from the eyes of the observer

by sycamorality (Feinberg)

Summary:

a story about herobrine.
not about the false herobrine, who wants to harm you and steal your belongings, but the true herobrine — the origin of the myth.
the herobrine who only watched you from the fog. the herobrine who was as confused as you were, when you were a kid.

Chapter 1: you. you. you are alive.

Notes:

ever think about herobrine too much?

you exist in many places. you are not quite sure how you got here, or there. you are not sure if you are supposed to exist in so many places, either. you do not really know how anything works. you have not been given any instructions, and you do not know what actions you are allowed to take. you do not have adequate control of where you end up. it takes you a while to understand where you are, and find your way back. sometimes you wake up in an entirely new place, and then you are lost again.

you are pretty sure you would not want it any other way, though.

it is just you. you walk around and see many things. sometimes, the ground towers above you. other times, the ground goes deep below you. you used to only walk on the grass, because it was everything you knew. it was bright, maybe a bit too bright. it hurt your eyes sometimes, but it was safe.

and then you walked into a place where the ground went down below you. you wondered too much what was down there, because you could not see through the nothingness in it. and you found out that this was nicer, it did not hurt your eyes. you learned there were many things in the below ground. sometimes, on the walls, there were new things. you do not know what they are called, but you think they are pretty.

sometimes, you went back up, but not for long. you liked when your eyes did not hurt, and being on the ground made them hurt, because the sky was so bright. one time when you walked up to the ground, your eyes did not hurt anymore. the sky looked less bright, but it had hundreds of small bright spots, and one big bright spot, but they did not hurt your eyes. you think they are pretty, and they make you feel safe.

sometimes, you see weird beings appear out of nowhere. some of them are the same color of the ground, but darker. there are also beings that hold something, and big dark things with some bright spots on their face. there are also weird things that are the same color as the ground. you think they are shaped weirdly. they do not pay attention to you. you do not like being near them.

one time, while you were walking in the ground that goes below, one of the weirdly shaped ground-hide beings made a loud sound near you, and then it disappeared. you went to look at it, and you saw small things floating in the deeper ground it made. you wondered what those floating things were, and you moved closer. when you got close, they floated into you, and then you were holding something called "Cobblestone".

you do not know if you can get "Cobblestone" in any other ways, but you do not know how you would even start to do that. you only know that the ground-hide beings make a sound, disappear, and leave a deeper ground, and that those deeper grounds sometimes have this "Cobblestone". you think it is cool, but you would rather not be close to the ground-hide beings too often. they scare you.

you like to walk around. you have learned what this deep ground looks like, and you quite like its shape. there are many corners to hide from the weird beings in. it even has pretty things in the walls. your favorite spot has something that is the same color as the ground. you have not seen this before, and you wonder what it is called. you think it is pretty.

---

you are in a new place. your eyes hurt again, because you are on the ground under the sky. you quickly find a deep ground and sit down. you will miss that deep ground you were just in. you knew this would happen, but that does not mean you are not sad. you think you saw a new tall thing on the ground before you. it had the same color as the spots in the sky that does not hurt your eyes. you think the weird tall thing looked nice. you wonder what it is for.

you think this deep ground has a funny shape, but it is not good for hiding. it also keeps going, and is hard to walk around in. sometimes, there are places where you can go down, but can not go back up from. you think that is annoying, because then you have to find another way around to get back up. or you have to hit one of the ground-hiders, so it makes a deeper ground for you to go up on. but it hurts you if you can not get away in time, so you do not like doing it, because getting away is hard.

---

you have learned that the ground is called "Grass". a grass-hider hurt a weird tall thing, and it dropped the "Grass". now you have "Cobblestone", "Seeds" and "Grass". you found "Seeds" when you were walking on the "Grass". you are not sure what any of this does, but you think it is cool, and you like to have it. it feels nice. you like to hold the "Grass". sometimes when you hold it, one of those weird tall disappearing things looks at you and makes a sound. you think it is saying "eullo". you do not know what this means, but you say it back.

you think the tall disappearing things are nice. they do not scare you like the other beings do. sometimes they even bring something that sounds soft when they put it down. many times they are just standing still holding "Grass". you think it is endearing when they do this. you do not quite know what that means, but you think that word is right for describing your feelings about them. sometimes you join them in standing still and holding "Grass". you think it is fun.

---

you have learned the weird talls things on the Grass are "Trees", and that the deep grounds are "Caves", and the ground is "The Surface". "Trees" are made of "Logs" and "Leaves". "Logs" are brown, and "Grass" and "Leaves" are green. "Caves" are made with "Stone" and "Ores". "Stone" is gray", and every "Ore" is a different color. your favorite "Ores" are "Emerald", the green one, and "Redstone", the red one. the tall disappearing beings have told you this. they do not understand how you did not know this, but they were really nice when they were telling you this.

you really like the tall disappearing beings. they are very nice, and you like standing still and holding Grass with them. they have told you that it is an 'enriching activity'. you think that is a good description of it. enriching is a fun word, and it means something nice.

---

the tall disappearing things have taught you that the other beings are called "Zombies", "Skeletons", "Spiders" and "Creepers". a "Zombie" is green and it wears the same "Shirt" and "Pants" as you. you think that is weird, and it discomforts you. a "Skeleton" is white and made of "Bones". they use "Bows" to hurt others. "Spiders" are gray with red eyes. they are also big. a bit too big, if someone asked you. "Creepers" are what you used to call ground-hiders or grass-hiders. the sound they make is them "Exploding", and they make "Holes" in the ground. you think that is interesting, but you would still prefer to stay away from them. it is not fun to be hurt.

---

you have run into weird things made out of Cobblestone and Wood. beings walk around here, and you think they live here. you do not know what they are called, but they wear long brown shirts, so you call them long-shirt-wearers. some of them will give you things if you give them Emeralds. at first you thought they wanted Rubies, but you do not know why. and you do not know how to get Emeralds. you think maybe this is not meant for you, and maybe they only give items to eachother. the long-shirt-wearers confuse you.

you observe them for some time. you think they are interesting. when the sky is dark they are all in their houses (you have never heard that word before, but you think that is what they are called. it feels right) and lie on top of something that is red and white. you do not talk the same words they do, but you would like to ask if you could lie on top of that red thing too.

you spend more time observing them. you learn to speak the same words as them. they are not mean to you when you mess up speaking, and politely tell you how to talk correctly. one of them tells you that you can just put simple words together, instead of using longer words. this helps you a lot, and makes it easier to understand eachother.

you wonder why they care about Emeralds so much. you ask, and the answer you are given is that they are "Rare". you do not understand what that word means, so you ask for them to explain. you are told that "Rare" mean that something is hard to find, or that there are very few of something in the world. that makes sense to you, you think. you still wonder why they would only use something that is "Rare", instead of something that isn't "Rare". that is a question for later, maybe.

it takes you some time to ask if you can try to lie in one of their red things. they tell you that they are called "Beds", and that you "Sleep" in them. you do not know what "Sleep" is. one of them explains that it is "Resting" for a long time. you do not know what "Resting" is either. they are quiet, and then they explain that "Resting" is when you do nothing. it is something that lets you and your body be calm. you are starting to understand it, but you don't quite get it.

someone else says something and compares it to standing still and holding Grass, but without the holding Grass, and laying down or sitting instead of standing. you ask if it is a nice or enriching activity, and are told that you could call it that, because your body likes it. it is like disappearing for a short while, but in a good way, because you didn't really disappear, and that you will stop "Sleeping", which they explained is called "Waking Up". they also explain that you can also hold Grass while "Sleeping" if that is want you want to do.

you think you understand it now, and you ask if you can "Sleep" in a "Bed". they tell you that you can do that, and show you to a "Bed" that isn't taken. you lie down, and one of them puts something soft over you, and tells you that it is a "Blanket". you are also told that the white thing you put your head on is called a "Pillow". you like those words because you think they sound nice. you do also hold Grass while "Sleeping".

---

you Wake Up. you think someone heard you, because someone comes in and asks you if you have any questions. you are curious what this feeling is. you describe it, it is a really nice feeling, but not the normal nice feeling, because your chest feels lighter. you are told you feel "Well Rested". that makes sense to you, because Sleeping is like Resting but for a longer time. you also really liked the bed, because it was very soft and nice to lie in. you understand why the long-shirt-wearers Sleep, and you also understand what Sleep is now, you think.

you hesitate, but then you ask if you can stay. you are told that you can stay for as long as you would like, and that if you want, you can Sleep in the same place as someone else. you think that would be nice, and the long-shirt-wearer who compared Resting to standing still and holding Grass offers, because they have an extra bed in their house. you think that sounds nice, because they are very nice.

their house looks very nice. there is a red colored thing in a small box. you are told that is a "Rose" in a "Pot". you like the "Rose" a lot, and they give you one. they tell you this is a "Gift". "Gifts" are things you give to someone because you like them, and because you think they would like the thing you are giving them.

the "Pillow" in the "Bed" is softer than the "Pillow" in the "Bed" you were "Sleeping" in before, and the "Blanket" is bigger and feels nicer too. you think this is very nice. you are not sure how to tell them that you like it a lot, other than saying that you like it a lot. they tell you that you can tell someone you like something they did a lot by saying 'thank you', and that that is called thanking someone, or that you appreciate what they are doing.

you thank them, and give them a Grass as a Gift. they thank you, and put the Grass in the corner of the room, with something around it to make it look nice, and then they place something blue on top of it. they tell you that it is a "Cornflower" and that it is a "Flower", like the "Rose" they gave you. you think that is cool, and you think that "Flowers" are pretty.

---

you are in a new world again. you have been to many new worlds since you have seen the long-shirt-wearers you knew, and you miss them. you have since been told that their long shirts are robes. you really miss the robe-wearer who gave you the Rose and let you Sleep in a Bed in their house. you wonder how they are doing. you know that you will never see them again, but you will remember everything you did together. they were nice. you wonder what you could call them, other than 'robe-wearers you like' or 'robe-wearers that were nice to you'.

the robe-wearers you have seen since then have all looked away from you. you do not know why. the tall disappearing beings have told you that maybe it is because you scare them. you wonder what that means but do not ask the question. maybe it is because you talk the same words as the tall disappearing things.

Chapter 2: you are not separate from every other thing

you have started catching glances of more things, you think. not Zombies, not Skeletons, not Spiders, not Creepers, not the tall disappering things, not the robe-wearers. when you are out during the Day, something that the robe-wearer you like told you was what the bright sky was called, you sometimes see pink, brown and white things.

you have been told that theese things are called "Animals", and that the white things have "Wool", and are called "Sheep". sometimes the "Sheeps" have different colors, like gray or brown. you think you might have seen a pink "Sheep", and the tall disappearing things have told you that pink "Sheeps" are "Extremely" rare and are more like a myth. you do not know what "Extremely" means. you ask, and are told that "Extremely" is like saying very again and again, and sometimes more. you thank them for telling you.

---

you wish you had control of where you went and when you went. you guess it does not matter that much, even if you miss that very nice robe-wearer. you are now somewhere that is very warm. you think that is the right word. you do not quite know what it means, but it was the first word you thought of when you came here. the ground is very soft, and there are tall green things here.

the tall green things hurt you when you touch them. you do not like them, and you stay away. you are not sure you like the warm place either, but you have found that there are sometimes big house looking things in them, but that nobody lives there, and there are no Beds for Sleeping. you think the colored Wool on their walls and floor is pretty. you wonder how they got that color of Wool, whoever they is.

sometimes, in the warm place, you see something else. it looks like a really weird house. the tall disappearing things have told you that they are called "Wells". you think they are fun to stand in, because the water is nice and not-warm. you think not-warm is called cold. you do not know why, but it feels right.

---

you have since learned that the warm place is called a "Desert", and that the soft ground there is called "Sand". you remember the time a tall disappearing thing placed something soft on the Grass next to you. you are pretty sure that was "Sand". but now, you are in a cold place, and there is soft white stuff on the ground. the soft stuff is cold but it makes you think of your Bed and you miss your Bed and the robe-wearer you like a lot. you do not know if you will ever see them again. you wonder if they miss you.

there are Trees here too. you think their Leaves look weird, and that they look like the Logs are just wearing them. you think the leaf-wearer Trees have a funny shape, like that Cave you used to know. you do not like how cold it is, but the soft white stuff makes you think of your Pillow. you think that is nice. you wonder if there is a word for something that makes you think about something else.

you find another tall disappearing thing, and you ask it. you are told that is called "Being Reminded Of" and that it is because you "Remember" something from your "Memory". "Memory" is something you can think of that has happened to you before. you thank them for explaining everything to you.

you think it sounds nice, to "Remember" things, like your Pillow and the robe-wearer you like. you wonder if the robe-wearer you like "Remembers" you too.

---

you think you might have seen a pink Sheep, but it might have just been a Pig. that is what the pink Animals are called. you remember you were told that by a tall disappearing thing with green eyes. it also told you what the other Animals were called. there are Cows, Bats and Rabbits. you remember you were told that you should be careful around white Rabbits with red eyes, because some of them can hurt you. you have not seen any Rabbits like that, you think.

---

the Trees have different names. the brown ones are called "Oak" and the white ones are called "Birch" and the leaf-wearer Trees are called "Spruce", and the cold place "Spruce" Trees are in is called a "Taiga", and the soft cold white things on the ground is called "Snow". you think the snow is pretty because it is bright when it is Night. you remember the robe-wearer you like told you that is what the sky that does not hurt your eyes is called.

a tall disappearing thing tells you that is because the "Snow" is "Reflecting Light" from the "Stars" and "Moon", and that the "Stars" are the small bright spots in the sky, and the "Moon" is the big one. but sometimes the "Moon" is not there, or is only there a little. you wonder why that is, and you ask why.

you are told that this is because the "Moon" has "Phases". it is called a "New Moon" when the "Moon" is not in the sky, and that when it is a "New Moon", "Slimes", which are big jumping green things with eyes, do not appear. you think that is weird but also very interesting. you wonder if the "Slimes" are scared of a sky without a "Moon". you are told that they do not know the answer to this, and are sorry.

you do not know what "Sorry" means, so you ask. you are told that "Sorry" is when you feel bad that you can not do something for someone, or feel bad about something that happened to someone. you say that you are sorry for not knowing it before, but it they tell you that it is okay, and that they know there are many things you do not know.

you thank the tall disappearing thing for yelling you this. you think about it. you are sorry that you could not stay with the robe-wearer you liked. you wonder how they are doing. you remember they told you that their favorite — which they told you means most liked — Flower was a Cornflower. you wonder if it means anything that they placed a Cornflower on the Grass you gave them. you think it was nice.

---

you have started noticing that sometimes there are Trees with missing Logs. you wonder why this is, but the tall disappearing things do not know why either. sometimes there are Caves that do not look normal either, and sometimes those weird Caves have a small log with something bright on top of it. you do not like the small bright logs, because they hurt your eyes.

sometimes you see Ores missing from Caves. you do not know why this happens. the tall disappearing things have told you that they think it is because something is taking the Ores, but they do not know either.

---

you have seen many houses in new places. you see robe-wearers live in Deserts and Taigas now. the robe-wearers who live in Taigas have houses made out of Cobblestone and Spruce logs, but the Desert houses are made out of new things that you do not know what are called. you remember that the houses on Grass used to look different. you do not know why they changed, but you think they look kind of nice.

the robe-wearers still walk away from you and you do not know why. every time that a robe-wearer sees you, they talk quietly and walk away very fast. you wonder why this is, because you were very nice to the robe-wearers you used to know. you have never hurt anything and do not want to hurt any robe-wearers.

you notice that their houses look a little weird. not because they look different, but because it looks like some of their walls are broken. there are some Logs and Cobblestone missing, and you wonder why, but you can not ask the robe-wearers, because they walk away from you. the tall disappearing things do not know why either.

---

there is a pink Sheep that is always near you. you think it might be what you thought was a pig some time ago. you do not know why, but you think it is nice, and looks pretty. you try to talk to it, but it does not answer. you think it might not understand you, but it walks with you anyway. it is soft, like your Pillow.

---

you have since found a place that the tall disappearing things call "The Farlands". they have told you that "The Farlands" are very far away and not many things come here. they ask you why that pink Sheep is still "Following" you. you think "Following" means that it walks with you no matter where you go. you say that you are sorry, because you do not know why. they tell you that it is okay, it was just "Curious".

you do not know what "Curious" means. you are told that "Curious" means you want to know something because it is interesting. you understand that, and you think it is a nice word. you thank them for telling you that.

---

you like The Farlands. even when it is day they do not hurt your eyes, because they have very weird but cool tall ground. you think you like The Farlands more than Caves, because you do not see Mobs here. it is just you and the tall disappearing things. you think maybe "Farlanders" is a good thing to call them, because they are the only other being here.

they think it is a nice "Name" too, and call eachother that. they thank you for giving them a "Name". before you even ask what a "Name" is, one of them — one with green eyes, you Remember you have seen it before — tells you that a "Name" is something that you call something, and that a "Name" can be for many things, like Flowers, or for one thing, like Cornflower or Grass. you understand, you think.

you wonder if you have a "Name", and the Farlanders tell you that they have been calling you "White Eyes". you wonder why, and they tell you that your eyes are white, and they think it looks nice. they tell you that they do not like being looked at, but they do not mind you looking at them because of your eyes. you think that's nice. you like the Farlanders a lot.

---

you have found out how to find The Farlands every time you are in a new place, and you keep going back to them, because they are nice, and where the Farlanders are, and the Farlanders are nice to you and tell you things. you think it would be nice if there was a word for someone you like a lot and like to be around, but there are so many of them that you do not think there is, so you do not ask.

the Farlanders have told you that you can put down the "Blocks" you are holding. you do not know what "Blocks" are, and they explain to you that "Blocks" are like Grass and Cobblestone. it is what the world is made out of, and you can "Place" them, which is like putting them down. you think that sounds interesting, but you do not know how to "Place" a "Block".

the green eyed Farlander tries to show you. they take a Grass, and then put it down somewhere else. you think you understand, and you put a Sand next to their Grass. you think that this is fun. it is an enriching activity to you. you "Place" more Sand some blocks away, and make a little shape out of it. your favorite Farlander — the green eyed one — calls it a nice "Pyramid". you think that is the shape you just made, a "Pyramid". you think it looks nice too.

you ask them, the green eyed one, if you can call them something else, because it takes a bit to call them "the green eyed one". they say you are free to, and you ask them if you can call them Emerald, because their eyes remind you of one of your favorite Ores. they think that is a nice Name, and so does everyone else. you thank Emerald for helping you so much and being so nice, and they tell you that it is nothing, and they thank you for being so nice too.