Chapter 8 : The Approaching Storm

The morning felt heavy and still, not as fresh as other days. A worried feeling hung in the air as the family ate breakfast. The sky, usually light blue, was now a dull grey, and a quiet rumble sound came from far away, like a storm might be coming. People talked quietly about it.

Everyone started getting ready quickly. Things that could blow away were tied down, the animals were brought closer to where they slept, and everyone moved faster than usual. Neil thought about all the things he had in his mind-inventory. He asked his grandmother if he could go outside for a little bit. "Not far, Ba-ma," he asked gently, "just to get a little more wood before the storm comes."

His grandmother looked worried, her eyebrows pulled together, but she said yes. "Okay, little one, but stay where you can see the village. And come back fast."

Neil ran to some oak trees nearby. He used his mind to quickly "mine" fifty more oak wood blocks. These went into his mind-inventory with the four he already had, making fifty-four in total. It happened fast, the wood turning into block shapes in his mind. This was strange compared to the worried feeling about the storm. He got back to the village just as the last of the workers were coming back from the fields, their faces looking serious.

Dinner was quiet, with the rumbling sound of the storm getting closer. The only thing people talked about was the storm. When it got dark, they decided everyone should sleep in his grandparents' strong room for the night, to be safe from the bad weather.

Later in the night, Neil woke up to the loud noise of the storm. Rain hit the small window hard, and the wind made a loud, crying sound. Then, there was a scary cracking sound in the house, and then cold, wet air rushed in. Part of the roof of the main house had broken. The family was scared.

Right away, Neil thought fast. He looked at his mind-inventory. The fifty-four oak wood blocks were easy to see. He felt strong and decided to do something. He used his mind to turn all the wood into wood plank, two hundred and sixteen of them. These wood plank filled three new slots in his mind-inventory where he kept wood. The slot where the oak blocks were was now empty.

He used his mind to start "placing" these wood plank. He put them against the inside walls of his grandparents' room, making them stronger. Then, he use the wodden plank to made a strong roof right under the broken part of the main house's roof. With this second roof they will be to keep themself safe.

The storm kept blowing hard, hitting their shelter, but the grandparents' room, now stronger with the extra walls and roof, stayed safe. Neil was still a little worried about how strong the storm was, but he felt a little better that they were safe inside.

After doing all that ,he is now thinking about how he should face his family but,

What he did didn't go unnoticed. In the dim light of a shaking lamp, his grandmother reached out and touched his arm gently. Her eyes looked full of wonder. "Neil... it's like the Awakening," she whispered, her voice shaking a little. "A gift from the Will of Lumin."

The other people in the room agreed quietly. They were starting to feel less scared and more amazed. They didn't know about Minecraft, but they thought his sudden power was a special gift to keep them safe.

The storm kept going all night, but inside the stronger room, the family stayed safe. When morning finally came, the rain and wind started to calm down. Outside, the village looked like it had been hit hard. The main house was badly broken, with big parts gone. Trees near the village were knocked over, and things were blown everywhere. The storm had done a lot of damage. But the grandparents' room, made stronger by Neil's quick thinking, was still standing in the middle of it all, a small safe place. The family came out into the morning light, shaken but alive, and they looked at the young boy with a mix of amazement and a new understanding of his strange power.