Chapter 4

Chapter 4 SMOOTH SAILING! THE MOO* PART WILL MAKE SENSE EVENTUALLY. As morning dawned in Minecraft, Harper and her friends built their first boats. It was Ash's great idea to use old wood planks from the shipwreck. That way, they wouldn't have to use up any of the wood from their inventories. It also felt poetic to make small boats out of the large one. The ship was landlocked, but pieces of it would be sailing the ocean once more. The crafting formula was quite simple. In a matter of moments, five small rowboats bobbed in the water.

"I wish we could all share a boat," Morgan said. "Boats here can only hold a single person," Ash said. "But we'll travel together. Everyone will stay close." "ARR, DAYLIGHT'S WASTING," Po said. He was dressed as a pirate, complete with captain's hat and a black beard. He hopped into his birchwood boat. "Shove off!" "Shove off?" echoed Jodi. "IT'S SAILOR TALK," Harper said. "It means 'Let's go, already.'" "Oh." Jodi giggled and climbed into her own

boat. "In that case: Aye, aye!" ASH WAS NERVOUS AT FIRST. She had been on boats in real life, and the rocking motion had made her seasick. That wasn't a problem here, though. The sea was calm and quiet, like a great glistening blue carpet. They talked about school, and Po's basketball team, and how excited Harper was for Doc's coral assignment. Before they knew it, the sun was setting. "There's nowhere to put down a bed out here," Morgan said. "BUT THERE AREN'T ANY MOBS TO WORRY ABOUT, EITHER," Ash pointed out. "We may as well keep going." So they traveled through the night, gliding onward by the light of the moon. When daylight had come again, Morgan checked the map. "WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO," he said. Ash felt a desire to be useful. "We may as well do some fishing," she suggested. "Who has the fishing rod?"

"That'd be me, matey," said Po. He steered over to her and placed the rod in her boat. Harper had enchanted it, so it was quite easy to use. Along with bread and apples, cooked fish had quickly become their main source of food. Raw fish wasn't as filling, but it was better than nothing. And Ash wanted to be sure they had plenty to eat. She was a Wildling Scout. That meant she liked to be prepared for anything. They settled into a comfortable silence, and the

sun moved steadily across the sky. The days were short here, and the nights were even shorter. They kept going. On the fourth day, Po cried, "LAND HO!" Ash turned her head to look where Po was pointing. He was right—land! "Is that where we're headed, Morgan?" she asked. Morgan was already consulting their map. "No," he said. "We still have a distance to go. But I can see that landmass on the map. It's a small island." He shrugged. "We may as well check it out. I'd like to set up our beds and reset our spawn point."

"We should probably disconnect soon, anyway," Harper added. "THIS IS THE LONGEST WE'VE BEEN IN THE GAME WITHOUT TAKING A BREAK." "Harper's excited to get to her homework," Jodi teased. "That's not true!" Harper said. "Although tonight's long-division worksheet does look deliciously challenging…." "ARR!" Po cried. "ANY MORE TALK OF HOMEWORK AND I'LL HAVE YE SWABBIN' THE DECK." They made landfall just as the sun set. The ground was a strange shade of gray, and huge mushrooms towered above them. "What is this place?" asked Jodi. "IT'S A MUSHROOM ISLAND!" Po said. Ash