The Creeper Invasion

by Winter Morgan

  Kurt and Nancy battled the zombies, and Helen and Franklin destroyed the skeletons. The battle went throughout the night. There were no breaks until the sun came up and offered them some relief from the battle. They looked at the sun with gratitude and exhaustion as they passed around potions and milk and any bits of food they had in their inventories to replenish their health.

  “We have to find out where all of the villagers are being kept,” said Helen.

  “We have to find Connor,” said Brett. “If we don’t, we will never see an end to this. Also, I know he is behind Poppy’s disappearance.”

  “I know you want to find Poppy,” said Nancy, “but this isn’t the time. We can’t be sidetracked.

  “I can’t give up on her,” Brett said.

  They were all shocked when they heard a familiar voice say, “I’m afraid you’re going to have to give up on her and also on the future of Meadow Mews.” These words came from Connor’s mouth. He stood in the center of the village and was joined by three people dressed in green suits with creeper heads.

  “Who are they?” asked Brett as he aimed an arrow at one of them

  “This is my army,” Connor announced, “and there are many more soldiers ready to fight my battle.”

  Brett shot his arrow at the creeper-headed creature, destroying it. This angered Connor, and he charged toward Brett with a potion that he splashed on him. The potion weakened Brett. Connor whispered in Brett’s ear, “I know where the portal is that will send you back to your time period.”

  Brett was weak and couldn’t move. He barely had the strength to listen to Connor talk as Connor continued, “I am going to send you back to where you belong.”

  “How do you know I am from a different time period?” asked Brett. His voice was weak, and he struggled to speak those few words.

  “I know everything,” said Connor.

  Franklin screamed, “What are you saying to Brett? Where are all the villagers?”

  “It’s none of your business what I’m saying to Brett, and the villagers are in a safe place. It wasn’t right for me to let them stay here since I am destroying the town. If you guys were smart, you’d be like the other residents of Meadow Mews and you’d leave this town. Just let it end. Give it up,” Connor lectured the group. “There are many functional towns that I have founded that you can relocate to. In fact, one of my greatest accomplishments is the creation of a wintery town called Hillsdale.”

  “Hillsdale?” cried Brett.

  “Are you familiar with that town?” asked Connor.

  “We built the farm for that town,” said Joe.

  “And I was building the farm when I—” Brett stopped talking. He didn’t want to give Connor any more information about his situation.

  Connor said, “I’m the person who created most of the towns in Minecraft, and because of that power, I also have the right to destroy them.”

  “No you don’t,” Helen said. “These are towns where people are living and enjoying their lives. You have no right to destroy them.”

  Brett wanted to go back to the past in order to save the future. If he could track down Connor in Hillsdale, he’d be able to avoid this confrontation in the future. He said, “Connor told me that he is going to make me leave you guys. I agree with him. I should leave this battle. It’s not mine.”

  Helen, Franklin, Nancy, and Kurt were shocked. Even Bob, who strolled through the village and arrived to hear Brett speak, said, “What, you are abandoning everyone? That is not cool.”

  Brett wanted to let them know that he wasn’t abandoning anyone. He was just trying to solve the problem before it even began, but he couldn’t explain this and prove his dedication to his friends and the residents of Meadow Mews without giving up his plan. He was going to appear selfish when he was actually doing something that was selfless.

  “I knew you were weak,” said Connor with a smile. “Come with me.” He held his enchanted diamond sword against Brett’s back. “I am going to lead you to the portal. I don’t trust you. You might change your mind, and we wouldn’t want that to happen, right?”

  “How can you do this?” Nancy asked. Brett looked at her blue eyes—they were somber and disappointed.

  Brett didn’t say anything as he walked out of Meadow Mews with Connor. The two people with creeper heads followed closely behind them. Brett could hear his friends gasp and caught snippets of comments: How can he betray us? We thought he was our friend. We should never have trusted him.

  16

  COLD STARES

  Brett wasn’t surprised when he saw his friends rush toward him. Connor called out, “You must stay in Meadow Mews. I am taking Brett back to his time period, and you aren’t invited to come with us.”

  “You can’t stop us,” declared Helen.

  “Yes, I can.” Brett looked at his army of two and signaled them to attack. The two creeper-headed people leaped at the group with potions and their enchanted diamond swords. Nancy was the first to be destroyed, and Brett screamed. He wondered what would happen to Nancy. Her house was gone, and Brett wasn’t sure where she’d respawn. He hoped this didn’t mean that Nancy was gone forever. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he was close to the portal, and he could feel the ice-cold breeze. His tears turned to icicles.

  Connor said, “You better not have any last-minute regrets. You made a good choice. You don’t belong here. Your future self is gone and will never come back; I made sure of that, just like I did with Poppy.”

  The minute Brett heard Poppy’s name, his heart began to race. Connor had just admitted that he was behind Poppy’s disappearance, and Brett was furious.

  “Where is Poppy?” Brett hollered. He tried to pull out his enchanted diamond sword. As he grabbed it, he thought he saw Poppy, her brown hair in braids and her signature purple jumpsuit on her body.

  She called out, “Don’t go, Brett. Stay here.”

  Brett tried to attack Connor and stay in Meadow Mews, but he didn’t have a chance. Connor pushed him down the portal. As he fell deep into the hole, he could hear the sound of Poppy’s voice in his ears while his body reacted to the frigid temperatures in the portal. Brett wanted to pull the black jacket he had worn when he was in Hillsdale from his inventory, but he was falling too quickly and wasn’t capable of retrieving the warm jacket. His tears were frozen to his face, and his blond hair was frozen. He couldn’t feel his feet or hands as he fell deeper into the portal, waiting to land, but it seemed as if this trip through the portal was a lot longer than the other ones he had taken. He took a deep breath and tried to relax as he waited to land in Hillsdale.

  Splat! Brett landed on the icy ground of Hillsdale. He sprinted toward the farm. Joe was busy using his torch to melt the snow. “Isn’t this exciting? I am so thrilled that we’re able to build this farm.”

  Brett didn’t even know where to begin. He wanted to tell Joe about falling down the portal and the future of Meadow Mews. He wanted to tell Joe that Connor was behind the creation of Hillsdale. He looked over at Poppy, Callie, and Laura working on the ice castle. Nobody was aware that he had fallen down the portal. It was just like the time he had arrived in the past with Joe. While he was away, the time hadn’t registered. He looked at Joe and then he looked over at Poppy. Who would he tell first? And would they believe him?

  He decided to confess to Joe what had happened. “I fell down a portal,” he said. He felt that he should start with the basic facts first.

  “What?” asked Joe. He was melting a large patch of snow, and the water was creating a puddle. “This is a lot more complex than we imagined. I don’t think I have time for a story now.”

  “This isn’t just a story. This is the future. Connor is the one who is creating Hillsdale,” said Brett.

  “What are you talking about?” Joe put the torch back in his inventory. Brett had captured his attention.

  “I fell down a portal, like we did when we were working on the farm in Meadow Mews. This time, I fell down a portal and landed in
the future.”

  “The future? Are we still friends in the future? Did you see me?” asked Joe.

  “Yes,” Brett replied and realized maybe he shouldn’t have told Joe about his future, even if it was a positive fact. “But we shouldn’t talk about our future. All I can say is that Meadow Mews is in trouble, and we have to save it.”

  “What’s happening to Meadow Mews?” asked Joe.

  “Connor has come back and is trying to destroy it,” said Brett, “but if we stop him now, we might be able to help the people in the future.”

  “Where is Connor?” asked Joe.

  Before Brett could answer Joe’s question, Poppy called out, “Brett.” She darted to him, her braids waving in the wind. Her purple jumpsuit was covered in a white down jacket. Callie and Laura followed behind her. They were talking about the ice castle.

  Poppy said, “The castle is almost done. This is the fastest I have worked on a project. In all of my career I have never worked with people as great as Laura and Callie. I think we’re going to work with one another for the rest of our careers, right?” She looked at her new friends and colleagues.

  “Of course,” they both replied eagerly as they chatted about the ice castle and the igloo and how it was the best work they had ever done.

  Brett’s eyes filled with tears. He wanted to tell them that they would work together for a long time and that one day they would be asked to create a building on Mushroom Island and they’d go missing. However, he knew they would be fine if he could just stop Connor now. If he could get their help to capture Connor and put him in prison, the future would be peaceful.

  “You don’t seem to be listening,” Poppy said to Brett. She waved her hands in front of his eyes.

  “Sorry,” said Brett. “I was, but my mind is somewhere else.”

  “He just fell down a portal,” explained Joe, “and he wound up in the future.”

  “Are we still friends in the future? Am I building great stuff with Callie and Laura?”

  “It’s funny, Joe asked if we were still friends, too,” he said, and he tried to hide his emotions. He didn’t want to tell her about the disappearance and how it shaped his future life. Brett said, “All I can tell you is that we have to find Connor. He is behind a large-scale attack in Meadow Mews.”

  “Isn’t that the guy you battled in the past?” asked Poppy.

  “Yes, and again in the future,” replied Brett.

  “How can we find him?” asked Poppy.

  “Who is Connor?” asked Laura.

  “It’s a long story,” said Joe, “but he’s a total villain.”

  “How can we stop him?” questioned Callie.

  “I have an idea,” said Brett. “Follow me.”

  The gang followed him through the wintery terrain and toward the stage. They found the mayor standing with Harold the farmer. Harold was complaining about having to work with two inept farmers, and Brett’s heart sank.

  He had always loved Harold’s work, and he couldn’t believe Harold was dismissing his farming abilities. Brett couldn’t let himself get distracted by this information. He had to focus, and he had to find Connor. He said, “Excuse me, mayor. I have to ask you a question.”

  “Can’t you see I’m talking to him?” Harold was annoyed. “You shouldn’t even be here. You’re a weak farmer.”

  Joe defended Brett. “That isn’t true. Brett is one of the best farmers in the Overworld.”

  “No, he isn’t, and I can’t believe someone like Connor would send both of you here. You’re not up for the job,” said Harold.

  “Connor only handpicked the best talent in the Overworld. I don’t think Brett and Joe are bad farmers,” said Poppy.

  “I’d like to talk to Connor,” said Brett.

  “If you want to tell him that you quit, I will lead you to him,” Harold said with a smile.

  “Where is he?” asked Joe.

  “Connor doesn’t want to be bothered,” replied the mayor.

  “It’s very important that I speak to him,” said Brett.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that because I’m under orders to keep everyone away from him,” explained the mayor.

  “If we don’t meet him, we will quit,” Poppy threatened, “and we will also melt our ice castle.”

  “Connor remarked that the ice castle was the prettiest structure he had ever seen. Please don’t do that,” said the mayor.

  “He saw the ice castle that we just finished? This means that he isn’t far away,” said Poppy. “If you don’t tell us where he is, we will find him.”

  “Is that a threat?” questioned the mayor.

  Poppy took out her enchanted diamond sword and pressed it against the mayor’s unarmored chest. “Now it is.”

  17

  WARRIORS

  “I don’t think this is a good idea,” the mayor’s voice cracked.

  “Tell us where he is,” demanded Poppy.

  The gang followed the mayor through a snow-topped path until they reached a cave. “He’s in here.”

  Brett and the group suited up in armor and grabbed their enchanted diamond swords from their inventory. Harold, who had followed the group, stood by the entrance to the cave. Brett asked him, “Why are you here? Why don’t you go back to the farm and finish it? You don’t want us there anyway, and now you can get a lot of work done without having to see us.”

  “I’m not going to miss this bit of entertainment. I am good friends with Connor, and I want to see him destroy you.” Harold laughed. “You don’t even deserve to be here. And I assume you’re just as bad a fighter as you are a farmer.”

  Brett couldn’t believe that he once idolized this farmer and wanted to ask him a series of questions about farming. It took all of his willpower not to strike Harold with his sword. He knew he had to save his energy for the battle against Connor.

  Without saying a word to Harold, Brett and his friends walked into the cave. Brett didn’t look back to see if Harold was following them. Poppy nearly slipped on an icy patch by the cave’s entrance. But she steadied herself as she held on to a wall. Callie and Laura grabbed torches from their inventories. The ice on the ground melted from the warmth of the torches, and Brett’s shoes filled with water and made a squishy sound as he walked.

  “Your shoes are so loud,” Poppy said to Brett.

  “Yes, they are,” a familiar voice called out. It was Connor. The light from the torch made him visible. Connor didn’t have on any armor, but his beard had small icicles forming on it.

  “How come you didn’t tell us you were behind the creation of Hillsdale?” asked Brett.

  “Would you have showed up?” asked Connor.

  “Why would you invite us here, after everything that happened in the past, when we were founding Meadow Mews?” asked Joe.

  “You guys are talented farmers.” When Connor said this, Harold let out a loud laugh.

  “So you did follow us in here, Harold,” said Brett. He wanted to slam his sword into Harold, but he didn’t.

  “Yes,” said Harold. “I told you I wanted to see what happens.”

  “Well, watch this.” Brett walked up to Connor and pressed his sword against his chest. “I would never have accepted the invitation if I knew you were founding Hillsdale.”

  “Now you’re here, and I must commend Poppy, Callie, and Laura for their incredible work on the ice castle. You have crafted a masterpiece in minutes. You didn’t sacrifice any detail. I know that ice castle will be Hillsdale’s main attraction, and people will travel from around the Overworld just to see it or stay in it. You are very talented, and I am going to make sure that I can have you work on all of my projects,” said Connor.

  Although Poppy despised Connor after hearing all of the stories Brett and Joe had told about him, she still blushed when he complimented her. She was proud of the ice castle, but she also wanted to destroy it. She was upset that she had created something so beautiful for Connor.

  Brett knew that he must trap Con
nor. He pulled a potion from his inventory and splashed it on Connor. Despite being weakened from the potion, Connor had enough energy to pull his diamond sword from his inventory and strike Brett.

  Joe leaped at Connor but didn’t want to destroy him. They had to weaken him enough to trap him, which wasn’t easy to do. Connor lunged at the group. He splashed potions on them and then shouted for the mayor.

  The mayor had put on his armor and struck the group. Brett battled as he watched Poppy sprint away from the battle.

  “Poppy,” Brett called out.

  “Looks like your best friend is abandoning you.” Connor laughed as he slammed his sword into Brett’s shoulder.

  Brett was in pain. He wailed as he looked back for Poppy, but he couldn’t see her.

  He had two hearts left and didn’t want to lose them. He struck Connor again and then jumped back. He pulled a potion from his inventory to regain his strength. As he took a break, he looked for Poppy and called her name again.

  “I told you, Brett,” Connor said, “she is gone.”

  “She’d never do that,” Brett said as he swung his sword at Connor, but Connor was able to dodge the strike.

  Brett didn’t understand how Poppy could abandon him, but it all made sense when he heard her call out, “Brett! Over here!”

  He turned around and saw a small bedrock structure that she had quickly crafted at the entrance to the cave. He had to get Connor into that makeshift prison.

  18

  SEE YOU SOON

  “You think you’re going to get me in there?” Connor laughed.

  The mayor struck Laura with his diamond sword, destroying her. Callie screamed and lunged at the mayor, hitting him repeatedly until he vanished from the cold cave.

  “You have nobody here to help you,” said Brett as he and Joe cornered Connor.

  “Harold!” Connor called out.

  “I don’t fight. You know that, Connor. I told you, I can’t injure my hands. They are vital to me being a great farmer,” Harold said and then excused himself. “There is nothing I can do to help you, so I am going to go back to the farm and create the best farm in the Overworld. I will make you proud.”