MEMORIAL DAY 2024…
MYSTERY OF THE FLASH KIDS’ DARING ESCAPE PLAN: CHAPTER ONE
March 22, Year 53, will never be forgotten (We won’t let it, we’ll sing it so loud they can’t forget). For those of us in Cashes Dade, it’s because we can’t stop seeing it. To the students of Canderras, this is my report. The aliens claim seven of our citizens attacked them unjustly, and tried to destroy something incredibly important. Like they could even build something important, like my castle. You really should see it. It has three surrounding water channels, seven levels, each further in, a drawbridge, and grand stained-glass windows that open surprisingly fast where the soldiers shoot out cannons suddenly. It took me four months, working on it late every night after getting my schoolwork done, to build it, and I keep adding to it, drawing really cool pictures that go inside that you can see through the windows, and look different at different times of day. Anyway, they say our people are dangerous, our students are lazy, and our kingdom is a cancer that must be destroyed for the good of the world. I’ll never forget that day, but not for the reason you would think. It’s not because of what the aliens did or what I had to see, but for how I felt on my way to school…
Are you ready to solve another mystery? The DadeStar Revolution is heating up. There’s a movement in the schools. In the last book, we were introduced to Austin Candor (and his always changing coloured hair), Cameron Darshia, and Ryan Sayvas. These students have joined the movement and are working in the schools to spread the DadeStar message. But there is a school in the Kingdom of Canderras, City of Caras Maradimes, where the students are really struggling. There is a student who has written a letter to the students of Cashes Dade, asking for help. He says the aliens have shut down all forms of music-singing, playing, and dancing. Music and creativity are what drive these students, and what they enjoy the most. He has written a report to the Cashes Dade Ghost Strikers to ask for their help to figure out how the kids can escape this dark, gloomy school. They are locked in, and there is only one large door at the front that can only be opened with the key. The aliens also guard the door closely.
If you want to join the movement, you can help as well, by solving this mystery. In this case, the mystery will come from the students. It’s a puzzle. Can you put the pieces together? But you’ll have to look deeper to find the hidden key within the puzzle. This will be the first of six posts with reports written by different students who will each offer a clue for how the students can escape this school so they can go to Cashes Dade where they can be free.
Do you want to really join the DadeStar Revolution? Check out the author’s facebook page to follow the mystery series even closer. You can get inside information about what’s happening. You can see posts about his mountain climbs and bible studies, where he gets his inspiration for this book series. Check it out here:
https://www.facebook.com/jeff.sanborn.100/
Read carefully to see if you can find the clue within each report. Check out the description of the school to see if you can figure out how they can escape. The school is locked down. The key is hidden somewhere. Can you find the way out?
SCHOOL OF CANDERRAS:
DOME TOP BALLROOM:
*DANCING STARLIGHTS ON CEILING
*GROOVES IN THE FLOOR REACHING OUT IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS
WIDE CIRCULAR CLASSROOMS:
*SHIMMERING BLUE WAVY CEILING
*GLOSSY BLUE MARBLE FLOOR LIKE OCEAN
GREAT READING ROOM:
*MASSIVE GRAND WINDOWS WITH TREES JUST OUTSIDE
*TOWERING BOOKCASES MADE OF BLACK MARBLE
GRAND STUDY ROOM:
*FANCY GOLD CHANDELIER LIGHTS HANGING DOWN LOW
*DEEP DARK BLUE POOLS WITH COLOURED LIGHTS UNDERNEATH SURFACE
GRAND ROTUNDA:
*WIDE BLUE MARBLE STAIRCASES WITH FANCY RAILINGS
*BLACK GLOSSY MARBLE FLOOR WITH BIZARRE REFLECTIONS
I missed three days of school. Although, I wouldn’t say I missed school. I threw up once for every day missed. I felt so dizzy, so sick, trying to move anywhere felt impossible. But then I got a letter from the alien leaders at school. They said I was close to failing out and would have to be sent to The Dathmore, the prison for failed students. They claim those of us getting sick from their fountain light are getting sick because we’re lazy students. Walking to school that day was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, even harder than those stupid math story problems. At first, I could barely see where I was going, my vision was so blurry, and I felt so sick. I had to keep stopping. But then, I realized the key to keep moving. I just had to focus on one thing, just ahead, and take it one step at a time going down, and just blur out the rest. In fact, the way I made it was by dancing. You see, I could barely look up, but I remembered how the blue crystal sidewalk looked on my path to school where I did my dance steps, zigzagging back and forth as fast as I could. So, I didn’t see the Dadeluce Fountain, the alien light, the aliens, or the protesters, except one…
I couldn’t see their face. To this day, I don’t know which protester he or she was. All I could see was their hands, held up like a shield, blocking the light I guess. They were bare, not holding anything, but trying to hold back the alien powers. Then, I saw a brilliant flash from the side, and I saw the hands fall…
The aliens claim they were only defending themselves and the fountain from destruction. They claim they just struck out at them once just to stop them, not to murder them. They claim they only struck them once with the fire light, which was blinding. You see, it blinded everyone who was around so they couldn’t see what happened next, but because I wasn’t looking up, but focused on one thing, I wasn’t blinded. I saw movement, and I heard sounds. What I heard was some kind of pounding…I can’t completely describe it because it haunts me. Have you heard our protest song called Bloody, Bloody Friday? It reveals the secret, the real reason why we know the aliens lied. It’s because the next thing I saw after the hands fell was blood in the streets…
MYSTERY OF THE CHRISTMAS GHOST EXPRESS PART ONE
The December sky flows like blood close overhead. The aliens called me a loser, a lazy student. But I’m smart enough to know exactly when the Christmas Ghost Express will arrive. I’m always the first one to see them. I can see the sky through my dark blue glass window dusted with ice crystals, especially at night when all my gold dust stars in my room glow bright. I have them all over my walls…and ceiling…and door…oh yeah, and on some my clothes. Okay, all of my clothes. I have planet stickers all over too. My room is a galaxy. When they start glowing bright, that’s when I know it’s time, to check out the sky.
I keep track of all the stars’ movements and planets, but mostly, I keep track of all the alien movements. I know way more about them and what they’re doing than they realize. I wonder what other civilizations are out there, far away, maybe completely isolated and alone, and no one knows they exist, just like me…
Outside the fields are flat, gray, and dead, until the snow falls. On this cold, snowing night, I gaze out at the vast, white empty landscape. The shrill winds constantly change the shapes, making all kinds of hills and spiraling designs over the fields. As darkness falls I can still see the three neon blue ice bluffs among the never ending hills and valleys of snow.
I just finished designing a new galaxy. I like how the lights cross over the planets from different directions, making really awesome colours at different times of the day. You should see it. It’s the best looking galaxy in the universe. What was I saying? Oh yeah, I get distracted sometimes…all the time.
I look to my left and then to my right at the fading candle lights in the windows of the other small homes and shops on our single street. Our village is surrounded by cold emptiness. I look up at the wet, falling snow, falling like sheets so much that all the dark, hazy distance disappears and that’s when it happens, that’s when I hear it…
Deep humming starts up in a fast, driving rhythm. Then they start singing in low, quiet voices: “Christmas lights are here, Christmas lights are here, Christmas lights are here.”
Have you ever seen the Christmas Ghost Express? Cade, Blake, and Josiah are about to go on an adventure into the frozen north in the darkest time of the year to find it. No one knows where the ghosts first appear. But they aren’t just trying to find it for themselves, they’re hoping to help out some people who have been forgotten. There are some kids who live far in the north, a place no one ever visits. They live isolated and alone in a vast, empty place. But now, the aliens have made it so no one can reach them…
In the Kingdom of Carolmire, the land where it’s always Christmas, the people are in serious trouble. The citizens of Cashes Dade, who now live on the top of a high mountain since their kingdom was destroyed by the aliens, have seen a ton of alien activity and alien lights. The aliens clearly have them surrounded and blocked in so that no one can visit them, nothing can be sent to them. They must be running out of key supplies, important medicines. They have to work long hours in the mines, so many of them are probably getting sick. Also, friends and family can’t send letters and gifts to them. But there is one way through that even the aliens can’t stop…
If Cade, Blake, and Josiah can find the exact place where the Christmas Ghost Express begins, they can jump on board and take all kinds of medicines, supplies, letters, and gifts to the people of Carolmire. They know this happens somewhere along the northwest river between where the river turns up to Caden Ivys and the dead end into the river flowing north to Dascade Iris. No one knows exactly where they first appear, and when they do, they leave immediately and fast for the secret path up north ending here in Carolmire. But they start at one of the following four places on the south side of the northwest ice flow river. Can you solve the mystery? Can you figure out which one it is?
*AT THE FAR WEST IS A ROW OF FOUR SLOW RISING MOUNTAINS, ALL CONNECTED, EACH ONE HIGHER TO THE RIGHT. THE PEAK OF THE FIRST THREE IS RELATIVELY ROUND AND WIDE, BUT THE LAST ONE IS MORE NARROW, SHOOTING STRAIGHT UP. THEY HAVE TOWERING RISING EVERGREENS WITH CONE SHAPED TOPS THAT GLITTER GOLD AT NIGHT.
*AT THE CENTER LEFT ARE TWO ROWS OF MOUNTAINS RISING UP FROM LEFT AND RIGHT LIKE A STAIRCASE LEADING UP TO A WIDE LEVEL MOUNTAIN TOP. THEY ARE DOTTED WITH ONLY A FEW SMALL WIDE EVERGREENS AMONG DARK GREEN FIELDS AND COLOURFUL FLOWERS THAT GLOW AT NIGHT.
*AT THE CENTER RIGHT IS A SPIRALING MASS OF TOWERING MOUNTAINS WITH A NARROW VALLEY CUTTING DOWN TO THE RIGHT COVERED WITH LUSH BLUE RED AND GREEN EVERGREENS WITH REALLY TALL SPIRALING BRANCHES RISING FROM THE BRIGHT GREEN FOREST FLOOR COVERED IN GOLDEN FLOWERS.
*AT THE FAR EAST EDGE, THERE IS A SPIRALING CLUSTER OF SMALLER MOUNTAINS WITH ONE MASSIVE AND TALL ONE IN THE CENTER. THEY ARE COVERED WITH NEON BLUE EVERGREENS IN A REALLY HEAVY FOREST THAT GLOW BRIGHTLY AT NIGHT.
One of these places is where they begin, but you have to be there right when they appear. The key clue is the song, Silent Night. When you see the bright, intense gold-lit trail of ghosts flying fast across the ice, you will know you’ve found the Christmas Ghost Express and you can reach Carolmire. The key clue for which place it is, can be found in these four letters written by students from Carolmire several years ago. Can you figure it out?
Winter has been rough this year. Sometimes the darkness falls down in waves. But I wait until the silence of the night. Even though I feel alone, and it gets so quiet, that’s when I feel at peace. I can see a lot more when all goes still, when the winds die down through the empty hills.
We are surrounded by our enemies digging our graves. But like Israel we have a mysterious power to fight. The alien lights are like a massive fence all around us, but the more I see them, the more hope I have, because I realize they can’t destroy us. Our strength is renewed by fire.
There have been so many students like me who get rejected. Nothing is ever good enough for them. They don’t notice how hard we try. They only see what they think is important. We have suffered so much rejection and pain. But I find peace and truth in continuing to do what’s right.
It’s such a long, hard journey through the heavy snow drifts. When the snow is falling in sheets, the cold winds are stinging my face, I know all I have to do is just keep moving forward, one step at a time, and I’ll get there. It’s hard to see hope in the deepest dark terrain. But that’s when I hear their singing, glowing bright.
The Kingdom of Carolmire is in trouble and they need help. They will look to Cashes Dade, looking for kids who are courageous enough and crazy enough to break through the alien defenses to follow ghosts in the night. They need Cade Mayson’s ghost like running skills, Blake Candade’s intense determination and strength, and Josiah Mardade’s creative vision and ideas. Will they find the way through to reach Carolmire? Next week on Christmas Eve we will find out and the answer to the mystery will be revealed. But there’s another danger. The kids aren’t the only ones trying to find the Christmas Ghost Express…
BOOK 3 OF THE CASHES DADE GHOST STRIKERS IS OUT NOW
Cade Mayson and the ghost strikers are about to find themselves locked in a struggle between the BlackStar Students, who believe in exploring new ways and new ideas, and the WhiteStar Students, who work for the aliens. But there’s another ghost, a WhiteStar Student secretly working for the aliens, who is scheming against them.
MYSTERY OF THE COLDOR CRYING GHOST is available now on Amazon. To buy the book, click on one of the links below:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2HTFN6R
Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2F1GPPR
Cade Mayson has just received a mysterious invitation:
Cade Mayson,
A new play run by the aliens is about to begin in Dayascade. But the students are in grave danger. The aliens have a sinister plan for them. I need your help; you and your friends. I know who you are. My country needs the Glittering Fountain. The aliens stole it. They have it hidden deep in the school. They’ll only bring it out on stage during the play. That’s our chance. We must make a great escape with this before all the stars go dim. We have to save the students, help them escape the punishment. If you help me pull this off, I’ll lead you to the one you’re looking for, someone who knew your parents, someone who can help you on your quest. Meet me at the top floor balcony of the Devon in Dayas Caradames on Sunday night, April 17th at 11:00.
There is a mysterious puzzle to solve in order to find a ghost locked in a secret room in the school. The following prophecy offers clues as to how to solve the puzzle which will lead to figuring out which object in the school can be turned to find this room the ghost cannot escape.
There is a glittering puzzle to solve to set them free
You must put all the pieces together to reveal the key
Each piece will appear as a glowing word when you stare
Each one look to what inspires you, the answer will be there
But do not be deterred by the one single spelling error
The first piece will be found where the student plays
How does this visionary lead them through the haze?
The second piece is where the popular student can fly
But you can’t see it, blazing through, from so far up high
The third piece is where the grand symphony plays fast
Look for the answer to be found in the ship’s mast
The fourth piece is around the bend where the aliens lie
The head-strong student tries to reach, but too high
The fifth piece will be found through the missing sign
The student stares at the glitter, blind to the design
The sixth and final piece will be found inside the show
When the bright students dance at once, follow the glow
The trap will be set where the students believe they can go
The true way out for them will be the door lit by the glow
The ghost who haunts the halls is locked in a cold gloom
Solve the puzzle to find where he must live out his doom
Some object in the school can be turned to find his room
Then you will hear his message to avoid the intense light
The stars must be determined to show the way in the night
The greatest tragedy is not failing to reach the glittering peak
It’s when you miss the chance to go after the glory you seek
When you hear the ghost crying in the dark, then you’ll know
The aliens with their brilliant light are afraid of the stars’ glow
But if you don’t find the ghost in time, Cade will die in the show
Check out this guide showing the layout of the school. Do you think you know where the secret entrance might be?
LINCON BEREEN SCHOOL:
1ST FLOOR:
GRAND CENTER HALL
*CENTER ROTUNDA-GATHERING
*ROUND STUDY ROOMS
2ND FLOOR:
*CLASSROOMS
3RD FLOOR:
*STUDENT HOME ROOMS
4TH FLOOR:
MASSIVE CIRCULAR HALL
*GRAND AUDITORIUM
*GRAND DINING ROOM
*GRAND STUDY ROOM
*GRAND BOOKS ROOM
*GRAND VISIONS ROOM
There’s something mysterious about this ghost, and about the play being run by the aliens. They have a sinister plan for the students in this school, the ones they don’t consider “elite.” Do you think you know what they have planned? Here is a description of the ghost:
Brendan Diyas:
*He was a music teacher who could never quite figure out how to arrange his students. He was one of the top ranked teachers with highly successful concerts famous for strong music from up high. Many of his students went on to great success as musicians, even in the great concert halls of Arapreshday.
This will be the final post for the rest of the summer. But you can keep up with what’s happening on one of these DadeStar sites:
https://www.facebook.com/DadeStarMysteries
https://twitter.com/MysteriesDade
Come back in September to see the next post that will begin the next journey of the DadeStar Revolution.
What happens in this school will change their world forever. The aliens have a trap waiting for the ghost strikers. Can they solve the mystery? Can they lead the students out before it’s too late?
MYSTERY OF THE DADESTAR FLAG’S SECRET: CHAPTER ONE
“My name is Josiah Mardade. Maybe you haven’t seen me, because I’m too fast and I never stop. But you’ve probably heard me singing; on your way to school, on your way to your job, in your kitchen, past your window, well, I don’t go right by your window, unless you’re on the side of a mountain, but then again, well never mind. Maybe you haven’t heard of me, but you’ve probably heard about my dad, Todd Mardade.”
“You’ve probably seen his face on the shirts we made that say Revolution in blood red. He had long, scraggly hair and a rough face. He had a quick temper, but he wouldn’t stay mad that long, then he would go back to being really calm and quiet. In the picture there’s a dark shadow across his face, because he liked working in the dark.”
“Everyone knows his last words, when they made their final decision to destroy the alien lights making so many sick, when he turned to the others and said, ‘Let’s roll.’ But it turns out that wasn’t his true final message.”
“I’ll never forget the last morning I saw my dad, because I knew it was the last time I would see him. How? I could see it in his face. He told me about the mission. He told me they had to stand up to the aliens. He said the seven of them talked it over and believed they had no other choice. Too many kids were getting sick. But really, I could just tell by his face.”
“He took me out to our balcony. He said we needed to talk. My dad didn’t talk that much. I think he told me more in that hour than he had all my life! He told me if he became a ghost, he would be in the mountains. So I go to the mountains a lot. I climb like he did, just straight up. We blaze trails for real.”
“He told me never to stop singing, so I sing all the time. He told me not to let the aliens put out my light, so I sing really loud. But he said there was one more message he had for me, but couldn’t tell me yet. I don’t know why he couldn’t tell me right then. He said I would have to find Ghost Peak and there I would find his message, his final message.”
“When I help out in the mines, I work really hard, and people ask me why I work so hard all the time. My dad used to work in the mines, and he worked really hard, like endlessly, he never stopped. He was relentless. So when I work like that, it makes me feel like him, and it feels like he’s close.”
“I still remember what he told me about Ghost Peak. He said there’s a mystery about that mountain, a mystery we need to solve before the aliens do. This was before the aliens destroyed our country completely, before we started to rebuild Cashes Dade on the mountain peak, and before I found Ghost Peak, and the fort that stands there. But the aliens found it too, and they’re trying to destroy it so they can find the secret power. Right now, we are the only country fighting them. We don’t have much power. What if they find a way to overpower us completely? Cade Mayson thinks they will do something terrible to us. He thinks they will ruin who we are. So we need to solve the mystery. This is what my dad told me about Ghost Peak:
“You will find my final message at Ghost Peak
There is a mysterious power the aliens seek
Look closely and wait to see the pieces appear by light
Then you can solve the puzzle to hold the fort at night”
“I wondered for awhile why my dad didn’t tell me his final message right then, but now I know why. He knew I would need many messages as I grow up and for the rest of my life, but he wouldn’t be there to give them. He knew he needed to leave one that I would seek, that I would find at the right time. If I would have known how much I would miss his voice, I would have listened to him talk every chance I got. I went to Ghost Peak to hear my dad one last time. But I didn’t get to hear his voice. As usual, it wasn’t something he said, it was what he did.”
It’s time for the next mystery challenge. We’ll head out to Cashes Dade and join Josiah, Casey, and the ghost strikers for the story about the fort at Ghost Peak which is now under siege. Josiah is looking for his dad’s final message to him. There is a secret power in this mountain that can be used to defend the fort against the aliens, making it too strong for them to destroy. The clues will be there. The four lines that Josiah’s dad told him about the mountain are the main clues. Is it a stone? Is it a jewel? Is it a mineral? Leave a comment below if you think you know the answer. A new chapter will be released right here every other Friday leading up to the next story in this series coming out this Memorial Day:
MYSTERY OF THE COLDOR CRYING GHOST
Can you solve the mystery?
The blue tinted crescent moon appeared momentarily. Sleek, arrow shaped dark clouds passed over. A blurry image appeared as a sharp, triangular blue alien craft appeared. It hovered silently between two tall, jagged peaks. The massively wide, five mile high mountain called Ghost Peak glowed soft blue in the silent night.
Young, bright energetic singing cut the silence. It flew straight up the slope, flying through the lower forest of sleek, tall triangular shaped Sunday Evergreens glowing neon blue. The fast, tall 13-year-old blazed up the slope, singing out in rapidly changing melodies. Bright blue light lit up his short, blonde hair flopping slightly to the side, with some strands falling low to his bright, energetic eyes.
His fast-paced dancing song grew quieter as he entered the open fields. He ran low to the ground, charging fast up the slick grass.
From low in the shadows at the tunnel’s entrance, Cade gazed with a calm intensity up at the top front balcony of the small, square fort made of rough, oval shaped black stones, lit up under dim blue moonlight. Barely lit by a row of dark orange lanterns was the DadeStar Flag. David Mayer stood to the left. His dark silhouette didn’t move in the strong winds. Callie Mayer stood to the right.
“It’s about to start,” Cade whispered, turning to see Drew one inch in front of him. “They’re…” Cade jumped back. He just shook his head. Drew glanced around confused. “They’re in position. See any ghosts yet?”
Blake bounced from the large slanted stone just up the slope behind them.
“Not yet,” he answered calmly. The alien ship lit up in bright flashing white lights. They flashed in a random, frenetic pattern. Cade glanced up at the fort top. David remained still. The DadeStar flag remained still in the passing winds pressing against the steep blue shimmering mountain slope. The alien light grew brighter, slowly into a pale gold sphere between the mountains.
Just then, two ships streaked across the sky, one left, and one right. Three more distant ships like glowing blue triangles appeared in the blaze. A fiery blaze shot out from within the lights. It struck the bottom slope, lighting up the neon blue glowing trees called Sunday Evergreens. The kids fell back in a sonic rush.
Drew caught a glimpse of two ships flying past high overhead. Fire balls appeared all across the sky.
“Get back, get back,” said Blake, waving them back under the tunnel. Cade intensely watched the dark blue crashing sky. Strong booming rushes shot across the sky in multiple directions. Fiery blue streaks appeared for a moment. Blake and Drew peered over the edge of a rock. Fires rained down all down the steep rocky slope below down to the slick, empty green fields.
Blue rays shot down at a lower fort wall built with the oval shaped rough black stones. The entire wall crumbled to the ground. A heavy boom rocked behind them. Cade looked back at the fort top. The DadeStar flag remained completely still, held by a pile of the oval shaped rough black stones within the long, arched shadow of the front gate. David’s silhouette remained unmoved. A bright cluster of lights appeared in the sky beyond the two peaks, over the distant lower rounded peaks. Several more rays of blue light shot down and struck lower parts of the fort.
Soldiers rushed out from behind the broken walls. Two more heavy booms from the other side rocked the mountain. David raised his arms out wide, holding two dim blue candle lights. Jagged blue lights glowed within the long, arched shadow. Soldiers got down low and took positions. Alien ships flew around in the fast-moving sky.
Quiet, energetic singing cut through the crashing booms. The youthful echoes of various sounds blended more and more as it headed straight for them.
“It’s him,” Blake whispered. “Be ready.” A bright flash like a closing curtain across the sky lit up Josiah as he slid to a stop in front of Blake, Drew, and Cade.
“They’re heading for the breached fort,” he said, talking fast. The kids looked over to the soldiers. They fired several small cannons shooting out dark orange fires up into the clouds. Several ships fell back, their lights flashing in a circular rhythm.
“There’s a smaller group moving up this way. I think they’ll enter any opening they see. We need to lead them here.”
“We’ll light this up,” said Blake, “make it look like an alien strike.”
“Then we fake them out, draw them away from the miners,” said Drew. Several more explosions rocked the mountain side. Large rocks cascaded down the steep slope on their right. The kids got down low behind a small rock cluster just inside the tunnel.
Blake gazed up at the sky. Alien ships flew around like fireflies. Fires rained down. Heavy booms shook the mountain, one after another, in a relentless assault. Josiah looked over at the fort top. David remained still, standing strong, lit up by the fiery lights falling around him. Callie turned and walked to the back corner of the balcony. She gazed down below, her back to the falling fires.
Blake watched the lower rocky slope intently. “I don’t see them yet.”
“You will soon, got your match ready?” asked Josiah. Blake nodded. A calm, steady angelic voice began singing in the distance. She sang a melody slowly rising, gently falling, but holding out.
“It’s Callie,” Cade answered. Her voice had a mysterious strength. Her song played out clear even among the constant booms and chaotic lights. “She’s singing to the kids.” Dark shadows pushed up through the large stones below.
“It’s them,” Drew whispered.
“Showtime,” said Cade with eyes lit. Blake lit the match, then tossed it in a nearby pile. A small bright flash lit up the tunnel entrance. The four kids jogged inside. Heavy, chilling darkness fell over them. Josiah lit a dim, blue candle. They rushed further inside.
The wide tunnel sloped sharply to the left and down. Booms rocked the deep mountain hall.
“Right here, right here,” said Josiah. “Okay, grab a tool and start working. Blake, you know what to do?”
“Yeah, when I see them I’ll yell out really loud, THEY’RE HERE!”
“No,” Josiah answered with a thin smile, “tap the wall three times when they’re after us.” The kids pretended to work. Strong booms echoed through the tunnels. Dust fell on them in the dark. Cade tapped his shovel in a crazed pattern. Blake struck the hard stone wall in a steady, fast rhythm. A strong chill overtook them.
The air moved. Cade heard the clanging three times. Josiah’s light flickered out. Cade struck a match. Dark figures appeared in the dim gold light moving in on them fast. The kids took off down the slope. An overpowering boom struck just overhead.
They sprinted down the slope falling away to the right. Cade glanced back. Dark spirits rounded the corner. Josiah whistled out three fast, short notes. The tunnel split left and right. Cade led them slowly right, then shot fast to the left. The tunnel swerved back and forth. Dark orange lantern lights spaced far apart began to appear on both sides of the wide, winding tunnel.
The slope turned steep going up. Even dark shadows passed by their sides. Dark orange lights blurred by. A series of heavy booms rocked them. The ghosts closed in.
“Go, go, go,” Cade urged.
“We need to lose them,” said Blake. The tunnel slope evened out. Dark orange lights streaked past. Josiah let out three longer, drawn out whistling notes. Chilling winds rushed past them. Bright orange lights flickered far ahead. Winds started pulling them back.
The kids leaned forward, sprinting faster. Drew glanced back. Dark spirits came sharply into focus.
“They’re gaining on us,” he said anxiously. Cade glanced back.
“Be ready, follow me,” said Cade. Dark orange lights blended together on both sides. The lights flashed out ahead in a steady rhythm. Cade slowly drifted to the right. He ran an inch from the right wall. He glanced back and waved the other three over. “Almost there,” he said.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Blake urged strongly. Drew glanced back. Dark spirits reached out toward them.
“Hurry, hurry,” he called out.
“Time for super sonic mode,” said Blake.
“You asked for it,” said Cade. He leaned forward, shooting out even faster. A slim, quietly singing figure flew past. “Not again.” Cade shook his head and powered faster, leaning almost parallel to the ground. Blake bit his lower lip and powered straight ahead.
Cade pulled out a small stone. The kids moved in on the bright orange lights. Cade threw his stone ahead along the wall, dragging the lights momentarily. In a sudden flash, he shot left, disappearing into a narrow bright gold lit tunnel.
The other three followed after. “Go, go, go,” Cade whispered ahead. Bright gold candle clusters flew by. Drew glanced back at the empty, still circular tunnel. Dark shadows flashed past the tunnel entrance. The kids sprinted down the tunnel curving left, sloping down.
Josiah whistled out three longer, more drawn out notes.
“We lost them,” said Drew. The four of them smiled and bumped fists. The tunnel split. The kids turned up the right tunnel, sloping back up. Widely spaced small gold candle clusters streaked past, disappearing into heavy darkness. Several more booms rocked the hall. They passed a dark opening.
Deep black shadows passed over them from the rocky clusters and piles along each wall.
Cade turned the corner ahead. The other three slid to a stop right behind him.
“What are you doing?” asked Blake. Cade pointed ahead. Dark spirits blocked the tunnel ahead. The kids spun around to see more fall into the tunnel behind them.
CHARACTER FUN FACTS: IS BEN JANSHEN THE GHOST?
Austin Candor is always on the move, in more ways than anyone, especially the aliens, even realize. He’s a bright, energetic kid from the Kingdom of Dascade Iris, City of Camdaysiah. He rarely sits still. In fact, he rarely sits at all. Some of his teachers don’t like him because it makes them dizzy watching him constantly shuffling his feet, swaying back and forth, pacing the back of the classroom. But he’s really smart and creative with fun ideas. He’s relatively short and slim with short dark brown hair that shifts slightly to the right over part of his eyes. What he’s known for though is his hair, the colour that is. He always has his hair a different colour, usually bright, often glowing in the dark. He’s been up to something lately. Well, he’s always up to something, but lately he’s really been up to something secret. He traveled somewhere. No one knows where. He was on a secret mission, and it had something to do with trying to hurt the aliens, but no one knows what that was. Now, the aliens stole a special fountain that belonged to his kingdom, one that helps students heal from various illnesses. They took it to the Kingdom of Dayascade, City of Dayas Caradames to their top school called Lincon Bereen. It’s being featured in a new school play and Austin’s going to sign up for it. He’s been secretly exploring the school a few months before the play is set to begin. There’s something sinister about this play. There’s a kid, one of the WhiteStar Ranked Students, who’s secretly working with the dark spirits. Austin refers to him as the ghost. Who is it?
DadeStar Mysteries is back, and it’s time to get back to the adventure. The next book will be coming out Memorial Day on Monday, May 30 called:
MYSTERY OF THE COLDOR CRYING GHOST
Get ready to go on a mission and solve an intriguing puzzle to find a ghost. But that will only be the beginning. In the next 12 weeks we will look at the kids who might be the ghost, the one secretly working with the dark spirits on a sinister plan. They will be presented in alphabetical order by first name. Check out the clues and see if you can figure out who it is. Every other week we will see a mystery showing our ghost strikers in action trying to defend a fort against the aliens. There’s a mysterious power to the fort that can lead them to hold out strong against the aliens, and gain power in the war. Get ready, because the revolution is about to explode.
When the aliens arrived to DarkCorner Land, they displayed their awesome power, and then declared themselves to be the new leaders of every kingdom. They also run the schools. Imagine if your principal was an alien. Maybe you think they are. But for the kids in DarkCorner Land, their principal really is an alien. They have strict rules and demand the kids do a lot of work. They have some harsh punishments for those who fail, but there are great rewards to those who achieve the highest grades, those who earn the top ranking of WhiteStar. They are allied with the aliens, and in many ways, the greatest threat to Cade and his friends.
Ben Janshen is a strong, athletic kid. He has blonde, swirling hair and bright green eyes. The first thing you notice about Ben is his eyes. His friends call him eagle eyes, despite the fact his long distance vision isn’t that good. He just has a way of staring at you that feels like he can see right into you. He talks slowly and dramatically, his voice slowly rising, as he tends to describe things in great detail, trying to give you a grand vision…
Ben is from the Kingdom of Caladaria, City of Dayas Caradas. You can find it on the map if you click on the page called DARKCORNER LAND. It’s a kingdom in the west, just down the river from Cashes Dade. It’s considered one of the strongest and most elite kingdoms in DarkCorner Land. They’re known for having the best restaurants, food items, and elaborate dinner parties.
Here’s one hint about Ben. What might be his greatest strength, may also be his greatest weakness. The clues are there, see if you can figure it out. Leave a comment below if you think you know what it is. Do you know? Do you think he’s the ghost?
THE WAR AGAINST THE ALIENS IS ON…
“The aliens claimed to be highly superior. They claimed to be our heroes coming to our planet to save us from ourselves. They claim our problems, our sicknesses come from students who don’t follow the right way, the standard way. I’m Cade Mayson of Cashes Dade, and I was ranked BlackStar by the aliens meaning failure even though I was a perfect student. Okay, maybe not quite perfect. I got in trouble one or two…or fifty times. I fell asleep during lessons one or two…or fifty times. I got distracted one…well you get the picture. People think I didn’t like school, but I liked it before the aliens took over my school. Yeah, I didn’t like most of the “important” subjects, but I liked art and music and history. I liked doing fun projects and I liked some of the games we would play. I don’t understand complicated math or science but I know how to escape out of a trap. I know how to solve puzzles. I know how to play really cool music. I know how to come up with cool and fun ideas. They say the only true way to learn is to listen to the teachers, take down simple notes, and understand by thinking about the concepts. They claim students who learn by drawing pictures, working things out their own way, or by acting things out, are lazy. They claim students who don’t understand the key subjects, the important ones according to them, are stupid. They claim the students who try to think different, who try to be creative and come up with new ideas, are trouble makers. They say students like me, like my friends, are a cancer and must be punished, sent to the Dathmore to work like slaves and if that doesn’t work, we must be eliminated. Do you believe them? Is their way really the best way? Come to the new Cashes Dade at our secret location by following the dark orange lights in the night and see for yourself. Check out what we have built with our different skills and new ideas. They had us surrounded, you know. You should read about how we tried to reveal who the alien spy was and how we tried to break through in our Bloody Friday War. But if they are so superior, why did we break through?”
The adventure continues. In fact, it’s only getting started. The prophecy that will be featured in the next book is about to revealed below. Who wrote this prophecy is a mystery. It’s time for another mystery challenge. In this one see if you can figure out which line is the most important one. The clues are in Cade’s report. Can you figure it out? Which line do you think it is? Leave a comment below. The answer will be revealed in next week’s mystery challenge. Otherwise, get ready for lots of cool and fun mysteries to solve as well as many twists and turns in the next book that will come out this Memorial Day in the USA called:
MYSTERY OF THE COLDOOR CRYING GHOST
There is a glittering puzzle to solve to set them free
You must put all the pieces together to reveal the key
Each piece will appear as a glowing word when you stare
When each one looks where they want, the answer is there
The intense, old climber reveals the secret of what they fear
The pieces must be together for the final answer to appear
The first piece will be found where the student plays
How does this visionary lead them through the haze?
The second piece is where the popular student can fly
But you can’t see it, blazing through, from so far up high
The third piece is where the grand symphony plays fast
Look for the answer to be found in the ship’s mast
The fourth piece is around the bend where the aliens lie
The head-strong student tries to reach, but too high
The fifth piece will be found under the blazing sign
The student stares at the glitter, blind to the design
The sixth and final piece will be found inside the show
When the bright students dance at once, follow the glow
The trap will be set where the students believe they can go
The true way out for them will be the door lit by the glow
The ghost who haunts the halls is locked in a cold gloom
Solve the puzzle to find where he must live out his doom
Some object in the school can be turned to find his room
Then you will hear his message to avoid the intense light
The stars must be determined to show the way in the night
The greatest tragedy is not failing to reach the glittering peak
It’s when you miss the chance to go after the glory you seek
When you hear the ghost crying in the dark, then you’ll know
The aliens with their brilliant light are afraid of the stars’ glow
But if you don’t find the ghost in time, Cade will die in the show
CHARACTER FUN FACTS: WHAT IS JOSIAH’S SECRET?
Josiah Mardade is a bright, energetic kid like an exploding star. It’s what the second name of his kingdom means and why kids like Cade, Blake, and Drew call themselves DadeStar students. But it’s mysterious how Josiah is always smiling, always bouncing, always singing. Finally, earlier in the fall, a kid asked Josiah why he isn’t sad, why he seems to be so happy all the time. This is what he told him:
“On the morning of Bloody Friday, my dad took me out to our balcony overlooking the channel down below. He kind of stared out for a long time, then he turned to me and said, ‘We’re marching on the DadeLuce Fountain today. We’re going to try to destroy it. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us.’ He looked up and said, ‘We’ll probably go to war soon, and we’ll have to regroup in the mountains.’ Then he looked at me, and he told me in a really low tone, ‘You have to promise me something. Don’t ever let them change you. Don’t ever let them break your spirit. No matter what happens, keep singing.’ And I promised him, and that promise was the last thing I ever said to him…”
It’s time for another feature on this mysterious kid from Cashes Dade, but before we go on, it’s time to reveal the answer for last week’s mystery challenge. Did you figure it out? Do you know which path is the way to find Ghost Peak? Here is the answer:
It is the rocky slope.
Were you right? Leave a comment below.
Josiah is an interesting kid to sit by in class. You might get distracted a lot, but at least you won’t be bored. He’s always doing something, usually behind a stack of folders that look like a city skyline. He plays around with every object on his desk, which may include toy soldiers, packs of gum, really small boxes no one knows where they came from, and small snacks. Josiah always has snacks on him, always. What he likes to do the most is have fights between his pencils, snacks, the toy soldiers, whatever. He gets really into it, and even seems to get really upset when a certain object “loses” the fight. Even when you remind him that he does the fight and decides who wins, he just stares back at you confused.
Josiah is a singer, but more than that he is a musician. He sings all the time, under his breath during class, and during many times when he’s not supposed to be singing or making any noise. But he’s also always moving, always kind of bouncing to some music playing in his head. He taps his feet in a really fast, bizarre pattern that changes at random times. It’s impossible to track his movements. His feet move so fast they seem to disappear…
Cade is a master at avoiding getting tagged in tag. Josiah is a master at getting people in tag. Hopefully someday we will get to see them go head to head. Josiah is incredibly fast. What’s crazy is how fast he accelerates. At first, you think you’re getting away, and you’re getting further and further ahead. You think there’s no way he can catch you. Well, he has you right where he wants you, because he will accelerate like you wouldn’t believe and catch up to you in a flash. He also has a way of knowing right where you are, even when he’s far away and hasn’t been watching you at all. There seems to be no way he could have seen where you went or where you are now, but all the sudden he’ll make this incredibly sharp turn, and you’ll be too shocked to get away…
“Josiah, you have to find Ghost Peak. They hold a key secret there. Ghost Peak may be the key to winning this war. If I don’t come home today, make sure you get there, and find my message…”
MYSTERY OF GHOST PEAK: PART THREE
Cade Mayson and his ghost striker friends have been watching the aliens all through the fall. Several new towers have gone up. Mysterious lights play to the rhythm of loud, booming music throughout the mountains during the moonlit nights. They believe the aliens are working on something secret. It could be a new weapon, perhaps something that can break through the defensive fires that protect the new Kingdom of Cashes Dade at the top of the mountain. Josiah believes they are secretly experimenting with students. But he’s more concerned with what the aliens are looking for. They want to discover the secret of Ghost Peak. Cade, Blake, Drew, and Josiah are determined to find it first, because something powerful might be found there, and if the aliens get it, the revolution might end before it can begin…
It’s time for another mystery challenge. If you haven’t yet, go to LIST OF POSTS at the top of the site and check out MYSTERY OF GHOST PEAK: PART ONE AND PART TWO. Have you figured out yet which path the kids should take that will lead to the secret peak in the distance? Leave a comment below if you have a guess. Check out the Daycoyer Prophecy below to learn more about the alien invasion, what’s happened to the students like Cade, Blake, and Drew, and to learn the secret of Ghost Peak. More about this will be revealed in next week’s post including the answer for which of the five paths leads to Ghost Peak. There is a key clue in the prophecy. Can you find it? What secret will be revealed?
DAYCOYER PROPHECY
Kids play soccer on a wide field under a calm sky
Others build sandcastles under the shade up high
When a brilliant flash shoots out over every school
Green fires turn the day’s warmth into a chilling cool
First they will deceive all the parents about a great threat
When they look to the aliens as superior all will be set
They will shine light on the few students who follow their way
They won’t care at all what students on the outside have to say
From the beginning, they will decide where each student will rank
When they were called trouble makers that’s when they sank
The aliens pretend to light up the best way with intense beams
But what they’re really doing is trying to crush their dreams
At night, a dark storm will cover all the nations in shadow
But in the western sky, in the three dark stars will appear a glow
There is a secret being held by the ghosts under the hidden peak
The way there is by following the close, yet distant dream you seek
The bright singer flies so fast you can’t see him stop
The crazy ghost kids can’t be kept from reaching the top
The kid with fire in his eyes can’t be told there’s no way
He’s determined to take the most daring path to make them pay
When the blazing students find the ghosts, a secret will be revealed
They hold a secret many forgot for how they can be healed…
CHARACTER FUN FACTS: WHO IS THE BLAZING GHOST?
There is a legend developing among the aliens. It’s spreading through all the kingdoms and cities. The aliens can’t talk the way people do, but they are able to send their thoughts into someone who can then speak their message. These people are called messengers. The aliens only choose WhiteStar Ranked students and adults to be messengers. These are the people they consider elite, the best and brightest. They’ve been told by the aliens to watch for a kid they call “The Blazing Ghost.”
Throughout the summer, the rumours have slowly spread through the kingdoms. People are starting to talk about how the aliens are looking for some kid who keeps interfering with their business. This kid is secretly trying to start a revolution to overthrow the aliens and kick them out of their kingdoms and their schools. He doesn’t believe in their superiority, but instead believes they are the enemy. This kid isn’t just fast, but blazes, because he finds his own way through the alien defense. Every time the aliens think they have him trapped, he finds some way through, he turns into a ghost. The aliens don’t know who he is. Do you?
Before we continue to find out about a mysterious kid from Cashes Dade, it’s time to reveal the answer for last week’s mystery challenge. If you haven’t yet, check out last week’s post called MYSTERY OF GHOST PEAK: PART ONE and see if you can solve the mystery. The answer for how do you see Ghost Peak is based on these prophecy lines:
The moonlight burns bright blue
Then the night fires cross the two
That’s when the Ghost peak appears
But the only way is through your tears…
The answer is this: The night fires refer to stars. Crossing the two refers to the time meaning 2:00 in the morning, but it also refers to the time, the time that the ghosts dance. So if you position yourself where the ghosts dance after 2:00 in the morning, then you will see Ghost Peak appear in the distance. Can you figure out how to get there? The way is mysterious and dangerous, because the aliens are trying to reach the peak as well. There will be no post next week. Part two of this mystery will be released in two weeks on Friday, September 24th. Be there and be ready to join the ghost strikers for another adventure.
Casey Cardade is a 12 year old with short, choppy hair that slants and falls low over his dark, deep-set eyes. He likes experimenting with various stones and powders that can set fires and shoot off explosions. He will try anything, any combination, and see what happens. Through the summer, he’s been shooting off different combinations at a secret alien factory set deep in the forest in a hidden valley. Last night, he snuck out of the small room he and his parents call home in the slowly rebuilding Kingdom of Cashes Dade and disappeared into the mountains below. He took up his position on the lower left slope of the valley where the dark orange glowing, tall oval-shaped alien factory. He knelt down behind a random combination of tall blue flowers, small green bell shaped shrubs, and short, really wide neon green Crafters Evergreens. He stared intensely out across the lower multi-coloured fields with all kinds of various plants and flowers growing together around the factory. Then the pale yellow light spilling out from the narrow, rectangular windows all across the top went dark. That’s when the low booming music began from one high corner, followed by a bright gold flash through the factory. Then he heard the faint sound of children crying…
Casey is really into explosions. For him, the brighter the explosion, the better. He likes seeing different colours and hearing the boom. But most of all, he likes messing with the aliens. He gazed up at the rough, low flying clouds across the chilly night sky. Then he slowly scanned the valley below and the upper slope behind him. Various circular clusters of glittering flowers, shrubs, and evergreens spread out among the variety of colours under flickering pale moonlight. He got his small shooter in position, placed several different powders inside, then struck his match. He got himself ready, with an intense gaze and thin smile, he shot the explosive. A bright blue fire blazed through the air, smashed through a window, and flashed inside. That’s when a bright, intense alien light shot directly at Casey’s shooter…
Casey Cardade is a really tough runner to track. He would probably be as difficult to catch in the game of tag as Cade is, that is if he ever played. Casey is really fast, but it takes him some time to get going to a high speed. It’s so hard to chase him, because he just shoots off in one direction, and gets faster and faster until all the sudden, he makes a sharp turn, and disappears. The hot, intense alien light cut through the darkness shining on his shooter, but Casey was gone. He already shot off up the slope, but could just see his explosion from the corner of his eye. A smile broke across his face as he hurried back up the slope toward a circular cluster of glittering flowers and plants with a few short Crafters Evergreens. He shook his head, smiled brighter, and swerved around the hidden alien net, glittering in the moonlight. Two aliens stared out the window at the quiet valley and asked themselves the question, “Did the Blazing Ghost just strike again?”