At least it was sunny.

Or else I wouldn’t have seen the true age of the buildings, its wooden structures seemingly frail and nearly about to crumble like a person would rather do under stress. I wouldn’t have seen the dead water fountain in the middle, only containing disgusting and murky water, with algae basking in the sunlight on the liquid’s server. I wouldn’t have seen the statue over the middle of the fountain that resembled some blocky-formed human, where some if its concrete had fallen off the statue itself, making it look like a budget Venus de Milo. I wouldn’t have seen the mayor building at the very back, holes dotting its roofs, some columns supporting such roof shattered, weakening, about to fall apart also. I wouldn’t have seen nature taking over the ghost town through means of trees growing through roofs, and invasive vines clinging onto walls.

I realized I was sat comfortably in a shade cast by the tree over me, on a grassy hill that overlooked the town to which I don’t remember the name of.

I was sat comfortably. But I didn’t feel comfortable emotionally.

“It’s been nearly five years.”

I jumped. A shock ran from my head and down my spine, expanding into both my arms and legs and hurting all of them like electricity would do. Jerking to my right, I could see a blocky person wearing a blue shirt and a navy coloured pants. His eyes had no pupils and just glowed white. He had his hands overlapping each other behind his back, observing the town like I was.

I couldn’t help but feel a pang and surge of emotions, I know I’ve met this guy before.

Where, though? When?

“One of the many worlds you have formed,” He continued, “One of many you have also abandoned, sadly.”

I turned back to the town. Each and every single word in his sentence I could attach a definition to, but their true meaning as a whole was beyond me.

I felt the gears of my mind beginning to turn.

“Greencrest, this town was?” I asked.

I didn’t see it, but I felt a nod coming from the person with glowing eyes.

“Where are all the people?”

A casual shrug, “Gone.”

Squinting my eyes in confusion, “FrozenBoy?”

“Gone.”

“Cassie?”

“Gone.”

“Steve?”

“Gone.”

“Alex?”

“Gone.”

“Herobrine?”

“Present.”

I jerked to my right again, more questions coming into my mind faster than being let out. Why did I say these names? It’s not like I actually know the person they’re connected to.

“But you do.” He said, a small yet genuine smile on his face.

I was creeped out at this point, I wanted to leave. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

“The unconscious mind is a funny thing.” Followed by a light chuckle.

Each individual word understandable, yet its whole beyond my comprehension once again.

“Can’t you believe? It’s been five years since you’ve last came here. When you began building this world, you were a child. And now, you’re a child moving on to post-secondary.”

More pieces of memory came to my mind as he spoke.

“Since birth, you’ve been creating various worlds for their respective characters to live in. So… What is it now? I still haven’t seen their world, but I’ve met your characters: Frosty and Athena.”

My emotions twirled around in my heart at the mention of those two names, yet I didn’t know why.

“Cute, little creatures they are, I must admit.” He continued, “I feel that you’ll be attached to them for quite a long time.”

“But I don’t even know who they are.” I chipped in.

He seems to like shrugging a lot, “Maybe not now, in your dreamy state.”

Looking back at the ghost town, I finally noticed a restaurant found on the front corner of the center street. Even though some of the golden letters had fallen from the sign, I could tell it read ‘La Pomme D’Or’. The golden apple logo sat on the grass face down depressingly. The restaurant’s windows were smashed and shattered. Some of the tables tipped over on its side, some of the chairs were broken.

My emotions churned and rolled around in my chest at the sight of the restaurant.

“Ah, La Pomme D’Or.” Herobrine echoed my thoughts, “It was where FrozenBoy and Cassie… well… the souls of FrozenBoy and Cassie had first met. It was… quite an interesting night, I must say. But… doesn’t matter. Nobody except you and I know about the story.”

An imaginary ball rolled up my throat. It was everything I could do to not let it spill out.

“This place could’ve been so great. It could’ve thrived. Yet you have failed. You failed because you tried to become too many things at the same time.”

A small choke came from me.

“Must I spell it out? You wanted to be a musician, performer, composer, author… many more I won’t bother to say. Everything you wanted to become is part of the arts, and I do not believe that art taking time and dedication is an alien concept to a person like you at all.”

And I finally gave in, the ball escaping out from my throat. The tears I’ve collected finally flowed out like a river breaking through a dam. I didn’t bother to stop it at all. Herobrine stayed silent through the entire time I was bawling.

Once my tears died down, Herobrine stepped in, “It’s not too late, however.”

I wiped off my tears with my arms, which I discovered to be soft and furry. I didn’t pay any more attention to it than that.

“You’re still writing,” Herobrine continued, “Not as much now as in the past, but you’re still writing, and that’s all that matters. I must say, though, your poems have grown progressively darker and more morbid as you grew up. Sometimes, I wonder why.”

“If you’re asking me, I don’t know.”

“I didn’t expect you to.”

And a small and short silence that was surprisingly not uncomfortable.

Herobrine broke it, “Have you ever thought about why your main character is always paired with another, and always of the opposite gender?”

“I’ve never considered it, actually. Why?”

“I just find it quite interesting. First it was FrozenBoy and CutieCassie, followed by Chris and Cassie, and now it’s Frosty and Athena. They always had exactly the same personality, and I’m sure it’s not because you were lazy about developing characters.”

“I did try to write a story without that second character, did I?”

“You tried to,” followed by a nod from him, “He became out of your control, went insane and found himself in an asylum. He would’ve gotten himself killed if it weren’t for your second character.”

“Again?”

Herobrine seemed to be addicted to shrugging.

“Do you realize who the souls of those two characters truly are?” He asked.

“I presume that’s not a question you would tell me the answer to,” I responded, turning to him, “I feel like you know the answer.”

“Yes, and yes.”

“What’s with you being all mysterious and such?”

“It’s important for you.”

Once again another cryptic answer. I didn’t bother to think about it, and proceeded to stare at the ghost town again, which seems to have become a little more hazy and foggy.

“What will become of this world?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the golden apple logo of the restaurant.

“Depends on what you do with it,” Herobrine began, “Maybe this world would completely disappear, like all the other worlds you’ve created. Maybe it’ll remain in the back of your mind, the world in complete disarray. Maybe you’ll actually bring it back to life one day, reviving the people that used to live in this world.”

I didn’t like that answer. It gives an impulsive person too much control to handle. I accepted it with open arms regardless.

I thought about the story that was supposed to occur in this world. The quarrels, wars, destruction, death.

Love, reconciliation, just people being glad to exist.

And a particular scene in my mind gave me a particular thought.

Turning to the person beside me, I asked, “You’re not really Herobrine, are you?”

He seemed quite intrigued by such a question, “Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“You’re only one of the many characters I’ve created, and you just happened to take on the form of Herobrine. You can’t be the Herobrine that the community thinks of him to be.”

“You’re quite close, I must admit, and I applaud you for that, but that is not completely the answer.”

I lightly shook my head. He’s being cryptic again.

Suddenly, the sounds of electric beeps interrupted everything we were both doing. I saw darkness itself invading the world around me, coming from the edges all around me and towards me. I was locked in my position, immobilized, freaking out because I had no idea what was happening because too much was happening. Yet, regardless of all this, ‘Herobrine’ beside me just casually laughed at the situation.

“W-What’s happening!?” I screamed, alarmed.

“Time for you to wake up!”

“Then what about-“

“The world will be fine, not sure about your physics test, though!”

I must’ve looked unnecessarily alarmed, as the darkness closed in with me at its center, he proceeded to say, “Try blinking a few times if you want.”

I simply just stared back, but he began another sentence, “Before you go, promise that you will take care of Frosty and Athena, those two little creatures, as if they’re breathing and living beings.

I simply nodded and said, “I will definitely.”

I then followed his blinking instructions, and by the fourth blink I was laying sideways on my bed. The soft and fluffy blankets huddled close and tightly to me. My alarm clock beeping annoyingly above my head, which I turned off soon after.

I knew something happened in my dreams, but I’m already forgetting. Slipping away, regardless of how much I tried to hold on to it.

But as much as I forgot, one statement still held on to the edges of my memory. I gave it a hand and pulled it back to safety.

Promise that you will take care of Frosty and Athena, those two little creatures, as if they’re breathing and living beings.