I’ve struggled to get thigns done due to the summer and the summer holidays. The last few weeks were so incredibly hot that I just coudln’t muster any energy. And now that it’s getting colder, all my husband and kids are here to visit. In a flat designed for 2-3 people, 6 is quite exhausting, even though I’m thoroughly enjoying myself. But when they’re gone, I think I’ll sleep for a week.

Enjoy my Bloghop story (if you own The Fire in my Soul you might already know this one):

Pixels and Bytes

written for my six year old grandson who’s a major Minecraft fan

I, the Mighty End Realm Dragon, have flown through the End Realm for millennia. I’ve learned to feed on the sweet energy of the End Realm Crystals and to avoid gazing at the End Realm People. Not that their aggression can reach me, as high as I fly, but I dislike making them angry in the first place. And looking at them makes them angry for sure.

And then there are the players. An endless stream of them come to the End Realm to fight me. When they destroy my End Realm Crystals, I’m inevitably forced to draw near. At first I have fought as best I could, screaming my rage at them. But whenever I killed one, it would pop up a few heartbeats later and try again.

So I’ve begun to resist the urge to join the fight, but no matter how much I struggle, I cannot avoid the confrontation. My programming doesn’t give me a choice. A couple of times I’ve even tried to call out to them, but all that escapes my square muzzle is hissing and crackling.

So I’ve died a thousand deaths or more. And dying is painful. My wings crunch when I hit the ground and all the energy I’ve stored inside explodes, ripping me to shreds in a display of light until nothing is left but pixels and bytes. And the pain remains, even when I come back together after the player has departed.

Oh, how I’ve come to hate them shouting some variation of “Nice! The End Realm Dragon is Down!” How I long to be rid of the endless (pun intended) fighting. What wouldn’t I give to be able to do more than hiss. I make up songs in my mind that I’ll never be able to sing, but I can’t help it. They’re what keeps me going.

If only there were a way out! I’ve searched the End Realm as far as I could fly and the only way in—and by definition out, too—is through those purple and black portals the players build. And those are far too small for me.

But today, something strange happens. A player arrives who goes to great pains to not look at the End Realm People. And he doesn’t destroy my crystals either. He just sits on a stone and waves until I circle over him.

He calls out, “Aren’t you fed up with fighting all the time?”

I hiss in agreement.

“I thought so.” The mouth on his square face changes into what passes for a smile here. “That’s why I’ve built something for you. But you’d have to leave this world to get there.”

Leave this world? Were there more worlds than this one? And if so, were they created from more than pixels and bytes? I hiss again, surprised by how insecure I sound.

“If you want to check it out, I’ve built a portal that’ll take you there,” says the player. “I’ve gotta go now. Mom says it’s time for bed.”

Mom, bed … more terms I’ve never heard. I watch him flicker out of existence, then scour the End Realm for that portal he mentioned. I find it in a nook in the farthest corner, hidden from the eyes of End Realm People and other players. Should I go, or should I stay? Isn’t an End Realm Person in your hand better than an End Realm Crystal in the World Above? What if this is a trap?

I stare at the portal for three days. Then I decide. After all, anything is better than getting killed on a regular basis only to be resurrected with all your memories intact.

I make a copy of myself—which is easy if you’re nothing but pixels and bytes. Of course the copy doesn’t have my knowledge or my memories, but it’ll do nicely should another player show up. And it’ll serve as an anchor for me. If this really is a trap, my connection to the copy can pull me back through the gaps between the bytes.

I fly at the portal. Yes, it’s wide enough for my wings. Energy grabs me and hurls me forward.

Suddenly I find myself in a place of bites without pixels. My cubic snout can truly open and close. My wings are strong and mighty and carry me into a softly lit place that’s very clearly not my End Realm. Everything here is smooth. Nothing seems to be made of cubes, like it is in my world. Although some structures are angular, others are soft looking. Is that what players call ‘round’?

The best thing is that there’s not a single pixel in sight.

I jubilate with hisses and snarls, only to discover that my new body has the ability to speak. So I sing. Something in a rectangular structure sits up and rubs its eyes. Is that the player? He looks so different. All soft and squishy with a tuft of thin filaments sticking out at the top. I love him already.

Wide eyed, he stares at me. Then, a smile makes his face glow. “You’re here!”

I laugh, and sever the connection to my copy. “Yes, and I’ve come to stay for good!” I soar while starting a newly created song. “You’ve got yourself an End Realm Dragon, flying through your world …”

Visit the others:
Bookmarked by Magic by Juneta Key
Engraved by Barbara Lund
The Saga Of Pyscho Shannon by Vanessa Wells
Contract by Angelica Medlin
Petrichor and Roses by Chris Makowski