Block by Block--A Minecraft Novella

PART SEVEN

PART SEVEN

            Pika made a face, indicating that she didn’t like where this was going. “Lola, I don’t know...it’s just a hunch anyway, and we might be wasting our time trying to gather up a bunch of eyes of ender just to be wrong.”

            Lola shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

            “Okay…does that mean we have to kill a bunch of endermen and craft eyes of ender?”  Pika asked.

            Lola shook her head. “Did you ever get to meet my dad?”

            “No,” Pika replied; “Why do you ask?”

            “He was an explorer. His main goal was to go to the End to kill the Enderdragon, but he met my mom and had me and Tweety and sort of set himself back. He ended up killing enough endermen to make about 64 eyes of ender, but before he got to make the journey he died going through a cave, which just so happened to be gravel.” Lola explained.

            “Oh. I’m sorry, Lola. What does that have to do with anything?” Pika asked as gently as possible, trying not to make it sound rude.

            Lola held up a finger and ran off into her mother’s room. Pika immediately followed. “What are you doing?” she asked Lola.

            She didn’t answer Pika, but instead got rid of her mother’s bed and put it in her inventory. Under it was two wooden planks from the floor. “If you’re trying to look for a secret chest, you’re failing.” Pika remarked. Lola wasn’t fazed by the comment, but mined up the two planks. Under it was a double chest.

            “How’s that for ‘secret chest’?” Lola asked Pika sarcastically, giving her a smirk.

            Pika gave a smile and playfully punched Lola in the arm. “You sly dog, you.”

            Lola then opened the chest, and inside was three full stacks of eyes of ender. “Yes!” Lola exclaimed. “I knew my dad wouldn’t fail me.” She also found two shiny, unused diamond swords. “And something for you,” she said as she handed Pika a sword.

            “Wow…” Pika looked at the blue sword at all angles, admiring its craftsmanship and taking a few practice swings with it. “Your dad must’ve been one cool dude.”

            Lola nodded. “He definitely was. I bet with him, Tweety and I would’ve both been taught how to fight at the same time, and we would’ve been a happy family.”

            “Is that why your mom was always full of anxiety when it came to monsters and fighting and mining?” Pika asked.

            “Probably,” she replied. “Anyway, we don’t have time to be living in the past. Besides, if my dad was still here I would’ve never went adventuring and met you in the burning village.” Pika gave a half smile and followed Lola outside.

            Lola took an eye of ender in her hand and stared at it for a moment. “How do we do this?”

            Pika shrugged. “Just throw it.”

            Lola nodded and chucked it as far as it would go. “Now what?”

            “We go follow it.”

***

            After throwing eyes of ender for a while, Pika and Lola were already losing hope, as they seemed to be going in circles.

            “Do you really think the endermen are taking everything to the End?” Pika asked after a long moment of silence.

            “Yeah,” Lola replied.

            “How do you know?” Pika questioned. “What if we’re wrong?”

            “We can’t afford to be.”

END OF BOOK ONE