Minecraft: The Lost Journals: An Official Minecraft Novel

Part One\nChapter 1\nMight as Well Raise Mooshrooms\nOrange and red heads bobbed up and down in the local cove, bleating as they surfaced and gurgling when they sank. Alison shook her head. The sheep had gotten loose and gone straight for the water. Again.\nShe crossed her arms and watched their fuzzy square heads appearing and disappearing in the water, showing no sign that they were considering coming to dry land anytime soon. What was with these sheep? They wanted to be in the water more than any sheep she’d ever known. Her parents had bred the animals for their coloring, but as far as she knew, they hadn’t tried to crossbreed with squid.\nSpeaking of squid: from the dark smudges in the water, the sheep had attracted some friends.\nThe sun hung high in the sky, so Alison had time to wade in and get them, but she hated swimming after the little monsters. Wet wool was the worst smell.\n“Fantastic,” she muttered, pushing her sleeves up. She pulled some wheat from her pack and walked to the edge of the cove.\n“What’s up?” came a voice over her shoulder.\nShe jumped and whirled. Her best friend stood behind her, head cocked. “Max!” she shouted. “Don’t do that. I thought you were a creeper!”\nHe shrugged. “Was I hissing? I just wanted to know what you were up to.” He leaned to look around her. “Oh . . . sheep swimming again?”\nShe was torn between pointing out the stupidly obvious and telling him to get away from the water. She decided on both. “Apple and Lil’ Prince got out again. I’m getting them back”—Max opened his mouth, but she continued, hurriedly—“alone, Max. Your mom will kill you if you go near the water again. And then she’ll kill me twice.”\nHe looked around with exaggerated focus, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. “Hm. I don’t see her anywhere. And I’m already near the water.” He edged closer and dipped his toes in, eyes squeezed shut. Then he opened them. “Did I die?”\n“Not yet,” Alison said through gritted teeth. “Just let me get them out of there. If you want to help, go check their pen or something. Figure out why they got out again.”\nMax took another step into the water, watching the animals splash around. Alison had to admit, the sheep did look like they were having the time of their lives in the cove. A squid had definitely joined them, its tentacles waving in and out of the water alongside the sheep’s brightly colored heads.\n“You know they like me better than you,” he said. “You need my help.”\n“That makes no difference, they’ll come if I’ve got food,” Alison said, exasperated. “And no, they don’t like you better.”\nBut they did. It really annoyed her that the red and orange line of her family’s flock liked her best friend and ignored her. Today was no different; they must’ve thought Max was coming to play with them, because the moment he was up to his knees in the water they bleated happily and began to swim toward him.\nHe hadn’t even tried to get their attention with wheat.\n“Max!” came a loud shout, and Alison winced. She didn’t turn around. She knew that sound very well; Max’s mom made it all the time. “Get out of the water right now!”\nShe brushed by Alison without a word and ran into the water. Apple and Lil’ Prince bleated in panic and turned to escape, eager to get away from the rampaging, splashing monster that bore down on Max. The squid dove into the deep.\nMax’s mom paid no attention. Max had barely begun to protest when his mom grabbed him around the middle and muscled him back toward the beach.\nMax struggled. “Mom, it’s okay, I’m not drowning, I wasn’t going any deeper!” he shouted. “Alison needed help with the sheep!”\n“I will not risk losing you again!” his mom said, tears already forming in her furious eyes. She dumped him on the sand and put her hands on her hips.\n“You won’t lose me!” Max said, but his last words were cut off with a grunt when his mom bent over suddenly and grabbed him again, wrapping him in a tight hug.\n“Did you forget I almost lost you already?” she repe