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…”
