“The aliens have deep pools to keep away the citizens of Carolmire
Cade Mayson will have strong determination fire”
Cade and Blake are about to try another path up the mountain to try to discover what the aliens might be hiding. Can you solve this chapter’s mystery? The mystery is what word do the aliens have for the third path called the Lanterns Path? Clues for the answer will be revealed in the chapter. The answer will be a single word. The answer will reveal more about the mystery in this story about which path can get past the alien defenses? One of them has a weakness. If you have a guess for either mystery, leave a comment below. What do you think the aliens are hiding?
CHAPTER THREE:
The howling winds died down. The active forest went quiet behind them. Heavy darkness closed in on them from all sides in the silent chill. All they heard was the crunch of small stones under their shoes, slowly moving up the hidden slope. Dark shadows rolled across in slow roaming waves.
“I can’t see the time,” said Blake.
“It’s cool,” answered Cade. “At midnight, the lanterns will light up. The party will begin. The show will start. The…”
“I think I get it.” They felt a sharp chill rush past them.
A voice whispered, “It’s almost time. It’s almost time to find the way.”
“Was that you?” whispered Blake.
“No, was it you?”
“Why would I ask if it was you if I knew I was the one who said it?”
“I don’t know,” Cade answered, “just making sure.” Footsteps moved quickly ahead. “We need to get over, this way.”
“OW! You hit my head.”
“Sorry. I was trying to pull you in the right direction.” More voices started whispering around them as they hurried toward the hidden wall.
“Who are they?” asked Blake.
“Just some friends I invited.” Fast-paced, excited whispering continued on all sides.
“Seriously.”
“They must be dark spirits.” Just then dark blue glowing light appeared from lanterns in a wavy line along their wall and the far wall. The lights dimly lit the underground pass up the mountain along the walls. Dark heavy shadows roamed down the center. The kids glanced around at the towering blackstone walls rising to high dark ceilings. Different groups of citizens appeared standing in various points along the walls. They glowed soft blue and appeared to be somewhat transparent.
“Who are they?” asked Blake.
“They’re ghosts,” Cade answered quietly. “Let’s head this way. Stay low.” The kids crept up the slope to the center, moving just past a group of ghosts talking quietly. Chilling winds whistled through the tunnel. The lanterns swayed left and right, flickering up the wall on the right. The ghosts started talking louder as the kids started running up the steep, steady slope. “This might be easy,” said Cade with a confident shrug.
“They have to have defenses in here.” The kids breathed hard, running up the long slope until they saw a high massive circular wall ahead made of shimmering blue glass, lit by many rows of lanterns. Just then fast-paced, whiny fiddle music started up around them with a booming base rocking the walls. More lantern lights lit up at various points with the ghosts dancing to the music. They glided around smoothly. The kids reached the wall, looking up the two halls splitting left and right. The left hall was dark with only a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The right hall was wider and well-lit, with a small circle of dancing ghosts. “We should take the darker hall.”
“Yeah, I agree, darker is better. I can’t sleep when it’s too bright for one thing. Although, I like bright shells. You know when you see it, when it catches the light?” Blake stared at him, confused. “Wait, see that? Let’s check that way. Have you ever seen when it does that?”
“Seen what?”
“You know,” Cade answered heading for a tall blue crystal door, barely visible in the blue glass wall. Dark shadows of the dancing ghosts reflected in the dimly lit glass.
“No, I don’t,” said Blake, shaking his head as he ran after him. Cade slowly opened the door and peered inside. The wide hall was circular, sloping up steeply in shining blue light from bright glowing lanterns. Cade turned back, smiling. “I guess this might work,” Blake said, glancing back at the ghosts dancing in circles. “I mean…” He looked ahead to see Cade running up the slope. He sighed heavily as he ran to catch up.
“Stay in the center, there’s more ghosts ahead.” The fiddle music began to play faster from all sides. The instruments sounded like they were playing right with them. A small circle of ghosts danced to the rhythm right ahead. Cade and Blake swerved to the left, running low to the ground. A fast chilling wind rush whistled up the tunnel. The hazy lanterns swayed back and forth. Blake watched the lights flickering in rapid waves shooting ahead.
“Follow the way. Follow the way.” The kids turned to see the ghosts gliding up the slope behind them.
“Go, go, go,” said Cade.
“Do they see us?” Blake glanced back. The ghosts’ faces were mostly blank with only their eyes showing. They just stared ahead with sad, empty gazes. “I’m not sure they do.”
“Follow the way. This is our chance. Follow the shooting waves.” Another massive wall appeared ahead with numerous glowing lanterns. A large glowing green door appeared straight ahead, with halls splitting left and right.
“Hurry, hurry, we need to get ahead so they don’t see where we go. Which way?”
“The door,” answered Blake. “The winds can show the way in the mines. The way the lanterns sway and flicker shows which way.”
“Sounds good enough to me.” They both glanced back. The ghosts were far behind. Lantern lights began swaying to the fast-paced booming music on all sides. Blake opened the door while Cade dove in.
“Was that necessary?”
“What do you think?” Cade flashed a smile before looking ahead up the steep dark tunnel. Just then three rows of blue lanterns lit up on narrow shelves along both sides. A crowd of dark spirits appeared, blocking the entire way ahead. Blake looked back. Dark spirits entered the tunnel behind them.
“What we do now?” Cade just smiled, with eyes lit. “I should have known.” With that Cade shot ahead right toward the crowd. Blake ran directly behind him. The ghosts reached out with chains in their hands. Just as they moved in, Cade turned, and jumped up on the shelf along the wall. He and Blake ran along the narrow shelf, then jumped back down up slope.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
“We’re out of time,” said Blake, glancing at his watch: 12:53. The kids sprinted up the tunnel until reaching a door on their left. They quickly slipped inside, hurrying down a long curving slope going down. The fiddle music started playing slower and sadder as they made their way out of the mountain. On their way down the mossy slope under a dark blue sky, with moonlight spilling through the breaking clouds, a dark bench lit up in an open meadow of soggy, dark green short grass. The kids stopped cold. A blue glowing ghost sat there, staring directly at them. He looked like an old man, wearing a dark gray suit.
“Let’s go,” said Blake.
“I have a message for you,” he said. Blake shook his head. The kids began to leave as they heard him again, saying, “I have a message for you, Cade Mayson.”
