The moon shone through the sky and twinkled on Jake's tears. He hadn't been able to sleep, not with what had happened today, his cheeks still stung from his mother's reprimandation. The thought of Shannon out there, alone and scared, made him worry and fear for her.
He still couldn't quite believe it. She was gone, with no help. At least her wound was healed, but Jake knew that the world outside was harsh and full of hate. She wouldn't survive, not without friends, and he had been her only friend.
I'm sure she'll be just fine, he thought. She's an Enderman. She can teleport and everyone's afraid of her, they'll run screaming before they try to kill her.
But he knew that wasn't quite true.
Suddenly, the window shook, and a soft tap-tap sounded from the pane. Jake sniffled and looked over-
Shannon was perched on the windowsill.
He gasped and watched as she motioned for him to come outside. He shook his head.
"My mom and dad are still awake!" he said, containing his pleasure at seeing her again. "They'll catch me."
Shannon looked pensive, then jutted her chin towards the stack of paper on his desk. He caught her drift and slid a sheet underneath the window, where she caught it before it hit the ground.
"Why did you come back?" he asked. Shannon scratched with her nails:
I have to leave
"I know. I'm sorry, I could have stopped hi-" she shook her head.
No one's fault but mine
I put you in danger, and now I have to go I'll never see you again
"N-never?" asked Jake. His throat began to clog up again.
She looked sorrowful, but nodded. Tears, burning, hot and miserable, leaked from Jake's eyes again, and he gulped in the cool air, feeling the hot pang of sadness in his throat.
"I don't want you to go, Shannon..."
I hate to say goodbye
But there is no choice
Sobbing, Jake leaned forwards, pressing his face and hand against the cool glass. The Enderman placed her hand on the other side, her claws mirroring his splayed fingers, so similar yet so strange.
And then, in a puff of purple smoke, she was gone. Jake curled up on his bed and sobbed into the blankets as the particles faded away into oblivion.
Outside, a sheet of paper, ripped with tiny claws, glowed white in the moonlight, floating on the midnight breeze away over the forest.
YOU ARE READING
The Secret Enderman - A Short Minecraft Story
Short StoryWhen Jake finds a wounded Enderman in his barn one winter night, he knows that he really should kill it. Endermen are dangerous killers, murdering you at a moment's notice. But this one's different. This one isn't attacking. This one is defending it...
