Block by Block--A Minecraft Novella

PART ONE

PART ONE

            “And she lines up the arrow…the pig is slowly moving, but she’s moving with it…and BOOM! She kills it!” Tweety twirled around with an iron axe in her hand, making “ahhhh” noises. “The crowd goes wild!”

            Lola looked back and shot her a dirty look. “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you. What’re you doing with an iron axe, anyway?”

            Tweety beamed proudly; “Mom said I could chop down a few trees.”

            Lola laughed. “I’m not an idiot. You know you’re not allowed to touch anything like that—just the shovels and the hoes. Mom doesn’t want you getting hurt.” She walked up to Tweety and seized the axe right out of her hands. “Go get the pig for me, will you? I’ll chop down some trees.” She walked over to a tree and threw her axe into it.

            “Of course, I have to take all the gross work…I’m two years younger than her, and I can’t even pick up a sword.” She bent down and picked up the pig, making a gross face. “Disgusting,” she mumbled.

            Tweety looked back at her older sister as she turned around and started walking back, and Lola looked up at the sky. “C’mon, Tweety…it’s getting dark.” Lola grabbed her bundle of wood and her axe and waited for her little sister to catch up to her.

            Tweety and Lola walked in silence back to their small wooden house, and night had fully fallen just as the two of them walked in the door.

            “We’re ho-ome!” Tweety yelled.

            Their mother was near the furnace, chopping up carrots. “We’ve got pig!” Tweety threw the pig on the table, grinning from ear to ear. “I watched Lola shoot it, and it was so cool, with the whoosh and the bam, and then it was lying on its side on the ground, like it’d wanted to take a sudden nap. It was so rad.”

            Their mother nodded in approval as she pretended to listen and threw the pork in the furnace, but turned back and looked at the axe. “Why do you have the axe, Lola? I don’t recall you taking it.”

            Lola looked to Tweety. “Why don’t you tell her?”

            Tweety laughed awkwardly. “I…um…wanted to get some wood?”

            Her mother gave her a stern look. “Tweety, you know you aren’t allowed to use those tools: swords, pickaxes, and axes are off-limits to you. I just don’t want you getting hurt.” She sighed. “Lola, please put that away in the chest in my room. And lock it.” She eyed Tweety. “You get the table ready.”

            Tweety sighed and took three plates and set them on the table. “You know, I don’t think I’ll hurt myself. Lola could give me lessons or something with my sword, and—”

            “No,” her mother interrupted immediately. “You know Lola was only granted permission to use combat weapons three months ago, and I saw some more potential in her.”

            “Are you trying to tell me Lola’s more talented than me?” Tweety narrowed her eyes as she picked up pork and put them on everyone’s plates.

            Her mother looked at her, “That’s not what I meant. Lola is older…and more mature at times. Isn’t gardening enough for you, though? You’ve said gardening is your favorite…why would you even want to risk your life?” her mother asked her, resuming her carrot chopping.

            Tweety shrugged. “I don’t know…Lola and Pika go out all the time and hunt together. I guess I want to go with them. And I haven’t even tried it before.”

            Her mother took the carrots and put some on each plate as she thought of something to say. “All I’m saying is Lola is older, and with age comes wisdom. You’ll get there soon. But for now, enjoy what you have. Okay? It’s Lola’s responsibility to hunt for food; you should enjoy that you don’t have to have that kind of responsibility.” Her mother kissed her forehead.

            As soon as their conversation was over, Lola entered the room. The three of them ate in silence for most of the meal.

            “Can Pika come mining with me tomorrow?” Lola asked after a while. “We’re short on resources, and with two people, the more safety.” Tweety sunk down in her chair; she knew that if you add “safety” to any sentence, their mother was bound to say yes. And she did.

            “Of course, as long as you bring everything you need.” She replied.

            “Can I go with them?” Tweety asked hopefully after swallowing.

            Her mother looked at Tweety, and then at Lola. Tweety could tell that she felt a little guilty, because her mother always had a certain look in her eyes when she felt bad about something. “I don’t know…” her mother said.

            That wasn’t a ‘no’! Tweety thought.

            Lola looked at her mother with a confused look. “Mom, you were the one to set the rules. You said she was too young to go mining with me and Pika!”

            Her mother scratched her chin. “Well, maybe she’d get more experience if she went with the two of you…what do you think, Tweety? I think you did have some solid points in your argument.”

            Tweety let out a small squeal. “Really? Are you serious? What day is it? Because if it’s April Fool’s day, I’ll—” her mother laughed.

            “I’ll let you go if you remember the rules: no wandering away from Lola and Pika, no picking up any weapons, no mining, and if there are monsters—and you know there will be—you stay behind the two of them and don’t freak out. And don’t you dare try and fight them. You understand?” she looked at Tweety, but Tweety was about to jump out of her chair. Her mother took that as a yes.

            “And you,” she looked at Lola; “keep your little sister safe and remember the rules as well. I don’t want her coming back and telling me that she mined some diamonds, or that she killed a cave spider, or…or…”

            Lola rolled her eyes. “Mom, she’ll be fine with the two greatest hunters by her side.”

            Her mom nervously laughed. “She better be.”