Minecraft: 50 Unofficial Minecraft Books in 1 (Minecraft Diary Deal, Minecraft Book, Minecraft Storybook, Minecraft Books, Minecraft Diaries, Minecraft Diary, Minecraft Book for Kids)

by Billy Miner

  Then I get to the fence.

  Fifteen feet high.

  Yowch.

  The spikes at the top aren’t looking very inviting, but I decide to climb up anyway. The first fourteen feet or so are actually really easy, but then the spikes…

  I hesitate.

  What if the sp…

  Oh who cares? Let’s just do it!

  I climb over the spikes and hear a ripping sound. My pants and shirt ripped a little, but luckily not in the most embarrassing places. I jump down and run away through the trees surrounding the palace fence.

  FREEEE!!!

  Then I get to the city. I am amazed at what I see.

  “Coming through, coming through,” a man says, pushing me aside and holding a big cart with oranges and apples.

  “What do you mean? I just bought a permit! I have the right to set up my booth here!” I hear another man yell at some citizen across from him.

  “And then I told him that if he wanted me to look perfect, he should consider shaving for once,” I hear a woman tell another woman as they are walking past me.

  Ha! This is great! I actually get to see how it is outside the palace walls. Life is so different here. I have been longing for this for a while now, and I finally did it. Cheerfully, I walk past the marketplace and the commoners, observing the early morning hustle and bustle of the city. Dogs are barking, women are chatting, vendors are shouting and promoting their products, children are running around, and senior citizens are calmly sitting on benches and staring in front of them. This is city life, and I love it!

  Entry 3: Fighting for Fairness

  I look to the left and to the right. It’s so wonderful to finally get to see all the things they’re selling, the people who are talking and interacting with each other, and to just observe the somewhat impoverished homes in the background. As I keep walking, a lot of things go through my mind. There is so much to see that my brains cannot catch up with my eyes.

  And there she is… wow!

  Oh, I haven’t met her yet… not in this lifetime at least. But something is telling me that I have already known her for a long time. The moment I see her, I am not sure if that’s just because I just find her so attractive or that there really is a part of me that recognizes her face. But whatever the reason is, I can’t keep my eyes off her.

  She has red hair, more like orange actually, and when I stare at her I realize I wasn’t always interested in girls with red hair, not in the ones I met at least. But this one… I don’t even know how to describe her. She doesn’t just move when she walks; she strides, taking big, elegant steps wherever she goes. Her hair reaches down to her lower back and her eyes… those green eyes… they sparkle in the sunlight, reflecting the innocence of her inner soul. She is slightly shorter than I am, and the brown, tattered dress and white top she wears don’t do her figure justice. Her face is more precious than the purest gold I have seen in the palace.

  “Hey, watch where you’re going, punk,” a guy tells me as he bumps into me.

  My first reaction is to say, “How dare you talk to me that way? I am the prince.” But then I realize that this would blow my cover; and that is the last thing I want to happen.

  “Sorry,” I say.

  “Yeah, you better be. People like you shouldn’t even be here. You drag down the whole economy.”

  “People like me? What do you mean?”

  “Beggars, scallywags, the poor leeches of society. You are giving this city a bad name.”

  Now I really feel like taking off my disguise and showing him who I am, but I am much more interested in what he has to say. He goes on for another minute, telling me that he works hard for his money, and that the poor people on the street are taking advantage of the generosity of some. He says it’s because that the beggars tell him there aren’t enough jobs, but then reassures me that if I would look hard enough, I may be able to find something.

  I thank him for the tip and turn my head towards the direction of the beautiful girl I saw.

  Hey, where did she go?

  I have to find her! She’s got to be somewhere around here. I walk to the spot where I saw her and take another look around. Aha! There she is. She is at some house, knocking on the door.

  Some might say it’s a little creepy I am stalking this pretty, young female, but I just want to get to know her and actually make some eye contact. At first, I observe her from a distance. The door she knocked on opens up. A fat woman comes out and says, “What do you want?”

  “I am here to pick up my payment,” the girl says.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” the fat woman says. “You did an awful job this week. You’re not getting a dime.”

  “But I worked for hours every day. The place is clean. I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “Are you calling me a liar?”

  “N-no,” the girl stammers.

  “Look, you little tramp. I saw dust on the floor, filth in the chimney, and specks in the kitchen. If I would pay for that, I might as well do it myself. Now get out of here before I get the palace guards.”

  The fat woman slams the door and the poor girl sits down on the sidewalk. I watch for a few seconds as I see her bury her face in her hands and shed a few tears.

  This was awful!

  It sounds like this girl worked all week cleaning this woman’s house and doesn’t get paid because of a few specks of dust.

  I get a little nervous. What should I do? Go over and put my arm around her? That would be weird… no, that wouldn’t do anything. Or should I wait until she is done crying? You can tell I don’t have a lot of experience with these situations. It’s something you don’t learn in the big history books, and not even in the sophisticated psychology classes I am taking.

  I take courage and approach the girl. When I stand next to her, I just say, “Ahum.”

  She looks up and waits for more words.

  “I saw what just happened. It doesn’t seem fair to me,” I said.

  She just stares, not knowing what to say.

  “Anyway, I think it’s stupid, and I want to compliment you for the work you did.”

  “Thank you,” she says quietly.

  “Well, uhm…” and then I get stuck. I have no clue what else I should say. And then I just blurt it out.

  “I love your eyes,” I say.

  Oops. That sounded dumb and completely out of context. Is she going to slap me in the face? Is she going to walk away or look at me in a weird way?

  “Thank you,” she says.

  Oof! That was close. She is sweet. I already thought so when I saw her, but now it just got confirmed again. She noticed I am having a hard time with keeping the conversation going, so she decides to stand up and say something herself.

  “It’s okay now,” she says, as she wipes away her tears. “It’s not the first time this has happened. I’m already over it. I have three cleaning jobs, and this woman is the worst one. She doesn’t always pay because she claims it’s still filthy. But I have seen her husband and friends come over and get it dirty again, and then they say it’s my fault.”

  “That’s not fair at all,” I say. “I’ll go over there and show that lady how to justly deal with her employees.”

  “No, don’t do that,” she says. “You’ll just make her angry, and then she won’t let me come at all. It’s all right. Let’s just go into town. By the way, my name is Ivona. What is yours?”

  “Alfred,” I say, after which I suddenly cover my mouth, hoping that I didn’t say anything stupid.

  “Oh, that’s nice,” she says. “Just like the prince.”

  “Yeah, just like the prince,” I say, covering my face a little more by pulling my hat down. “Do you know him?”

  “Of course not,” she says. “I’ve never seen him. I just heard about him. I mean, doesn’t everybody at least know the names of the royal family?”

  “I guess so. But hey, tell me something more about yourself.”

  “Haha!” she says laughingly. �
��What else is there to tell? I have two little brothers and one younger sister. My parents live on the outskirts of town and I clean for a living. I don’t have much time left after that. I told you I have three cleaning jobs. It’s pretty time-consuming.”

  “So I assume you’re making a lot of money with those, right?”

  “Are you kidding? Those jobs don’t pay diddly-squat. I barely get by, and whatever is left, I pay to my parents to feed my siblings.”

  “That sounds very noble of you,” I say.

  “My conscious is clear,” she says. “I do what I can, but if I ever find a better alternative, I would certainly go for it.”

  “I see. That makes sense.”

  And then Ivona asks something I was afraid of.

  “How about you? What do you do for a living? It’s not like you’re radiating a high status either.”

  Entry 4: More than Friendship

  This is the moment I dreaded. I don’t want to lie to Ivona but I don’t think it’s wise at this moment to reveal my identity. If she finds out I am the prince, she will look at me in an entirely different way. I like this girl, and I don’t want to blow it. I’ve heard of so many women falling for men because they are after their money. And even though this sincere, candid young woman only sends signals of purity and innocence, I don’t even want to take the risk.

  “Me?” I say sheepishly.

  “Yes, you. Who else? What do you do to get by?”

  “I… uhm… I do a little bit of everything.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, uhm… combat training and music.”

  “Seriously? That sounds so awesome! Do you play on the streets and have people toss money in your hat or something?”

  “Uhm… you’re getting close.”

  “And what’s the combat training for? Are you trying to become a guard at the royal palace?”

  I am trying my hardest not to lie without revealing anything, so the best thing I can think of is, “I am trying to get to the palace someday. That’s for sure. There are lots of guards there.”

  “Sounds intense,” Ivona admits. “Can you show me some fighting moves?”

  “Sure,” I say. And we start practicing. I show her some sword defense moves, some locks, and a few standard sparring techniques. I am surprised how fast she is picking it up. It looks like she has a knack for it.

  After some fun training and a great conversation on a bench, she thanks me and comes a little closer. I have to admit that the back alleys in the slums aren’t the most romantic place to have a moment together, but when I see her beautiful face, it’s like all the walls around me, and the rags hanging on the balconies, turn into one big, pink flowerbed.

  “So what’s your secret, Alfred?” she asks. “Are you as noble and intelligent as they say the real prince is?”

  “S-secret? Who says I have a secret?”

  “Well, you don’t have to tell me everything, but I’ve noticed you have been beating around the bush a little. It’s strange. I’ve never seen you in this area of the city before, and still you act like you’ve lived here all your life. You’re a really nice guy, but you’re too handsome to be nice. You seem confident, but you’re as poor as a rat. I was too focused on the loss of money I experienced, but when I looked up, it was like I already knew you. Does that sound weird? Something is a little off, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “It doesn’t sound weird at all,” I say. “And you’re right. I haven’t told you everything yet, but I will. Is that okay?”

  She gets really close. I see her lips coming at me to kiss me. Before she does, she softly says, “It’s totally fine with me.”

  After a few seconds in heaven, she lets go of my head and looks at me, deep into my eyes. At that moment, I know I will never want anyone else in my life. Too bad the moment doesn’t last that one, because suddenly, she turns the other way and says, “I’m sorry, but I have to go to my next cleaning job. I will see you later. Please keep hanging out here. I come here almost every day. We’ll definitely meet again, right?”

  “Oh, uhm… Ivona…”

  “Yes?” she says with a smile, turning her head and waving her long hair in the wind.

  “Please accept this small gift. I have to go to, but yesterday, I made some extra money. I want you to have it, just so your family can have a little more.”

  I hand her the golden coins in my pocket. Her mouth falls wide open. Then she says, “I knew there was something else about you. Are you pretending to be poor or something? You know what… never mind. I will gladly accept these and you can tell me later. Thank you so much!”

  I get another kiss, this time on the cheek. She takes the coins and happily runs off into another alley.

  Address… why didn’t I get an address? Oh well, she says she hangs out here a lot, so maybe I will still be able to find her.

  I almost jump for joy and hurry back to the palace, impatient to tell my parents about Ivona.

  Entry 5: Changes

  I run the palace gates and notice the guards are gone. What is that supposed to mean? They never get rid of their guards here. Something isn’t right. I just know it. So I keep running and open the palace doors.

  Still nobody there.

  It’s strange.

  I head to the main palace hall, which is behind the first hall you see when entering the palace.

  Aha! Everybody is here. But what are they doing?

  “Welcome, Prince Alfred,” a dark figure says while turning around. “I knew you would come sooner or later.”

  My mother and father are tied up with a rope, and so are the guards. They are all sitting on the cold floor, some of them knocked out and others just staring in the distance.

  “What is going on here, and who are you?” I ask.

  “I am not surprised you never noticed me,” the scrawny servant in its black coat says. “Nobody ever does. But now that you’re here, I will explain it quickly, so you’ll know why I am going to kill you.”

  “Kill me? What did I ever do to you?”

  “My name is Ragnus. I am the least appreciated servant in this palace. I was training to be a guard, you know. But because I was too small, they wouldn’t let me continue. Do you know what they did to me?”

  “I’m sure you are about to tell me,” I say with a sarcastic tone.

  “Little smarty pants. I will tell you what happened. They dumped me into the kitchen. Cleaning dishes was all I was good for. All day long I would scrub and work, and despite all that, I was being ridiculed by the guards. They said I was more like a woman, doing a woman’s work. They mocked me and laughed at me. And all because your stupid trainer wouldn’t accept me into his training gym. But I will show him; I’ll show you. I will show everyone that I can fight. There is more to fighting than a bunch of kicks and punches, you know. Just watch me!”

  I try to tell him that I believe him and that he doesn’t have to prove himself, but it is too late. This guy has been hurt from the moment he accepted a job at the palace. He is bitter and angry, and there is no stopping him now.

  Entry 6: Fight

  Ragnus spreads his arms and raises them above his head.

  “Endermen, arise!” he exclaims.

  A thick vapor of smoke emanates from the palms of his hands and takes shape far above his head. The smoke hangs there for a few seconds and then splits up into ten smaller vapors of smoke, which quickly descend and crash on the palace floor.

  From the dust on the floor, ten endermen slowly take shape and look straight at me with their glowing, purple eyes. Whoa! Creepy!

  How does this guy do that? Did he learn some magic spells or something?

  “Endermen, attack!” Ragnus commands.

  The endermen come towards me. I don’t have a weapon. What am I to do? I think and think. They are almost right in front of me. Then I make a decision: I decide to run.

  “Whaaaah!”

  I run the other way, towards the entrance of the big palace hall that
I came through. In the distance, I hear a vague voice say, “Endermen, follow!” But I don’t care. I just want to get out of there.

  A weapon, a weapon… I need a weapon. Where can I find a weapon?

  Ah, my room. There is a sword behind my bed. I never told anyone about it, but it just made me feel safer.

  I run up the stairs, all the way to the highest palace tower where my room is located. I hear the footsteps of the endermen behind me. As fast as I can, I open the door and run towards the back of my bed. I pull out the sword and look at the chair in the corner.

  What the…?

  The cloak is gone!

  What is going on here?

  Then I think back. Does that evil Ragnus have the cloak? I remember seeing something on his back, but I didn’t get close enough to see what it was. For the moment, though, I don’t know of any other explanation than that he stole it. And if he has the cloak, then perhaps that is the magical item that empowers him to summon these endermen. Is it an endercloak?

  My enemies aren’t giving me any more time to ponder. They have arrived at the palace tower and are standing in front of me. There is no way out, so I decide to go back into my room and lock the door.

  After I lock the door, I look at my bed and get an idea. If I could tie the sheets and blankets on my bed to each other and to something sturdy, then I could swing out the window and end on one of the palace rooftops without breaking my neck.

  The endermen are banging on the door. It’s only a matter of time before they get in and break it. I have to act quickly.

  I get the sheets and tie them together, in the best way I know how, and then tie it to the bed. That should do the trick. Then I put the sword on my back and step a little over the edge.

  I look out the window.

  Yikes. That’s pretty high.

  But this is the best way to escape these evil monsters. I count to three. One… two…