by Billy Miner
‘Mom, dad! I’m so happy you’re here!’ he shouted as he went over to give them a huge. They embraced for a while, the three of them, finally united. Their joy was indescribable.
‘What happened?’ Carius asked after some time.
‘You did it, son,’ his father said. ‘You turned every monstrous creature on those fields and in those woods into perfectly healthy human beings, including us.’
‘All I remember is that the skeletons and zombies were boiling on the ground,’ Carius said.
‘Then you didn’t see everything,’ his mother added. ‘It took a few hours before everybody turned back. The boiling was the first stage of the transformation. Either way, I am so glad you’re awake, son. You were asleep for more than 15 hours. We were a little worried.’
‘Tomorrow will be your big day,’ his father said. ‘The mayor will honor you and give you a medal for your heroic performance at the town square.’
‘Really?’ Carius asked excitedly.
‘Of course, you’re the one who helped us out. It’s the least they can do. But before we go downstairs to eat, I have a little surprise for you… well, two surprises,’ he said as he winked at him.
He moved aside and the midget who had told Carius about the curse in the beginning stepped forward.
‘Vexor!’ Carius said.
He thanked Carius and complimented him for his bravery. Then Carius was introduced a beautiful girl his age who stepped forward and told him her name. She was wearing a light pink dress and a white undershirt, topped with red decorations, patterns, and golden edges on her short sleeves. Carius was astounded by the gorgeous appearance of this young woman, who looked like an angel to him.
‘Have we met?’ Carius asked.
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘But I understand if you don’t remember me. I didn’t exactly look the same back then, if you know what I mean.’
Then Carius saw it. She was wearing the necklace with the blue crystal he had given to the skeleton that had helped him.”
8: Truth
“But grandma,” Susan said. “If she was the skeleton, then why didn’t she tell him?”
“Well, she didn’t need to,” grandma said. “The fact that she was wearing the necklace was enough.”
“What if the necklace got stolen by a different skeleton and she was just faking it?” Karl asked.
“Oh, don’t be silly,” grandma said. “Of course not. She held on to that necklace for life. It was like she fell in love with him at first sight, when she saw this dashing young farmer’s boy in through the fog. He looked like a young hero, the man of his dreams, with his strong arms and his shovel.”
Grandma looked up and became a little dreamy. It seemed like she was in her own world for a few seconds before snapping out of it.
“Wow, you really know how to describe her feelings, grandma,” Susan said. “What happened to them? Did they really fall in love after that?”
“Ha-ha!” Karl snickered. “In love with a skeleton. Imagine that!”
“Oh you,” Susan said. “I think it’s romantic. So, tell me, grandma. Did they get married?”
“I am hungry,” Ashley said sporadically, interrupting everyone.
“I guess I will tell you that story at a different time,” grandma said.
She took the grandchildren to the kitchen, so she could fix them a snack. They all walked in front of her and left the room. Grandma took a deep breath and smiled at the necklace with the blue crystal that was hanging on the wall.
“Until we meet again in the afterlife, Carius,” she said with a smile.
THE END
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Minecraft Adventure
A Thrilling Minecraft Adventure Book
By Billy Miner
Copyright @2015
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Billy Miner.
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Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Jungle Madness
Chapter 2: Hidden Tribe
Chapter 3: Jungle Secrets
Chapter 4: Booby Traps
Chapter 5: Purple Pearl
Chapter 6: Peace
Chapter 7: The Way Home
Introduction
This is a story about Stefan, an adventurer who looks for hidden gems and valuable stones. Everything is going his way until the guide in the jungle tells him to leave. He disagrees, because Stefan is on to something. But his stubbornness has become a major problem.
Surviving the perils of the jungle wildlife and the exigent climate, he cuts his way with his machete through the green plants of the virgin forest. After struggling with the forces of nature, he bumps into the inhabitants of the area. They are wild yet friendly. They can show him how to get home.
But something else is going on. There is an item, a hidden item, put away in secrecy and desired by many. Will this object put a wedge between them or help Stefan find his way?
C
Chapter 1: Jungle Madness
His name is Stefan. He has been an archeologist for five years now. He loves the mysteries of the earth, with all its hidden minerals and surprising effects.
When he was younger, he already traded rocks and materials. He went “rock hunting” with some of his friends, which trips always included an ending collection of dozens of interesting pebbles and gems. He was an expert at finding them, but when he got older, he wanted more.
So here he is, in the heart of the jungle, far away from what he sees as the main civilization. His guide, a local man who is just trying to make a quick buck, has shown him some interesting locations already with beautiful stones and ancient artifacts. The jungle is thick. Plants cover the earth and a giant river with offshoots flows around it, like arteries supporting a beating life cycle. Stefan has a goal, a destiny, and a reason for being there. He wants to locate some of the rarest gems and jewels in the world. He knows the jungle holds numerous secrets, which is why he has decided to expand his research to this strange area.
“That’s it,” the local guide says. �
��I’m not taking you any farther. See those clouds? And look at the calendar. The dry season is almost over. If we go back to the village now, we can still beat the heavy rains.”
“No,” Stefan says. “I came here to find something, not just to take a peek, turn around and go home empty-handed. This is all I found so far. Look!”
He holds a few pebbles with gold edges in his hand.
“I know it’s something, but it’s not nearly enough to make it worth my while.”
“And I am telling you, my friend, that if we don’t leave now, we will be swept away by heavy rain. The rivers will flow over. The entire jungle will be flooded. You won’t be able to survive. Trust me. I have lived here all my life.”
“I don’t care. We’ll be okay,” Stefan says again.
“Well, I’m heading back,” the guide says.
“Please just stay for uhm… two more days. Just two more days. Come on,” Stefan begs.
“Again, my friend. I am not staying another minute. If we leave too late, we’ll be overcome by the rainstorms. Follow me now or stay behind. Those are your options. Don’t forget that you can always come back in six months, when the rainy season is over.”
“Six months? Are you crazy? I can’t wait that long!” Stefan says in frustration. “I am begging you, please stay with my two more days. I am close; I can feel it. If I don’t find anything within the next two days, I’ll gladly fallow you home.”
“Forget it. I am leaving. Are you coming or not?” the guide says.
“No, I am staying. I’ll get back by myself, thank you very much.”
“Not so smart, my friend. Good luck, because I think you’ll need it, although I don’t I will ever see you back.”
Those are the guide’s last words. Stefan watches as his chaperon disappears into the distance. It doesn’t take a minute for him to be left to himself.
“Stupid, pigheaded idiot,” Stefan complains. “I’ll show him I can survive the jungle. And when I get back, I will be holding the biggest jewel he’s ever seen. Then he’ll come to me and apologize. I mean, it’s just two days. How much of a difference does that even make?”
It seems like a simple plan at first, with no apparent dangers. He just continues on the same path, following his instincts and hurrying a little to find something before going home.
Stefan walks for about an hour, relaxed and careless. He knows he is close. His gut feeling is telling him this. There just has to be a valuable stone in this region.
Then it starts to rain. He knew it was coming, but it should not be a big deal, because it has rained before. He has a raincoat and some serious boots. It starts slowly with drizzle. A fog is created by the clouds. But it rains more and more by the minute. Stefan didn’t expect this. He hides underneath a giant banyan tree and hold his coat over his head.
It isn’t enough.
The rain storm doesn’t only continue but gets worse. Before he knows it, the rain is heavier and louder than it has been on their whole trip. The soil is flooding and the rivers are flowing over. A strong current takes Stefan down to the valley.
“Help!” he yells, but nobody can hear him.
There is no one there, and if there was, that person wouldn’t be able to understand his voice in the loud thunderstorm anyway.
“Oh no!” Stefan shouts as he watches his backpack and most of his belongings being flushed away, as it were, down the hill and into an unknown territory.
He is lost. He is at the strong current’s mercy. Something is telling him it’s only going to get worse from here. If only he would have listened to the guide. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Is a valuable gem really worth dying for?
Holding on to a branch, he contemplates his losses as he tries to resist the heavy winds and the overwhelming flow of jungle water.
After an hour, the storm has subsided. The sky is clear again, but Stefan’s flashlight, food, water bottle, and clothes are gone. He is soaking wet, and he doesn’t know where to go.
“This is a real nightmare,” he thinks. “How am I ever going to find my way home?”
He decides to climb down the hill and see if any of his items are there. He doesn’t have high hopes, but it doesn’t hurt to look, he thinks. If one of his things is still there, it could come in handy.
He descends down the hill and is happy to see that he is right. In the corner of a small grove of trees is his machete. He pulls it from underneath the branches and looks at it. Fortunately, it is still sharp. It’s not rusty. This will come in handy.
Stefan can’t see any other items, except for his bottle of water. He doesn’t realize yet how important that possession is.
The plants are clogging the jungle. They are everywhere. There is not a foot or even an inch, or so it seems, which is not covered in green shrubs, bushes, plants, or other flora. The air is thick and moisture is all around him, making it harder to breathe. The tropical climate has shown its worst colors. The heat is excruciating and exhausting, as well as all the sweat on Stefan’s body.
His water is gone. He is getting thirsty. One of the techniques he learned in boy scouts, is to purify the water from the rain by using leafs and making sure it is clean. He knows not to drink the water from the river or on the ground. That water is full of diseases and poisonous bacteria and fluids. He applies the method he knows and fills up his bottle.
“Aaaaah!” he says contently after drinking the cool water from the leafs. He feels a renewed energy rushing through his body.
Cutting his way through the plants and freeing the way for him to go through, he can’t help but hear a sound he fears. There are all kinds of jungle sounds: Monkeys, trees, raindrops, and tons of birds. But this sound is threatening; it’s terrifying, like a growl.
“Grrrrrrr!” he hears again.
It’s coming from somewhere on the left side. He looks.
Nothing.
Then again.
“Grrrrr!”
That can’t be good.
Stefan turns around and sees a huge panther staring at him, ready to devour his lunch. Before Stefan can think it through, the beast leaps at him and pounces, holding him to the ground, trying to bite his face off. Stefan dropped his machete. Timing it perfectly—and with a lot of luck—he keeps the jaws of the predator open with his hands, knowing that if he lets go, the panther will be able to attack and kill him.
How is he going to get out of this? He can’t let go, but he doesn’t have his machete. Where did it go? Aha! There it is. Stefan turns the mouth of the panther sideways.
One… two… three!
He shoves the monstrous cat aside and moves over to snatch his machete away before the panther can attack again.
“Grrrr!” the panther grows again.
Suddenly, it attacks. Stefan closes his eyes, holding the machete in front of him. It is one of the scariest moments of his life. When he opens his eyes, he can hardly believe what happened. The panther has jumped on his machete and got impaled. Stefan shakes the panther off his sword by pulling it out.
Yuck.
Blood is everywhere.
At least it’s not his own blood. But Stefan doesn’t like it. Immediately after his encounter, he washes off the blood and continues through the thick jungle. He is at it all day, trying to find his way to the trail he started on, but he cannot find it. Not too much longer, the sun sets. It’s getting dark. Creepy noises are all around him. The pitch black shadows are broken by the shimmering light of the moon.
Sitting against a tree in a fairly open space, Stefan falls asleep within minutes. He doesn’t wake up during the night, despite the dangers around him; he is exhausted.
The next morning, Stefan feels something crawling up his nose. It awakens him. After opening his eyes, he discovers the horrific situation he finds himself in: He fell asleep in an ant heap!
Thousands of tiny insects are all over his body: In his clothes, in his shoes… in places he won’t mention to others in the future… he is COVERED in red ants!
“Waaaaah!” Stefan screams.
Immediately, he takes off his clothes (except for his underwear) and jumps into the river. Gone. They’re all gone. Now, how is he going to get them off his clothes? He gets out of the water, grabs a his machete, and puts it under his clothes. With it, he lifts them up one by one, shaking the ants off his clothes. After about an hour, most of the ants are gone. He feels his skin. They bit him all over. Red bumps have appeared.
Moreover, he feels sick. It’s like he has a fever or something. Stefan is chilling. It’s freezing cold to him, but it isn’t. He definitely has a fever, and he knows it. This will get him dehydrated faster than anything. All the hardships of the jungle have put Stefan in survival mode. He has had it. All he wants, is to go home now.
He finishes the last water in his bottle. It’s not raining. He can’t find any other clean water. The more he thinks about it, the thirstier he gets. His strength is failing him, and after about 6 more hours of slashing through the jungle bushes, he falls down on the ground.
“This is it,” he thinks. “I am going to die. I can’t go any further.”
After some dizziness, he passes out, completely unaware of anything happening around him.
Chapter 2: Hidden Tribe
Stefan wakes up. He can hardly believe that he is still alive. He has no clue where he is or what happened while he was unconscious, but what he does know, is that the surface he is on, is soft and comfortable. That’s enough for now.
Fading voices are echoing through the room he is in. Silhouettes of people turn into sharp, detailed persons.
“Look, dad! He is awake!” he hears a female voice say in a local, native language he recognizes.
When the visions become clear, his eyes observe a beautiful young woman standing in front of him, bent over to find out if he is okay. She looks concerned and sweet, like a beautiful angel from heaven, skinny but mature. Her skin is dark brown, her hair black, and she is covered by a brown cloth from right beneath her shoulders to a little above her knees. It looks similar to an ancient tribe he is used to see in reservations. Red lines of paint mark her cheeks and elegant patterns of mystical symbols are painted in the same color on one of her arms. She is wearing a headband and a necklace.