Monster: A Minecraft Story

       The lonely enderman made his way down the road, down the hills, away from the water and the hate. Out-casted, despised, feared, he traveled on alone and alone.
He could not stop the thoughts that poured into his misshapen head-- thoughts of his wrongdoings and the hatred they felt for him. They, they, the other endermen. They hated him for what he did, they out-casted him for his crimes.

="Befriend a human?"
"Love a human?"
"Are you so daft, so silly, so misinformed?"=

And what could he do but sit and accept the accusations?

="We do not do such silly things!"
"Compromised the mission."
"The mission."=

       And what was this mission now? What drove them so fervently to destroy the natural world and reform it in silly ways? Why was he so compelled to build when it gave him no satisfaction, no affection? Why could he not love? Why was this so wrong?
But he could not deny the charges.

       His cold, black heart warmed with every thought of the human he adored so perfectly. Endermen had no gender, but this love was not sexual. It didn't need to be, he cared for this human, and he never even caught its name. Could humans be 'its'? Were they 'hes' or 'hers'? Could they be? And what of 'us', could it one day be 'us'; he and a human, together in perfect adoration and love?

       But any human he came across, any creeper or skeleton or even other endermen, they ignored him altogether. They pretended as if his tall, imposing presence did not exist. Oh how he wished he could shout to them, "Love me, love me! I only want to be cared for. I only want to share this affection!" But they shied away from his purple gaze. They ignored him. And he was alone.

And still their voices marched about in his head, screaming about the wrong he did by loving.

="We build, only build, you silly stupid thing!"
"We have no time for love. The sun rises fast."
"Endermen do not love. Endermen kill. Endermen kill."=

       But he did not kill. He never killed. Killing spilled needless blood, staining the perfectly green grass red with its stickiness, and bodies would stink for days. He could smell them even now, their rotting carcasses sending painful lurches into his stomach.

       Oh but he couldn't lie, the bloodlust was there, of course. It was small, but ever-present around anything that stared at him for too long. But he would simply not give in, never give in, for he loved this world too much to do it harm.

       The others killed, though, and they violently murdered that human he loved so much. Endermen could not cry, but the pearl he always had on his person would glisten with his unshed tears. Oh why, why did they have to kill it? It did nothing to them! He loved it! He loved it!

       "Please leave it alone!" he begged. The taller endermen laughed at his love and tortured him with its screams. He could do nothing, surrounded by water and unable to move without the prospect of death. And he was forced to watch as they dug out its eyesockets, prizing them as trophies. The body laid there unmoving, unmoving, and they abandoned him there alone to mourn his loss. It was only through sheer luck that a creeper passed by and blew up the earth, sending chunks closer to him. He crawled off his little island and traveled to it, the poor dead thing. And though he could not cry, he sobbed in silence. It didn't hurt anyone. Its only crime was that it accepted an enderman. It accepted and loved him, and it died for his sins.

       Inland he traveled, sorrow lacing the smoke that escaped the pores of his skin. He dug himself a hovel during the day and walked the world during the blackest of nights, wishing for companionship.

="Love a human?"
"Love a human?"
"You disgusting, dirty thing! You loved a human!!"=

       These voices tormented him as he walked. They were incessant in their mocking, unending in their torturous laughs. And this lasted for an innumerable amount of days until that one night when the sun went down and he happened across the most beautiful sight he could have ever witnessed.
A home, a well lit home. A home made of stone and burning red blocks. A home that was built by a human, a home that was built by a human!

"What makes you think a human would love you back?"
The cold voice cut into him like a vice.
"They know what you've done to that poor human thing. They saw your part in the murder of it. You could have done something..."
He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing-"
"You dirty liar! Love is sacrifice! You'd have sacrificed yourself for your love, else it wouldn't be love. What human wants love from a being that is incapable of being selfless?"
"I am selfless, I am!"
"You had your part in that murder. It knows, it knows, and it will persecute you for your crimes. It will kill you immediately, not even sparing a second thought! Not even a moment! Not an inch!"
"No! No, I-I know you lie-"
"Do I? Do I? Are you so worthy of love if you cannot love completely?"

       And the bright light of the house became nothing more than a piece of scenery. He couldn't stop the flood of sorrow in him. Why was the world so cruel as to not allow him to cry?

       He watched it for a time before deciding that disgusting voice was right. Why would anything love him after what he's done? Why would a human even pass him a glance? Why would any creeper or skeleton or zombie care for his existence when he allowed his love to die?

Could he atone?

       For nights the enderman spent his time searching for a gift-- something to give this human. He'd seen it before once or twice, clad in beautiful sparkling blue armor with a white sword always at the ready and a bow and arrow on hand. Dangerous, so dangerous, but if he could show it that he was sorry, that he was good, could it forgive him?
Could anyone forgive his betrayal?

       A log of wood sat in his clawed hands, a lovely gift he was sure. What did humans like? That other human liked towers, but he could not get more. This would have to do, it would have to do, or he would sit outside and let the sun kill him. He couldn't continue this; he could not live as an outcast any longer!

="You are a fool for loving a human."
"You are a fool for loving."
"You are a fool."=

       Well it didn't matter, he decided. The night had only just set in, and apprehension ran races across every inch of his body from his clawed toes to his misshapen head. This was the moment of truth.

       The human had torches lining his mining area. A blue shovel dug its way through the earth with speed, throwing the enderman for a loop. He'd never seen anything dig so fast before! Never! But this could not impede him. No, he would go along with his plan. He had to.

       It did not notice his approach, not even as his shadow broke the smooth lighting of the torches. It mined on and on and on, until the enderman made his presence known. He groaned softly, the only sound he could truely muster. It turned immediately, expecting a zombie or some other hideous monster, and its eyes landed on him. The enderman felt fright punch him twice, and he could barely make a move. It simply stared, slowly taking out a sword of some kind to cut him down with.

No! No! It did not understand!
"It understands perfectly well."

       He begged it silently to spare him as he held out the log of wood hesitantly, gauging its reaction. Surprise flitted across its face immediately, its eyes blinking rapidly as if it could not imagine that this was happening. The enderman stepped back a bit, holding the log just a little higher. He didn't want to scare it, no, he wanted to let it know that he was alright. He wasn't evil. He wasn't as deranged as his counterparts.

"Um... what... what is this?" it asked in a hoarse whisper. He pushed the log towards the human, and it stared, incredulous.
"Is... this for me?" The enderman nodded slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. Still, the human was wary--
"As it has every right to be."
--and gave it a look he could not comprehend.
"Love me," he begged with his very soul, "Accept me." The human did nothing for a time, its eyes flickering from his own to the log of wood.
"Are you sure?" He nodded immediately, a smile coming to his large mouth. The human could not see it, but it did not matter.

="Why love? What is in it for you?"
And he replied, "I just do."=

       Shaky hands took the wooden log from the enderman's own shaking claws, and the human gave the tall being a small smile.
"Thanks, man. I... well I never thought you things could be kind!" And the human turned its back to place the log into its backpack.
The human turned its back to place the log into its backpack.
The human turned its back to place the log into its backpack.
The human turned its back to place the....
The human turned its back to...
The human.... turned... its....

       An uncontrollable, indefinable instinct rose in the enderman, and before he could stop himself, his jaw unhinged and a horrifying scream emitted from his throat. The human yelped in surprise as he dove atop it, using his claws to tear at the human as much as he could. The log was swept away, rolling until it came to a rest next to a few torches. Blood was cast everywhere, falling upon torches to put them out and upon the soft, soft grass. He was still screaming, and the human was as well until there was nothing left but an unrecognizable corpse and two eyeballs in his hands.

       The enderman sobbed, horror wracking his body. W-What had he just done? What did he do! How could he murder something so small, so fragile, something he loved!?

="You idiot! You silly enderman!"
"You cannot override your code, your mission!"
"Your mission..."=

       He could not cry, but he didn't need to. The clouds overhead blocked his view of the moon, and the only starlight he could pretend to see was the reflection of the torches in his beloved enderpearl. It sparkled with his tears, and he so wished he could cry properly. He wished so horribly that he could be forgiven, and if not by his peers, than at least by himself.

       Alas, the first droplets of the thunderstorm overhead began to fall, and they seared his skin as they did so. The first few fell upon his face, and the pain was excruciating. He kept his place, and screamed in pain-- it was as if they were pouring acid from the sky.

But he remained where he was.

       He stayed, letting the rain wash him away. The rain was crying for him.
And his last thoughts were these:

= "Do you love the world even now?"
He paused. "I do."=

       And all that was left of him when the sun rose and the clouds parted was a glistening enderpearl, wet with the tears of an outcast.