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 the last 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…”
Cade Mayson and his ghost striker friends have been watching the aliens all through the fall. Several new towers have gone up. Mysterious lights play to the rhythm of loud, booming music throughout the mountains during the moonlit nights. They believe the aliens are working on something secret. It could be a new weapon, perhaps something that can break through the defensive fires that protect the new Kingdom of Cashes Dade at the top of the mountain. Josiah believes they are secretly experimenting with students. But he’s more concerned with what the aliens are looking for. They want to discover the secret of Ghost Peak. Cade, Blake, Drew, and Josiah are determined to find it first, because something powerful might be found there, and if the aliens get it, the revolution might end before it can begin…
It’s time for another mystery challenge. If you haven’t yet, go to LIST OF POSTS at the top of the site and check out MYSTERY OF GHOST PEAK: PART ONE AND PART TWO. Have you figured out yet which path the kids should take that will lead to the secret peak in the distance? Leave a comment below if you have a guess. Check out the Daycoyer Prophecy below to learn more about the alien invasion, what’s happened to the students like Cade, Blake, and Drew, and to learn the secret of Ghost Peak. More about this will be revealed in the next post including the answer for which of the five paths leads to Ghost Peak. There is a key clue in the prophecy. Can you find it? What secret will be revealed?
DAYCOYER PROPHECY
Kids play soccer on a wide field under a calm sky
Others build sandcastles under the shade up high
When a brilliant flash shoots out over every school
Green fires turn the day’s warmth into a chilling cool
First they will deceive all the parents about a great threat
When they look to the aliens as superior all will be set
They will shine light on the few students who follow their way
They won’t care at all what students on the outside have to say
From the beginning, they will decide where each student will rank
When they were called trouble makers that’s when they sank
The aliens pretend to light up the best way with intense beams
But what they’re really doing is trying to crush their dreams
At night, a dark storm will cover all the nations in shadow
But in the western sky, in the three dark stars will appear a glow
There is a secret being held by the ghosts under the hidden peak
The way there is by following the close, yet distant dream you seek
The bright singer flies so fast you can’t see him stop
The crazy ghost kids can’t be kept from reaching the top
The kid with fire in his eyes can’t be told there’s no way
He’s determined to take the most daring path to make them pay
When the blazing students find the ghosts, a secret will be revealed
They hold a secret many forgot for how they can be healed…
It was a dark, chilly night where the sky seemed empty when Todd Mardade climbed the barren, steep rocky slope to the high, jagged peak. It was pure black but showed up clear even in the night. He climbed fast up the slick stones, moving faster and faster until he reached the top. He looked out over the vast landscape of mountains looking like dark waves under passing, flickering blue moonlight. He saw a massive neon green glowing mountain he’d never seen before, but then after watching a long time he began to realize it was four massive walls of mist. He kept staring intensely as aliens appeared within the mist, building a half-circular tower. Three sleek dark blue triangular alien ships flew low over the mountains around the mist. Intense lights shone down from the ships as they circled the secret building. Now, his 12-year-old son Josiah searches for the mountain. He’s trying to uncover what the aliens are hiding…
Josiah’s favorite thing to do is to sing. He makes up his own songs, yet never writes them down. Some of the ones he really likes, he just remembers, for the most part. He has an amazing ability to come up with a song on the spot. One time he was supposed to help in the kitchen at school helping the cooks prepare the school lunches. He started singing loud, so loud, that all of his classmates in the other room could hear him. As they made their way into the room where the other cooks had gathered in the far corner, some covering their ears, they could hear him singing about all kinds of random ingredients, in a really fast song that sounded like a battle song. He sung about various explosions, shootings, and launching…well then they saw it for themselves. He was throwing sugar and salt into the air. He mixed in a bowl and half of it ended up outside the bowl. In fact, most of what he was supposed to make landed on the table, the floor, the ceiling, the door, and inside the refrigerator! To this day, no one knows how the dough ended up there when it was closed the whole time. To this day, no one knows what Josiah was even trying to make, and to this day, he’s never been invited back in the kitchen…
Josiah loves climbing mountains. He isn’t so much interested in which mountains he climbs, but how he climbs. He likes to take the most direct route, but he also likes to take the hardest route. He never talks about what mountains he’s climbed, but the kids find out because they hear his singing from distant peaks. He moves the way he sings, fast, full-speed ahead until he crashes. They hear his singing through the shadows, flying high. Then all the sudden it just stops, in mid-sentence, even mid-word. But after awhile, it starts up again. He likes to go up the steepest parts, mainly because he wants to take the fastest route. But what’s really mysterious, are the lights that appear in odd places on the peak. No one knows how he puts them there, how he gets there, but somehow these neon gold lights appear. They continue to shine and they even shine in the darkest nights…
Josiah hates chores. He hates doing anything boring or routine. That’s why if you give him something to do like wash clothes or dishes, what should take him 15 minutes will take him about 5 hours. Mostly it’s because he plays with the clothes or dishes. He makes up songs, has the various dishes fight while he gives the play by play even if no one is around. But the real reason it takes him much longer is because he usually has to clean up a mess he makes from the “fights” that take place among whatever objects he’s dealing with. What doesn’t help is the fact that Josiah has no concept of time at all. If you tell him to meet you at 4:00, don’t expect him to show up at 4:00, because something will distract him or take him way longer than it should. Plus, he just gets really confused at specific times. No one knows why. But he doesn’t seem to be confused about the times when the aliens are bringing in new students to the mysterious new complex they built hidden in the mountains…
In the late cold nights of Cashes Dade, when the blue moonlight burns bright, Josiah sneaks out into the mountains. He believes the aliens are sneaking students into the hidden complex deep in the mountains. He hears strong pounding music and bizarre lights flashing inside. But they seem to be hiding the students, and what they’re doing. What are the aliens planning? What are they doing to these students? We’ll find out more about this in the next post called:
MYSTERY OF GHOST PEAK: PART THREE
But Josiah isn’t just exploring deep into the mountains, climbing and reaching distant, high jagged peaks to discover the secrets the aliens are hiding. He sings because he believes music is the best way to reach him. He explores deep into the mountains because he hopes he can find the ghost of his dad…
A strong, whistling cold wind blew through the complete darkness. High in the blackness a lady appeared in a white misty form flying through the air. She screamed out, the chilling sound echoing throughout. She faded, then grew brighter, then faded away again, flying fast. Blake and Drew got down low, struggling to see. Sharp whistling from high up slowly fell in a slow bouncing rhythm. An old man groaned nearby. Another man shouted out frantically.
“Should we light up?” Drew whispered.
“I don’t think so.”
“Cade’s not going to try to climb down in the dark is he?”
“I’d be surprised if he didn’t.” Fast, high-pitched piano chords pounded out, playing a slow rising song with a sound of exreme urgency. Another lady began crying close by. Her cries shook the darkness as she yelled out:
“Silence falls there, silence falls there, silence falls there. They will never be heard again. They will never move again. They are dead, they are still, they are silent…” The sour piano song played faster and faster. The floor started vibrating. The walls began booming around them. Faint dark orange lights in the form of cracks at the top. Then the face of the grandfather appeared in a ghostly reflection across the wall. He stared out with a burning, intense angry gaze. Sharp whistling continued to fall in the heavy chilling dark. The two kids began to make out the murky outlines of the high trees. Then the grandfather yelled out:
“IT WAS YOU! IT WAS YOU! YOU DID THIS, AND I’LL FIND YOU CADE MAYSON!”
“What we do now?” Blake whispered.
“We need to get out of here,” said Drew, “but Cade’s still up there.” The grandfather’s angry face slowly turned toward the far left wall, looking up toward the high balcony hidden in the dark. Intense, dark orange lights in the shapes of fancy candle clusters lit up throughout the trees. They appeared to float around while the sharp black trees remained completely still. “He’s going to find him,” Drew said nervously. Blake gazed up anxiously at the murky balcony. With a heavy boom the entire balcony lit up in a bright gold light. It was empty. Blake and Drew turned to each other and smiled.
“Now it’s time to light up,” said Blake. He took out a small candle and lit it up in dark blue. The two kids jogged toward the entrance. The grandfather slowly turned his gaze in their direction. “Take left, I’ll take right. NOW.” The two kids dove down. Drew crawled to the left of the doorway. Blake rolled over to the right. Then he gazed up at the dark orange lit evergreens. The dark orange light clusters blended with the neon green triangular leaves. Breaking moonlight streamed in through the massive high grand windows.
“Where is he?” Drew whispered.
“Right here.” Drew turned to see Cade laying flat on the floor next to him. The high whistling piano chords played faster and stronger, pounding through the walls.
“How do you always do that?” asked Drew.
“Answer questions?”
“No, you always just show up right when we’re looking for you.”
“I’ve been sitting here for five minutes.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was trying to be quiet.”
“You guys want to get out of here or keep going with your tea party?” asked Blake. Cade looked up as the grandfather’s angry gaze turned down to them.
“Where’s he at?” whispered Drew. Blake looked around with a sharp gaze. The grandfather appeared just past the trees, gliding fast toward them.
Cade calmly waved the other two in. “Blake, take the light, go fast down. Then double back, we’ll hang back on the steps let him go past.” Blake shot through the opening. Cade and Drew followed past the entryway. They slid to a stop, then crawled fast back behind the doorway. Blake’s light went out. The grandfather entered and glided fast down the steps. Then he disappeared around the corner. The lady kept crying in the distance. The flying lady cried out in a shrill voice somewhere above them. Cade waved them forward. The kids quietly worked their way down the steps.
Just then Blake popped up and joined them. Dark orange candle lights flickered to the slow, booming rhythm throughout the house.
“We weren’t having a tea party,” Cade mumbled. The high-pitched piano notes played in a slow, flowing rhythm.
“It was a joke.”
“I’ve never had a tea party in my life.”
“Where’s the kid?” Drew whispered.
“The boy or the girl?” asked Cade.
“I haven’t seen the boy at all.” The kids got down low at the second floor hallway.
“Where’d he go?” asked Drew.
“Check the first room,” Blake whispered. The kids got down low. Cade peered into the massive-half oval shaped bedroom.
The grandfather looked under the bright, colourful bed. The father carved furiously into the black frames and headboard adding to the elaborate designs.
“What are you looking for,” the father asked in a deadpan voice.
“The kid. He’s the one, I know it. He’s the one who let in the cold darkness that took him.”
“The boy’s the one who died,” Drew whispered.
“Watch him,” Blake whispered, “see if he shows up in the mirror.” Cade watched intently as the grandfather moved toward the rocking chair barely lit by a few dead orange lights. He passed the small oval shaped mirror with a shimmering glowing green border. The mirror reflected only the still rocking chair. Cade shook his head.
“Back up, back up,” Cade whispered. The kids laid low as the grandfather entered the hallway, then walked into the next bedroom.
“We’ve seen the maid and the grandfather, neither appeared in the mirror,” said Blake.
“I saw the young girl and the father already too,” said Drew. “Neither of them appeared.”
“So it’s either the son or the mother?” asked Cade.
“Why are they going to appear in a mirror?” asked Blake. The eerie, whistling piano notes crawled through the dim quiet hallway barely lit by small, flickering dark orange lights. They heard the grandfather groan as he entered the hall again. He pounded the wall with his fist. The lights faded. Then he entered the girl’s room.
“Why aren’t the others appearing in the mirrors?” asked Drew.
“Yeah, why aren’t they?” asked Blake.
“The one who is going to appear,” said Cade, talking fast, “must have done something to the mirrors so none of the others would appear so only they would show up, but not the others, you know?”
“Did you get any of that?” asked Drew.
“I think he’s saying the one who we’re looking for made it so none of the others would show up in the mirrors, but why?”
“He doesn’t want them to look in the mirrors maybe?” said Drew, throwing his hands up. The grandfather came back out of the boy’s room. He knocked the shelf off the wall. The two plants and shimmering carved black horse crashed down. The grandfather left down the steps. As the kids watched, the carved shiny black horse rose from the floor and floated into the boy’s room.
“Let’s go,” said Cade, “I think he’s the one.” The kids entered a small, dark room dimly lit by a single dusty dark orange candle on a shelf holding a few shiny carved animals. A small bed sat in the close, left corner. A small, shimmering black cabinet sat in the close, right corner. A dead plant stood in the far left corner while a small circular mirror hung in the far right corner. Breaking moonlight spilled into the room through a small, rectangular window.
“He’s in here,” Drew whispered.
“Watch the mirror,” said Blake. Cade walked over to the window and looked out at the lit up neon green forest. The grandfather walked out, then held up his hands high into the passing moonlight.
“He’s outside, the grandfather,” said Cade. The grandfather stood under a dead tree with broad, large twisted branches rising up in close together stacks showing stark black twisted shadows in the flickering moonlight.
“How are we going to see him in the mirror if we don’t know where he is?” asked Drew.
“Block the door so he can’t leave,” said Blake.
“He’s a ghost,” said Drew.
“So?”
“So you can’t block ghosts. They can just walk through.”
“No they can’t.” As Cade watched, half curious, half amused at the conversation behind him, dark ghosts emerged from the forest.
“He’s calling dark spirits,” said Cade, spinning around. “We’re out of time. They’re coming after us and we can’t escape.”
“Unless we solve the mystery,” said Drew.
“Why a mirror?” asked Blake.
“Why does anyone look in a mirror?” said Cade, “to look at themselves.”
“But he doesn’t want them to see themselves in the mirrors anymore,” said Drew.
“Maybe they didn’t pay attention to him,” said Cade in a low voice. A heavy bang came from the front door. A sharp chill entered the room. Drew glanced nervously at the window where flickering blue moonlight passed through stark black twisted shadowsstacked closely together.
“They’re here,” said Blake.
“So we need to pay attention to him. That will lead us to the answer,” said Drew. Chilling whistling wind rushed into the house. All the lights went out. Cade quickly struck a small blue candle. He held it close to the shelf.
“Look at these,” he whispered. “I think he made these.”
“They’re really good,” Drew whispered. Blake walked over to the cabinet.
“I think he made this,” he said, “it looks just as good as the other things.”
“Why won’t he show up?” asked Drew, watching the mirror.
“Maybe he wants us to see everything he’s made,” said Cade. The room grew colder.
“They’re going to find us any minute now,” said Blake.
“Open that,” said Cade. “I’ll bet there are more in there.” Blake pulled the door open and the wall slid open revealing a set of shelves holding numerous shiny, colourful wagons, carriages, horses, trees, and model homes. They looked up to the top where a shimmering dark blue mirror showed a young boy appearing to be their age.
“We did it,” said Blake with a smile.
“Thanks for finding me,” said the kid.
“Why did you do this?” asked Drew.
“They never noticed me,” said the kid. “They never cared about what I made. They only cared about themselves, how they looked. They ignored me.”
“That’s why you blocked out the mirrors,” said Drew. The kid shook his head.
“I know they’ll keep looking for a mirror they will see themselves in. They’ll find this one and finally see what I made. I appear in this mirror because that’s the only way they’ll see me.” Ghostly whistles echoed throughout the house.
“How we getting out of here?” asked Blake. Cade gazed around the room, then stopped at the window. He turned to the other two, slowly breaking a smile. “I don’t want to know.”
“You think we can fly?” asked Drew.
“No, but we can climb,” said Cade pointing to the dark, twisted branches outside the window. The three kids did the ghost striker handshake, bumping fists, then quickly pulling their hands back flat making the sound, “Shhhhh.” Cade pulled the window open, and the three kids slipped out and scrambled down the closely stacked branches. The family entered the kid’s room just as Cade, Blake, and Drew disappeared into the forest. The family looked out the window. They couldn’t see the three kids, but they turned around, and finally saw the ghost in the mirror…
A few years ago, Cade Mayson discovered the dark secret about the ghosts in DarkCorner Land which you can see in the story:
MYSTERY OF THE LUSTARAY CLOCK GHOST. Cade went on a daring mission, but not nearly as crazy as the one he’s going on this year. Many ghosts suffer the same fate as the school janitor ghost, who haunts the school in the dark hours. He comes out every night, carrying a worn out mop, and roams the many grand, twisted halls dimly lit by small, flickering dark orange candle clusters. He mops slowly across the slick floor, but he keeps stopping to look back at the floor he cleaned. He stares at the reflections of dark shadows playing across the dark marble floor. He watches for the dark orange lights to make shapes, then faces. They form the faces of students, students he remembers going to the school when he worked there. He stares, waiting for them to see him, but they never do. The ghost who haunts the school, is haunted by the students…
Welcome back to DarkCorner Land. It’s time to explore the Old Haunted Maysher House that’s hidden in a secret forest. Cade, Blake, and Drew are locked in there right now, and in the next post we will return to see if they can solve the mystery and escape. Maybe you can solve the mystery, if you’re brave enough to explore this bizarre forest, because there will be clues. Otherwise, if you haven’t yet, scroll down the List of Posts and check out the other Halloween posts and MYSTERY OF THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR: PART ONE. Can you solve the mystery? Will you escape?
It always gets dark when you get close to the secret forest. No one knows exactly where it’s located, because there’s a mysterious way to find it as Cade discovered in the post titled: CHARACTER FUN FACTS: CADE’S MYSTERIOUS WAY. This place can’t be found with a map which is probably why Cade was able to find it since he can’t follow a map to save his life, literally. As night falls, that’s when the ghosts appear, dancing in the moonlight. But it’s the ghosts who keep the forest hidden. They’re the ones who keep themselves hidden and don’t want people to know where they are. As the moon shines down through the black, twisted branches of the towering neon green evergreens full of misty leaves, the ghosts dance in circles, over and over and over again. They dance together in front of the Old Maysher House which shines in a booming rhythmic dark orange glow, but then they split off and do their own dances individually. Thing is, these ghosts may not want people to know where they are, but they want to be found…
There’s one ghost in particular who is really mysterious. She always dances in the far corner, always trying crazy spinning jumps, always trying to fly higher and higher. But she never quite gets it right, and is always trying something crazier. A few times, some citizens of Cashes Dade found the forest, and found her dancing. Cade always thought maybe if he climbed the trees high enough he might be able to see her from a distance, and he even made his way to the top of several really tall trees, in the dark, with no light, because you see, he figured trying to hold a light while climbing in the total darkness would be dangerous…When she saw them, she would dance faster and faster, higher and higher, trying to shine in the passing moonlight. But when she saw their candle lights shine together in a cluster, she would get angry and stare at them with a cold, icy glare. A strong chilling wind would knock them back, knock out their lights and push them toward a dark, cold twisted forest. Her eyes turn blood red. Her face turns neon green. That’s all they see in the dark. Her scream is what makes them run, and never return…
But what is it about the lights that make her so angry? She dances when she first sees them approaching, but when they gather together close,in a cluster, that’s when she turns on them. It’s a mystery, but it also reminds some people of what happened many years ago in Cashes Dade. This is one mystery Cade Mayson knows nothing about, because he doesn’t get dance. He also would rather watch grass grow than a Dance Competition. A young girl was dancing her routine in a Dance Championship. She did amazing jumps and spins, and earned a high score and she won, so what happened? What do you think happened? After she sat down in one corner, her gaze shifted to the opposite corner, where a cluster of lights appeared. That’s where the next dancer had entered the arena and a hush fell over the crowd. She remembered how distracted everyone waswhen she started her routine. They weren’t that interested. But they were spellbound by the next dancer…
Something tragic happened at the Old Maysher House. No one knows quite what happened, but maybe the kids will find out soon because the ghosts often relive their worst moments, their greatest tragedies, their greatest failures. Can you imagine having to experience the same lousy day over and over and over again? Some ghosts, like the ones in the Maysher House, have to do the same chores, the same boring tasks, the same routines, knowing what’s going to happen, and knowing it will never change. They live in the cold darkness and see no hope. But the key to this mystery is in the mysterious desire of the ghosts who dance in the moonlight. One of them appears in a mirror. Why? Mirrors show reflections. Why do people look in the mirror? They want to see themselves. The kids just heard a lady scream. The house went dark. But something else has happened, something that has made one of the ghosts angry. The kids might not even have as much time as they thought, and there is no way out…
“I DIDN’T SEE IT, I DIDN’T SEE IT, I DIDN’T SEE IT,” the old ghost kept shouting out in agony. Dazzling green mist crept along the crusty forest ground. The full moon stretched out behind the smooth, dark clouds in the late October night. The old ghost groaned out for a long, long time, the sound echoing out through the heavy neon green glowing forest. Dark orange light stretched out across the rough, black wall inside the front entryway. The dusty chandelier flickered on and off throwing out dark orange light over the cracked shelves. Dead, overgrown plants took over the shelves. A lady began crying in the corner. A small, shiny red painted wagon creaked along the lowest shelf between two cracked, pale green vases holding dead flowers.
Cade ran low to the ground from one towering evergreen to another, getting down behind several bushes. He stared out with a bright intensity. He slowly broke a smile. Pale shafts of moonlight lit up his short, dark spiraling hair falling low over his intense eyes. Blake shot fast across the cold ground, sliding to a stop next to Cade. His short, sandy hair glowed momentarily in the moonlight. He whispered something to Cade who shook his head. Then turning away, Blake mumbled something to himself. Both kids kept glancing back anxiously. Drew’s shadow slowly appeared. He barely crawled along the ground. Cade and Blake just shook their heads watching him moving incredibly slow. He shook his long, wild hair several times before finally reaching them. Then Cade pointed at them. The father and the mother remained still, watching the kids through the dark blue dusty window. The father held a worn out wrench, while the mother held a dusty, worn spoon. The two ghosts exchanged smiles. The father said, “They’re here.”
Cade, Blake, and Drew call themselves The Cashes Dade Ghost Strikers. They have made it their mission to start a revolution against the aliens who have ruined their school and their country. Check out the page at the top of this site called THE DADESTAR REVOLUTION to start an awesome adventure with endless, fun mysteries. If you want more great stories for Halloween, check out these previous posts beginning with this one:
CHARACTER FUN FACTS: IS CADE MAYSON A GHOST?
Also, check out the one right before this one called CHARACTER FUN FACTS: CADE’S MYSTERIOUS WAY.
It’s almost time to join the kids in their mission to solve the mystery of the Haunted Maysher House. Something tragic happened there, but no one knows what. There’s a secret message the ghosts want people to discover, but the only way is to find the ghost who appears in the mirror. Can you figure out which mirror the ghost will appear in? Who will it be? The grandfather, the father, the mother, the maid, the daughter, or the son? The clues will be there. Will you be able to figure it out? The ghosts will not let you leave if you don’t. Will you escape?
The dark blue sky turned black. The dark outlines of the trees grew still. Black clouds covered the moon. Dead leaves crunched under the kids’ shoes. The old house glowed in still murky green light. Blake reached for the door, then turned back to the other two, breaking a smile.
“Ready?”
“What do you think?” asked Drew. “What time is it?” he added, turning to Cade.
“Showtime,” he whispered with eyes lit.Blake slowly opened the silent door. Strong, bouncing dark orange light hit them as they entered the house. Chilling wind pushed them further in. Drew fell awkwardly on the black marble floor. The face of a middle-aged man appeared in the floor. He stared angrily at them. The wind knocked over several plants from the shelves behind them. The red wagon rolled across, stopping at the edge.
“Shut the door, you’re letting in a draft,” said Drew.
“What are you 85?” asked Blake. Cade turned around. The door slammed shut. A piano played a high-pitched flowing song, the same three high whistling chords over and over. “Happy now, Drew?”
“It’s still cold in here.”
“You want a blanket and some warm milk?”
“Well, a blanket and hot…”
“Quiet, quiet,” Cade whispered tensely. “Listen.” The house creaked and groaned around them. The black marble walls flashed in dark orange light flashing out from twisted chandeliers hanging high on the walls rising high. Dead whispers echoed out from the floor and walls. Shadows crept out from the black couch and black chairs set on each side of the dusty orange table holding a lamp with a dying, small flickering yellow light.
“It’s them,” Blake said in a low voice.
Cade shook his head. “No, there’s something else.” A low booming began, vibrating through the dusty, dirt covered floor. The green glowing square windows made of many smaller square panels rattled under the growing pressure. Just then, the door groaned so loud. The kids fell back and covered their ears. Then the door disappeared. Only a black wall remained. Neon green writing suddenly appeared:
THERE IS NO DOOR, NO ESCAPE, NO WAY OUT
UNLESS YOU SOLVE WHAT THE MYSTERY IS ABOUT
YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE UNLESS YOU SEE IT CLEARER
THAT IS, WHEN YOU SEE THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR
“What we do now?” asked Blake.
“Find a mirror,” said Drew with a shrug. The left chair started moving, dragging away from the wall. A faint white mist appeared. The dead yellow light flickered suddenly, then burned brighter against the black wall behind. As the kids watched, an older lady appeared, wearing a maid’s uniform. She got down and anxiously cleaned the floor where the chair was.
“Should we talk to her?” Drew whispered. The lady suddenly glided away toward the circular living room lit up by small dark orange candle clusters.
“Follow her,” said Blake.
“Stay in the shadows,” whispered Cade. They hurried into the large, empty living room. A circular thick orange carpet covered the floor. The lady got down and furiously scrubbed the carpet with a worn out rag. The dark orange candle clusters barely lit the room, not reaching the center.
“Hey, there’s a mirror,” said Blake pointing to a large, oval shaped mirror with a blue crystal border. “This is our chance.”
“If she stands up,” said Cade. The high-pitched piano chords started up again, playing slowly. A lady screamed from another part of the house. The maid just kept gliding around the carpet, cleaning with something in her hands. The distant lady began crying.
“We should check that out,” said Blake.
“No, wait until she stands up,” said Cade.
Drew sighed heavily, stood up and approached her saying loudly, “HEY LADY, CAN YOU STAND UP FOR A SECOND?” She kept gliding around in frantic circles. “CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
“She can’t hear you,” said Blake standing next to him. Fast footsteps ran above them. Loud dragging cut over the soft piano music. Finally she stood up. The kids looked to the mirror. But all they could see was the dark wall behind, even as she walked past.
“Maybe it’s not a mirror,” said Drew. Cade walked over and pointed to his reflection.
“See? See?” Then he started making funny faces, stretching his mouth in ways that didn’t seem possible.
“Okay, I get it. It’s a mirror.” A loud crash upstairs knocked them back. The kids hurried up a long, winding staircase lit by small dark orange candles. Cade and Blake hurried ahead, while Drew slid to a stop. A bouncing neon green light cut into the dark hall. Drew opened the door showing a bedroom with a massive dollhouse in the center. Numerous small green candles lit up the many different rooms of the house. Drew looked around with wide eyes, his face twisting in amazement as he scanned from room to room. One room had a bunch of slides. Another had small figurines on a dance floor. Another had small pools with a fountain flowing in the center. Another one had all kinds of tubes with colourful waters.
Then Drew turned his gaze to a young girl building a new room near the top left corner. Another loud crash shook the walls. Drew turned to see a large mirror covered with blue and red jewels. He walked up to it, straining to see the reflection not covered, but the girl did not appear.
Drew walked out of the room into the dim circular hallway. Small clusters of dark orange candles barely lit up small cracked shelves holding various flower pots. A green model wagon sat between two. A bright, shiny red horse-drawn carriage with carved horses sat between two large, towering flower pots. He passed another bedroom with small, dark orange lights along various shelves holding small objects. Loud hammering started up echoing all around him. Drew followed the sound to a massive-half oval shaped bedroom.
The bed was covered in bright, colourful blankets. The frames and headboard were black with all kinds of designs carved throughout. A man with sad, empty eyes hammered on a rocking chair in the corner. Drew saw the chair reflected in a small oval shaped mirror with a shimmering glowing green border. It was rocking, but empty all around. He turned back and saw the man hammering on it. Fast footsteps ran in the hall past the room. Drew hurried out into the hall. He saw a young boy disappear up a staircase around the corner. Drew started after him. Another heavy crash rocked the walls. All the lights went out. Total, cold darkness surrounded him. He felt along the wall, his shoes barely tapping the floor. The lady’s crying broke the silence, coming from the first floor. A strong, sharp chill rushed into the hall. Slow footsteps creaked toward him.
Drew started nervously whistling a hopeful tune. He smiled, reaching the staircase, whistling louder and faster, until he heard another voice whistling behind him. He stopped cold. Drew slowly turned around trying to see in the cold dark. The whistling voice drifted past them.
“Yeah I can.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I totally can, I totally can, you’ll see.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“It’ll be easy.”
“You’re crazy.” Drew finally saw a dim, dark orange light cut into the top of the staircase. A young boy disappeared into the top room. Drew entered a massive, wide room with high, grand blue crystal glass windows letting in passing moonlight. High winds beat against the walls. The room was full of massive evergreens holding smooth, triangular neon green glowing leaves. A small, pale bucket sat on a branch near a misty figure. Another crash turned their gazes toward the far corner where the bucket went flying high, hitting the next branch while an old man holding an axe came down a rope ladder held by the branch. He began walking the floor, gazing around at the trees with a strong, concerned gaze.
“What’s going on?” asked Drew.
“Cade’s acting crazy.”
“He’s always acting crazy.”
“No, you don’t understand, he thinks he’s climbing up there,” said Blake pointing to a high balcony with a tall, rectangular mirror.The trees had large branches spiraling around the tree to the top, each row of branches widely spaced.
“No way,” said Drew shaking his head wildly, “no way, he can’t jump that high, no way he does that, he must be joking.“
“He’s not,” said Blake. “I asked him ten times.”
“Cade, how do…where’d he go?” Blake pointed up, while shaking his head. Cade jumped on the branch and bounced up to the next one. He bounced from branch to branch, circling around the tree. Near the top, he jumped to the next branch, didn’t quite get there, grabbed the leaves, hung there for a moment, then dropped back to the lower branch.
“Well, I guess he’ll have to come down now, right?” asked Drew.
“Did you just meet Cade?” The two kids gazed up to see Cade stare up with a strong, fiery gaze, then jump and bounce up, this time almost past the next branch. A few minutes later, Cade reached the balcony. He gazed down to them with a confident smile before turning to the mirror. Just then, a lady screamed, and the place went completely dark and silent…
What scares you the most? Vampires? Werewolves? Ghosts? Demons? Clowns? Leave a comment below and tell us why. In Cashes Dade, the students like Cade, Blake, and Drew have to fight the fear of the dark ghosts who haunt the land. They work for the aliens, spying on kids, looking to capture any who might be a threat to the aliens, any who might challenge their superiority and authority. Kids have to make sure they lock their windows and don’t stay out too late or they might get captured and dragged to an alien tower. But there’s a greater fear, a fate even worse than being taken to the aliens. You see, in many ways, one of the worst things that can happen to you is not getting captured by a ghost, but becoming one…
Cade Mayson has no sense of direction, at all. I mean, he knows what the directions are. A few weeks ago Cade became determined to explore the mountains where people believe the old Haunted Maysher House is hidden. Blake showed him a map of the area with the four directions written in bold giant letters. Cade nodded along and even passed Drew’s direction test when he covered up each one. But they knew what was going to happen once Cade ventured out. He was supposed to go straight north. As they watched, he started curving right, then drifted further right when he took forever to decide where to cross the raging, wild creek…that was about five feet wide. But it really went wrong when he saw a small, pointed mountain with a bare peak. It had really heavy soil. Cade smiled, knowing what he had to do. He climbed to the top. In the distance a murky neon green forest looked like twisted evergreens made of mist, shifting and turning like dancing ghosts. Cade then surfed down, on the other side. By that time, he was heading west, then he had to work his way through a thick forest. He thought he was getting close since the forest of dazzling neon green glowing evergreens called Crosser Evergreens was getting really dense. The branches from various trees connect and get tangled up. But Cade’s smile faded when he realized he had turned south, and had made it all the way back to Cashes Dade. Blake and Drew just shook their heads in disbelief.
Cade has an amazing talent for getting lost. The second time he went out to look for the haunted house, he did what he does best, he wandered. Blake gave him a really detailed map, but Cade has no sense of scale on a map. Blake drew a forest that was supposed to be about 3 miles long. Then Cade was supposed to climb up to where two bluffs meet, looking like two old ghosts shaking hands in the dark orange sunset light. But he felt like he had gone a long time. It felt like 3 miles. After all, it had been about 20 minutes. He was still deep in the forest, so he thought he was supposed to climb up the branches connected from two tall evergreens. When he got up high, he thought there would be a curving path leading toward the forest where the house might be, but all he saw was the sky. Did he realize he had made a mistake? No, he gazed up at the dark gray massive clouds streaming fast across the sky. He saw a curving path through the clouds and figured Blake meant for him to fly. At that point, he realized this would not be possible, so he turned back. Did he then realize his mistake? Oh no. He stormed back to Cashes Dade ready to ask Blake why he thought Cade could fly.
Cade can’t follow maps or directions, so it’s no surprise he always gets lost, but that’s not the biggest reason. Cade can get intensely focused on something, so focused, that he forgets where he is and what time it is. Blake and Drew thought they did it this time. They were so sure. Blake drew an incredibly detailed map. Drew drew a nice, simple map to make it easier to follow. He even wrote out directions at every single point, I mean, basically directions from tree to tree. So Cade set off, and made it to the top of the bluff, but it was the wrong one because he had the map backwards from the start. He gazed out, looking for the forest. He saw rolling hills, mostly bare spread out leading to a row of jagged, dark peaks casting long, dark shadows over a hidden valley far to the right. Neon green mist kicked up from the ground of the hills on the left, then drifted smoothly left. Cade wasted no time. He sprinted down the steep slope to the hills and followed the mist. As the neon green mist cloud swerved left, then right, then further left, Cade followed after it. He followed it crossing a wide river, over a small mountain, and through a long, narrow valley. He just kept running after it, watching it with a bright, half-crazed intense gaze. He didn’t look at his map once and he also didn’t realize that it was night. But he just had to follow it. He didn’t know why, but he felt it. He had to see where the mist was going, so he continued to follow it, keeping up with it’s fast pace and swift moves over rough terrain. Finally, he found out where it led, it led to the Haunted Maysher House.
Somewhere deep in the mountains outside of Cashes Dade, in a really dense misty forest, is an old abandoned haunted house. A family used to live there after discovering a secret mine that the aliens have been looking for, something that shines bright green. But something really tragic happened there. No one knows what happened. For years, no one was able to visit the family. They could see their sullen faces just staring through the dark blue glass windows, but they couldn’t see close enough to identify who was still alive and who wasn’t. They would just stare for hours, completely still, with an empty gaze looking far, far away. After many years, the rest of the family died, and now their ghosts haunt the house. It’s dangerous to enter, but that won’t stop Cade, Blake, and Drew from trying. Get ready for this:
MYSTERY OF THE GHOST IN THE MIRROR
However, the ghosts do not wish to keep people out. In fact, they want people to enter so they can understand their message. But if the kids fail to solve the mystery, they will be in grave danger, for the real danger, is if they feel ignored…
As night falls, the new alien tower glows bright green. Then the sour alien horn blares out across the mountains. Dark spirits crawl through the lower mountain slopes, called by the alien horn. They enter the tower through the grand flashing entrance. The top level slowly lights up in a dark golden light that spills out through the massive oval green glass windows around the circular room. Dark spirits fill in and stand throughout the room. They raise their arms high. They stare up at the brilliant gold flashing lights. Then instantly the tower goes dark. The mountains go completely silent. Nothing moves in the total stillness. A dim yellow light appears high in the sky. The dark spirits remain completely still, just staring at the light. That’s when the music starts…
It’s time for part two of the mystery challenge. The mystery to solve in this story is, how do you get to Ghost Peak? Which is the way? Is it through the forest, the rocky slope, the river, the hills, or the misty field? Leave a comment below if you think you figured it out. Did the ghost strikers pick the right path? Tell us why you think your path is the right one. Now, it’s time to join them. Will you find Ghost Peak?
The sleek, blue triangular alien ship hovered low under the dark blue clouds racing across the night sky. Gold lights flashed in a slow rhythm. Cade, Blake, and Drew stood at the edge of the ridge looking out toward the neon blue glowing Ghost Peak.
“You think he’s out there?” asked Drew. Bright, energetic singing echoed out across the dreamy landscape.
“Don’t you hear him?” asked Blake.
“Yeah, he’s singing again.”
“So where else would he be, on the moon?” Drew glanced up at the bright, clear blue shining moon appearing close, yet distant casting a blurry bluish-gold light down to the dreamy landscape.
“So is he there?” asked Cade. Drew shook his head in dismay. The alien ship drifted toward them. The kids hit the ground fast. They laid in the dewey, cold grass while the alien ship slowly moved past, with a low whistling. The ground vibrated as the ship glided off to the right. The kids looked out over the edge toward the peak.
“I heard you can only see it from a distance, but then it disappears,” said Blake.
“You have to find the right way,” said Cade, “then when you get really close you see it.” Far to the left was a forest of glittering green evergreens called Fardays. The grass underneath the forest was soaked. Next to it on the right was a wide rocky slope with massive boulders reflecting blurry, bluish-gold light. Right down the center toward the peak was a wide, rough river with choppy waves. The waters reflected gold flickering lights. To the right were empty, bare green hills twisting and turning toward the peak. Further to the right was a wide, empty field with various blue mists rising up from the grounds, but then fading away.
As the kids listened, they heard Josiah’s fast-paced singing echo out:
“The moonlight burns bright blue
Then the night fires cross the two
That’s when the Ghost Peak appears
But the only way is through your tears”
The kids struggled to see in the falling dark. Two sharp whistles shot out behind them.
“That usually means they’ve spotted us,” Blake said in a low voice. The kids turned to see two dark ghosts standing on the hilltop behind them. A group of dark spirits lined up on both sides.
“Showtime,” Cade whispered with a smile. Blake looked across the lower landscape sharply. Drew glanced back. The dark spirits moved in mass toward them down the slope.
“The misty slope,” said Blake. “We’ll lose them in the mists.”
“Cool, let’s go.” The kids flew over the edge. They sprinted down the slope. Bright blue mists kicked up around them. Dark spirits moved in a line toward them. The heavy blue mists rolled across from left to right. Whispers sprang up on both sides close behind. “Left, left.” Cade swerved sharp left. They ducked low into rising blue mist. Drew glanced back. The dark spirits moved in a fast wave toward them.
“They’re not closing in,” said Drew.
“We can’t just outrun them,” said Blake. Cade gazed ahead at the blue mists kicking up at various points. Then he glanced back at the wide-spread line of ghosts moving in fast.
“Fast, fast, fast this way,” said Cade angling sharp to the left up the slope.
“They’re gaining on us.”
“Be ready.”
“What’s the plan?”
“We’ll stop cold, let them pass right by.” Josiah’s bright singing bounced up and down, but rising slightly. It faded out, then returned strong, then faded again. “Go, go, go.” The kids sprinted faster. Ghostly voices shot back and forth, calling out. Drew glanced up. The alien ship appeared in a sudden rush. It dropped fast further down slope ahead. The kids ducked down in a heavier blue mist cloud. “Now, now.” The three of them slid to a stop. Cade pushed them together. The dark outlines appeared. “Right, right,” he barely whispered. They shuffled right and curled into a ball. Two ghosts slid past them on both sides. Cade gave a sharp nod. They jogged back up the slope. After the kids got back to the ridge, they turned around. Ghost Peak was gone. Josiah’s singing went quiet. Heavy, chilling darkness fell over the mountains, hiding the moon and the ship.
“Where do you think he is?” asked Drew. Then they heard singing coming from the distance, coming from where they saw Ghost Peak, but it wasn’t Josiah…
There is a legend developing among the aliens. It’s spreading through all the kingdoms and cities. The aliens can’t talk the way people do, but they are able to send their thoughts into someone who can then speak their message. These people are called messengers. The aliens only choose WhiteStar Ranked students and adults to be messengers. These are the people they consider elite, the best and brightest. They’ve been told by the aliens to watch for a kid they call “The Blazing Ghost.”
Throughout the summer, the rumours have slowly spread through the kingdoms. People are starting to talk about how the aliens are looking for some kid who keeps interfering with their business. This kid is secretly trying to start a revolution to overthrow the aliens and kick them out of their kingdoms and their schools. He doesn’t believe in their superiority, but instead believes they are the enemy. This kid isn’t just fast, but blazes, because he finds his own way through the alien defense. Every time the aliens think they have him trapped, he finds some way through, he turns into a ghost. The aliens don’t know who he is. Do you?
Before we continue to find out about a mysterious kid from Cashes Dade, it’s time to reveal the answer for the last mystery challenge. If you haven’t yet, check out the last post called MYSTERY OF GHOST PEAK: PART ONE and see if you can solve the mystery. The answer for how do you see Ghost Peak is based on these prophecy lines:
The moonlight burns bright blue
Then the night fires cross the two
That’s when the Ghost peak appears
But the only way is through your tears…
The answer is this: The night fires refer to stars. Crossing the two refers to the time meaning 2:00 in the morning, but it also refers to the time, the time that the ghosts dance. So if you position yourself where the ghosts dance after 2:00 in the morning, then you will see Ghost Peak appear in the distance. Can you figure out how to get there? The way is mysterious and dangerous, because the aliens are trying to reach the peak as well.
Casey Cardade is a 12 year old with short, choppy hair that slants and falls low over his dark, deep-set eyes. He likes experimenting with various stones and powders that can set fires and shoot off explosions. He will try anything, any combination, and see what happens. Through the summer, he’s been shooting off different combinations at a secret alien factory set deep in the forest in a hidden valley. Last night, he snuck out of the small room he and his parents call home in the slowly rebuilding Kingdom of Cashes Dade and disappeared into the mountains below. He took up his position on the lower left slope of the valley where the dark orange glowing, tall oval-shaped alien factory. He knelt down behind a random combination of tall blue flowers, small green bell-shaped shrubs, and short, really wide neon green Crafters Evergreens. He stared intensely out across the lower multi-coloured fields with all kinds of various plants and flowers growing together around the factory. Then the pale-yellow light spilling out from the narrow, rectangular windows all across the top went dark. That’s when the low booming music began from one high corner, followed by a bright gold flash through the factory. Then he heard the faint sound of children crying…
Casey is really into explosions. For him, the brighter the explosion, the better. He likes seeing different colours and hearing the boom. But most of all, he likes messing with the aliens. He gazed up at the rough, low flying clouds across the chilly night sky. Then he slowly scanned the valley below and the upper slope behind him. Various circular clusters of glittering flowers, shrubs, and evergreens spread out among the variety of colours under flickering pale moonlight. He got his small shooter in position, placed several different powders inside, then struck his match. He got himself ready, with an intense gaze and thin smile, he shot the explosive. A bright blue fire blazed through the air, smashed through a window, and flashed inside. That’s when a bright, intense alien light shot directly at Casey’s shooter…
Casey Cardade is a really tough runner to track. He would probably be as difficult to catch in the game of tag as Cade is, that is if he ever played. Casey is really fast, but it takes him some time to get going to a high speed. It’s so hard to chase him, because he just shoots off in one direction, and gets faster and faster until all the sudden, he makes a sharp turn, and disappears. The hot, intense alien light cut through the darkness shining on his shooter, but Casey was gone. He already shot off up the slope, but could just see his explosion from the corner of his eye. A smile broke across his face as he hurried back up the slope toward a circular cluster of glittering flowers and plants with a few short Crafters Evergreens. He shook his head, smiled brighter, and swerved around the hidden alien net, glittering in the moonlight.Two aliens stared out the window at the quiet valley and asked themselves the question, “Did the Blazing Ghost just strike again?”
The two flat masses of sharp black clouds drew back like curtains slowly revealing the blue September moon. Cade stared with bright, shifting eyes at the new, sleek blue shimmering alien tower set within the mountains just to the northwest of Gold Peak where the new Cashes Dade has been established.
“Why do you think they built that there?” asked Blake.
“I think they’re trying to find Ghost Peak too,” said Cade.
“How many times have you seen it?” asked Drew.
“A few,” answered Josiah, standing completely still, staring across the sea of lower mountains under dark blue shine. His short, flat hair falling partly over his eyes was coloured neon blue. Glittering lights grew dim along the half circle roof of the alien tower. A deep humming vibrated through the rocky ground under their feet.
“They’re sending hidden ships out,” Blake said quietly.
“So what are we waiting for?” asked Cade, stepping around in a bizarre pattern.
“I always see it close to the ghosts,” Josiah answered. “Wait until they come out.”
“Then what?” asked Drew.
“Then the games begin…”
It’s time for the first mystery challenge of Chapter Three of the mystery series, The Cashes Dade Ghost Strikers. The mystery to solve for this story is:
How do you see where Ghost Peak is?
Can you figure it out? Leave a comment below if you have a guess. The answer will be revealed in the next post. These are the key lines from a song that give the clue:
“The moonlight burns bright blue
Then the night fires cross the two
That’s when the Ghost Peak appears
But the only way is through your tears…”
Bright blue moonlight splashed down into the lower valleys. Dark mist kicked up from the narrow field between two rows of small, jagged peaks.
Cade slowly broke a smile. “Showtime.”
“You said it,” said Josiah. “Follow me.” With that, Josiah disappeared over the edge. Cade, Blake, and Drew slid down the slick, grassy slope. Blake glanced up at the sky. Sleek black clouds streamed slowly overhead. The slope leveled out.
Josiah went blazing up the series of hills. The kids began falling behind.
“Did you know he was this fast?” asked Drew.
“We’ll catch up,” said Blake.
“I don’t…see him,” Cade said between breaths.
“No one’s faster than us,” said Blake as they charged over another hill. Two broad, flat mountains appeared under the soft blue breaking moonlight, crossing directly ahead.
“Then where is he?” asked Cade.
“Maybe we somehow got ahead of him?” Blake answered with a half shrug. Bright, fast-paced singing started up far ahead.
“You were saying?” Cade said with a smile.
“Why is he singing so loud?” asked Blake as they pushed up the long, rocky slope.
“He’s going to lead the ghosts right to him,” said Drew.
“Do you see him?” asked Cade.
“No.”
“Then they don’t either.” Blake checked his pocketwatch: 1:30. Cade gazed up at the sky. Blue moonlight flickered through the breaks around several dark spots. “Stay low, close to the rocks,” Cade whispered. Dark figures appeared along the top of the ridge.
“Get down, get down,” Blake whispered. Josiah’s fast singing drifted further and further away on the other side. The dark figures disappeared over the edge. “Let’s go.” The kids sprinted up the long slope. The singing suddenly stopped. The kids exchanged nervous looks.
“Hurry, hurry,” said Cade. Blake checked his pocketwatch: 1:45, as they reached the top where it flattened out to several wide fields surrounded by small, rounded peaks. The kids stopped momentarily, gazing around. Dark figures spread out across the fields to their left and right.
“I still don’t see him,” said Drew.
“Stop, listen, listen,” Cade whispered.
“It’s almost the time, it’s almost the time,” a ghost whispered close by.
“Get ready.”
“I don’t think they found him yet,” Blake whispered.
“Now where?” asked Drew. Cade pointed to a cluster of rocks just ahead and to the right. “How we getting there unseen?” He pointed to the dark spirits searching in all directions ahead of them.
“We need a good vantage point,” said Cade.
“How we getting there?” asked Blake.
“Well, they’re looking for movement,” said Cade, “so I guess we don’t move, but get there, without moving.” Drew and Blake watched him with sharply intrigued and confused expressions. “So we stay still, but get there, without moving.”
“Anyone have any real ideas?” asked Blake. Drew just shrugged. Cade looked up at the sky. Sleek dark clouds kept streaming slowly across. Soft blue moonlight blending with the distant scattered stars flickered through a few narrow breaks. Cade turned his gaze to the various rocks catching the blue reflections momentarily. Then he broke a smile.
“He figured it out,” said Drew. “Or he just thought of something funny.”
“Both,” said Cade, getting three small candles out of his backpack. “It’ll be funny sneaking right past all the dumb ghosts.”
“So what are we doing?” asked Blake.
“We’re lighting these candles with blue light,” Cade answered.
“So they’ll see exactly where we are?” Blake challenged.
“Dim, blue lights,” said Cade, “on these candes they’ll flicker off and on. We stay low to the ground and we’ll blend right in with the rocks catching the flickering moonlight.”
“Doesn’t sound any crazier than anything else we’ve tried,” said Drew. Blake shrugged and took the candle from Cade who had a half-crazed expression on his face.
“I think he’s catching too much moonlight,” he muttered as the kids crawled fast along the ground toward the rock cluster. Several dead whistles shot out around them. Neon green lights lit up in clusters as the ghosts gathered on the field to their left. Blake glanced at his pocketwatch. As the kids made their way to the top of the rock cluster, the ghosts began to dance under the flickering blue lights. Dark clouds continued to stream across the sky from the east and the west. The kids looked around anxiously. There was still no sign of Josiah…
