WHEN SHADOWS FALL

Oliver shivered, pulling his cape tightly around him. “The sun is setting,” he said, watching the orange globe sink behind the mountains.

Audrey glanced at the sky. “I know. Just one more house to visit before we call it a day.”

She didn’t seem the least bit worried about the mobs that might spawn in the dark. So, Oliver hurried to catch up to her. The closer he was to Audrey and her new iron sword, the safer he felt.

As soon as they reached the last house on the edge of Birchtown, the front door swung open.

“Hi, kids,” said red-headed Mrs. Tate. “Blacksmith Bernard said you might stop by, and I’m awfully glad to see you. We’ve had creepers in the house every night this week!” She glanced nervously at the setting sun.

“How do you think they’re getting in?” asked Audrey as she stepped through the doorway.

Mrs. Tate shushed her with a finger. “The twins are sleeping.” She nodded to two tiny beds at one end of the room.

“Oh, sorry!” Audrey clamped her hand over her mouth.

Oliver tiptoed past her and examined the room. He studied the front door, looked through each window, and snuck quietly past the sleeping twins.

Then he cleared his throat and whispered, “I don’t think the creepers are getting in through a window or a door. I think they’re spawning in here.”

“How do you know?” asked Mrs. Tate, her eyes wide with worry.

Why does Oliver think the creepers are spawning in the room instead of getting in through a window or a door? Examine the room for clues. Then turn the page to solve the mystery.

Oliver pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Your door is solid. One window has a cactus in front of it. Creepers have trouble getting past those. The other window has cobwebs in it.”

Mrs. Tate blushed. “I know. I’ve been meaning to clean, but …”

Audrey shrugged. “If I were you, I’d keep the cobwebs. Creepers get stuck in them!”

“Exactly,” said Oliver. “So I think your problem is darkness. Creepers spawn in the shadows, and—”

Hissssssss …

Oliver whirled around to face the creeper. It stood at the foot of the children’s beds!

Before Oliver could even gasp, Audrey sprang into action. She knocked the creeper back against the wall, again and again until it dissolved into a heap of gunpowder.

Mrs. Tate ran to her children, who were now wide-eyed and sitting up in bed. When the little boy began clapping and cheering, Audrey took a bow.

“Thank goodness you were here!” said Mrs. Tate.

“No, um, no problem,” said Oliver, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “So maybe you could add a torch to that corner of the room.”

But Mrs. Tate was already on it. She lifted a torch from above the furnace and slid it into the slot above the twins’ beds. “It’s just a nightlight,” she said, tucking the children back into bed.

“No more creepers?” asked the little girl.

“No more creepers,” said Mrs. Tate, kissing her on the forehead.

Disappointment flashed across the little boy’s face, but Audrey gave him a thumbs-up, which made him smile.

“One creeper down,” Audrey whispered to Oliver on their way out the door. “Only like a gazillion more to go.”