Chapter 11

Caution: Evil Dog On The Loose

I wake up as I'm slammed against the wall. My first thought is that Marco found me and is slamming me against the wall for punishment for escaping. But it's not. No one's there. I look around and then I'm slammed into the wall again. At first I panic. Is this some invisible creature on this world that doesn't exist in Minecraft? I've seen enough stuff on this world to believe it. But then I realize what's slamming me into the wall.

The wind.

(I can't believe it! I'm so pathetically small in this world that even the wind picks me up! How sick would that be?)

I struggle to get up, but I'm thrown at the wall again. And then a horrible thought hits me.

Is this going to go on forever? Or at least the wind stops?

I fall to the ground, gasping for breath.

I scream as a newspaper flies out of nowhere and slams into me.

I'm thrown onto the sidewalk.

I have time to think 'Uh oh.' before I'm picked up by the wind and flung across the sidewalk.

I'm tumbling through the air, occasionally hitting people and hitting tree limbs, in which case I'd yell "Ow!" over and over again.

And then I'm flung onto the road.

I splat into a car's windsheild and I hear the muffled screams of an unsuspecting driver. "Heeeelp meeee!" I scream as I am pulled off the windshield by another gust of wind and into the air.

I am soaring through the air like a leaf, spinning out of control.

I see the sky and the sidewalk and then the sky and then the black trunk of a car. I desperately scratch wildly at the trunk, but I have no hope.

I am blasted away again, screaming like an enderman in the sea.

"Goodbye, life! Hello, death!" I scream as I soar towards the tire of a truck.

Luckily, I soar out of the way just before I am about to be squashed.

Unluckily, I soar straight into a sign saying 'Family Foods'.

I see a blur of green, yellow, and white, and then everything goes black.

I'm dreaming again. But my dream is disturbingly realistic. I see Caleb pacing around, his face scrunched up with worry.

I note with horror Caleb's new black eye.

"He wasn't at Marco's house?" asked a small figure.

I realize with a jolt of homesickness that he is Jesse. He looks depressed.

"No. He wasn't. I tried to ask where he was, but he growled at me and said not to play dumb. That I stole Steve from his backpack."

HEEEY! I wanted to scream. I'M OVER HEEEERE! STEVE THE MINECRAFTERRRR!

But of course he wouldn't hear me. And this was all a dream anyways.

Right?

"Did he..." Jesse gestured to Caleb's black eye.

"Yeah, he did that." Caleb said with a sigh. "I guess he was in a pretty bad mood."

"Wish we had more time. If only we had just had more time. If only Marco lived in the Empire State Building. If only he was at the 103rd floor when he saw us."

"There are only one hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building."

"Where'd you learn that?" Caleb said, surprised by the random fact.

"Google." Jesse replied.

"You went on my computer?"

"I was depressed, ok?!"

"I wish Steve were here."

"I wish Steve were here to see me wreck you at Mario Kart."

"Will you shut up on that?! Can you blame me if I have tiny fingers!?"

Caleb cracked a grin. "Nope. Though I can blame you for stealing my corn dog and eating it."

Jesse's mouth fell open. "I thought you didn't know about that!"

"You actually thought I didn't notice you drag the my corn dog off the table? What do you take me for, a dirt block?" I smiled. Jesse always managed to get into trouble.

"I wonder where Steve is."

"Me too."

"Auughh!" I jump up, looking left and right.

Everything is blurry, my entire body feels like I've been dunked into lava, and I'm somewhere I don't remember being.

Oh, and I'm lying in a pile of giant apples.

Do you know how much trouble I was in then?

If not, imagine this.

You're just cruising along, minding your business when a gust of wind picks you up, slams you into the pavement a kajillion times, and slams you into a sign saying 'Family Foods'. Then you have a weird dream that you don't know if it is real and actually happening or just your fears about what is happening to your friends. And then, you wake up to find yourself in a basket of giant apples.

See how much trouble I'm in now?

Some very startled shoppers are staring at me as I crawl out of the apples and fall to the floor. I then run through a ton of boots and high-heels and sandals to get to the exit.

But just my luck; the doors can only be pushed open, and I obviously won't be able to push that gigantic door open by myself.

I look around impatiently and then spot a woman setting her bag down on the ground. An idea flows into my head like water from a bucket.

I run as fast as I can to the bag.

Come on, come on!

I leap into the bag just as the woman picks it up.

Yes! Victory is mine!

I'm carried out of the store and I am thrown into a car. I nearly get crushed by a can of mangoes, but it's worth it. I get out of the bag carefully so she does not see me, and I look out the window. We're on a familiar street...but I can't remember where I've seen it.

I turn around and come face to face with an ugly bulldog.

The thing is, I remember this bulldog.

Daisy.

I scream so loud I'm surprised Marco's mom doesn't hear.

The dog barks at me and swipes at me.

I dive out of the way, and Daisy's claws sink into a bottle of Coke.

I'm running around, shrieking my head off as Daisy chases me around the car.

"Daisy! What's the matter with you!?" Marco's mom yells.

The car stops suddenly, and the jolt throws me to the ground. I get to my feet right before Daisy grabs me.

"Noo!" I yell, struggling. Daisy growls, and I'm viewed with a magnificent view of her maw as she opens her mouth wide.

Suddenly I'm dropped, and for a moment I cant move. I sit up and see Daisy pulled out of the car by Marco's mom.

"Ha! Take that, loser!" I call.

Suddenly I realize that I am somewhere I never hoped to go to again.

Marco's front yard.

Talk about cruel coincidence.

But, then, if I'm in Marco's backyard...

That means I'm close to the school!

Awesome!

I hurriedly climbed out of the car, using every single bit of my strength.

I land on the sidewalk with a smack, and for a moment I'm winded. I get up, rubbing my stomach.

I see some kid get into a car.

Then I do the most craziest thing in my entire life.

I climb onto the trunk of the car just as it starts to move.

Caleb, here I come!

I'm drived all the way to Caleb's school. While the kid's not paying attention, I leap into his backpack.

It's very uncomfortable, but I'm filled with glee at the thought of meeting Caleb again.

Then we can laugh and laugh and laugh...and then maybe we can draw Marco's face on some paper and shoot arrows at it.

I don't see Marco giving the boy's backpack an evil look.

When the boy finally gets inside, I burst out of his backpack and search for Caleb.

He has to be in his class...right? I pass by the bathroom...and hear footsteps behind me.

I turn around and see the face of my nightmares: Marco.

He howls in anger and dives at me.

I yelp and leap out of the way just before Marco slams into the ground where I was standing just a second ago.

No! I think. I'm so, so close and Marco won't let me escape!

Unless I keep him distracted...

I scramble into Mr. Clark's Grade 2 class, and Marco, without thinking, bursts into the classroom looking murderous.

Big mistake on his part.

I bolt out the door as Marco tries to explain why he burst into the Grade 2 class looking like a serial killer.

Marco is pretty dumb for a Grade 5-er.

But then again, he failed Grade 4 like ten times.

I run really fast, as fast as I can.

But then a group of Grade 5-ers walk out of Caleb's classroom.

The good news is, now I can find Caleb more easily.

The bad news is, I have to find Caleb while avoiding getting crushed.

I dance around, dodging cowboy boots and sneakers. But then I dodge some familiar looking runners.

Caleb's runners, in fact.

I howl, "Caaaaleeeeeb!"

Caleb looks down and freezes, his face filled with first frustration, then shock, and finally joy.

"Steve!" he howls.

He picks me up and goes to hug me but then remembers I'm as small as a Lego person.

"Steve, how-how did you get here?" Caleb says.

I'm about to reply when someone bursts out of Mr. Clark's room.

Marco. And he's steaming mad.