After another moment of silence, the girl stands up abruptly. "Well, that was fun. It's been a while since I've told a good story. I have stuff to do, though, so if you don't mind..."

"Wait, hold on! You've just told me a story about your life, but I don't even know your name."

"Umm..." she hesitates, "Brittany."

"Brittany..." I taste the name on my tongue. Does the knowledge of her name give me power over her, or will it make me more self-conscious about controlling her?

"And you are...?"

"Colby," I respond quickly.

"Nice to meet you, Colby. Look, I'd love to talk more, but I've got things to do, so if it's alright with you..."

"Wait! I need you to do me a favor." A warmth inside me begins to rise. Fleeting, glowing dots begin to shine through Brittany's eyes. I need to start with something small, something harmless. "I need you to sit down."

"What... why?" Brittany says as she sits down, her eyes squinting with confusion.

So far so good. "Now stand on your knees."

She leans forward and stands on her knees.

"Now stand on one foot."

She stands up and lifts her left shin into her hand. Her facial expression becomes relaxed, as if in deep thought.

"Now jump five times."

She jumps on one foot. Her metal armor clanks loudly from the impact.

I burst out laughing.

The Book projects impatience. "Fristad, that's enough. You have confirmed that you are able to control her, but now you need to prepare yourself for the journey."

Are you kidding? The best part of having power is making stupid decisions, without any consequences. Let me have my laugh!

"Great," I say, "Now sing the Standard Alphabet."

"Eee, Oh, Ah; Iye, Ooo, Uy; Wu, Ur, El; En, Em, Na. Aych, Jay, Fay, Say, Vay. Po, Bo; Ga, Da. Ze, Qway, Kay and lastly Tay," Brittany recites as she stands on one foot.

The fireflies in her eyes swarm about wildly, fading in and out of existence. I wonder if there's a way for me to see them more clearly, so I can understand what they mean. I fixate upon them. The fever grows, and the depth of the swarm expands farther into her irises, like a mysterious mirror dimension. I begin to see vine-like patterns in the growing swarm.

"Now sing it again, this time while hopping on one foot," I command.

Brittney hops on one foot while singing.

Hold on... why am I doing this? And what is with that man's eyes? They're glowing! My heart skips a beat as I avert my gaze. Those weren't my thoughts.

The Book becomes nervous. "Something's wrong. Only a few minutes have passed, and yet she's already starting to question our authority. You need to hide your influence. Ask her why she's acting strangely and tell her you saw a flash of light coming from the furnace. Then, without using magic, ask her for as much supplies as you can, and leave this place for good."

Got it. "Woah, did you see that flash of light coming from the furnace that's right behind you? Also, what in Notch's name are you doing?" I ask.

Brittany puts her foot down, and her eyes widen. The fireflies fade away. "I did! I saw the light reflecting in your eyes. Weird, huh?" She stares down at the furnace behind her. "The fumes from the cursed armor must be making me looney. Maybe I should take a break from smelting for a while."

The Book observes with approval. "Wonderful job."

Thanks. I thought the expletive was a nice touch.

"Sounds like a good idea..." I say to Brittany, about to change the subject. "Look, I don't want to take away from your time, but I really do need supplies if I'm going to make it out of here alive."

"How long did it take you to get in here?" Brittany raises an eyebrow.

"A few days," I lie, hoping it would allow me to get extra supplies.

She leans her head back and emits a boisterous laugh. "What convoluted passage did you take? I know Nether passages that could get you out in a few hours! But I will humor you. What do you want?"

"Some food, some water, an iron sword, and some armor."

"Food and water I can give you, although I'm afraid I don't have much iron to spare. I'll tell you what: help me craft and run the furnaces for the next few days, and I'll make you a sword and some passable armor. Deal?"

"Deal," I reply.

Brittany holds out her arm, and we shake hands.

-

I stretch my sore knees onto Brittany's spare blankets, sweaty and exhausted from the day's work. Most of the exertion came from bending over and kindling furnaces, but a surprising amount came from crafting. As I've recently learned, crafting recipes do actually have a small energy cost associated with them, but it's only noticeable if you craft a lot of things at once. Crafting all those tools and buckets made my wrists feel numb.

The roaring furnace fires have reduced to a subtle glow. Brittany lays within her sleeping bag, inspecting a glowing redstone gem in her hand, as wide as the bridge of her thumb is thick. Her bow, quiver, and sword lay behind her. To her side lie two deep wooden bowls stacked together, emptied of mushroom soup. I could barely empty one.

"Brittany, do you mind if I ask you one last question?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Why aren't there any monsters down here, even though it's so dark?"

"What are you talking about? Of course there are monsters down here. I'm surprised you haven't seen any."

"Oh..." I reply.

I hold my breath for a moment and listen for the sound of footsteps, but I don't hear any. If there really are monsters out there, that would mean that the only thing separating them from our bedsides is that thin wooden pallet at the end of the room.

"Do you mind if I ask you one last question?" Brittany adds.

"Fine with me."

"Is there something bothering you?"

"What do you mean?"

Brittany presses her elbow against the ground and rests her head on her hand. "There's something in your eyes. Somehow, when I look at them, they make me feel nervous."

"I wouldn't say I feel nervous, if that's what you mean."

I turn over onto my side and pull the blankets over me. Sleeping on this hard stone floor isn't so comfortable, but it's better than standing.

"Good night," I yawn.

"Good night, Colby."

If I wasn't so tired, I would have asked Brittany a lot more questions.

I close my eyes and feel the tiredness of my limbs drag my mind into dark clouds. Even the hard ground cannot stave off my sleep. I begin to feel my senses fading, but one stray question jolts my mind awake.

What did Brittany see in my eyes?