Carnival of Doom, Book 1: The Angry Ghost



  Carnival of Doom, Book 1: The Angry Ghost

  Copyright 2015 Mark Mulle

  Author’s Note

  This short story is for your reading pleasure. The characters in this "Minecraft Adventure Series" such as Steve, Endermen or Herobrine...etc are based on the Minecraft Game coming from Minecraft ®/TM & © 2009-2013 Mojang / Notch 

  Other books in the Carnival of Doom series

  Book Two: To the Nether Portal

  Book Three: Trapped

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  About the Author

  Other Books from This Author

  Chapter One

  Steve opened his eyes as soon as the first signs of dawn approached. He had been waiting for this day for weeks. Steve flung back his bed sheets and jumped out of bed. There wasn't much to do in this boring village but the carnival that came into town once a year was always his favorite. He had plans to spend the next three days almost completely in the carnival, playing the games and seeing the strange creatures that they always brought with them.

  Steve walked out into the main room of their small house. His dad had left already. Steve could see where he had taken his iron pickaxe to head out to the mine. He could also see his mom in the back of the house, among the wheat fields. He bet his sister, Sarah, was still asleep. She liked to sleep in and normally he didn't mind but today she needed to get up.

  Steve bounded over to her room, sticking his head in. She was on her back, her mouth open, snoring a bit, some drool on her cheek. She looked like a disaster. Steve crept into her room and rocked her gently.

  "Sarah, you have to get up.

  She groaned.

  Steve tried again, "Sarah, the carnival is in town. We have to go see it."

  "Later." She mumbled, rolling over so her back was to him.

  He sighed and leaned close to her ear, "Creeper in the house!"

  "What?!" She screamed, flying up instantly and swinging her arms, as if she could fend off the creeper with her bare hands.

  Steve could only laugh as she realized that there was no creeper and he had just been playing a trick on her. Sarah frowned at him but Steve was too amused to stop.

  "What is wrong with you?" She huffed.

  "The carnival is in town." Steve said, bouncing on the heels of his feet.

  "Geez, are you five? We go every year. It is the same thing every year." Sarah was two years older and thought of herself as the more mature of the two.

  "Come on, Sarah. Don't be like that. You always end up having fun."

  She crossed her arms and stared at him, "Fine. But I don't want to spend all day there-"

  "Great, be ready in ten minutes!" Steve said, bounding out of her bedroom before she could finish.

  Ten minutes later, an overly excited Steve and a tired looking Sarah walked out of their small home at the edge of the village. Their feet crunched in the snow that seemed to fall year round. There was one spot in the Over World with snow and their village was smack in the middle of it. It was cold year round with mountains behind them that changed from snow to being covered in mushrooms. Steve had never been out of the village and only a couple of times he had been in the mountains to see his father work. Sometimes he'd climb up on the roof to try to see the ocean or think of the capital city somewhere out there, which he heard was made out of diamonds. He'd like to see it sometime.

  But Steve pushed all thoughts of the capital city of his head as they made their way to the carnival. It always popped up over night because the crew of people would set it up while everyone was sleeping. They went around the Over World and Steve liked hearing stories of their journeys as much as he liked the games and crazy creatures they brought with them. There was already a small crowd heading into the carnival - Sarah was always the only one who seemed bored by it.

  They paid for their tickets and made their way through the crowd inside the carnival. The rides were in front of them - Steve's favorite was the mine cart one - as well as food off to the left and the creatures to the right.

  "What do you want to see first?" Steve asked Sarah.

  "My bed."

  Steve ignored her, "Let's go see the creatures first. I wonder what the special one will be this year."

  Each year, the carnival brought a new creature as their main event. They were always interesting and different - last year had been an Ender Men - although the year where they claimed they had a baby Ender Dragon that ended up "escaping" shortly before the show had been lame. One year they had a creeper who liked to sing, although Sarah complained that it was just someone behind a curtain making it look as if the creeper was singing.

  As they approached the creature section of the carnival, a woman on stilts was talking loudly about their main event for the year. Steve stopped in front of her.

  "A creature who haunted the world for years past has finally been caught! But he isn't like other men, oh no, he's a ghost!" The woman said in a deep voice to the small crowd that had gathered.

  "Oh, please." Steve heard Sarah mumble next to him.

  "Yes, that is right! A real live ghost! Buy your tickets to see the unveiling of Herobrine! Quickly, before they are sold out! Since you are all here first, we'll give you a special discounted price!"

  Steve turned to Sarah, "A ghost! We have to buy tickets, Sarah."

  "Gosh, Steve, ghosts aren't real." She said, rolling her eyes.

  "Then I'll just go." Steve said, knowing full well that meant Sarah would have to go because their parents wouldn't let Steve go by himself.

  "Fine." Sarah grumbled as they bought their tickets to see Herobrine.

  They spent the rest of the day looking at the creatures that the carnival had brought. There was a magma cube, which Steve had never seen in person, only read about and even a Wither Skeleton, which didn't seem pleased to be there, rattling against the cage.

  "Sorry, but putting a top hat on a spider doesn't make it a different type of spider." Sarah said as they walked past one in its cage.

  Steve ignored her, "But did you see the creepers they brought? Isn't it amazing how they train them not to explode near us?"

  Sarah sighed, "Steve, it’s the same creatures every single year. Aren't you bored of this stuff yet?"

  Steve stopped to look at a zombie pig man, "No. We only see it once a year. That means the rest of the year we see snow and sheep."

  "You wouldn't be so excited to see these creatures in an open field or the Nether."

  Steve looked over at the main stage where Herobrine was going to be shown, "We have to get a good spot. Come on."

  They settled down with a clear view of the stage. They were setting up and Steve felt excited. His first ghost! Sarah was quiet, looking bored as they waited thirty minutes. More and more people came in. Steve couldn't remember the last time it was this crowded. Finally, when it was a packed house, the show began. There was the story of Herobrine - which Sarah poked holes in as she stood next to Steve - concluding with the fact that they now had Herobrine locked in a spirit locked cage that would protect them from Herobrine's wrath. The cage was rolled out with a curtain draped over it. Steve found himself standing on his tip toes to get a better view while Sarah watched without an expression on her face.

  The curtain was pulled away from the cage and Steve gasped.