You are about to enter the Caymardor, a haunted wing in the Devonmay School. Dark spirits stole a map of the Caymisdorm that the sixth graders once had. Brandon Cavormay is a bright, energetic student who’s determined to take it back. He and his friends have a mission to enter the dangerous Caymisdorm and find the secret for the dark illness that’s taking over their country. They need that map to find the secret that the mysterious opera singer and the dark spirits are hiding. Brandon lost his older brother to this mysterious illness, and now his friend’s dad is fighting to hold on. He couldn’t save his brother, but he’s determined not to let his friend suffer the same fate. The map may be the key to find the answer they’re desperate to find. Brandon and his friends will enter the dark, twisted halls to take on the dark spirits.
Where are they hiding the map? More importantly, why did they take it?
Are you courageous enough to enter the Caymardor with them? Can you figure out where the dark spirits have the map hidden? Below is a description of all the rooms in the Caymardor. Study the clues to see if you can solve the mystery, then read the story to enter the mission with them. Each chapter has a mystery to solve which will reveal clues to the mystery of where the map is hidden. The dark spirits have the map hidden in one of these rooms in one of the places described. Keep in mind there are various plants and trees growing in thick gardens throughout every room so every place has places to hide it. Next are some clues to where the dark spirits hid the map.
The map is unusual because it shows music lines in five sections forming a mysterious song. The melody starts out calm and steady, then the music gets loud with a strong bass, then the melody turns high and dream-like with a peaceful tune, then the music plays with a mysterious energy, going lower and lower, and finally the music ends with a bright, sweet melody rising higher and higher.
Here’s a hint: The dark spirits didn’t just hide the map in the place where it would be the hardest to find. The clues to where the dark spirits have the map hidden are found in the description of the Musical Map. Leave a comment below if you have a guess. Do these kids have what it takes to find the map and take it back from the dark spirits? Do you?
THE BOOK ROOM:
*A SPIRAL WHITE MARBLE BOOKCASE IN THE CENTER OF THE
ROOM
*A TOWERING BLACK MARBLE BOOKSHELF ON THE LEFT WALL
*A TRIANGULAR SHAPED STACK OF SHELVES WITH BRIGHTLY COLOURED BOOKS
*A GIANT SIZED BOOK AT THE END OF THE ROOM YOU CAN WALK IN BETWEEN THE PAGES
*A FLOOR MADE OF BOOKS, EACH TILE IN THE FLOOR IS A BOOK, LOCATED AT THE START OF THE ROOM
THE DINING ROOM:
*A LARGE ROUND TABLE IN THE CENTER WITH DESIGNS OF FLOWERS THROUGHOUT
*A LONG RECTANGULAR TABLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROOM
*FIVE REALLY TALL GRAND BLUE CRYSTAL WINDOWS
*A LARGE PAINTING OF A WHITE CASTLE ON FIRE AT NIGHT ON THE OPPOSITE WALL
THE MEETING ROOM:
*A REALLY HIGH SQUARE TABLE IN THE CENTER OF THE ROOM
*A ROW OF TALL PLANTS WITH GIGANTIC GREEN LEAVES WITH SHARP BLADES CALLED DECSAYS
*A LARGE CIRCULAR SKY WINDOW WITH LIGHT BLUE GLASS
THE POOL ROOM:
*A CIRCULAR POOL WITH CRAZY WAVES CRASHING
*A REALLY LONG RECTANGULAR POOL ALONG THE WALL WITH DARK BLUE WATER
*A POOL THAT GOES UNDER THE FLOOR
*A POOL THAT GOES UNDER THE FLOOR MADE OF GLASS
*A LARGE POOL COLOURED GREEN WITH A GREEN BRICK BRIDGE OVER THE CENTER
THE FOREST ROOM:
*A CIRCULAR BENCH IN THE CENTER WHERE THERE IS AN OPENING AT THE TOP OF THE TREES WHERE LIGHT CAN SHINE IN CLEARLY
*A TOWERING EVERGREEN TREE WITH GRASS-LIKE LEAVES REALLY THICK
*A CIRCULAR MEADOW WITH TALL DARK GREEN GRASS
THE REST ROOM: (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A BATHROOM)
*A REALLY LONG BLACK COUCH ALONG THE WALL
*A GIANT BLUE CHAIR IN THE CENTER
*A STACK OF SOFT SPUNGY SQUARES
*A LINE OF SLANTED LAWN CHAIRS ON A FIELD OF TALL GRASS
THE FOUNTAIN ROOM:
*A REALLY LARGE BOWL WITH COLOURED WATERS SHOOTING OUT AT VARIOUS POINTS
*A SET OF FIVE STATUES AT DIFFERENT HEIGHTS SPOUTING WATERS THROUGH NARROW PIPES INTO A CLUSTER OF TALL SHOOTING WATERS
*A MAZE FOUNTAIN MADE OF BLACK MARBLE AND DARK RUSHING WATERS IN WAVES CRASHING HARD INTO A HIDDEN CENTER
*A WATERFALL FOUNTAIN LIT WITH MANY FLASHING DARK ORANGE CANDLE LIGHTS
*A LARGE FOUNTAIN WITH MANY PIPES IN VARIOUS SIZES DROPPING WATER INTO MANY SMALL POOLS LIT UP IN SHARP GREEN LIGHTS UNDERNEATH
THE GAME ROOM
*A GIANT SIZED CHESSBOARD WITH ALL THE PIECES-LIFESIZE
*A GIANT TWISTING SLIDE LIKE A TORNADO
*A GIANT PILE OF PUZZLE PIECES TO PUT TOGETHER
THE COOKING ROOM
*A ROW OF WHITE MARBLE CABINETS ON ONE WALL
*A LONG COUNTER MADE OF GRAY MARBLE WITH HIDDEN SINKS-YOU HAVE TO TAP THE RIGHT POINT TO FIND THEM
*A PILE OF WOOD IN A SPIRAL FORMATION IN THE CENTER
THE SKY ROOM
*A GIANT DOME SHAPED BLUE CRYSTAL WINDOW TAKING UP THE ENTIRE CEILING
*A LARGE CHANDELIER HANGING DOWN LOW OVER THE CENTER OF THE ROOM
*A ROW OF GREEN-LIT LANTERNS ON THE LEFT WALL
*A ROW OF DARK ORANGE LIT CANDLES ON THE RIGHT WALL
MYSTERY OF THE CAYMARDOR MUSICAL MAP
CHAPTER ONE:
CHAPTER ONE MYSTERY:
Which room are the dark spirits guarding?
The answer will be revealed near the end of the chapter. The key clue will be figuring out what the dark spirits are whispering. The dots indicate the part of the word that’s missing, but they don’t indicate how many letters. What they are whispering exactly will be revealed in the next post. The room they are guarding and what they are whispering are clues to the mystery of this story:
Where did they hide the map?
CHAPTER ONE:
“Knock, knock,” said Brandon.
“Who’s there?” asked Damian.
“Ghost strikers,” Brandon answered with eyes lit. “We are here for what is ours.” Then he hit Damian with an invisible sword. Damian fell back dramatically.
“I heard some…something,” said Nick. The kids pressed their ears to the tall black marble door under dim golden candle light. “Whispers.”
“It’s them,” whispered Brandon. A heavy crashing started echoing out across the upper rooms. Rhythmic booming played out in a steady beat.
“The music …ts …em in mo… and the strong sto… get sha… and smo…” The kids listened intently. Fast-paced creaking and sliding shot out in several directions. Brandon made a clashing motion with his hands, then three circles, followed by several chopping motions. He finished with a strong confident nod. Damian held his arms out wide while Nick just stared blankly.
“We burst in, we look for the map all around…”
“In circles?” asked Nick.
“No, we just look wherever we should, then…”
“Then why did you make circles?” asked Nick.
“That’s just to show we would cover the entire place.”
“Then you should have done this,” said Damian making a sweeping motion with one hand across the other.
“Whatever, that is not the point, the point is, we need to get the map,” Brandon said in a slightly agitated voice. Rhythmic booming continued from somewhere in the upper hall.
“Let’s go then,” said Damian. The kids opened the door slowly and entered The Forest Room. Dark orange lantern lights hung from the trees filling the room. Heavy clustered branches full of large red leaves reached down all around them. Sharp footsteps moved fast just above them.
“They’re close,” whispered Brandon. “Be looking.”
“For dark spirits or the map?” asked Damian.
“Both,” Brandon answered. They pushed their way through the heavy dimly lit forest. Heavy red leaves covered the ground, piling up around the towering evergreen with grass-like leaves. Nick kicked the leaves around with his feet. Heavy booming grew faster. Another hard crash shook the floor underneath. Chilling winds started pushing through. A group of voices started whispering back and forth.
“Where are they?” asked Damian.
“Maybe where they have the map hidden,” said Brandon, “where they are guarding it, this way,” he waved forward. Chilling winds started rushing in waves across the circular meadow as they hurried through the tall grass. The ghost voices echoed out in the distance.
Nick tapped Brandon on his shoulder then said, “They sound like they are talking in a pl…place with big spa…spaces.” The orange lights started flickering rhythmically.
“Why do you say that?” asked Brandon.
“Their voices echo, like they are talking loud,” Nick answered. “I wonder…” A voice whistled sharply behind them.
“Go,” said Brandon. The kids hurried through the flickering orange-lit branches. Damian glanced back. A dark figure was hurrying after them. Brandon pointed ahead to a blue light spilling down. Green leaves sparkled in the circle of light. Brandon went flying over a circular bench. Damian did a cartwheel over it. Nick scrambled over. Brandon charged back into the darker forest ahead. He swirved sharply to the right. Then they found a door and pushed through.
Dazzling blue light spilled in from towering blue stained glass windows on all sides. Brandon looked around frantically. Then he pointed to the giant tornado shaped slide.
Damian smiled and said, “Great idea.” They hurried across the slick black and white marble. Nick glanced back. The dark spirit appeared and disappeared in the blue lights blending with the darkness. The kids climbed to the top of the slide.
“See the map?” whispered Brandon. Nick and Damian quickly shook their heads. Another heavy crash shook the slide. Deep booming followed in a slow, steady rhythm.
“I think they are playing a game up there,” Brandon whispered dramatically. Damian peered over the edge slightly. A black shadow moved slowly around the base of the ladder.
“What is he doing?” he whispered. The kids listened intently.
“He is taking a nap,” answered Brandon.
“What we do now?” asked Damian.
“Do not wake him up.”
“Seriously, Brandon.”
“He is waiting for us to slide down,” Brandon answered.
“Great,” said Damian shaking his head. Then his eyes lit up and he said, “I have an idea. I have some rocks in my pack. When I throw them down he will think it is us.”
“At the same time we fly down the ladder and hurry the other way,” said Brandon. “Get ready.” On the silent count to three, Damian threw down the three stones. The kids scrambled down the ladder and shot across the slick floor. Damian glanced back.
“I think he is still looking,” he said.
“Over here,” whispered Brandon. They slid past the giant Chess pieces. “Should we stop and play a game?”
“Maybe some other time,” said Damian almost knocking over the King. Brandon stopped for a moment to bow to the Queen before re-joining the group. Damian pointed to the door ahead. Brandon nodded. They heard a distant sour whistle.
“Yeah, we lost him,” said Brandon smiling, then fist-bumping the other two. They hurried past a pile of giant puzzle pieces. Nick glanced around momentarily. Brandon also stopped and started looking through the openings in the pile.
“No, Brandon, we cannot put the puzzle together now,” said Damian.
Brandon sighed heavily, then said, “We will return someday.” Flickering blue light splashed down on them through the large circular sky window made of light blue glass. Dark green ivy stretched across the top with a cluster tangled together near the center.
“So where are they?” asked Brandon. The kids stopped near the massive black marble square table. Another deep boom crashed above. Rhythmic booming followed at a slow pace. Then they heard fast-paced talking back and forth, their voices echoing sharply.
“There it is,” said Brandon, “their voices are echoing because they are standing far apart. What room has a lot of spaces between?”
“The pool room,” said Damian with a sharp nod. Brandon and Nick nodded in agreement.
“This way,” said Brandon. They hurried across the slick black floor. Nick glanced around under the table. They pushed through a row of tall plants called Decsays with gigantic green leaves holding sharp blades. Brandon looked around sharply as they hurried through ducking the sharp blades.
“I do not see it here,” said Brandon. “I’ll bet they are protecting it in the pool room.” Damian pressed his ear to the door. The steady, calm booming continued in the distance. Slowly they opened the door and slipped inside the dark room. Dark shadows moved actively back and forth across the green-lit rectangular pool stretching across the room from left to right. Brandon motioned for them to get down behind the heavy green bushes lining the pool.
“How do we check it out with them in here?” asked Damian.
“We need to get them out,” answered Brandon. Nick gazed at the sharp green lights under the pool. The lights danced across the surface in small rhythmic waves. “We need a decoy,” said Brandon, “someone who can run fast and be really hard to chase, you know like suddenly shift and disappear, like a…” Both kids were staring at him with raised eyes. “No, no, I did not mean me, I cannot be the decoy, I cannot, you see…”
“You have to,” said Damian, “when we play tag…” Nick waved his hand over the deep blue water. Green lights stretched out in different directions. Damian glanced around at the dark orange lights flickering rapidly. Dark spirits talked quietly in different parts of the room.
“They probably know there are three of us,” said Brandon. “So even if I run off, some will still stay here.”
“Do you have a candle?” asked Nick.
“Yeah, right here,” said Brandon.
“Light it up and wave your hand over it while you run,” Nick answered. “Look.” He waved his hand over the green lights underneath causing the reflections to shoot out in different directions. Brandon nodded and smiled.
“I can make it look like three of me, or three of us, yeah.”
Brandon closed his eyes, counted quietly to three, then lit up his candle. Then he shot out, singing as loud as he could. Nick and Damian covered their ears momentarily.
“Could have just started singing,” said Damian, “that would have made them leave.” They watched as the bright flashing light disappeared into the heavy garden at the end of the room. A rush of dark shadows followed. Sharp eerie whistling started up at different points in the room. They heard a door slam. Brandon’s singing went quiet. The room went quiet as dark spirits entered the other room.
“Now what?” asked Nick.
“I am not sure,” said Damian. “He will probably lose them somewhere, then circle back.” The two kids slowly walked along the pool under the still dark orange lights. “It could be awhile before he gets back to us so…” Just then Brandon popped up in front of them causing both kids to stumble back.
“How did you, never mind,” said Damian shaking his head.
“What should we check out first?” asked Brandon. “They will be chasing my ghost for awhile.”
“Maybe we should start there,” said Damian pointing ahead. The three kids stopped cold. Just ahead was a circular pool with waves, circling rhythmically, shaped like dark spirits.
CHAPTER TWO:
It’s time to reveal the answer to the Chapter One Mystery. The answer for what the dark spirits were whispering in the last chapter is this:
“The music sets them in motion and the strong stones get sharpened and smooth.”
What are they talking about? What are they describing? More importantly, where are the dark spirits hiding the map? Get ready to find out more clues in the next chapter.
CHAPTER TWO:
Their steps moved in the rhythm of the strong bass playing out slow and steady. Their faces were blank and stretched in the colourful reflections. The kids got close to the circling waves rising, then breaking in the center in heavy crashes. They got down low behind a cluster of bright red and blue tropical leaves from thick bushes.
“What’s going on?” asked Damian.
“We are trying to figure out what’s going on,” whispered Brandon.
“I meant with the waves,” said Damian, “I’m saying, how are they doing that?” Brandon shook his head dramatically. Then the heavy thundering grew louder, pounding the entire Caymardor. The shapes in the waves dropped. The waters started crashing randomly. Slowly the kids crept around the pool, looking through the tangled vines at the water’s edge.
“Hey, I hear them,” said Nick. The kids listened close. They heard a lot of sliding sounds across the floor. Fast-paced whispering echoed out in a distant room.
“Right now …ey lo… li… …ses flying arou… a tr…, it’s the si… of a st… with dar… …ists.”
“Did you get any of that?” asked Damian as they jogged over to the bright green lit pool surrounded by tall red flowers.
“They were saying, ‘Brandon and the ghost strikers are after us we are in serious trouble. We better give back the map and run far far far away until we get tired.'” Nick looked around the edge of the pool, digging through the thick flower stems.
“Ghosts do not get tired,” said Damian. The booming sound started spreading across the upper rooms.
“Yeah they do,” said Brandon kneeling down where the pool flowed under the floor. He got down flat and stretched out trying to see through the narrow slit into the small dark underground pool. Sour whistling shot out from several directions.
“We better get moving,” said Damian. Brandon tried sticking his head inside the narrow slit. “You are going to get stuck.” Brandon just shook his head. Several more voices whistled a short distance behind. “We need to move, now.” Brandon slid back, but then stopped. “You are stuck, aren’t you?”
“No, just admiring the view one last time,” a muffled voice replied. Damian sighed heavily.
“Nick, help me.” The two kids pulled him back and out. Then Brandon jumped up and said, “We need to go, what are you guys waiting for?” The other two just rolled their eyes as they hurried through the thick flowering bushes. They started crossing the green bridge over the bright green pool. Then whistles shot out ahead and behind them. Brandon waved for them to stop.
“They have us trapped,” he whispered. Dark spirits spread out over the wide dark blue pool under the glass floor. More gathered on the other side of the bridge. “How do we get through?”
“Maybe we just have to fight our way through,” said Damian.
“We need a path,” said Brandon talking fast, “get them split apart, we need two diversions, we need two me’s, how do we do that?” Then he closed his eyes and started whispering frantically to himself. Damian and Nick exchanged concerned looks.
“Wait, I know,” said Damian. “We do what we did on the slide. Give me two candles, quick.” Brandon started digging in his pack.
“No, no, no, here…no, that is not it, no, no, has to be in here somewhere.” Damian sighed, burying his face in his hands while Brandon continued, “that is definitely not it, I mean it is kind of like a candle, it has…”
“Brandon, today please.”
“Oh, right, okay, okay, oh here it is.” Brandon handed him a candle.
“I need two, remember?”
“Oh yeah.” Damian just shook his head in disbelief. “Okay…hold on…here you go, two candles and you do not even have to pay me much.”
Damian lit them up in his shirt, then said, “Be ready, then go for the door.” He launched the candles, one to the far left, and another to the far right. The kids shot out down the bridge. Dark spirits started to turn back toward them as they hurried across the dazzling blue dancing colours.
“Go, go,” said Brandon as they sprinted for the door. Dark blue still candle lights spilled in on them from both sides of The Cooking Room. “Over there, get down behind the counter.” The kids hurried over to the long gray marble counter. Nick looked over to the wall where dark orange candle lights flickered in a fast rhythm. The Blue candle lights scattered among the dark orange lights remained completely still. Dead voices whistled close behind.
“This way,” whispered Brandon. The kids slowly moved along the counter. “We need a place to hide.”
“What about the wood pile over there?” asked Damian. Nick ran his hand across the smooth counter. He jumped back when a large sink opened up in the center. Dark shadows stretched across the flickering lights.
“Let’s go,” whispered Brandon. The kids hurried down the long room. “Stay low, move fast.”
“I thought we would let them catch up,” said Damian. Dead whistling echoed out in the distance. One lone voice whistled a short three note melody with each note going lower. Then several voices answered from a distance with strong whistling.
“There,” said Brandon pointing. “We can hide in one of the cabinets.”
“No, light three candles, fast,” said Damian. They turned sharply around the end of the counter.
“Why?”
“We will open three doors, put the candles in, they will think we are in there, then we slip away in the dark.” Brandon shrugged dramatically, then lit up the candles.
“Which ones should I choose?” he asked.
“Are you kidding?”
“Well…”
“Just pick three, hurry.” Orange lights flickered faster. Brandon closed the doors hard, then they crawled along the wall. Dark shadows raced past them. Damian pointed to the door. The kids quietly left the room.
Dark blue flickering light spilled over them as they entered the Dining Room. Nick looked out at the dark brown clouds stretched out, leaning forward, flashing past, then circling back in the distance.
“We have to go back and check,” said Brandon.
“Yeah, they could be hiding the map in one of those cabinets,” said Damian. Brandon jogged over to the other wall. He started jumping to see the top of the long rectangular table along the wall.
“We also…need to…check the…hidden sinks,” he said between jumps. Several voices whistled urgently a short distance away.
“They figured it out,” said Damian. Brandon gave a quick wave and they sprinted down the long room. Darkness fell across the room. Nick looked up at the grand windows where heavy black clouds passed by slowly.
“Let’s go Nick,” said Brandon as they passed a large painting of a white castle on fire in the night. “Now where?” Damian looked over at the large tall round table in the center with heavy dark green vines clustered underneath. He pointed to the twisted greenery. Brandon nodded emphatically. He turned back. Dark figures started appearing at the other end of the room.
“Stay low, move slow,” he said. Small, sleek clouds started passing by casting blue lights through the stained glass. The kids slowly moved in the shadows. They crawled along the wall where dark blue waters streamed down. Dark spirits moved slowly toward them.
“Let’s go,” said Damian. Brandon shook his head.
“They will see us. Wait for the darker clouds to pass again.” More slow paced booming started up. Small waves rolled down the wall in rhythm with the heavy thundering. The dark spirits started getting close. Damian turned to Brandon with a slightly anxious expression. Brandon made a bunch of quick, complicated motions with his fingers. Damian just sighed heavily and shook his head. Nick flinched when he saw a picture of a ghostly figure slowly begin to appear on the wall behind the falling waters.
Darkness started falling back across the room. Brandon tapped Nick and Damian on their heads. They pushed through the heavy vines until they hit a clearing under the high table. The kids looked around at the empty floor.
“Nothing here,” said Brandon.
“Listen,” said Damian. Dark spirits whispered rapidly back and forth.
“Right now …ey lo… li… …ses flying arou… a tr…, it’s the si… of a st… with dar… …ists.”
“I know,” said Nick. “I know what they are seeing. It is the Sky Room.”
“Let’s check it out then,” said Brandon. Several dark spirits whispered to each other urgently. The kids waited for the dark spirits to move on, then they hurried through the Game Room on their way to the Sky Room.
“Hey, stop,” said Damian turning to Nick, “where is Brandon?” Nick pointed back toward the puzzle pieces. “You have to be kidding me.” Damian hurried over where Brandon dug out several large pieces. “We cannot put this together now.” Brandon hung his head, sighed heavily, then reluctantly put the pieces down. As they drew near the kids heard a faint, operatic voice in the distance. Her words were slurred.
“It’s her,” Brandon said quietly. “She is in here.” Dead whistling shot out ahead of them, then slowly faded away. Dark orange lights were flickering on the far wall as they entered. The lady’s sad singing sounded clear momentarily from the other side, then slowly faded away. Brandon looked over to the still green-lit lanterns. He hurried over, running between the Ecos Palms set throughout the room, growing out of small circular red flower gardens. They were short with bright red leaves that formed mushroom shapes. Dark blue shadows fell swiftly over them through the high dome.
Brandon stared intensely at the bright green lanterns. The lady’s strong singing returned, echoing rhythmically throughout the room. Her words were slurred together. Nick and Damian started looking around. Brandon leaned in closer to the green lanterns. The lady’s blurred singing suddenly became clear on that side of the room. She sang in her strong operatic voice:
“They are getting too close.”
CHAPTER THREE:
It’s time to reveal the answer for the Chapter Two Mystery. Here is what the dark spirits were whispering:
“Right now they look like horses flying around a track, it’s the sign of a storm with dark mists.”
They were describing the clouds flying over the sky window in the Sky Room. Did you guess right? Leave a comment below. Now it’s time to see if you can solve the mystery in the next chapter. With the dark spirits’ whispering, the dots indicate the part of the word that’s missing, but they don’t indicate how many letters. Can the students find the map? Can you? There’s only one way to find out. Here is Chapter 3:
A white ghostly shape flashed down the wall. Dark orange lights went dark as she disappeared through the door.
“Go,” said Brandon. Nick looked around at the Ecos Palms with the small circular red flower gardens around them.
“We should look through those,” he whispered to Brandon.
“Later, this is our chance,” he said talking fast as they sprinted for the door. Her strong singing continued. They hurried into calm blue lights. Her operatic singing echoed down the narrow path cutting around the edge of the room leading to a door in the corner. Then her singing went quiet in an instant. A strong chill pushed them back. All the lights went out.
“Did you do that Nick?”
“How would I put out all the lights? I…”
“He was joking.”
“Oh.” Dark orange candle clusters on the walls flickered rapidly. “Dark spirits,” Nick whispered. “We…”
“How do you know that?” asked Brandon.
“The dark orange lights start flashing.” Frantic whispers started up close by.
“Get down,” Brandon whispered. “Listen.” The kids quietly rushed over behind a tall round fountain. They heard high-pitched whistling with the sound carried far out. It sounded like a calm, dream-like melody.
“The …ap is …ealing a secret to how the …ic tra… in the Caymis… and how we can tr… it …own and def… it.” The kids exchanged confused looks.
Brandon quietly pointed to the palm of his hand and whispered, “Okay, here is what is happening.” Then drawing invisible lines on his hand he continued, “The opera singer left here, shhhhooo, the dark spirits entered here, here, and over here.”
“How do you know that?” asked Damian.
“I just do, so…”
“What, you have some kind of dark spirit vision?” High-pitched whistling running up the pipes in the fountain startled them. Nick leaned in close. The whistling played out the calm, dream-like tune. Dark shadows moved in quickly toward them from three directions.
“See, I told you…”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go,” said Damian. The kids hurried over to a long black couch stretching along the far wall. “There are a lot of them in here.”
“This must be the room they are protecting this time,” said Brandon.
“Maybe this is where it is,” said Damian looking around at the calm waters streaming down the walls between the flickering dark orange lights.
“Listen, listen,” said Brandon pointing toward the dark activity among the calm blue-lit fountains and pools. “I can hear them.”
“…….the next one……….cannot find it.”
“The music is reach…….from the room…….always splashing.”
“They won’t find…….won’t stay long en……”
“……might find it too…….miner’s son.” Nick turned to Brandon wide-eyed.
“They are talking about us,” said Brandon. “They are hiding it here. We have to get them out.” Nick and Damian turned to him with slightly raised eyes. “We have to figure out some kind of distraction…come up with something for them to chase after.” The kids continued looking at him intently. “If only we could figure out some way, someone…”
“Brandon?”
“No, no, no,” Brandon answered dramatically falling to the floor and hiding his face. “Not me.”
“You are the only one who can mislead them, you know that, it is what you do,” said Damian.
“You are right, you would just be too slow.”
“That is not going to work.”
“AAAaaarrrggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.” Nick and Damian exchanged concerned looks. “Okay, fine, I will lead them away.” Brandon walked slowly to the corner of the room hanging his head. He stopped and looked down the narrow path between the wall and the fountains curving around the room, then he looked to the door. He looked back at them with a bright smile. Then he turned back and sang out really loud. Nick and Damian covered their ears momentarily. Brandon casually walked back over to them.
“That’s it?” asked Damian. Brandon smiled and nodded. Nick watched as the dark figures all swept across the room to the far corner where Brandon’s voice echoed out, then faded away. The dark spirits all left the room.
“Yeah, the ghosts are chasing a ghost again!” said Brandon.
“Cool, let’s check this out before they figure it out then,” said Damian. Brandon ran over and dove into the pile of soft squishy squares. Nick and Damian started searching through, slowly pushing the blocks aside. Brandon tunneled around them throwing blocks everywhere. Nick and Damian moved on to check under the lawn chairs. They looked through the tall grass in the gardens and under the flowers while Brandon was still over in the squishy squares, trying crazy jumps.
Dead whistles sounded out a short distance away. Brandon hurried over to them.
“Let’s get going.” The kids hurried into the dim Fountain Room. Soft golden lights flashed through a set of five statues spouting waters through narrow pipes into a cluster of tall shooting waters. They heard several muffled voices a short distance away.
“Hurry, get ahead,” said Brandon. Colourful waters lit them up as they ran. Nick looked into the deep blue water in many small pools lit up with flashing green lights underneath. Brandon led them around a sharp corner. He signaled for them to slow down.
“I think they went somewhere else,” he whispered.
“They are still chasing your ghost,” Damian said with a smile.
“Maybe they are playing hide and seek,” Brandon answered as they walked up to a fountain with dark blue waters falling down a slick wall hidden by a cluster of dark green palms. The kids pushed past and saw dark orange candle lights flashing around the edge of the fountain’s pool.
“Hurry, over there,” said Brandon pointing to a dark maze fountain. The kids started hearing whispers again as they got down. They could hear them more clearly, talking close by.
“We will use his exploring against him and lead him into a trap.”
“Who?”
“The one who sings.”
CHAPTER FOUR:
The final chapter is here. It’s time to reveal the answer to the Chapter Three Mystery. This is what the dark spirits were whispering in the last chapter:
“The map is revealing a secret to how the music travels in the Caymisdorm and how we can track it down and defeat it.”
What are they talking about? What secret are they hiding? Have you figured out where the map is hidden? At the end of the story leave a comment: Did you guess right? If not, what was your guess? How close were you?
It’s time to enter the Caymardor to take back the map the dark spirits stole. Here is the final chapter:
Strong operatic singing broke out directly above them. The kids looked up into the hazy blue crystal glass. Dark figures hurried across the wall. Several more lined up in the far corner.
“What we do now?” whispered Damian. Brandon shook his head. The lady sang out a mysterious haunting song. Rhythmic booming started close by, the sound going lower and lower. Nick watched as ripples in the dark water spread out to the rhythm. Golden-lit waves rushed out in various directions then disappearing. They began hearing whispers.
“Listen close,” said Brandon.
“What is it?” asked Damian.
“What is what?”
“What are you going to say?”
“In the future?” Brandon asked with a puzzled expression.
“Yeah, like, what are you going to say next?”
“Why?”
“You said we should listen!”
“I meant we should listen to the dark spirits.” The booming grew stronger as more dark spirits poured into the dark room. Several moved toward them. Brandon pointed and they followed him around several corners going deeper into the center of the maze fountain. Several dark spirits whistled out. An eerie, lonely whistle answered from across the room.
Brandon slowly turned to Nick and Damian whispering, “They know we’re here.” The kids listened intently to the dark spirits’ conversation.
“They will find it.”
“They won’t. They won’t stare long enough.”
“Block all the…”
Brandon grabbed Damian’s arm and looking at him with strong intensity he said, “They are blocking us in. How will we escape?” Nick glanced back at the dark orange candle lights flickering rhythmically. Dark figures shot across the room. Shadows flew across the opposite side.
“Wide Eagle,” Damian said intensely. “Wide Eagle. That is it.”
“You think we can fly out of here?” asked Brandon.
“No, it is a soccer play we use. It always works.” Brandon stared at him questioningly. “Okay, it usually works. We spread out wide and keep passing back and forth and I usually break way open, they cannot get all of us.”
“So they will get two of us? That is encouraging,” said Brandon rolling his eyes. “Any other brilliant ideas?”
“You are not listening,” Damian said narrowing his eyes. “They cannot keep track of where the ball is. You are the ball.” Brandon looked even more confused. “Your singing. Okay watch this.” Damian started drawing invisible lines on the dark smooth marble while he continued, “We each sprint in different directions. Brandon, you do your thing where you sing and confuse them. You know, you, you, I do not get it, but you know.”
“Do I look like I know?” asked Brandon staring back at him with a blank expression. Damian put his head in his hands and groaned.
“He means what you did before,” said Nick. “You ran off and confused them, sounding like you were in diff…different places.”
“Oh yeah, right. Now I get it. Why didn’t you just say that?”
“I DID!” Damian answered, throwing his hands up in desperation.
“Good ghost, say it so all the dark spirits hear you,” said Brandon.
“Sorry,” Damian whispered. “Okay, you guys ready?”
“We need a signal to meet back up,” said Brandon. “When I sing really loud five times then we meet back here.”
“Okay, ready? Let’s go.” Brandon shot out like a cannon and disappeared behind a large bowl of coloured waters. He sang out a fast, complicated song with different melodies blending. Damian charged out in the opposite direction. Several ghosts reached for him. He pushed hard through their grasp. Nick waited, then moved swiftly through the maze. The dark spirits split, moving in on Brandon and Damian. Nick sprinted ahead, staying low in the shadows.
Damian hurried through the slow flashing lights. Dark spirits blocked the door. He stopped cold. Brandon’s singing echoed out in his direction momentarily. He waited. As the loud singing started shifting to the left, Damian faked that way, pivoted, then shot straight for the door past the confused ghosts. He hurried into dazzling blue light. He rushed over to the tornado slide, climbing up four steps at a time. Looking over the edge he saw dark spirits gathering around the bottom. Brandon’s energetic singing grew loud, echoing around in the Game Room.
“Is he here?” Damian whispered. Dark figures started stepping away. Damian started sliding down, then jumped off and rushed across the room. He passed the puzzle pieces. “Good thing Brandon is not here,” he whispered. The lady sang out a strong melody rising higher and higher. Damian glanced back. Dark spirits were rushing at him from all sides of the room.
He crashed into the Pool Room. Brandon’s singing was drowned out by the opera singer. “Wow, I did not think anyone could sing louder than him,” Damian whispered, shaking his head. He cut sharply around the long rectangular pool. Then he dove down under a garden of tropical bushes. Dark spirits rushed past. Several voices whistled out in various parts of the room. The opera singer’s voice started drifting away. Soft flashing green and blue lights splashed down through the bright red clusters of the spiral shaped tropical vines.
Brandon sang out louder than ever. He sang several conflicting melodies, constantly shifting from loud to quiet. Somehow it sounded like he was close, then far, then close again. Dark spirits whispered tensely around him. Damian smiled knowingly. Then Brandon shouted out really loud, five times.
“See you,” Damian whispered, then sprinted off. Brandon’s song echoed out around him. After several minutes he made his way back into the calm flashing lights of the Fountain Room. He met Nick and they hurried past the waterfall. Nick looked around the room at the calm flashing shadows. Brandon’s singing slowly faded away. The kids moved over to the maze fountain. Nick stared at the rushing waters when someone tapped him on his shoulder.
Nick calmly turned to see Brandon standing there with a bizarre smile on his face. Then his smile faded.
“I thought I would scare you,” he said. “How did you know it was me?”
“You always do that,” said Nick. “Just when you seem to be far away you suddenly appear.”
“This is our chance, let’s go,” said Damian looking around the maze fountain.
“What did that dark spirit mean, ‘they won’t stare long enough,’ stare long enough at what?” asked Brandon. “If we see the map we will know what it is. How would we stare at it and not see it?” Nick glanced back at the dark orange flashing lights. Then he looked around at the various calm flashing lights. They heard distant whistling. Nick looked back around at the calm flashing shadows, then his eyes lit up.
“Hey, hey, I know where it is,” he said to Brandon, kind of hopping.
“Where what is?” asked Brandon.
“The lost City of Atlantis,” said Damian. Brandon shot him a confused look. “He means the map, obviously!”
“Oh, right, okay where?” Nick led them over to the dark blue waters falling down the wall into the circular basin.
“Dark spirits, we have to move,” said Damian.
“No, they are not here,” said Nick. “Look, all the lights in here flash all the time.” Whistling grew louder.
“They will be here soon and I do not see it,” said Brandon shuffling his feet around in a complicated pattern.
“Wait,” said Nick. “Remember that other waterfall? The pic…picture did not show up behind at first.”
“Oh yeah,” answered Brandon. “That is why they said we would not stare long enough!” He started jumping. Damian turned to see dark figures entering the room. Nick and Brandon kept staring.
Then Damian said, “We cannot wait anymore.” He jumped in the water and started feeling along the wall behind the falls. “Got it. Let’s go.”
“See you ghosts, it’s been real,” whispered Brandon. The kids rushed out of the Caymardor and then out of the school. As they made it outside they started celebrating; fist-bumping, followed by Brandon and Damian chest-bumping which didn’t end well.
“Yeah, we got it back,” said Damian.
“Those stupid ghosts will be chasing each other for hours. They will never get this back, never, never,” said Brandon holding up the map. After their laughing died down, Brandon said, talking fast, “Wait until the elite teachers find out we outsmarted the dark spirits and got it back. You figured out how to move them out, my awesome, amazing, fantastical singing…”
“Fantastical?” asked Damian with raised eyes.
“Amazing?” Nick asked quietly.
“Whatever, it worked,” answered Brandon. “Nick, how did you know all that, about the lights?”
“When I go to the mines with my dad we always watch the lights,” said Nick. “They way they flicker and flash tells us what direction to go in and if it is safe.” Brandon smiled and handed the map to Nick. He looked over the map smiling. Then his face turned sullen.
“What is it?” asked Brandon. Nick pointed to a message in black ink written across the top of the map:
The miner will die before his secret is revealed
Because the singing student will not be healed