Steve broke a block of coal ore with his pickaxe, only for another piece to be revealed behind it. He grumbled in irritation and started mining it as well. These coal veins seemed to stretch forever.
"Oh, hey Steve! There you are!" His sentinel friends walked down the tunnel he made from digging out this coal vein.
"Hi, Clara. How are you?" Steve asked, pausing his work to talk to her.
"I'm good. How's the kid? I heard he went home with you. Has he woken up yet?" she asked.
Oh no. Steve hesitated as he debated how honest he was going to be about this. "He's okay. He woke up last night after I got home."
"I'm glad he's okay. Jackson and I were really worried about him." Clara said. "Did he tell you his name? Do you know anything about him that we can use to find out where he came from?"
Oh, Steve knew his name alright. "No, I don't know his name. He just woke up, ate something, and went back to sleep. I left too early to ask him any questions." Steve felt bad blatantly lying to his friend, but he wasn't sure she would believe him if he told the truth.
"Oh, okay. I really hope we can find his home. I can't imagine how scared he is."
"Yeah," Steve said halfheartedly.
"You know, if you need anything, Jackson and I live just down the street from you. We would be more than happy to help you in any way."
Steve managed to smile. "Thank you, Clara. It means a lot."
She smiled back. "Of course."
Steve didn't plan on using this kind offer. He was going to hand Herobrine off to the first warrior group that would take him and tell everyone that he found the kid's family. That would be the end of the whole situation.
...
After work, Steve was tired, hungry, and covered in coal dust, but he had something he had to do. Tomorrow, he needed to run some errands with Herobrine so he could get some fitting clothes for him, and he couldn't be here while Steve did this.
In the center of town, by the well, a wandering trader fed his llamas. Most people ignored him, since most of the trades he had were complete rip-offs. But traders were useful for something else, since they traveled the world.
As soon as Steve and the trader locked eyes, the trader walked up to him with a friendly smile. "Hello, sir! May I interest you in this acacia sapling for five emeralds? Or this tropical fish for three?" The trader held out a bucket where a blue and white fish swum around in the murky water.
"Um, no," Steve said. "I was hoping you could help me with something else." Steve gave the trader a folded piece of paper. The trader unfolded and read it. The paper said, in large words, "FOUND: HEROBRINE." The finer print at the bottom read, "Herobrine has been captured in Coalmine by Steve Stonewall. He will be handed over to the highest bidder."
The trader's eyes widened, and he glanced up at Steve. Steve wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Just get this to people that would be interested," Steve said. He turned and walked away without another word.
The trader skimmed through the paper one more time before folding it back up and putting it in his pocket. He knew exactly who would want to hear about this...
...
Herobrine had managed to dig up some crayons and a few sheets of paper, and now doodled on the kitchen table. Crackle played with one of the crayons. The door swung open, and Steve walked in. He was covered in dirt and coal dust, and he looked absolutely exhausted. He put his pickaxe in the chest with the other tools and flopped on his bed. "Errrrgh..." he groaned.
"Hi, Mister Steve!" Herobrine said with a smile. "How was your day?"
Instead of answering, Steve just scowled at Herobrine and stood back up. That is when he noticed Crackle.
"Herobrine, why is there a CREEPER on my table!?" he demanded.
Herobrine just picked her up to present to Steve. "Her name is Crackle! Isn't she cute?"
Steve gave him a horrified look. "No! Herobrine, that is a creeper. It is not a pet! Creepers try to kill me every single day, I will NOT live with one!"
Herobrine's face fell. "B-but..."
"No buts. Put that thing outside with the other monsters before it blows a hole in my house!"
"...okay." Herobrine looked down at Crackle, and she purred sadly in his hands. Reluctantly, Herobrine walked over to the front door and set her outside. She looked up at him with the saddest expression and lifted one of her little legs as if to say, "don't leave me out here!"
"Close the door," Steve ordered.
Herobrine blinked back tears and shut the door.
"Thank you. Now can you please clean off the table while I make dinner?"
Herobrine nodded and started cleaning up the paper and crayons, while Steve pulled two chicken breasts out of his food chest and put them in the furnace. He lit the charcoal within, then heard sniffles behind him. He turned around and saw Herobrine holding back tears. His face was bright red and he blinked frequently to stop any tears from falling.
"What? What are you crying about?" Steve demanded. All that seemed to do was crumble Herobrine a little more, since tears were now falling faster than he could blink them away. A small whimper escaped him. Steve tried again, less harshly. "What's wrong, Herobrine?"
"Crackle is j-just a b-b-baby that d-doesn't deserve t-to be out th-there all alone in the dark with the m-m-monsters and cats!" Herobrine exclaimed, breaking down into full sobbing. "Sh-She was almost e-eaten by a c-c-cat earlier b-but I saved her but now I c-can't save her if something c-comes for her! She never woulda hurt me or you! I swear!" He wiped the salty streaks off his cheeks, but they were just as quickly replaced. He hugged his arms to his body and cried.
Guilt slowly rose in Steve. He didn't mean to make Herobrine cry, but he also wasn't going to let a creeper live in his house. It was enough having a murderer-turned-child.
"Herobrine," Steve said in a soft voice, so he wouldn't make the situation worse, "I know you want to keep that creeper as a pet, but it is a monster. It belongs outside with the other monsters. It's probably with its creeper family right now. Okay?"
Herobrine wiped his tears away and sniffled loudly. "O-okay," he said quietly.
Steve checked on the chicken in the furnace and found it perfectly done. He pulled it out and set the two pieces on two plates. He handed one of them to Herobrine and said, "here you go. This should be soft enough for you to cut up yourself with a fork."
Herobrine nodded, took the plate, and sat down at the table to eat. He stared blankly down at his food, clearly thinking about the creeper. Steve was moments away from suggesting getting another pet to replace the creeper, like a dog or something, but Steve stopped himself. Herobrine wasn't going to stay with him permanently, and Steve didn't want to be stuck with a dog he didn't want when the hunters took Herobrine away. Besides, why was Steve feeling bad for Herobrine? He shouldn't have gotten attached to a tiny block of TNT.
أنت تقرأ
Second Chances
قصص الهواةFor years, Steve has lived alone. But when he finds a child in the caves with glowing white eyes, his life is turned upside down. While he cares for the child despite of his traumatic past, he learns that monsters aren't born, they're made. ... Cros...
