The aliens have been trying to destroy the BlackStar Ranked Students of Cashes Dade. They are the ones classed as failures; lazy and disruptive. They claimed the intense, bright neon green lights were meant to save them, but only if they were willing to work hard and follow their One Way to succeed. They don’t allow students to learn in their own ways or be creative. But a bright, fast-talking, fast-singing, fast-moving 12 year old named Josiah Mardade found his own way to quickly overcome the terrible illness. It all happened during a bizarre fire fight with the aliens. His recovery was incredibly fast and mysterious. His dad, Todd Mardade, made a secret plan with six others to destroy the fountain lights. It’s time for another mystery challenge where we will check out the alien battle Josiah was involved in, to figure out the key word in the prophecy at the end. This word will be another clue for what’s really going on with the alien fountain lights. When you have all the words, you will have the answer, but the answer will lead to bigger questions. Now the aliens are coming after Josiah. Why? What does he have that they want? The key clue is revealed by the words Todd said to the other six right before they made their decision to risk their lives to protect their people. You see, the question is, what will you be? The people of Cashes Dade will never forget them, when he turned to them with strong defiance and said, “Let’s roll.”
When the seven citizens were shot dead, including Todd Mardade, Cashes Dade declared war on the aliens. Ever since the first alien attack on Cashes Dade a year and a half ago, the people of Cashes Dade, led by Todd, have been developing their massive underground in the mountains west of Cashes Dade. They built all the tunnels and undeground chambers many years ago when dark spirits began haunting the land. But after the attack, many people went to work strengthening the structures and stockpiling food, supplies, medicines, and weapons in secret places. It’s basically a massive, complicated maze where they can hide from the aliens. When the dark spirits are sent in to capture them, they can run to another secret location in the underground. Most of the tunnels are lit by dark orange lanterns, some by dark gold-lit chandeliers, and others by deep blue lantern lights. The people made the tunnels really confusing and hard to follow, thus easy for Cade, Blake, and Drew to mis-direct the dark spirits trying to find the people and key supply locations. It’s also great for endless games of hide and seek.
On Friday night, after the murders of the seven protestors, the leaders of Cashes Dade held a secret meeting deciding to declare war. They got the citizens ready to move out fast, set up their cannons, and began shooting at the alien towers on Saturday night. The sky was calm and quiet as sleek blue clouds slowly streamed across the sky. Moonlight barely broke through various points down to the slick dark green field spread before them. Josiah hid down in a trench with a group of soldiers who were good friends of his dad, with the mountains behind them. The distant alien tower glowed in a fiery green haze in the silent, chilling night. Josiah just stared out with an empty, distant gaze, shaking with sharp chills and a strong fever. Then he gazed up at the breaking moonlight rhythmically flickering through the passing clouds. High in the distance, through the passing waves, a shooting star blazed across the dark sky.
In a sudden flash, the alien tower went completely dark. The soldiers watched and waited. As they watched the calm flowing sky, seven blurry green sleek triangular alien crafts slowly appeared just hanging still in the clouds. A distant eerie whistling sound played out over the field sounding like it was slowly falling. That’s when Josiah suddenly jumped up with eyes lit. He started running up the line, singing a bright, energetic song with a fast-paced rising melody. Then the Cashes Dade dark orange fires lit up the sky…
When the alien towers burn the night
When they put out the last light
When they try to crush every student’s dream
When they shoot out their intense, searching beam
When they overwhelm the sky with confusion and dark
When the rejected creative student sits alone at the park
When cold darkness overwhelms in relentless waves
When all you can do is dream of living in the graves
When the alien’s burning white eyes stare down at you
When you feel like there is nothing more you can do
Remember what the defiant leader said before the end
It was a call to turn from despair, the loss of a friend
It was a call to be energetic, to live in the light
The sign to reveal the truth is the star shooting through the night…
The citizens of Cashes Dade are hiding in the mountains, trapped in the underground, surrounded by the aliens. But the enemy is also within. An alien spy is among them, secretly trying to take them down. But Cade Mayson and his friends are on the case, and the greatest revelation may come at an unexpected time, in a concert…
The prophecy hints at someone from Cashes Dade preparing to turn on them, preparing to give them up to the aliens. Ghostly whispers are heard in every distant, dark corner. Cade, Blake, and Drew are running constantly, trying to keep track of everything the seven Army Leads are doing and saying, but it’s hard to keep up with everything that’s going on. The aliens are coming after them with everything they have.
Ryan puts a lot of energy into the underground concert where they plan to play Bloody, Bloody Friday for the first time. Is he focused on sending a message to the aliens? Or is the concert meant to be some kind of distraction? The prophecy also refers to a ghost singing in the moonlight…
Its time to check out the seventh and final suspect. There is no significance to the order of the suspects in these posts because they are being presented in alphabetical order by first name. Ryan Cardade is one of the seven Cashes Dade Army Leads. One of them has to be the spy, because someone was seen by Cade and his friends, talking to the dark spirits in the tunnels, getting ready to give away Cashes Dade’s key secrets. They couldn’t be seen or heard clearly enough to be identified, but a dark orange star patch was seen on their shoulder marking them as one of the seven leads. Now that we’ve seen all of them, leave a comment below if you think you know who it is. Cade, Blake, and Drew are on their way back to Cashes Dade to help out their people in their war against the aliens. Will they be able to figure out how to break through? The prophecy hints at a mountain they can escape to where they will be protected from the aliens. But the key to solving this mystery will be figuring out which one of these seven army leads is the spy. Who is it?
Ryan Cardade is somewhat awkward with short, wild dark hair shooting out every which way.
He is rough, wild, and kind of crazy.
He is really into music and loud crashing sounds.
He talks pretty calmly and to the point.
He takes the fourth position in the formation for the army leads.
He is a really strong fighter. He’s great at holding the line and firing powerfully at the enemy.
Ryan owned a guitar shop in Cashes Dade. He loved to make the most unique and loud guitars possible. He dreams of playing legendary concerts while playing legendary guitar solos.
One time Ryan was working on a new guitar he called “Hell Crasher.” I’m not sure exactly what that was supposed to mean, but basically, it was meant to be loud. He was on stage at the grand blue crystal concert hall dimly lit by dark orange chandelier clusters through the three levels, preparing for a concert that night, most of all testing out this new guitar. They don’t have electricity but they have a way of mixing certain powders that amplify the sound in the guitar. He kept trying it out on stage, playing strong, powerful chords that shook the arena, but every time he did the same thing, just walked away shaking his head. “It’s not loud enough. It’s not loud enough. I want this place to feel like it’s about to collapse.” He mixed stronger powders into it. Several people warned him about it, but he just waved them off. He played several chords, and the guitar started on fire. “You’ve got the hell part right,” one guy said close by. Ryan shot him a fiery intense look. Then he went back to work.
It’s kind of a mystery how they make their instruments play so strong and loud, a mystery that even the aliens are trying to figure out.
Around the time of the concert, Cashes Dade scouts see a lot of activity happening around a massive, green-lit alien complex. They see dark spirits streaming in from various directions, sleek, triangular shaped alien ships in fiery blue glows flying through the deep blue streaming clouds landing somewhere near the top of the stretched, curved complex. Dark golden lights glow like slow moving flames inside the grand windows. Sour horns blared out loud and strong, shaking the walls. A sonic boom overtook the sky, shutting out every other sound. Blurry moonlight spilled across the high rooftop where several lead aliens met, preparing for an announcement…
The final clues are Ryan’s three best known quotes:
More clusters of bright gold lights were lit up across the stadium as Damian worked his way up the field. The bright lights reflected across his short dark hair falling low almost hiding his intense eyes. His team was down 2-1 late in the game against their rival. There wasn’t much time left which meant only one thing: It was Damian Magic time. He passed to a teammate breaking open on the left, then he shot ahead, flying past the defenders, breaking wide open. His teammate passed him the ball. He worked his way toward the goal. He slowed down as three defenders closed in on him, then he gave a wink to someone in the far, dark corner of the stadium…
It’s time for the next mystery challenge leading into the next book in the mystery series called: MYSTERY OF THE BLOODY FRIDAY SPY Can you figure out what’s happening to the BlackStar Ranked Students of Cashes Dade? The aliens placed a mysterious fountain with intense, bright flashing lights that make a lot of students sick. This is what will lead to the event known as Bloody Friday. This is what will lead to the war. But there’s a key secret that will be revealed in the prophecy written near the end of this post. There is a word in the prophecy that offers another clue about what secret may be behind the aliens’ fountain lights. Can you figure it out? Leave a comment below if you think you know. The answer will be revealed in the next Character Fun Facts Feature. The key clue will be to watch Damian’s celebration and find out what the celebration is…
The three defenders closed in on Damian. He faked left, faked right, then sped off to the left, spun around, dribbled the ball between his feet, then slid back. The defenders went after the ball, but it wasn’t there. That’s when Damian flew past them up the field. He was like a blue streak. The goalie could barely react before Damian kicked the ball into the far right corner of the goal. Then he did his usual celebration, running in a spiral pattern first over to the sideline, picking up the Cashes Dade flag, then around the end of the field before circling in front of the goal and planting the flag on the field. He would finish with a salute to the crowd. A short time later, with only a few minutes left in the game, he stole the ball and flew down the field, passing back and forth with four other teammates. The goalie thought the player on the far left had the ball, but Damian did on the opposite side. The ball whizzed right past the stunned goalie. Damian did his usual celebration again, with his teammates flying around the field as well, lighting up the field, with his team winning 3-2. Then the alien fountain lights shot up high, appearing just behind the stadium. Damian gazed up at them in wonder before falling to the ground. He struggled to get home. He had the mysterious sickness…
Earlier that day, Damian met with a younger student who had already come down with the illness. What’s bizarre is that he met with the student in secret. Only after Damian fell ill did his family and friends find out when the student told them about the visit, but he asked that his name not be revealed. Damian visited him to see how he was doing, give him a cake from the bakery, and talk about soccer plays. The young student was really into soccer and ships. He would focus really intensely on a few subjects like that, things he was interested in, but struggled to focus on the subjects the aliens considered important. That’s why they called him lazy and distracted. But he would spend hours and hours watching the ships, figuring out their schedules, where they had come from, where they were going, and how they worked. He liked watching them dock and make their deliveries. He even wrote up a complicated, new schedule for them to make their deliveries and figured out better routes for them by studying the waves and weather patterns. Many Cashes Dade businesses have actually followed his plans, finding them to be much more efficient. But he also had an idea for a soccer play, where they would pass the ball back and forth so many times, so fast, that they would confuse the other team, and lead to a score. But there was something else the young student told Damian that was particularly mysterious…
Dazzling ripples will spread wider and wider out Yet the flying student will discover a reason for doubt Fast currents will split the waters of murky blue where blazing ships try to find their way through Glittering gold lights will reflect throughout the sea in a spiral design revealing all that we can be They’ll fly around so fast the ships will be lost Chilling, dark mist will fall forming a brilliant frost Watch the students who are seen as disruptive and loud They are the glittering gold lights blazing through the dark cloud He will see something no one else has yet seen Being a blazing light will lead him to understand what they mean The truth will be revealed when the spiraling lights conquer the sky The aliens’ claim of great superiority is actually a lie…
Just as Damian was about to leave the young student, he started talking about the ships, how they came in from all kinds of directions. But then he began saying something that Damian couldn’t quite figure out, something mysterious. He just kept repeating the same phrase over and over again: “They’re all glowing the same.” “They’re all glowing the same.” “They’re all glowing the same…”
Dead whispers flew through the chilling dark. Alien lights roamed through the maze of mountains, searching, looking for the people of Cashes Dade with their bright dazzling lights shining down from the sky. Their ships moved through the sky above the clouds carrying the sound of eerie whistling. But they weren’t just looking for the people of Cashes Dade, they were looking for the ghost strikers. Dark spirits raced through the mountains. They hurried across the slopes to where the dark orange light shone as a signal showing where to meet. But they weren’t the only ones going for it. Cade, Blake, and Drew were flying through the underground tunnels, trying to find their way through the maze, hoping to get there in time. The dark spirits hurried to meet the spy, the one who would tell them where the people were hiding so the aliens could finish Cashes Dade completely. Ghostly whispers echoed in the dark. Will the kids get there in time? The next five Character Fun Facts posts will feature the Seven Army Leads of Cashes Dade. One of them is the spy. They will be presented in alphabetical order by first name. Each post will feature either one or two of them with various information and stories about them. Leave a comment below if you have a guess whether you think Austin might be the spy, or do you think it probably is someone else? Maybe you will know right away, or maybe you will need to see all seven army leads before you can decide who it is. Can you figure out which one is the spy?
Austin Camdade is relatively tall and strong. He is determined and has a quiet intensity about him. He always looks like he’s thinking hard about something. He has short, somewhat rough hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He talks pretty eloquently and smooth.
Austin takes the third position in the formation for the army leads. He is a strong leader who does a great job of explaining where the enemy is and how best to attack them by finding where they are vulnerable.
Austin has always dreamed of being a great explorer. He likes climbing mountains and trying to find new trails, new ways to get to the top. He wants to discover new places and new minerals that could give them stronger medicines and weapons to defeat the aliens. He has great ambition, and loves reaching the highest peaks.
One time before Cashes Dade went to war against the aliens, Austin Camdade was leading some kids on a mountain climb, including Cade and Blake. They were trying to climb a small, but relatively steep mountain to the northeast of Cashes Dade. Cade moved fast up the slick scree and heavy dirt, practically jumping up, sliding back, then jumping higher up. He turned back to Blake with a confident smile, and twisted expression showing some kind of judgment/curiosity. “What’s taking you so long?” “I’ll catch up,” said Blake, gasping for air. “Maybe when…” Cade took another long drink of water. “Your pack looks a lot lighter than mine.” “Oh I see. You think youuuu…” Cade slid back a ways before digging in deeper. “It’s cool,” he said with a nod to the other kids on both sides. “You’re just making excuses.” “You only packed a few waters again didn’t you?” Cade kind of shrugged as he worked his way up through the thick soil. “You’re going to run out again.” Cade shook his head as he took another long drink. “Yeah you are, look at you. We’re not even halfway. You do this every time. We’ll get close to the top and you’ll be looking like you’re dead and begging me for one of my waters.” “No way,” said Cade, taking another long drink. Blake just shook his head. “Unbelievable.” He gazed up the slope when Austin said, “We’re going to turn this way, cut through there to the top.” Several kids gasped as he pointed to the thick cluster of small trees with the green pointed, needle-like leaves. “No one’s ever tried this way before,” he added with a smile. “Yeah I wonder why,” Blake muttered under his breath. Cade got down low, almost sliding up the slope like a snake trying to shield himself from the sharp leaves. Blake gazed up at the dark blue, flat clouds streaming across the sky before pushing through, clearing a path as he went, looking angrier and angrier the closer they got to the top. Bright lightning splintered across the sky in the distance beyond the peak. Austin stayed focused on the rough rocky slope leading to the top. Cade struggled to follow Austin pushing his way through the thick forest toward the rocky peak. He took another long drink as they struggled up the final slope. Chilling winds brushed down slope, pushing them back momentarily. An eerie whistling rushed across the sky. Austin gazed up toward the peak saying, “We’re almost in the clear. Soon we’ll be standing at the top.” Cade jumped from rock to rock while Blake propelled himself over one after another until soon they both stood at the top, gazing at the awesome views on all sides. Blake turned around to see Cade drinking from another bottle. “That’s your last one isn’t it?” Smiling, Cade pulled two more full water bottles out of his backpack. Blake stared in shock before shaking his head as he turned back to look out across the vast landscape. But his shock turned into a knowing smile when he took a sideways glance and saw Cade secretly handing several kids a wod of money…
The final clues are Austin’s three best known quotes:
“Exploring new places is the greatest adventure you can have.” “The best way to answer your enemy is to fight.” “Just keep climbing, higher and higher, until you are standing tall at the top.”
Its time to go back into Carolmire, the kingdom where it’s always Christmas. There’s an intriguing mystery to solve. If you haven’t yet, check out the post, DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE: CAROLMIRE’S SECRET LIGHT to see the list of possible women who could be the secret singer and the prophecy that offers clues as to how to find her. Here is the link:
Christmas can be a great time and for many it can be a dark time, but with a distant light, a distant, mysterious hope. You can also check out the author’s facebook page to see more about his mountain climbs and there are weekly bible studies for anyone interested including a special look at the Christmas story in the bible that you probably have never seen before. Check it out here:
Leave a comment below if you think you know the answer to this mystery. Now let’s get back into the story. Can you figure out who it is?
Dark orange slowly turned to dark purple over the distant snow-covered mountains behind Carolmire while the two kids worked their way up the rocky trail winding up the mountain running back and forth from the west side to the east side across the south side overlooking the endless white plain. Snow fell calmly from the rolling dark blue clouds streaming across the sky. The two kids stopped momentarily, a short distance from the peak. “We better hurry,” Blake said tensely. “Why?” asked Cade with a casual shrug. “Because she’s going to start singing soon,” Blake said, nodding to the creamy dark blue sky. “We’re only seconds from the top.” Blake gazed up the rocky slope with a doubtful expression. Dark blue shadows fell slowly down the steep slope, blocked at several rocky points. “We’re still an hour from the top,” Blake answered, nodding toward the trail winding back and forth multiple times up the final slopes. Cade gazed up the steep slope with a brightly intense gaze. Then he turned to Blake and slowly broke a smile. “Oh come on.” Cade smiled brighter. “No, Cade, no way. Look at all that snow?” “Fastest way to the top is…” “It’s too steep, with all that snow? You can’t…” “Okay, here we go,” Cade answered, talking fast. “You take the traaiiel, ch, ch, ch,” Blake watched confused as he made slow waving motions, “and I’ll go straight to the top, woooosshhhhh, and we’ll see who gets there first, cool, awesome, ready?” “Let’s go.” Blake bit his lips as he sprinted up the trail. As the trail cut back to the right he saw Cade sprinting up the slope, powering through the snow. Blake sprinted harder. Then he saw Cade slide back fast, almost back to where they started. Blake’s eyes lit up as he turned the next corner. He heard Cade yelling something, his voice rising fast up the slope behind him. Blake bit his lips tighter as he drew near to the next turn. He made a sharp turn back to the right. Cade slid fast about 20 feet. Citizens began singing “Joy to the World” from beyond the mountain top, sounding faint and ghostly. Their voices echoed sharply back and forth as Blake reached the top to watch Cade climb 30 feet, only to slide back 10. Finally, as chilling darkness fell over the mountain, Cade fell across the top, looking almost dead. “See…I…told…you…like…only way.” Blake just stared at him in disbelief. “Cade, you’re not even making sense.” “Well…I am…but you’re…down there…” Blake just shook his head. “We need to get ready,” Blake said, walking over to the northern edge overlooking the Christmas city glowing like a dream in the cold, dark night. More and more citizens came out of the mines and entered into the singing of Christmas carols on the narrow twisted streets. “It’s almost time I think,” said Blake glancing back toward Cade who slowly approached. “We’re not the only ones who think so,” he said quietly, pointing to the mountain left of Carolmire. Several bright lights roamed back and forth from the aliens’ neon green shining tower. A sonic boom shot across the dark rolling sky. The kids ducked down behind several large rocks. “Be ready,” said Blake. “I’m ready, won’t need to tell me twice.” “I’m just saying, you might be tired after all that sliding.” “No way,” Cade shook his head sharply. An alien ship lit up in glittering gold lights hovered over the top of the city. Neon green candles glowed in the windows of the general store. Bright blazing blue candles lit up the entire castle. Gold-lit candles glowed in strong flashing lights throughout the grand square windows of the hotel. Gold candles remained still in heavy clusters of various citizens’ balconies. Dark orange candles shined with slow burning lights in the grand windows of the restaurant. The ship’s lights began to grow dim within the dark haze of the night sky. “Be ready,” said Blake, “should be any time…” He turned to Cade, who was leaning against a rock, asleep. Blake kicked him. Cade woke up to a haunting, but beautiful voice singing Silent Night. “It’s on, it’s on,” said Cade, clapping a few times. The kids stared out at the dreamy city. The singing came soaring out from the clocktower where dim gold candles shined. “We know she’s not there though,” Blake said in a low voice. “She’s somewhere else.” Both kids scanned the various homes lit by gold and multi-coloured candles swaying in the chilling song. They looked around at the small shops and prominent places. Then Cade took out the prophecy. Blake lit up a bright sparkling candle. “What is the two?” Cade asked. “It’s about a light.” “Who’s they?” The two kids stared at the lines while the singing swayed over the dreamy lights. The alien ship slowly circled around the city. “It must be the light and the singer,” said Blake. The ghostly, yet sweet voice kept singing, sounding distant, yet sharp and clear. The music soared over the dream-like lights blending with the towering Devas Evergreens with their spiraling branches rising in high twisted cones. Breaking moonlight fell through the one Devas Evergreen glowing neon green in various points just over the kids, the light spilling down through the branches from the top slowly down to the bottom as the peaceful singing played on. “Aaaauuuurrrrrggghhhhh,” said Blake, holding his head in agony. “What happened?” “I can’t stand trying to figure it out their way, trying to break down every line, every word, it doesn’t work.” Cade turned to Blake with bright intensity. “Then we figure it out our way.” Blake slowly looked up, then answered, “Right on.” The kids turned back to the prophecy copy under bright flickering light. Her song swayed, rising and falling over the murky flashing lights. “I think we need to look at the whole picture.” “What do you mean?” “I mean, what does the entire prophecy say?” The kids read over the lines, then looked down at the musical city below, then they read the lines again, then gazed back down at the musical lights. Her ghostly, yet hopeful singing swayed through the neon green candles glowing in the windows of the general store. The bright blazing blue candles lit up the entire castle. Gold-lit candles glowed in a strong flashing light throughout the grand square windows of the hotel. Gold candles remained still in heavy clusters of various citizens’ balconies. Dark orange candles shined with a slow burning light throughout the grand windows of the restaurant. “The prophecy’s talking about lights blending, connecting,” said Blake talking quietly. “I think it’s talking about two lights that will meet.” The kids stared more intently at the quiet singing city. Dark orange candle clusters shined brightly through crystal grand windows of the playhouse. Single candles in the simple windows of the grand home across the top hill remained still in the chilling music. Then Cade started gazing out across the lower mountain slopes. Breaking moonlight cast sleek shadows over the creamy slopes, falling from the top all the way down to the city entrance. Chilling winds whistled across the slopes on all sides. “I got it,” said Cade with eyes lit, “I got it. It’s an echo. She’s singing from one place but making it sound like it’s coming from another place.” “So where is she?” asked Blake. Just then several alien ships emerged from the dark rushing clouds. “She’s at the hotel. The lights are blended together in there just like in the restaurant.” “Let’s go,” said Blake. He started to turn, but Cade pulled him back as several bright lights lit up in the sky. “What are you doing?” “I think the aliens figured it out. Look.” The two ships dropped low in the sky close to the hotel. “We have to get her out of there.” “It’ll take an hour to get down there,” said Blake. “Not my way,” said Cade gazing down the north slope. “Oh come on…” Cade slowly broke a smile that looked almost evil, and crazy. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Cade turned to him with a confident smile. “There’s no way.” “It worked on the way up.” “How do you know we won’t hit any rocks?” “I know, trust me, it’s obvious.” Alien lights shot out toward the hotel. “Come on,” Cade urged. “This is our chance.” Blake sighed heavily and started pretend-writing on the prophecy copy. “What are you doing?” “Just writing my will…” “Come on, we need to go.” Cade jumped down and began his slide down the slope while Blake closed his eyes before starting his. The kids started to gain speed surfing down the snowy slope toward the quiet, still hotel. “So how do you know we won’t hit any rocks?” Blake challenged. “I saw the shadow go all the way down the slope,” Cade answered calmly. “THAT’S IT?!?” “We’re almost theeerrrrreeeee.” Cade and Blake turned sideways as they eventually slid into a snow drift at the city park right in front of the hotel. The kids gazed up at the alien lights moving in together over the hotel. Then they drifted apart, searching the grounds. “Now, go, go, go.” The kids sprinted to the entrance while the alien lights moved back toward the entrance. Slow burning dark orange candles lit the narrow black marble halls with brightly coloured carpets. “To the top floor windows,” said Blake. Cade nodded while they sprinted up the winding steps of the grand center room. They ducked the roaming alien lights. The ships drew in closer. The floors and walls rattled under the pressure. Just then they heard the singing as the lady turned to see them approaching. It was Annie Carabright.
“We have to get you out of here,” said Cade. “They’ll find me,” she said, nodding to the searching lights. “We can get you out,” said Blake. “Right, Cade?” Cade looked around outside as the lights grew stronger. Then his eyes slowly scanned the grand top floor room until stopping on a grand piano in the corner. Talking fast Cade answered, “I know how we’ll escape, I know how we’ll escape, I’m going to play, just play us out, get ready, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” “Woah, slow down…” “I’ll start playing, you guys get ready, hide by the front entrance, I’ll join you and then we get out when they all rush to here.” “They figured it out, remember?” said Blake. “They’ll know you’re here playing the piano, they won’t think it’s coming from the restaurant.” “I know, I have a different plan, trust me, go now, wait for me.” “This better be good,” Blake whispered as he and Annie made their way for the entrance and hid down behind a large couch. Then the song began, it was Silent Night. The ship descended to the street. Cade played strong and fast, with an added echo to the song as he played the keys. The place vibrated to the fast-paced rhythm of the strong, fast playing. The dark orange lights swayed to the energetic, strong, yet peaceful song. “Why do you sing secretly?” Blake whispered. “For them,” she nodded toward the restaurant. “My music brings them together and shines a light on them instead of me. It highlights how special they are, how talented they are, like tonight, the chef and his wife realizing what a great restaurant they have, and for the rest of them over there singing and dancing, they realize how great they are. You see, we all have a great destiny, like the two of you being led here to save me with your bright determination, so my music can continue bringing light to them. Sometimes our destiny may be hard to see in the heavy darkness, but it can still shine if you go deep enough to find the light that only shines in the deepest dark.” The ship reached the ground. Several aliens quickly walked out. They headed down the street for the entrance while the Silent Night played on and on, the bright, hopeful notes rising higher and higher around them. “He’s out of time,” Blake whispered. “No I’m not,” Cade whispered behind them. “How did you…” “Same way she did,” he answered. “I played it so it would echo long enough for us to escape.” The aliens rushed in, then up the steps. The two kids and Annie snuck out, then hurried down to the restaurant and slipped inside. All the people were sitting still just listening to the bright keys playing the song echoing out through the city. Cade, Blake, and Annie each smiled as they saw all of the citizens of Carolmire sitting together, listening to the same song, feeling the same peace, singing the same song but in their unique voices, joining in the magic of the Silent Night.
The fight continues. If you haven’t already, check out the mystery series: THE CASHES DADE GHOST STRIKERS Click on the page BUY THE BOOKS to find more information about the books and how to get them. It’s time to really begin the fight. It’s time for the aliens to hear from the students like Cade who have been ignored for so long. It’s time for their arrogance to come crashing down. The mysteries continue in the next book called: MYSTERY OF THE BLOODY FRIDAY SPY The time is now to get involved in the DadeStar Revolution against the aliens. It’s about to get really intense as Cade, Blake, and Drew are about to get involved in a much more dangerous mission. Check out the page THE DADESTAR REVOLUTION to join the fight and see if you can find the clues in the Canndaze Prophecy for how to defeat the aliens. It will take great creativity and determination to win this fight. Do you have what it takes?
The aliens have Cashes Dade surrounded in the mountains. Coming up in this post will be a prophecy that offers a clue for how Cashes Dade can win this current fight against the aliens and break out of their trap to find a secret place where they can build an army to drive the aliens off the planet. Can you find the clue? The answer will be where the aliens don’t want you to look. Leave a comment below if you think you know which line offers the clue. The answer will be revealed in the next Character Fun Facts post. Get ready for another two-part short story featuring another mystery in the Christmas city of Carolmire. Can you figure it out? The aliens have gone far enough. They’ve taken so much from Cade already, and they haven’t allowed students like him to share how they feel about what the aliens have done, but soon enough they’re going to hear from him, and they have no idea what they’re in for…
DAYERCRAY PROPHECY
At first only one will challenge the enemy from the sky They tell us they’re here to help us reach so high They will point to the sky and show us their lights This will be their claim that they’re reached great heights There is a dark secret yet to be revealed Look to the ones who can’t be healed The kids’ enemies will not just be the alien elite They must find the one who wants the seat The real fight will come from within He must not seek the grand vision The rebel students are in for a fight from all sides They will need great stealth to find where he hides The aliens’ star rises high and fast in this age But their light only shines behind the curtain on stage There is a darkness that lurks in the far hallway But you won’t know who they are in the day The answer will be revealed in their face They can’t seem to find enough space…
The kingdom of Cashes Dade has gone underground. Their City of Dayces Cameron has been completely destroyed by the aliens, but the people of Cashes Dade had an elaborate underground network of tunnels and caverns throughout the mountains ready for them to escape to when the time came. They knew it would happen sooner or later. On a chilly blood-red night, in a massive underground cavern lit by dark orange lanterns and stacked gold candles behind the stage, all the people have gathered. They’re tired, worn out, and struggling. They’ve been fighting an impossible war against an elite alien force. They don’t know if they can beat them, but the Cashes Dade Ghost Strikers are with them, and they’re about to discover a key secret…
The aliens have power over all the kingdoms and all the schools. They believe they are superior, and people have to go along with their ways whether they agree or not. But when seven protestors were shot dead because they wanted to stop the aliens from making everyone sick, the people of Cashes Dade had enough. They didn’t care what would happen to them. It was time to become free. It was time for the aliens to hear their voices. It is time, time for change…
Now they have declared war on the aliens. They believe it’s time to take back their countries. They believe it’s time to take back their schools. No more long, boring lessons about subjects no one cares about. No more destroying creativity and fun in school. No more telling kids they need to sit still and be silent all the time. No more silence and no more lies. It’s time, time for the students with new ideas to rise up. It’s time, time for the students who have determination and toughness, who want to explore new places to rise up. The DadeStar Revolution is about showing kids the value they truly have despite what others in power may say about them. But they need this message to go out to the world and that’s why Cashes Dade has begun the underground newspaper…
The people of Cashes Dade have now started the underground newspaper called: The Cashes Dade Beacon. You can check out the page on this website called THE CASHES DADE BEACON to read every newspaper article they secretly send out to the other kingdoms to try to gain support for their movement to kick the aliens off the planet. It’s time, time for revolution. The latest article describes the song that will rock the world, a song that has a key secret about how to win this impossible fight…
Cade Mayson is constantly disappearing, and reappearing, though many times he will reappear far, far away, and you have to wonder, is he a ghost? There are different reasons why people call him a ghost. Sometimes he is just so fast, he can get from one place to another way too fast to be real. He’s also really sneaky. One of Cade’s favorite things is to quietly sneak up on someone and just all the sudden be standing there. It can be quite creepy. Cade also hides really well, then just shows up seemingly out of nowhere. He likes scaring people, and for that reason, and a few secret ones, his favorite holiday is Halloween.
Before we learn more about whether Cade is a ghost, it’s time to reveal the mystery challenge from the last post. Did you figure it out? Are you ready to find out? Where did Jake hide his gold? Here is the answer:
He hid his gold in the underground of the Kingdom of Cadendas, City of Heyvas Caradames.
Here are the key prophecy lines that offer the clues: The message of the ghost who sings opera is the key You must listen close to the bright music of all three Turning it around then following to the end is the key You’ll know you found the secret when you find the letter C In the end, the secret is best kept by the light Follow the directions to figure out what’s right…
Cade has remarkable speed, and it becomes the most mysterious in the game of tag. If you’re it, don’t try to get Cade. Everyone tries to get Cade, because no one ever has before, but it’s hopeless. One time in a game of tag in a courtyard in the city, under a fiery red evening, a kid had Cade cornered. Cade started to do his fake-out dance, and the kid got himself ready for him to make his move, thinking he would keep trying to fake one way then fly the other, but Cade just went for it, sprinting right past him. By the time the kid reached out to tag him, he was long gone on the other side of the courtyard. How does he move that fast?
One year, before the aliens invaded, the kids at school were planning the next Halloween Party, and Cade wasn’t invited, to the planning that is. He was more than welcome to the party, but he was not allowed to be in on the planning anymore because he has way too many crazy ideas, many of which got way out of control. We’ll find out more about that later. But the kids decided to have a secret planning meeting at a secret location which was the roof of the school at midnight. They had been really quiet about it and told no one. They checked every time they talked about it to make sure Cade was nowhere in sight. But when they finished their meeting on the rooftop, and got ready to leave, there was Cade, standing there smiling brightly in the flickering moonlight.
The biggest reason people think Cade is a ghost, is because he seems to appear and disappear out of nowhere, something only ghosts can do. One time on a class trip into the mountains, they were all gathered at a large lake. Several of his classmates went exploring down a long narrow valley. They thought Cade was going to join them later, but they kept looking back up the the grassy slope with no trees and didn’t see him. Several kids slipped on the slick grass on the way down the long slope, but eventually they made it to the end. The two mountains on both sides were really steep with slick black stones. When they reached the end, they glanced back again and still didn’t see him anywhere. One kid asked another if they thought Cade would try to climb the steep mountain rising in front of them. They all spun around when they heard a voice answer, “I think he would.” It was Cade. How did he get there?
Cade doesn’t just act like a ghost, he goes looking for them. Check out the next post to see if you can solve the mystery in the post titled:
MYSTERY OF THE LUSTARAY CLOCK GHOST
Read the story about the time when Cade and Blake went exploring the old school set deep in the mountains that students claim is haunted. What they find will shock them. But more importantly, will they be able to find their way out?
Cade Mayson is on a secret mission to start a revolution against the aliens. He doesn’t just want to take back his school and his country that’s been burned to the ground, he wants them off the planet, by any means necessary. There is a lot of mystery about these aliens: Who are they? Where did they come from? Why are they here? How did they get so advanced? What are those neon lights flashing rhythmically in the darkest nights? What scares them? No one seems to know the answer to any of those questions, especially the last one, except Cade…
What would you do if your school was run by aliens? How would you like being watched in school all day by aliens? That’s what Cade, Blake, and Drew have to deal with in their school. When the aliens invaded, they took power over their kingdoms and their schools. Every school has an alien in charge, usually wearing a white suit made of crystals. The aliens are somewhat taller than average humans. They have faces that look somewhat human but with lines up and down. Their faces are stretched, looking old but strong at the same time. Their skin is a sky-blue colour. Every school often has another alien of high position who works with the leader. Then there is an alien assigned to each classroom. They sit in the back watching the students and the teacher as well.
The aliens established in the school what they call their ONE WAY to succeed. This is for students and teachers. The aliens believe the only subjects that are truly important are English which includes reading and writing skills, math, and science. The subjects of history, some types of math and science, art, music, or anything else is not considered important. Even if you excel in those subjects it won’t help your ranking that much. Cade doesn’t really believe in reading, not that he thinks it doesn’t exist, but that it’s impossible to read more than ten pages before falling asleep.
The aliens established a ranking system for students which continues into adulthood as well.
BlackStar: This is the lowest ranking meaning failure.
BlueStar: This is the next highest ranking meaning average, just okay.
GoldStar: This ranking means you’re succeeding good, but not great.
WhiteStar: This is the highest ranking, meaning you are elite.
These rankings are really important for the students. If you are ranked as BlackStar, you will start getting punished. At first, you just get more schoolwork and tests, but if you still don’t move up then you start to have to either come in before school or after school to do chores. Most of them are cleaning the school, some are just other boring tasks that need to be done. If you continue to fail long enough, then you get tough jobs assigned to you working long hours with hardly any breaks and no pay. Cade and Blake are ranked as BlackStar. They, like many of their friends, face having to get these punishments soon. Do you get in trouble at school? Does it happen a lot? What do you have to do? What do you think is worse, having to come in before school or stay after school? Leave a comment below telling your experiences. Don’t worry, DadeStar Mysteries will not report anything you say to your school! WhiteStar Students get high rewards like various gifts, money, and high positions that have a lot of prestige.
The aliens only allow students to learn by listening to the teacher explain the subject and then write down notes. They are not allowed to draw any pictures or figure it out any other way. Every assignment is reading and answering questions. They are not allowed to do any creative projects that show them how the concept works. Tests are only a long set of questions where they have to write short essay answers. The students and teachers are not allowed to be creative, they must follow the aliens’ guides for how to learn the concepts. The aliens are also really strict with behavior. You have to sit completely still during really long lessons. If they see you moving at all you will lose grade points that will lower your ranking. How would you do in this system? Cade and Blake have had some adventures as well as problems in this system.
Cade struggles to learn in this style because for him to learn something he really has to just do it. Blake is similar, but for him he needs visuals and projects to understand how a concept works. They both struggle with sitting still since they like to be active. Both kids are smart, but they don’t learn well in the aliens’ system. They can figure things out by drawing pictures and learning by doing. Cade has a way of figuring things out as it happens. I’m not sure how he does it, like figuring out how to break through a trap set by the dark spirits to catch him, but it works. Blake knows the best strategies by looking at real examples and visuals, then he can figure things out even when he’s on the run.
They usually get through the worst lessons by playing a soccer game made of paper. They draw a soccer field and make paper goals and a paper soccer ball. Is this allowed by the aliens? Certainly not, so they have to get creative, which also isn’t technically allowed. The two kids put up books on the front end of the desk so it looks like they’re taking notes from the teacher’s perspective. But the alien is sitting in the back, so for him or her, they try to do most of their “kicking” directly in front of them, but they also have a fake set of notes written with their pens on hand just in case the alien takes a closer look. It works well most of the time, but one time they had a close call.
When any students step out of line or the teacher doesn’t seem to be teaching or managing the class effectively, the alien will communicate his message to a messenger, usually a WhiteStar Student. No one knows their language or how this works, but somehow they are able to communicate their message to the student who then states what the alien wants them to know. Their voice sounds kind of eerie and solemn when they are relaying an alien message.
So one time Cade and Blake were playing. It was a high scoring game, one of their best in fact, during an incredibly boring lesson about grammar. It wasn’t the teacher’s fault. She was a great teacher who used to teach really creative lessons that got the kids learning and moving, but she couldn’t do that kind of lesson anymore. She still secretly works with the BlackStar and BlueStar students helping them figure out how to do the best they can in the assignments teaching them creative techniques she can’t teach in front of the aliens. But yeah, this lesson was just awful. It had already been two hours. The kids were making some genius moves, but one move got away from them, actually the ball got away. Blake flicked it high, so high, Cade had to jump to block it, but it still went over his “goal.” Blake celebrated, until he saw how far the “soccer ball” went…five desks away. Cade had to act fast.
A sideways glance showed him the alien had stood up and was moving toward the paper soccer ball on the floor. He grabbed his pen, held it in his fist, and dove between the rows, sliding fast before crawling fast between the desks, rolling over several times before grabbing the ball. With his back to the fast approaching alien he quickly unwrapped it and wrote something he heard the teacher say in the lesson: “Exclamation points should be used sparingly.” The alien picked it up, staring at it with his crescent moon-shaped eyes that burned white. Cade shot a nervous glance back at Blake who was smoothly putting their fake notes down over the soccer field and putting the two soccer goals away. The alien looked it over, then handed it back to Cade. Cade watched nervously as the alien looked over at their desk before walking back to the back of the classroom. When Cade sat down he shot Blake a half-smile, half-relieved expression. Blake just put his head down with a long sigh.
Cade and Blake have a lot more to worry about now than just the strict way the aliens run their school. The aliens have created a dark illness that seems to threaten students like Cade and Blake the most. The weapon fueling this fatal illness seems to be set on a massive statue of a teenage singer floating high in mid-air at the new alien school of Daylustar. Find out what happens in the first book in the series The Cashes Dade Ghost Strikers which is available right now on Amazon. Click on the links to check it out:
Get ready for the next mystery challenge. The mystery will focus on what key question reveals something important about the aliens, something they’re hiding. This post gives a few clues for what the answer is, but the next post will offer more clues. See if you can figure it out. Cade and Blake refuse to sit back and let the aliens destroy them and their friends. Daylustar is where the aliens’ weapon is fueling the dark illness, so that’s where they’re going…
Cade’s mission to start a revolution against the aliens has begun. You can join him in the fight. See if you can solve the mystery. Book One of The Cashes Dade Ghost Strikers: Mystery of the Aliens’ Daylustar Statue is available on Amazon. You can buy it now by clicking on the links:
Now it’s time to hear from Cade Mayson himself. For the first time ever, hear him report on the night the aliens attacked Cashes Dade.
“Blake and I were playing soccer in his room the night the sky fell. We were trying crazy trick shots on his mini soccer goal in his room. He hit one that rolled along the bed before spinning back through the goal. I was like, ‘That’s cool, that’s cool.’ I didn’t want him to get too confident. So I…what was that? I just saw a distant flash out of my window. Hold on. Hold on. It’s just dark now. Never mind that. Anyway so I walked over to the corner trying to look really confident. I knelt down and stared with my intense stare I use when I’m trying to figure out what to do. I stared for a really long time. I have great concentration…
What was that? I definitely saw something. The alien lights are always flashing over our city. Sometimes they make bizarre pictures in the sky. Never mind that. I figured out what to do. I kicked it off the wall, off the corner bookshelves, off the window, then into the goal. It worked! It really did. Seriously, it worked. I wish that was all that happened that night. But I remember our crazy soccer game for a much worse reason than the crazy shots we made.
I’ll never forget the sound. I heard this sharp buzzing around me. I tried to figure out where it was coming from. I’d turn and it would fade away. Then it would come back. It got louder and louder. We looked outside. The sky turned smooth green looking like rolling waves. Then I saw the ships. They were lit up in bright green rhythmic flashing lights. I’ll never forget seeing ten of them appear from all sides on the outer edge of Dayces Cameron. For a long time they just hovered low over the city. Blake and I just watched, staring, waiting to see what they would do.
Dark mist started falling like sheets over the city. Green lightning flashed rhythmically across the sky. We thought it was just another storm, until I noticed the ships were still there, just hovering still in the sky. Then we started hearing what sounded like heavy cannon shots in the sky. We thought it was thunder. It wasn’t. Bright lights, brighter than anything we ever saw, shot down from the ships on the city blowing up the towers. At one point several ships dropped these golden lights down, it was like a bright rain falling over the city but it lit up the towers in a bright flash.
The people Blake and I stay with rushed in and told us we had to leave right away. We hurried down the steps with a lot of other people who lived in our tower. I’ve never seen so many confused looks. But a few knew. They knew what was happening. We were led out of the city. Several towers crashed in exploding lights really close to us. We hurried into the mountains. I saw them pretty clear in the flashing lights. I recognized a mountain I had climbed before. I told them all to follow me.
Some people went up the long, smooth slope, but I like to go up the steep, rocky slope because you get there faster. I jumped from rock to rock flying up the mountain side with the lights flashing in the background. At one point I jumped halfway up a large stone hitting a slight foothold then I instantly launched myself from there just to the top of the rock. I pulled myself up, rolled over then jumped up another cluster to the top. I turned around and just shrugged. I couldn’t hold back a smile. I really did. Ask Blake. He just shook his head.
I still didn’t completely understand what was happening. I reached the top well before anyone else did. Blake was the closest since he climbed the way I did. I saw half of Dayces Cameron destroyed, burning, dark. The alien ships were gone. The alien towers were glowing bright gold lighting up half of the sky. I’d never seen them like that before.
Like I said, I still didn’t know what exactly had happened. I knew the aliens were evil. I know my parents are on a secret mission to figure out how to defeat them by spying on the inside. I know they’re sending me clues to start the revolution against them. I knew they ruined our school and they’ve been hiding something. I knew they were hiding a dark secret, and I knew they were afraid of students like me who are creative, who think differently, who find their own ways to succeed. I also knew one of their deep secrets, something they’re trying to hide from us, because it could lead to their defeat.
I know they’re creating a dark illness fueled by the crystal crown on top of the massive statue in Daylustar. That’s why I’m going to Marcaydas secretly so I can destroy it to stop the dark illness from killing all the students like me. I don’t know how I can possibly reach it, but I’ll figure it out. I know I will start a revolution against them to take back our school and our kingdom. But I didn’t know exactly what happened that night, until I saw people crying…”
