Diary of an 8-bit User

!Warning! – The written words are not from the user in the game, but the person who was controlling the user. Some of the story is fictitious rather than real game play.

Day 1
I woke up in a big field, the constant east-to-west wind gently blowing. I took in my surroundings. There was an oak and birch forest to the left of me, mountains to the right, hills behind me, and in front of me, the field (called a prairie) stretched on. I did not want to get caught in the open at night, for somehow I knew things would be awaiting me, bad things called mobs. Or monsters, for whichever you prefer.
It was late morning, but I wanted to get an early start on the day. I walked around the field, feeling the grass tickle my hands and legs. I spotted a chest hidden in the tall grass only a few blocks away. I walked up and took the torches from around the chest. I opened the chest and boy was it a surprise! Inside there were three loaves of bread, two apples, a stone pickaxe, a wooden axe, and different types of wood. I looted the chest and organised the contents in my inventory. I tried out the wooden axe on the chest, and it popped up in my inventory a second after I mined it. I looked at the oak logs in my inventory and thought about oak planks. I blinked and there were about twenty oak planks sitting in my inventory! It was almost noon, and I needed to get a move on for a safe place to camp for the night.
I decided that the mountains were going to be a good place for the first night of camp, if I didn’t find a village soon. If I didn’t find a village and I didn’t have any place to camp, things could get bad real quick. It was a good thing that there were sheep and cows in the prairie, for they will give the most important things for surviving. Sheep give you food and wool to make a bed, and cows give you food and leather for armor. After killing a few cows and sheep, I had enough leather for pants and enough wool for a white bed. I picked an Azure Bluet and made grey dye from it. I dyed my pants grey, and tried them out. They felt great on my legs, my first armor!
I started toward the mountains, for they were far away, just in my sight. The sun was nearing the horizon, making the cool breeze welcome. Little beads of sweat ran down my face as I ran towards the nearing mountains. As I started climbing the steep cliffs, a noise echoed off the rocks around me. The clicking of a spider echoed in my ears, making little square goosebumps appear on my arms. I made it to a little ledge and set camp there.
“Man, that was one hard climb!” I said to no one in particular. I started to mine stone blocks. After two minutes, I had seventeen blocks of cobblestone in my inventory, I built a small portable house. After I did that, I placed my bed inside the house with one torch. I stepped inside and sealed the entrance with two dirt blocks. I laid down in my bed as my eyes got heavier and heavier…

Day 2
I woke up in my makeshift house, groggy with sleep. I dug up the dirt blocks and walked outside. There were no mobs in my sight. I destroyed my house and retrieved all my stuff from my chests. I mined up the crafting table and the furnace I had made earlier before I went to sleep. I put everything into my inventory and set off to look for a village. I trudged down the steep mountain side, jumping down carefully from one block wide sides to very dangerous one block ledges. One wrong move could result in injury or worse, death. I made it to the bottom, and looked up at where I had last jumped from. Boy, that was high!
I walked through an oak and birch forest as I had a piece of steak. I came upon a prairie with a river running through it. Upstream, I saw another mountain with a waterfall cascading down the side into the river. Next to it was lava slowly creeping its way down the mountain side. Downstream, I saw a spruce forest biome.
“Which way?” I asked myself. “Do I go downstream or upstream across the river?” The forest looked dark and foreboding. I decided to go upstream to cross the river. I walked up to the edge of the river and stepped in for a test. Brrrr! I jumped out and shivered. That was cold water! I decided to do a run and jump. I ran to the top of a nearby hill and looked at the river. Then I ran, closed my eyes and jumped.
SPLASH! I hit the water, just two blocks away from shore. I swam quickly to shore. I climbed onto land, cold and soaking wet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rooftop. There was a village in the prairie ahead! I ran towards the rooftop, taking huge breaths as the wind whipped through my orange hair. Sol (the Minecraft sun) slipped down through the cloudless sky toward the horizon. I reached the village and built my camp as Sol slipped down underneath the horizon. I laid in my bed, thinking as my eyelids got heavier and heavier…

Day 3
I woke up outside of my camp sleep area! I somehow walked outside in my sleep. I ventured around the village and talked with a Leatherworker. I explored my surroundings and discovered that an ocean was right next to the village. That makes getting glass much easier, since sand is smelted into glass. I crafted a boat and dragged it to the ocean. I sat in the boat and pushed off from the shore. The salty water sprayed in my face as I rowed into deeper water.
I jumped into the salty water and swam deeper into the cool, inhabited sea. Schools of salmon and cod swam by as strands of kelp tangled in my hair. Squid peacefully drifted by as I swam toward a lone cod. I used my pickaxe on the doomed fish, killing it in one hit. Another school of cod swam by and I took one more fishy life.  I swam back up to the surface and climbed back into the boat. The shore was nearby, but when I docked, the boat blew up! I collected the remains from my used-to-be boat and walked toward the village. A cat meowed from the door of my house. I put the raw cod in my hand and slowly walked toward the cat. The cat looked just like my last cat, Chloe. It walked toward me and stopped one block in front of me. I gave it my two cod and suddenly this thing appeared in front of me. It said Best Friends Forever Advancement.
The cat was sitting in front of me, and it had a red collar.
“I will name you Chloe. Welcome to my home!” I told Chloe. I touched Chloe and she stood. She followed me into my home and sat on my bed. I closed the door and moved her over so I could lay down. She just moved right back to her spot. I moved her over. She moved right back. Man that cat is stubborn! Finally, I just laid down. My eyes saw Chloe lay down on me and sleep. My eyes got heavier and heavier…

The silver mist wrapped around me like an ice-cold serpent clinging to my ankles as if it was afraid to let go. I walked through my house as my body slept. I was like an ethereal spirit, walking through houses, checking to see if everything was all right. The screech of an Enderman drew my attention. I turned around and looked right at the Enderman, which was only a few blocks away. The strange thing about this Enderman was that he was a dark red, like dried blood. It teleported right in front of me, the silver mist moving away from it, as if the very mist itself was scared of this creature. I backed away from the Enderman, careful not to look at its eyes. It was strangely not transparent, like the villagers and the houses, but solid, as if it was here with me. The Enderman grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground, my legs kicking frantically.
“Weakling, you are soon going to witness the rise of the monsters! Your end will be soon. Know me as Erebus, King of the Endermen!” Erebus cackled as I struggled in his cold, steel-like grip, slowly starting to tighten. The world was starting to spin, faster and faster, as if I was going down a drain. I heard the laughter of the King of the Endermen growing louder and louder.
“HELP!” My mind screamed.

Day 4
I woke up with Chloe gone. I had little beads of sweat rolling down my face and back. I opened the door to my house and Chloe ran inside.
“Where have you been?” I asked her. She just meowed as if I could understand her. I groaned, and stepped outside for a little fresh air. A piece of zombie flesh bobbed harmlessly above the ground, ever so slightly brushing the ground. I picked up the item and walked back inside the house.
“Did you get a piece of zombie flesh for me?” I asked Chloe, who just looked at me as if the answer was obvious.
“I am just going to ask around to see if anyone around here knows about this Enderman called Erebus, Ok? I’ll be back soon.” I walked out of my house and into the busy village. I walked through the intersection, weaving through villagers and houses. A girl with midnight black hair with silvery beads caught my attention. She carried a bow with expert care, probably a seasoned archer. I walked over to her.
“Hi, my name is Alex. Do you know anything about this Enderman called…” I asked, stopping as she raised a stubby finger, the beads tinkling like bells.
“Yes, I have some information on him. But we must do this privately. Follow me.” She whispered, and gestured towards the thick woods. I followed her for a short while, then she stopped in a small clearing. She sat down on a rock, and gestured to me to do the same. She cleared her throat and spoke in a soft voice.
“So Alex, you say you want to know about Erebus. I can tell you many things, for I have known about Endermen for a long time. You see, I am not a villager, even though I look like one. I am a half-elf. I can make portals and send things through them, but only in the Land of Dreams. I have not seen Niko, or now more accurate Erebus, for a long time, for he was once a half-elf. He was going to go in search of Herobrine, but Herobrine somehow used his viral powers on Niko and made him into an Enderman. But Niko fought back against the evil Shadow-Crafter. Herobrine then used his Shadow-Crafting abilities and blasted Niko in the chest. It turned his black skin blood red and made him evil . I saw the whole thing…” Java stopped speaking, her chest heaving and tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Are you alright?” I asked as I brushed a tear off her face.
“I’ll… I’ll be fine. It’s just that Niko was my… he was my brother.” Java whispered, then in a stronger tone. “We should start home.”
I walked with Java to her home and said goodnight. Java walked in and closed the door behind her. I walked the rest of the way home by myself. A million thoughts were in my head as I walked toward my house, Sol turning the sky to twilight as it sank toward the horizon. I lay down and closed my eyes as the moon rose up into the darkening sky…

The silvery mist rose about me as I moved about. The mist was cold, but the transparent land seemed… angry. It was as if a creature was in the land, and wanted to destroy. And I did not want to meet that creature. If only I could get the picture of the Enderman out of my head. If Erebus was nearby, I would probably die.
I started running towards the ocean, hoping that I could make it before Erebus could get me. I could practically feel the burning eyes of the Enderman on the back of my neck. I jumped into the salty water with a splash, and a second later I heard the worst scream ever. It tore through me as if it was jagged glass. I looked back but saw nothing except the mist curling back. I knew only one person that might know something about this place.

Day 5
I woke up to the sound of a bow twanging. I ran to my balcony and saw something terrible. Two Pillagers were attacking a Villager! I ran down my tower and grabbed my stone sword. I ran out of the house and toward the closest Pillager. I ran toward him and stopped 12 blocks away. He immediately aimed his crossbow at me. His friend noticed and did the same, forgetting the Villager completely. I ran toward the first Pillager and struck him with my sword. He flashed red as my sword rendered HP from him. He shot an arrow from his crossbow at me and it whistled through the air. I could feel the wind from the arrow as it flew past my head.
I struck the Pillager two more times and he disappeared with a pop. I screamed in pain as an arrow sunk into my shoulder. I turned and ran toward the second Pillager. I struck him in the shoulder and dodged a second arrow. My sword dug into the Pillager’s leg and he too disappeared. I sat down on the grass to catch my breath. I walked toward the village to see Java, when I saw a creeper. If I destroyed it, I might get some gunpowder. I ran toward the creeper and struck it. It started the detonation process, but I was already out of reach. I ran and struck the creeper but it had moved so I couldn’t run away in time. The explosion was incredible and I passed out when I hit the ground 12 blocks away.

I woke up on a bed, but not my own. A fire was burning in the chimney, and the lights were from lanterns, not torches as I had expected. A figure emerged from the shadows, and handed me a bottle of water. I sat up and felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. The figure put a gentle hand on my head, then put a wet piece of paper on my forehead. I heard a tinkle of bells and strained my ears to figure out where the source was. It sounded like… like… something familiar. My head was fuzzy and the paper felt good.
“Here, eat this.” A voice said from the figure. I took a piece of bread and ate in silence.
“You took a bad hit in the head,” The figure said. “You should go to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
I shifted my body into a comfortable position and felt my mind drift off to sleep…

Day 6
I woke up to Java gently putting another wet piece of paper on my forehead, and smiled as she noticed I was awake. Her beads tinkled as she rose. I sat up and looked around. The stone fireplace was unlit, and the lanterns looked as if they were floating lights. The sun filtered through the glass panes and was cast about the wooden floor. The doors were made from oak, and the ceiling was most queer. It had paintings on it! And they were good too. There was a painting with a beautiful quart tower, with radiant light blue water running down the sides. Another painting had the same radiant light blue water, but a person was doing something with it. The painting that really caught my attention was the one at the center. It had two people in it, a boy and a girl. I looked more closely.  The boy had midnight black hair and he was tall and handsome. The girl also had midnight black hair with silver beads. It suddenly hit me, like a wave hitting the shore. The two people in the painting were Java and Niko!
I thanked Java for all she had done, and walked to my house. I thought about the painting in Java’s home, and then thought about what Java had said two nights ago.
“He was going to go in search of Herobrine, but Herobrine somehow used his viral powers on Niko and made him into an Enderman. But Niko fought back against the evil Shadow-Crafter. Herobrine then used his Shadow-Crafting abilities and blasted Niko in the chest. It turned his black skin blood red and made him evil . I saw the whole thing…” “ Niko was my… he was my brother.” I was learning lots from Java about Erebus’ history, but I had some more questions. Who was this Herobrine? Why did Niko go in search of Herobrine? Why did Java have paintings on her ceiling? What was this Land of Dreams? The questions bounced around and around in my head, bouncing, bouncing, bouncing.
I realized that I still had time to go and mine, but I was still woozy from the explosion. Then I realized that my armor was still at the site of the explosion. I turned and ran towards the ocean. I was out of breath when I reached the hole where the creeper had blown up. I salvaged my armor and ran towards my house. The sun was sinking into the land, the sky darkening with every move I made. I climbed up into my home and scooted Chloe over to make room on my bed. I laid down and closed my eyes.

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This e-mail was sent from a contact form on Mark Cheverton (https://markcheverton.com)