How Hard Can That Be? UFLI Foundations Lesson 109
Practice Words
Jill stumbled in, dazed and grimy, like she had been fighting all night. Her battle kit was cracked. Her eyes were almost shut. 'Skeleton spawner,' she groaned. 'Used up every last golden carrot just to make it home.' Can Do reached into the chest and held out a handful of shining carrots. 'Last ones,' he said. Jill took them, and they both stared at the empty chest. Growing golden carrots took forever. Without them, Jill's next mining trip could be her last.
Can Do did what he always did when there was a problem. He grabbed paper and started writing fast. 'Bone meal,' he muttered, noting it down and sketching. 'Bone meal makes crops grow in seconds. And you know what makes bone meal? Cactus! Cactus in a compost box, lined up with hoppers, using redstone. Bone meal forever!' He slapped the bench so hard the redstone dust jumped. 'I just need one tiny thing. Cactus. How hard can that be?'
Can Do stood at the edge of the village, gazing out. Far past the green hills, he could just make out a strip of yellow. The desert. 'Right then,' he said, facing the hot sun. 'I'll pop over, grab some cactus, and be home for dinner.' He packed no food. No water. No map. Just his tools and his guts. He was never short of guts. How hard can that be?
Jill's donkey was nibbling grass by the village gate. Can Do climbed into the saddle, wobbled sideways, grabbed the donkey's mane, wobbled the other way, and at last sat up tall. 'Easy,' he said, but no one saw. The donkey gave him a long look and set off. Can Do patted its neck. 'We'll be there by sunset, old friend. Grab a cactus. Home for lunch. Nothing can go wrong.'
Something went wrong. The cactus was not the small, friendly plant Can Do had hoped for. It was so tall. Thick green blocks towered over him, spiked with needles as long as his fingers. Even the donkey took one look and shuffled back. 'Well,' said Can Do, reaching out a hand. 'It can't be that prickly, can it...' Ouch! He yanked his hand back. 'Yes. Yes it can.'
'A new plan,' said Can Do. He wrapped his lab coat around the cactus like a blanket and pulled. The needles poked right in. 'Ouch! Ow ow ow ow ow!' He stared at his coat, full of holes, then at his shaking hands. He grabbed his tool and dug a long ditch in the sand. If he could not lift the cactus, he would float it home. He dug until blisters formed on every finger. But he kept going.
Three days later, the ditch stretched from the desert to his home. Can Do filled it with water, set a boat at one end, and placed a chest inside the boat. He lined the chest up right under the tallest cactus, raised his hammer, and swung. Chop! The cactus blocks tumbled right into the chest without poking his hands once. Can Do grinned. 'So much cactus to last a lifetime. And not one more ouch.'
The little boat glided down the ditch, with Can Do sitting tall and a chest full of cactus behind him. Jill was waiting on the bank with her mouth wide open. 'You dug a ditch all the way to the desert?' 'Had to,' said Can Do. 'I could not haul them home, could I?' Jill grinned. 'Now we can float sand back home, all the sand we want!' She rubbed her hands. 'We are going to need more boats.'
Back in his shop, Can Do wired up his amazing rig. Compost boxes, hoppers, redstone, all clicking into place. He flipped the switch. The rig hummed. Cactus dropped in at one end. White bone meal came out the other. The village farmer raced over, scooped up an armful, and ran to the carrot beds. 'It works!' Can Do whispered. Then louder. 'It works!' His hands were safe at last. Totally worth it.
Jill bit into the first golden carrot made with Can Do's bone meal. Crunch. Her eyes went wide. 'So good,' she said. 'Almost as good as a slice of cake.' She took another big bite. 'Now I need to mine lots of gold, from deep underground, where it is dark and...' She looked at Can Do. He was already at his bench, writing like crazy. 'Do not tell me,' said Jill. 'You have a plan.' Can Do smiled. 'How hard can that be?'
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