carrying Endermen. Brett tried not to lock eyes with the creatures, but he thought he saw a creeper from the corner of his eye, and he accidentally glanced in the direction of the Endermen. One of the Endermen began to shriek and teleported toward him.

  “What am I going to do?” screamed Brett.

  “Run!” exclaimed Nancy. “Run to the water.”

  Brett knew there was a small pond near his farm. He sprinted, but the Enderman was close behind him. He picked up speed and then jumped into the pond. The Enderman followed him. He was safe.

  “Are you okay?” asked Nancy as she helped him out of the pond.

  “I will be once my wish comes true,” he said and followed her and the others to the cave.

  10

  FINDING YOURSELF

  “I thought the cave was right here,” said Nancy as she walked farther outside of Meadow Mews, but she couldn’t find the entrance.

  “Isn’t it north of the village?” asked Franklin.

  “No, this is where it is,” declared Nancy.

  “It can’t be,” said Helen. “A cave can’t move. You must be thinking of a different spot.”

  Nancy was distressed. “If it’s not here, I have no idea where it might be. Do you guys know where it is? I can’t be the only person who has been there.”

  Helen and Franklin admitted they had never been to the cave but had just heard about it. As they spoke, the nitwit walked up and asked, “Can I help you guys?”

  “Bob,” Brett waved him away, “not now.”

  “What are you up to? Do you want me to leave?” asked Bob.

  “Yes,” Brett replied curtly.

  “Don’t be rude,” Nancy said to Brett.

  “I’m sorry, Bob,” Brett said, “but we have to find the cave. I need to see the man who grants wishes.”

  “I know the way. I’ve spent many afternoons chatting with him. He’s great. He knows everything about alchemy. His name is Kurt,” said Bob.

  “Really? You know the way?” Brett was shocked.

  Bob led them through a path outside of town and into an area thick with leaves. He cleared the way and showed them the cave’s entrance.

  “Here it is,” said Bob. “Kurt lives in the stronghold. I’ll introduce you guys.”

  As they walked into the cave, Brett felt bad that he had been rude to Bob. He said, “Bob, I’m sorry if you thought I was rude, but I haven’t been myself lately.”

  “No worries,” said Bob casually. “We all get that way.” Bob led them down a dimly lit hallway and turned around when he heard Brett’s sword brushing against the cave wall. “You don’t need your sword here. This is a magical cave. You’ll never see a hostile mob here.”

  “I don’t believe in magic,” said Brett.

  “Really?” Helen seemed surprised. “I find it strange that someone who has the ability to travel through time doesn’t believe in magic.”

  “Well, I don’t,” Brett explained. “There has to be a logical reason I fell down those portals.”

  Bob wasn’t listening to their conversation. He was walking down the dimly lit hall. “Does anybody have a torch?”

  Brett had many torches because he had planned to use them to melt the snow when he built a farm in Hillsdale. He felt a pang of sadness when he thought of his friends in Hillsdale. They must be worried wondering where he went. Brett pulled out a torch and placed it on the wall of the stronghold so they would have light.

  The light from the torch helped them find the door. “We’re here,” said Bob as he opened the door to the stronghold. Before he could lead them through the stronghold, there was a loud explosion. They turned around to see Helen destroyed by a creeper.

  Two creepers silently made their way down the narrow hallway. Brett sighed. “I thought there weren’t any hostile mobs in this cave.”

  “We’ve never heard of there being any in the cave,” said Franklin.

  “Just because you never heard of hostile mobs being here doesn’t mean it’s true,” said Brett.

  Brett traded in his diamond sword for a bow and arrow and shot an arrow at the creeper that moved toward them, destroying both creepers.

  “Good job,” said Helen, who reappeared at the end of the hall. “I TPed here as fast as I could.”

  Brett said, “I told you there’s no such thing as magic.” He pulled out his diamond sword and readjusted his armor.

  Bob opened the door to the stronghold. This time Helen, Franklin, Nancy, and Brett were carrying diamond swords. Bob led them down the stairs and toward a room with a bookcase.
A man with a gray beard wore a blue hat, a denim jacket, and a green shirt and stood next to the bookcase. He smiled when he saw Bob. “Bob, my old friend, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

  “My friend needs help, and you’re the only person I know who can help him,” explained Bob.

  Brett was shocked when Kurt focused his green eyes right on him. “You’re the one in need of help, aren’t you?” questioned Kurt. Then Kurt looked at the others. “Something is not right in Meadow Mews. This stronghold isn’t safe anymore. There are problems happening, and we must stop them.”

  “Problems?” asked Helen.

  “Watch out!” Nancy screamed as two creepers floated toward Helen. She dodged away from the creepers, and Kurt pulled out a bow and arrow and destroyed them with two arrows.

  “It’s been a long time since I had to fight a hostile mob,” he said, “but it looks like I haven’t lost my touch.”

  “You’re a strong warrior,” said Bob.

  “But Bob, you know I don’t want to fight. That is why I settled in this magical stronghold. I didn’t want to live a life where I was constantly battling hostile mobs. I wanted peace and quiet, but now there is a sinister force at work, and it has flooded Meadow Mews with creepers.” Bob looked at Brett. “And you, Brett, must stop it.”

  “How do you know my name?” asked Brett.

  “I know you,” Kurt said. “I’ve always known you.”

  “What does that mean?” questioned Brett. He didn’t like the cryptic response.

  “It means that you were sent here for a reason,” said Kurt.

  “But how do I stop the creeper invasion?” asked Brett.

  “You will find a way. Just don’t give up,” said Kurt.

  “Give me a clue. I don’t know what to do. Help me. Guide me.” Brett was on the verge of begging. He hadn’t asked to be in charge of saving the future of Meadow Mews. He wanted to go back in time. He wanted to warn Poppy that she would go missing along with Callie and Laura.

  “The clue is within you. You can guide yourself,” said Kurt.

  “I’m honored that you believe in me, but I don’t think I’m up for the job. And I also want to find my missing friend.” Brett’s eyes filled with tears.

  Kurt hollered, “Oh no! Watch out!”

  The cave was crowded with creepers. There was no time to talk; they had to battle.

  11

  A BELIEVER

  As Brett aimed his arrow at a creeper, destroying the explosive green mob, he thought about magic. He wished it did exist. He wanted to be saved. He wanted to be reunited with Poppy. He wanted to know how to save Meadow Mews from the creeper invasion. He looked back at Kurt, who was battling the creepers. He had so many questions for Kurt, but he knew the answers wouldn’t satisfy him. He had to figure this out on his own. The final creeper was destroyed, and the group let out a collective sigh of relief and grabbed potions and milk from their inventories to regain their strength.

  Kurt said, “This cave is no place for you guys. Meadow Mews is in trouble, and you have to be in town trying to stop this invasion.”

  “You were supposed to help us,” said Brett.

  “This isn’t a job for me,” Kurt replied. “You don’t need answers; you need action.”

  “Can you help me find Poppy?” asked Brett.

  “Please focus on finding your friend later. This is the time to win a battle that won’t stop unless you start taking action,” Kurt said. “I have nothing else to say to you. It’s best if you leave.”

  The group stood by Kurt and didn’t move.

  Bob looked at them. “Didn’t you hear Kurt? He wants us to leave, and we better get going.”

  Brett reluctantly followed Bob out of the stronghold, but they couldn’t move very far because the cave was inundated by another creeper invasion.

  “What is happening?” asked Nancy. “This has to stop.”

  Brett blurted out, “We will make it stop.” He was shocked at his confidence. He was only confident when he was farming, but now he must lead them to a victory. It was his only way to get back home.

  The creepers were packed in the narrow hallway. Brett took a deep breath as he stared at their black eyes while they walked down the hall without making a sound. Two creepers exploded next to Nancy, destroying her. Brett shot arrows, but it felt like a pointless act because there were so many creepers, and it didn’t seem possible to destroy them all.

  He shot another arrow, but a creeper approached him and exploded, and Brett awoke in Nancy’s house.

  “Brett,” Nancy called out.

  “Yes.” He sat up in the bed and sipped a potion to regain his health.

  “There’s someone here to see you,” said Nancy. “We’re in the living room.”

  Brett couldn’t imagine who would be here to see him. He walked into Nancy’s living room and smiled when he saw Joe.

  “Joe! How are you? The last time I saw you, we were building an ice farm in Hillsdale.”

  “You have no idea how long ago that was,” said Joe.

  “Did it turn out okay?” asked Brett.

  “You’ll find out when you go back home. I don’t want to tell too much about your past because it could impact your future. Nancy told me you already know about Poppy.”

  “Yes.” Brett stared down at the ground. He couldn’t look at Joe. It was too painful to talk about Poppy.

  “I’m here because I think I can help you battle the person who is behind this creeper invasion.”

  “Really? How?”

  Joe said, “It’s an old enemy, and when I say old, I mean very old. The person who is behind these attacks is Connor.”

  “Connor?” asked Brett. “You mean the person who fought with Grant and tried to destroy Meadow Mews when it was first founded? I thought he was gone and that battle was over.”

  “So did everyone, until I spotted him in Farmer’s Bay. Then I heard about the attacks on Meadow Mews, and I knew he was behind the creeper invasion,” said Joe.

  “You don’t have any proof. Are you just basing this off of the fact that you saw him on the streets of Farmer’s Bay?”

  “Well,” Joe stuttered, “I mean, yes.”

  “Did you even speak to him?” asked Brett.

  “No,” Joe replied.

  “I don’t think we should jump to conclusions. I think we should question him. I will travel to Farmer’s Bay with you,” said Brett.

  “There’s no need,” said Joe. “He’s already here in Meadow Mews.”

  “How do you know?” asked Nancy.

  “I saw him in the village. He was visiting Lou the Blacksmith,” said Joe.

  “We have to head to the village,” said Brett as he adjusted his armor and pulled his enchanted diamond sword from his inventory.

  “What about our friends?” asked Nancy. “Shouldn’t we TP back to the cave and save them from the creeper invasion?”

  “Yes,” said Brett, “we should do that first.” But Brett wasn’t sure this was the correct response. He was worried about his friends, but he also knew that if they questioned Connor and he was responsible for this new battle, they could get him to stop the creeper attacks, and they would not only save their friends, but everybody else in the town.

  Brett didn’t have to make a decision. Franklin, Helen, and Kurt stood outside Nancy’s house and opened the door to the living room.

  Helen said, “The cave is uninhabitable. It seems like it’s a breeding ground for creepers.”

  “A monster spawner!” shouted Brett. “I bet that’s where he is keeping the spawner.”

  “He?” questioned Franklin.

  “Who are you talking about?” asked Helen.

  “Connor,” said Brett. “He’s back.”

  “Seriously?” Helen was shocked.

  “But we can’t jump to conclusions that he is behind these attacks. Although I do find it strange that he reappeared at this point in time, we can’t say he’s guilty of creating the attack on Meadow
Mews,” explained Brett.

  “Why else would he be here?” asked Franklin. “Think about all of the trouble he caused us when we were founding this town. We have to find out why he came back here. We never thought we’d see him again.”

  “That’s true,” said Brett. “But we need to find him first.”

  The group hurried out of Nancy’s house and headed to the town. Brett wondered how they could approach Connor without making him feel as if he were under attack. His mind raced as they made their way toward the town and spotted Connor in the center of the village. When Connor saw them, he quickly constructed a portal to the Nether, and by the time they reached him, he was surrounded by purple mist.

  12

  NETHER LEAVE

  “What should we do?” asked Brett. His blond hair fell into his eyes as he headed toward the portal.

  “Follow him! Go on the portal!” instructed Helen.

  Kurt said, “I can’t believe I have to go to the Nether. I haven’t been there in ages.”

  “You haven’t been out of your cave in a long time,” said Helen.

  The gang hopped onto the portal, emerging in the middle of the Nether, but before they could find Connor, they were under attack. A barrage of fireballs shot at them, overwhelming the group. Several fireballs landed on their unarmored limbs and destroyed Franklin.

  “Franklin!” Helen screamed.

  Brett, Joe, and Nancy shot arrows at the ghasts that flew above them. The ghasts swooped down to unleash deadly fireballs.

  “This is worse than the creeper invasion. I’ve never seen this many ghasts in the Nether,” Brett said breathlessly as he shot another arrow at a beast with striking red eyes and a high-pitched shriek. The sounds emanating from the ghasts were deafening, and Brett wanted to cover his ears, but he couldn’t. He had to concentrate and focus on the ghasts. He destroyed one ghast, but he was unable to grab the ghast tear it dropped on the netherrack ground because it would leave him vulnerable to an attack from the other ghasts.

  I’ll get it later, he told himself. He shot another arrow, destroying a second ghast. From the corner of his eye, he could see Joe destroy another ghast. He had to admit that he liked being reunited with Joe. Even though he was in the midst of a battle to save the future of Meadow Mews, he was glad that he had his friend and partner by his side and he could battle alongside him.