Minecraft: The Birth of Steve

My head hurts.

I open my eyes, but all I see is red. I prop myself up and blink a few time. The light hurts. I'm in some sort of swamp.

I stand up, but then slip back down. There are some vines next to me, so I use them to pull myself out.

All I can remember is that my name is Steve. I—I don't know anymore. Just Steve. I walk a little, trying to examine my environment. On the horizon I see a tall temple in a desert. I start to walk towards it, faster with each step.

I can hear crickets and cicadas in the distance. I look up, and see that the sun is setting. Then I hear something. A hissing. A dangerous sounding hiss. I look behind me, and see this green, four legged thing coming at me.

I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't resist. I walk towards it. Then something weird happens. The creature begins to expand and hiss louder. And then, right when I think it can't expand anymore, it explodes, knocking me off my feet and into the mud behind me.

I get up again, not wasting anytime and start sprinting toward the temple. I hear something again; not the same sound, but I don't stop to look. That's when it hits me. I mean legitimately hits me. So, of course I have to turn around. This time it's a skeleton, and this time I fight back.

I throw my fist up and whack the skeleton in the midsection. The bones make a disgusting cracking sound, but I hit it again anyway. Then I get a stabbing pain in my abdomen. I look down and see an arrow stuck in my side.

I pull the arrow out and cry out in pain. I use the arrow to whack the living crap out of the skeleton. At last, it collapses into a pile of bones, arrows and a bow.

I pick up the bow and arrows. I test the bow on a nearby sheep to see if it works. Sure enough, I got the sheep right through the middle.

I can see the temple getting closer, so I continue sprinting to it. When I arrive at it, it must be at least midnight. I walk around it, and come across a river. Far down the water I can see some docks and a few small buildings. The light in the desert is bright enough that I can see, so I set off for the town.

I stay close to the river. I don't know if any more of those creatures would come around, or even more types of them, and I hope that if they do, they won't like the water.

The walk takes forever. It is dawn by the time I get to the docks. I pull myself out of the water. There are a good dozen buildings around, including two homes on the water. I go up to both of them, but no one is there. I walk farther into the town, passing a well, a library and a blacksmith.

The next house I stop at is a medium sized one. It's not the biggest, but definitely not one of the smallest. There is a sign next to the door that reads: "Herobrine." I knock on the door once. No answer. I knock again. No answer. I try the handle. It's unlocked, so I open it. The house is full of furniture, but no person. I leave the house and close the door behind me.

I turn the corner and see a market. I peek into the window, but the shop is empty, except for a few chests. On my other side is a small patch of farm land with the sign: "Notch Farms." Across the street from that is another house. This one has a sign that says: "Notch."

I knock on the door. Someone mumbles inside. I knock again. "What? Who is it?" shouts a voice from inside.

"Can you help me? I'm lost." I reply. The door starts to open. In the doorway is a bald man with a long black beard.

"Who are you?" He asks.

"Steve. I'm guessing your name is Notch?"

"Yes. Can I help you?"

"I'm lost."

"Where are you from?"

"I don't know," I say, "I can't remember."

He examines me. "You look like you need some rest and food… there should be some stuff in my brother's house. He's been missing a week. You can live in his house for now."

He leads me out and down the street. We stop at the Herobrine house. Notch opens the door and leads me in. He opens the first chest and examines it.

"Yep, there's some steak and some bread in there. Stay here as long as you like. Just don't break anything. Please." I nod and he leaves.

"Notch." I say.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Notch." I say again.

"What?"

"I'll help you find your brother. I promise."

A tear come to his eye. "Thanks. Your name is on the sign. It's all yours." He closes the door and I watch him walk back to his house. Out of the corner of my eye I catch something in Notch's house. Just a quick glimpse of a face with bright white eyes. I blink. The face is gone.

I turn around and look at the bed. My eyelids are very heavy. I take of my shirt and pull back the covers. I lay down on the bed, and then through the double door out to a deck, I see the face again, except this time it's a whole body on the edge of the fog. I shake my head and put my head down. I fall asleep within seconds.