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WHAT IF ALIENS INVADE TOMORROW?

How would you respond if hostile aliens attacked our planet? Would you rally and fight back? Would you just try to survive? Or would you try to join them? In this post I would like to share one of my favorite tv shows: Falling Skies. The mystery challenge in this post will be: Why do the aliens invade Earth in Falling Skies? It comes down to one word. It can be found in the post, just follow the train. See if you can figure it out.

Falling Skies centers around the story of Tom Mason and his family. Before the invasion, Tom was a History Professor. He has three sons; Matt, age 8 I believe, Ben, age 13 or 14, and Hal, age 17 or 18. Early on after the first attack where many people were murdered by the aliens, Ben was captured. The aliens go after the kids and put something on their backs that controls them. Then they basically are slaves working for the aliens. Tom Mason and the other two kids must leave their home; Boston, Massachusetts. They join a small group of people who call themselves the 2nd Massachusetts or 2nd Mass. They plan on fighting back against the aliens to take back their home. As Tom says when they are leaving the city, “Retreat, regroup, return, revenge.”

Falling Skies will take you into a mysterious world where aliens have taken over. The story of Falling Skies is not about aliens, but about how people can overcome major tragedies. The characters are awesome and reveal what it takes. You see, when a tragedy like this happens, you need different kinds of people. You need people who are creative, tough, and kind of crazy. You need people who can fight, one way or another, and people who think differently. Falling Skies reveals the value in a lot of people that many times the world doesn’t see.

What will it take for Tom Mason and the 2nd Mass to win the war against the aliens? I;ll give you a hint:

At one point Tom Mason is talking to one of his sons after he had managed to escape the aliens and return to the 2nd Mass. His son is struggling with how the aliens have tried to mess with him. He tells Tom, “The key is hate. If you hate them, then they can’t get in your head.”

Tom answers, “You’re right, hate is a powerful emotion, and I hate them too, but it wasn’t my hate that kept me going all these months. It was my love for you and your brothers.”

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DadeStar REVOLUTION

“THE ALIENS WILL ARRIVE LIKE HEROES FROM THE SKY

THEY WILL ESTABLISH IN THE SCHOOLS STANDARDS TOO HIGH

THEY’LL HIDE A DARK SECRET ABOUT WHY THEY’RE HERE

THE TIME FOR REVOLUTION IS DRAWING NEAR

THEY WILL AWARD THE STUDENTS WHO GO SO FAR

THESE HIGH RANKING STUDENTS CALLED WhiteStar

CADE MAYSON WILL BE THE ONE TO LIGHT THE SPARK

HIS INTENSE DETERMINATION TO FIGHT IN THE DARK

STUDENTS FROM CASHES DADE WILL RISE FROM ASH

THEY’RE THE ONES CONSIDERED TO BE TRASH

THEY WILL START A NEW WAY FOR STUDENTS TO SUCCEED

BY EXPLORING NEW WAYS TO LEAD THEM TO BE FREED

STUDENTS WITH DETERMINATION FIRE TO EXPLORE FAR

WILL BE RANKED BY THE GHOST STRIKERS AS DadeStar

THE ALIENS WILL SEEM TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFEAT

THE FIRST BATTLE WILL SEEM TO SHOW THEY CAN’T BE BEAT

YET THE CASHES DADE STUDENTS KNOW A SECRET WAY

THE KEY WILL BE TO FIND WHAT THE ALIENS CAN’T PLAY

THE CASHES DADE GHOST STRIKERS WILL MAKE THEIR MARK

BY REVEALING SOME LIGHTS ONLY SHINE IN THE DEEPEST DARK”

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DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE: THE CRAZIEST WAVES YOU’VE EVER SEEN

“YOU MAY BE THE ONLY LIGHT THEY EVER SEE”

In this DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE you will travel far up north to the North Lake. Check the page DARKCORNER LAND to see it on the map. I’ll give you a hint: it’s in the north. You will need to put on about 5 fur coats if you have them because it will be freezing cold. Ready? Let’s go.

The North Lake is a really, really giant lake the size of the state of Iowa in the USA or maybe about the size of the country of Great Britain, more or less. First you have to climb through the Massive Icy Mountains which are really difficult to climb and extremely slippery. Then you will see it from a high distance. From the months of September-May the lake is completely frozen solid. From the months of June-August it is not, and that’s when you can see the waves active. These waves are unbelievably massive. They rise as high as city towers like in New York City or Tokyo. They rise up from different parts of the lake and crash at different points in the middle. When they crash they thunder that seems like earthquake. No one has dared to try surfing or sailing in the waters, not yet anyway…

During the other months, the lake remains completely frozen, in fact, on September 1st at midnight, the lake freezes instantly, including the waves wherever they are. Some crazy people have sailed boats right before midnight knowing the waves would freeze before crashing on them. Other crazy people try surfing the great waves just before they’re about to crash, but they better time it right. The less crazy people wait until the lake has frozen, then go out and camp out on the lake. You can still see waters moving underneath and hear crashes below. The waters are amazing colours of blue, purple, green, and red, constantly changing and flashing all across the surface and below. Some crazy people of course will camp out when it’s close to midnight of June 1st when in an instant the lake unfreezes. Some of them wait until the last minute to get off the lake.

There’s something mysterious about this lake; the mad waves, the crazy colours swimming underneath, the dragging sounds, and the mysterious flashing lights in the surrounding mountains. Many people believe the aliens created this place or are doing something really mysterious and secret…

That’s why some people travel there, to explore the lake and see if they can find whatever secrets the aliens may be hiding. Would you go there? Would you try sailing, swimming, or surfing the crazy waves? Leave a comment below. Check out the next mystery challenge. After that is a bonus mystery story with a mystery challenge each chapter leading up to the first story in the series:

The Cashes Dade Ghost Strikers

Do you think the aliens are hiding something really secret up there? What do you think they might be doing? It takes people who are determined and crazy to even explore a place like this, but the people in DarkCorner Land may need these kind of people to lead them in a great revolution.

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CHARACTER FUN FACTS: CADE MAYSON-MASTER TAG PLAYER

Do you like playing tag? More importantly, do you like winning at tag? Then you might not like playing tag with Cade Mayson. You might not ever be able to catch him. I mean, you might be fast, but Cade is mysteriously fast. When he runs, he doesn’t start slow, then slowly build up his speed. In fact, he seems to have just one speed: Super Sonic Lightning Speed. He gets down low, then just shoots off. You don’t see him run, you just see a streak. At night, he’ll hold his blue shell at his side which gives off a blue light so when he runs you’ll actually see a blue streak.

There’s more to reveal about Cade’s mysterious abilities in tag, but first it’s time to reveal the answer to the last Mystery Challenge. If you haven’t read the post, Prophecy of Casherdayas, check it out first and see if you can solve the mystery. Otherwise, here is the answer to what the aliens saw. When they saw the smoke from the fires it looked like dark spirits which made them think the people were working with dark spirits to create another dark illness. The smoke looked like something else which is the key word-the answer to the mystery challenge. The word was spelled out in the prophecy moving down the lines. See if you can find it-the word you were supposed to find as the answer was MIST. Now back to Cade.

You might be agile, but Cade can make about ten sharp turns in the time it would take a normal person to make one. In fact, that’s how he got out from a trap in school once. He had started a game of tag, then was surrounded by three people who were all “it.” He was on a table. He faked one way, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then with them all on one side, he shot out past them to the other side of the classroom. That’s when the teacher put a stop to it, since they were after all supposed to be taking a test.

You might also have great endurance, meaning you can run a long time without getting too tired, but Cade somehow seems to get even faster as the game goes on. Legend has it, a game of tag he started lasted for ten hours. He taunted some of them by walking up to where they were lying on the ground, half-asleep, and would slowly circle them while whistling and pretending to look away. Some poor souls fell for it and tried to get him, but by the time they got up, he’d be about a mile away, but laughing loud enough so they could hear him.

How good are you at tag? Leave a comment below describing how good you think you are. What are your favorite types of tag? How do you get away from the person who’s “it?” Let us know, do you think you could be the one to catch Cade? If not, be sure to check out the next DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE. After that will be another mystery challenge, see if you can solve the mystery.

Cade Mayson’s tag skills may be far more important than anyone realizes, because soon he won’t just be trying to escape his friends to avoid becoming “it,” he will have to use his lightning speed and creativity to escape the aliens…

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PROPHECY OF CASHERDAYAS

See if you can solve this next mystery challenge. The answer will be revealed in the next CHARACTER FUN FACTS post. The following prophecy predicts a terrible event caused by the aliens. This mysterious prophecy reveals why the aliens will attack a certain kingdom in the west. Their reason is based on their accusation against these people and what they might be causing in the world. There is something the citizens create that makes the aliens believe they are dangerous. It is one word. It will appear in the prophecy, yet the prophecy will only hint at the word.

The key to finding the word is that it will fall like rain from the storm. In the prophecy, look for the storm. In the comments below, leave your guess for what you think it is. If you don’t want to see what other people have guessed yet so it doesn’t spoil it for you, then click on the HOME page, then scroll down until you find this post. Then you can read the post without seeing the comments. Okay, time to check it out to see if you can solve it. Go for it.

“I see a mom crying because her son was playing in the street

She is afraid of the explosion she saw from her window seat

A child has tears in his eyes because his parents were in the tower

He saw the green fires shooting down on them with great power

It will begin when the Five Eagles meet at the hidden pool

They fly through the crystal blue sky of the western school

They will start the fire in the rough grounds of the border land

They’ll sing so bright, so loud, so strong forever they stand

The green light will first appear in the sky

Taking the shape of a flickering sword up high

Then the time will be near

What the rebels already fear

Look for the blood red clouds to meet across the night

What you will see then my friends is the mysterious sight

I see them stir powder in the fire to make it bright

Dark low black shadows begin to stretch from the light

They look like they are tall dark spirits dancing to their song

They don’t realize the aliens have been watching all night long

They will conclude these singers are creating a new sickness in the eve

They’re working with the dark ghosts they will believe

What they won’t realize is the powders are creating a type of smoke

This looks like dark spirits dancing which makes the aliens choke

Yet it’s not quite smoke that appears like shadows in the dark

Yet this misunderstanding will lead to the aliens making their mark”

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CHARACTER FUN FACTS: CLIMBING

“YOU MAY BE THE ONLY LIGHT THEY EVER SEE”

There is no obstacle that Cade doesn’t think he can overcome. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how many ways a normal person could easily get past it, for Cade there is only one option: It must be climbed.

Cade Mayson is a determined 12 year old and is the star character of the series. One of his favorite things to do is climb…anything. It doesn’t even matter if the obstacle is in his way. If he sees anything that can be climbed, and I mean anything, he will climb it. He treats climbing even the smallest thing like it’s Everest. He’ll just stop and stare at the kitchen table with this strong, determined, yet anxious look with his hand on his forehead, pretending to gaze up at the really distant table top set a massive five feet above ground. Then he will give the signal. It’s the same every time. He holds his left arm up like he’s trying to hail a cab in New York City though he doesn’t know anything about cabs or New York City. Then in a really fast motion he’ll put his arm down and go for it.

For Cade, it’s not enough to just climb something, it has to be climbed fast. He takes one giant step, then jumps up on the table. He will raise his arms high in victory and pretend to shout down to the others as if they can’t hear him even though they’re standing just a few feet away. I wouldn’t recommend trying this at home. You see, furniture is made really well in his country and can hold up under a lot of pressure. Your kitchen table could break or get messed up. It would be better to try your climbing outside.

Cade may not have climbed Mount Everest yet, in fact he’s never heard of it, but he has climbed mountains, including one that the aliens forbid students to climb. Are they worried for the students’ safety or are they trying to hide something? Cade discovered something bizarre at the top. That’s why he’s planning to go back. The next post will reveal what he found on the mountain top. He made it past their defense before, but will they be ready for him this time?

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THE SILENT NIGHT MYSTERY OF CAROLMIRE

“The aliens are hiding a secret at the mountain top

This secret would defeat them and make their oppression stop

The answer will be buried directly under the shimmering stone

Cade Mayson will charge up the mountain to find this alone

He will wait until the night before Christmas to make his key move

He taps at his sides, hearing the music in his head, to get in the groove

First the dark mist must fall over the valley setting the chill

Then the towering forest across the mountain must go still

He follows the rhythmic hum vibrating across the ground

Then will come the booming strikes always coming around

The leaves always rustle, making popping sounds, energetic and bright

Cade will smile confidently when he takes in the sight

The chilling winds will rush over the lower mountain soon

Cade will take off in a brilliant flash, flying by the light of the moon

Eerie green alien lights will shoot out directing the ghosts’ chase

He makes such sharp turns over the rocks, they can’t keep pace

Alien lights fire up along the upper mountain ridge like a fence

Cade has a creative way to get past their defense

He slips off his shoes running up the mountain in silence

He will flash a light where the leaves rustle in the wind rush

He smiles back at the frantic lights as he enters the hush

He will hear them singing, with voices blended, a song

They’re from the place where the fountain stone is strong

Cade will hear the chorus from ChristmasLand in Carolmire

Their voices sound haunted, yet bright, rising higher

They celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, the glow

They celebrate while they are struggling, feeling so low

They know the secret revealed in their song, Silent Night

It began when in the deep underground they lost sight

They see in the deepest dark there is a distant light

The citizens discovered that they each had a way to shine

Their light could reach a dark corner in the mine

Now they only need Cade to see the candle in the sky

At the right moment, this will reveal how the aliens can die

They are so advanced and powerful in every way but one

Their light is overpowering, like the light of the sun

The citizens will gather under the shining strong light

They sing and move to the bright rhythmic music of Silent Night

They each shine their light to lead the others to shine bright

Cade will find out the real reason the aliens are watching Carolmire

He’ll see what model they’re building behind their powerful fire

He will be shocked when he sees the fountain stone so much higher”

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THE SECRET IN THE SKY OVER CAROLMIRE

The Carolmire Prophecy is about to be revealed. Can you solve this mystery challenge? What is the hidden image in the sky shown in the picture above? The following prophecy will show clues to what the answer is. Find out the intriguing answer which will in turn be a clue to the deep secret the aliens are hiding. If you have a guess at what is hidden in the picture leave a comment below. Now, get ready to enter the city of Carolmire in the mysterious far northern kingdom called “CHRISTMAS LAND.”

CAROLMIRE PROPHECY

“It began when the aliens mysteriously ranked us all BlackStar

They claim our constant dancing meant we’d never make it far

We were bright and energetic, with music in us all the time

Yet somehow that is why we failed, our energy our only crime

The key to the mystery is what is found under the broken clock

Once you find what is hidden, the deep secret you will begin to unlock

So the time came then, we had to leave the school we’d made our own

They sent us to live in the freezing cold , isolated and alone

The aliens claim we are a cancer to the world; we have no right

We are allowed to live only by mining for them the glowing crystal light

We always live in the cold darkness, the time of winter stays frozen still

So in the dark night our citizens keep a candle lit up on their window sill

We only see dim light during the day, and it’s so dark at night

Yet we are miners so we know how to find the distant light

We celebrate Christmas once every month, so our city is always bright

We play the music all the time, singing in the streets, an awesome sight

On every Christmas Eve we sing Silent Night while gazing at the sky

Then for one week we stay at home letting our fires rise so high

We will never forget the night we saw him, climbing in the dead of night

He was heading for the aliens hidden secret-their green glowing light

On a silent night we finally had hope our dark fight would be won

We’ll never tell the aliens that we know his name is Cade Mayson”

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MR. LEMONCELLO’S LIBRARY OLYMPICS: THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF KNOWLEDGE

THE WORLD NEEDS CHAMPIONS

Are you an expert on the dewey decimal system? Can you find any book in the library in record time? Can you solve complicated puzzles at the speed of light? More importantly, are you a champion? If you love action-packed mysteries with many fun puzzles to solve, then you’ll love this story which is the second in a series by Chris Grabenstein. If you haven’t already, you should read “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” to be introduced to the series star character, Kyle Keeley, and his friends/teammates. See if you can discover the secret way out of the library before it’s too late. Then you will be ready for the Olympics, The Lemoncello Library Olympics that is.

Kyle and his friends are riding high after winning the challenge in the previous story. They’re famous, but with fame comes a price. Students from around the country are upset that they didn’t have the opportunity to win the big prize that Kyle and his friends won. It’s decided that there should be a library Olympics for the top students from around the country to compete with Kyle and his friends for the ultimate prize: a college scholarship. These games will be more challenging than ever against really tough competition. Can Kyle and his friends win again? Or will they lose and fade away?

There’s a deeper mystery going on in the library. Books are mysteriously disappearing. Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is in danger against an old enemy. What are they trying to find? Or what are they trying to hide? Can you solve the mystery? Can you be a champion?

Leave a comment below what you think might be going on with the missing books. In the next post we will reveal the mystery of the northern lights that appear in the sky around Christmas near the Kingdom of Christmas Land in the Carolmire Prophecy.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM CASHES DADE PART 2

“They saw us, the ghosts, I mean. The windows turned bright green like on fire. Dark ghostly figures flew out of the windows. The dark spirits were after us.

Blake turned to me and said, ‘Cade, we’ve got to move, now.’ We ran along the ridge. We started to pass the empty ghost city up close. We passed dark, rotting, broken towers with empty streets curving in and out through the city. It was chilling silence except we heard several ghosts in the distance groaning, like in circles, getting louder and louder, then quieter and quieter. I turned back momentarily. I saw dark flashes on the trail along the ridge. Blake pointed to the shadowy forest in the valley below. I said, ‘That’s too scary.’

He looked at me like I was crazy and asked, ‘That’s more scary than being chased by dark spirits?’ I thought about it for a moment while we sprinted ahead. I nodded, ‘Yeah. They may be haunted.’

He was like, ‘Come on, Cade.’ He knows how I joke. He was getting kind of irritated so I told him I had a plan which was mostly true. Bright red clouds crashed directly over us, thundering like an explosion. They cut through the black towers with dark blue stained glass windows. I started to hear singing again, ghosts singing, the same haunting song as before, swaying up and up, then down. Their voices were really hollow and sad. They echoed across the empty streets.

Blake turned to me and said, ‘They’re getting close.’ We started hearing their fast-paced whispers. Chilling winds started pulling at us from behind. ‘If you have a plan, now would be a good time,’ I heard Blake say. I took out my blue shell that flashes a blue light with my shadow. It’s hard to explain. ‘When I count to ten, break right.’

‘Why do you have to count to ten?’

‘So we go at the same time.’

‘Then just say, ‘Break right.’ You don’t have to count.’

‘If I don’t count, you won’t be ready.’

‘Yeah I will. I’ll see the light flash and that’s when we go. I’m not stupid.’

‘I didn’t say you were stupid.’

‘I didn’t say you did.’ I glanced back. I saw dark hands reaching towards us. ‘Ready now,’ I said. I let the light flash. I dove and slid all the way down the hill while Blake sprinted down. I looked up. The dark shadows disappeared over the ridge. Me and Blake celebrated. We tried one of those chest bumps, but I went too high and he went too low and we both went down. Then we started jogging around the rest of the ghost city. It was really quiet even with the ghosts’ singing. I gazed up at the aliens’ flag they raise high over every city. It’s blue with a white star in the center, that always glows softly in the moonlight, but it’s five lines that don’t quite connect. I hate it. They raised it over our city and our school. They think it’s all theirs now. I saw faces in the windows, just staring at us. They had different expressions that were just frozen like that, but I heard them whispering to us. Then we stopped cold. The clouds parted overhead. Breaking moonlight lit up a ghost in hazy green. We could barely see him. He was sitting out on a bench just staring out into the empty street.

He said in a low, hollow voice, ‘They never saw me. They never saw me. I should have been seen, but they never saw me.’ I looked and saw his shirt glowing softly on his shoulders where I saw he had a BlackStar patch. Me and Blake hurried ahead. The slow rhythmic booming started up again, growing louder and louder. The ghosts’ sad song grew quieter but more clear. We were almost at the edge about to break away into the hills back to Dayces Cameron. Then Blake asked the question I didn’t want to ask.

‘What if this is where the BlackStar Students live when they die?’ I would discover the answer to that question much later, and it shocked me. We turned the last corner. Dark shadows fell away behind us. The dark spirits would be back soon. Then we saw it; a massive clock glowing green against the red sky. The haunting song echoed around it, going around and around. I could finally hear what they were singing, over and over, the same lines, over and over and over.”

“The clock is ticking, they wait for their time where they lean

The dark ghosts are singing, their desperate hope to be seen”