Tag: middlegrade books

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WHY DID THE ALIENS
GO AFTER DAMIAN CASHDADE?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

More clusters of bright gold lights were lit up across the stadium as Damian worked his way up the field. The bright lights reflected across his short dark hair falling low almost hiding his intense eyes. His team was down 2-1 late in the game against their rival. There wasn’t much time left which meant only one thing: It was Damian Magic time. He passed to a teammate breaking open on the left, then he shot ahead, flying past the defenders, breaking wide open. His teammate passed him the ball. He worked his way toward the goal. He slowed down as three defenders closed in on him, then he gave a wink to someone in the far, dark corner of the stadium…

It’s time for the next mystery challenge leading into the next book in the mystery series called:
MYSTERY OF THE BLOODY FRIDAY SPY
Can you figure out what’s happening to the BlackStar Ranked Students of Cashes Dade? The aliens placed a mysterious fountain with intense, bright flashing lights that make a lot of students sick. This is what will lead to the event known as Bloody Friday. This is what will lead to the war. But there’s a key secret that will be revealed in the prophecy written near the end of this post. There is a word in the prophecy that offers another clue about what secret may be behind the aliens’ fountain lights. Can you figure it out? Leave a comment below if you think you know. The answer will be revealed in the next Character Fun Facts Feature. The key clue will be to watch Damian’s celebration and find out what the celebration is…

The three defenders closed in on Damian. He faked left, faked right, then sped off to the left, spun around, dribbled the ball between his feet, then slid back. The defenders went after the ball, but it wasn’t there. That’s when Damian flew past them up the field. He was like a blue streak. The goalie could barely react before Damian kicked the ball into the far right corner of the goal. Then he did his usual celebration, running in a spiral pattern first over to the sideline, picking up the Cashes Dade flag, then around the end of the field before circling in front of the goal and planting the flag on the field. He would finish with a salute to the crowd. A short time later, with only a few minutes left in the game, he stole the ball and flew down the field, passing back and forth with four other teammates. The goalie thought the player on the far left had the ball, but Damian did on the opposite side. The ball whizzed right past the stunned goalie. Damian did his usual celebration again, with his teammates flying around the field as well, lighting up the field, with his team winning 3-2. Then the alien fountain lights shot up high, appearing just behind the stadium. Damian gazed up at them in wonder before falling to the ground. He struggled to get home. He had the mysterious sickness…

Earlier that day, Damian met with a younger student who had already come down with the illness. What’s bizarre is that he met with the student in secret. Only after Damian fell ill did his family and friends find out when the student told them about the visit, but he asked that his name not be revealed. Damian visited him to see how he was doing, give him a cake from the bakery, and talk about soccer plays. The young student was really into soccer and ships. He would focus really intensely on a few subjects like that, things he was interested in, but struggled to focus on the subjects the aliens considered important. That’s why they called him lazy and distracted. But he would spend hours and hours watching the ships, figuring out their schedules, where they had come from, where they were going, and how they worked. He liked watching them dock and make their deliveries. He even wrote up a complicated, new schedule for them to make their deliveries and figured out better routes for them by studying the waves and weather patterns. Many Cashes Dade businesses have actually followed his plans, finding them to be much more efficient. But he also had an idea for a soccer play, where they would pass the ball back and forth so many times, so fast, that they would confuse the other team, and lead to a score. But there was something else the young student told Damian that was particularly mysterious…

Dazzling ripples will spread wider and wider out
Yet the flying student will discover a reason for doubt
Fast currents will split the waters of murky blue
where blazing ships try to find their way through
Glittering gold lights will reflect throughout the sea
in a spiral design revealing all that we can be
They’ll fly around so fast the ships will be lost
Chilling, dark mist will fall forming a brilliant frost
Watch the students who are seen as disruptive and loud
They are the glittering gold lights blazing through the dark cloud
He will see something no one else has yet seen
Being a blazing light will lead him to understand what they mean
The truth will be revealed when the spiraling lights conquer the sky
The aliens’ claim of great superiority is actually a lie…

Just as Damian was about to leave the young student, he started talking about the ships, how they came in from all kinds of directions. But then he began saying something that Damian couldn’t quite figure out, something mysterious. He just kept repeating the same phrase over and over again:
“They’re all glowing the same.”
“They’re all glowing the same.”
“They’re all glowing the same…”

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DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE:
WHAT DO GHOSTS LIKE TO READ?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

“I’m almost there.”
“I’ll catch up.”
“Three more shelves.”
“MMMMhhhuuurrrrrggghhhhh,” said Cade trying to go into ultra-sonic mode up the towering black marble bookshelves.
“Made it, made it,” said Blake, peering over the top shelf.
“Okay, okay, but next time…” Blake put his hand up, motioning for him to be quiet. Then he pointed down into the lower rows of bookshelves moving away down the slanted glossy blue marble floor under high dark orange chandelier lights hanging from the massive rounded ceiling.
Dead whispers shot back and forth between the aisles. The kids stared down then saw a dark spirit glide up one of the aisles and grab a book. He tilted his head up, gazing up at the kids with his dark, empty face with only two deep set black eyes. Then, instead of chasing the kids, he turned and hurried away down the aisle…

One time, before the aliens first attacked Cashes Dade, Cade and Blake decided to hang out at the library overnight to prove they weren’t afraid of the stories of dark spirits haunting the library at night. The aliens would end up destroying the library in the first attack. What Cade and Blake saw that night might explain why…

Under the dim, dark orange lights the dark spirit quickly glided away down the aisle away from them. Cade and Blake exchanged confused looks.
“He’s running away from us?” asked Cade.
“Well you do tend to look kind of scary in the middle of the night…”
“HEY!”
“Let’s track him down,” said Blake. The kids watched as the ghost disappeared between the rows.
“Maybe we can figure out where he’s headed,” said Cade.
“He’s probably just going to leave,” said Blake. A dead whistle played out from where he was. A two-note ghost whistle echoed out with a short note, followed by a long, drawn out note. “He’s signaling to someone else,” Blake whispered.
“Sounds like he’s in the grand reading room. Let’s go.” The kids scrambled down the bookshelves. They hurried down the aisle entering the massive entry hall made of glossy blue glass floors and walls. Dingy gold lights from gigantic chandeliers hanging far down from the triangular high roof reflected in the glass forming various pictures of citizens talking and debating. Some of them looked ghostly. The kids hurried over to the grand blue glowing winding staircase. They sprinted up, higher and higher toward the distant grand reading room at the top of the library.
“Slow down, slow down,” Blake whispered. More whistles echoed out back and forth high above them. The kids crept slowly up the final steps. They gazed around the corner. A group of dark spirits waited across the final steps to the green glowing grand reading room.
“How we getting past them?” asked Blake. Cade gazed at the dark spirits standing among the flickering shadows reaching out from the sides under the dark golden cluster lights along both sides of the wide staircase. The lights were set on wide ledges running along both sides of the staircase. Strong winds beat against the massive dark blue stained glass window right behind the staircase.
Cade turned to Blake with a wry smile.
“I’m afraid to ask,” Blake answered.
“I think it’s too warm in here, don’t you?” Blake shot him a confused look. Cade then whispered his plan. Blake hesitantly nodded. The kids crept over to the window. Cade counted silently to three, then they pulled the large window open. The heavy winds knocked them back on the steps. The high, fast chilling winds knocked out all the lights. The kids got up and crept along the ledge to the door, then crept inside the massive, green glittering grand reading room.
Neon green candle clusters set within the walls and high rounded ceiling lit up the massive dark blue marble room with numerous soft black chairs spread across the floor. Dark blue pools with soft green lights floating deep underneath spread across the floor in a diamond pattern. The ceiling was painted with a mural of a maze of mountains with various dark orange lights appearing in blazing trails running through then disappearing, before reappearing in another location. The kids crept along the wall toward a small group of dark spirits sitting in a circle of chairs around a gloomy pool, reading several books. The kids hid down as more ghosts entered the room. Then they heard whispers.
“This book of poems might be the key.”
“They must be gone.”
“Make sure they can’t hear us.”
“The lights will expose them.”
“The lights will destroy most of them.”
“The rest will run and hide.”
“We almost have it mapped out.”
“When the time comes, we will find the ones who challenge us.”
“There will be no escape, no way out…”

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CHARACTER FUN FACTS:
IS CARLIE MADSHER THE SPY?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

Cade has always been like a ghost, well before he became a ghost striker. He, Blake, and Drew got parts in a school play led by Cashes Dade Army Lead Carlie Madsher. Now, having to run a play with these three kids will drive anyone crazy and you’ll soon see why, but could it drive someone to become a spy against their own country? One night Cade hung around after the play was over. He heard whispering in the dark school hall late that night so he crept down the hall and saw Carlie in a dark corner, meeting with someone he couldn’t see…

Its time to check out the next suspect. It’s important to remember there is no significance to the order of the suspects in these posts because they are being presented in alphabetical order by first name. Carlie Madsher is one of the seven Cashes Dade Army Leads. One of them has to be the spy, because someone was seen talking to the dark spirits in the tunnels, getting ready to give away key secrets. They couldn’t be seen or heard clearly enough to be identified, but a dark orange star patch was seen on their shoulder marking them as one of the seven leads. We will have seen three of the suspects after this post, with four more to be revealed. Have we seen the spy already? Or is the spy yet to be revealed? Leave a comment below what you think so far. But before we check out her profile and an intriguing story about her, it’s time to reveal the answer for the last mystery challenge. If you haven’t read the previous post called WHY DO THE ALIENS HATE CHASE’S GAME? check it out to see if you can solve the mystery for the post and perhaps even figure out the greater mystery of the alien fountain lights in Cashes Dade.
Here is the answer: The key word in the prophecy was: hate
Carlie Madsher met someone in the shadows. What were they meeting about? Why were they being so secretive?

Carlie Madsher is short with dark, intense eyes and short, smooth, blonde hair that falls low over her eyes.

She is anxious and often nervous, as well as impatient, always rushing.

She always wears the same worn out brown shoes.

She is always moving, always pacing around, and gets right to the point in conversations, but she’s quiet and shy.

She takes the seventh position in the formation for the army leads.
She is great at scouting and visualizing. She can organize things and people really well.
Carlie has always dreamed about writing and producing great plays. She also wants to be a great actor, shining on stage in the biggest shows. Her greatest dream is to have an iconic moment on stage that becomes legendary forever.

Blake stood ready for the fight scene, holding his sword, staring down his enemy intensely.
“Okay, scene two, start,” said Carlie from the high point at the back of the stage.
“It’s time to face your death, for I will strike you with the sword of fire, and conquer your castle in the night,” Blake said with strong intensity.” He and Devi started striking swords when Carlie shouted out, “BLAKE! STOP CHANGING THE LINES! THE LINE WAS, ‘IT’S TIME TO FIGHT.’ START AGAIN.”
While they started the scene again, Carlie turned her attention to a strange movement in the upper flowing blue curtains along the side of the stage, lit up in dark orange lantern lights. She stared with a perplexed look, then gazed up to see Cade climbing up the various scaffolds on the side of the stage. “CADE! NOT AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!”
She hurried over to fix the curtains. On the way she re-positioned several students practicing another scene.
“Remember, be your character, become them. Tonight, I want you all to write five things your character thinks about a lot.”
After a long night of rehearsing, correcting Blake’s lines, trying to tone down Drew’s way over-acting, and making sure Cade didn’t destroy the whole set, she sent all the students home. Cade was wandering the school halls late at night, when he heard whispering. He crept up the winding staircase. He worked his way in the deep shadows of the dark hall where only a single neon green light spilled into the hallway. He crept close and got down low, straining to hear Carlie whispering with one of the alien school leaders.
What was she talking to him about?
Why were they whispering?
What were they hiding?
All he heard was one line:
“I agree, the best way is to expose them for what they are.”

The final clues are Carlie’s three best known quotes:
“Let’s put it all together.”
“Oh, this has turned into such a mud twister”
“Let the show begin.”

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WHY DO THE ALIENS
HATE CHASE’S GAME?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

Chase Casdade is a quiet, mysterious kid with a hidden energy that only comes out when he’s working on or playing the game he invented. He’s a struggling, BlackStar Student who has the awful sickness caused by the alien’s DadeLuce Fountain Lights. The aliens claim the lights aren’t really making students sick, but helping those who are struggling to find their way if they’re willing to work hard. The sickness is mysterious, but what’s even more mysterious is what happened right before Chase came down with the sickness…

It’s time for the next mystery challenge introducing various students from Cashes Dade who have come down with a terrible illness caused by the mysterious alien lights. This is why Cashes Dade citizens protested and since they were murdered, war has been declared. See if you can figure out how to help these students heal by solving the mystery of what’s really behind these alien lights. This mystery challenge will be to find the key word in the prophecy at the end, the one word that is the key clue of the prophecy. Keep track of all the key words and it will form a phrase that will solve the mystery. Can you figure out which word it is? Leave a comment below what word you think it is. The answer will be revealed in the next Character Fun Facts Feature. The key clue is that you must dig deep to find the word.

Chase Casdade has never seen the movie Office Space, nor does he know what a movie is, but when it comes to school and grades he says the same thing the main character says, “It’s not that I’m lazy, I just don’t care.” But the aliens claim he is lazy and perhaps just stupid because he doesn’t finish his assignments. He barely puts any effort into his projects and he doesn’t study for tests. What he does care about is his game called “War of the Worlds.” Do you like playing certain card games or video games? Are they complicated or difficult to explain, especially to adults? Do you ever get in trouble trying to play any of those games at school like Chase has? Leave a comment below. The aliens claim he must be either too lazy or too stupid to understand complicated concepts, but his game is just about the most complicated game ever invented, and he’s the only one who understands the entire game.

In this game, there is a large paper showing seven countries with a bunch of cities and key places marked on the map. They’re drawn on the map in bright colours. Each city, place, and country is worth a certain number of points. The point of the game of course is to capture the entire world, placing your kingdom marker on every city and place in every country. They all have made up names that are kind of hard to pronounce. Each player begins with the same amount of citizen and resource cards, and money. In other words, they each start with a group of people, some key resources like food, water, supplies, medicines, etc. and the same amount of money. Then they start the game. They also divide up playing cards and go head to head. These are initial battles. It’s like the card game “War” except they choose the card to play and decide how many cards to put at stake. Whoever wins gets those cards. Then they use those cards to turn their people into soldiers of various ranks, and get weapons. They can also trade in other resources for this purpose. It’s basically a game that’s half monopoly, half risk. Are you starting to get confused? Well, guess what? We’re only just getting started…

There are all kinds of things that can happen during these card battles depending on what cards you play. It isn’t just about having the higher card, it’s about the right combination. Certain combinations you have vs. certain combinations they have can earn certain soldiers, weapons, resources, and even places on the map. Each card can mean different things depending on what the other card is. See? I told you it’s complicated. One of Chase’s favorite things is to actually play this game during school with the other students, but they have to be pretty stealthy to pull it off.

One day Chase was playing his game at a table on the side of the channel in the city with a few other kids. Dark gray clouds streamed across the sky through the calm, warm day. Pale shafts of gray light blended with the massive green shimmering alien towers looking down over the city. As they played, the game got more and more intense. Then other kids started joining in, and the game got really intense as they all got really into it, all wanting to take over Chase’s made-up world. That’s when the DadeLuce Fountain lights of the aliens suddenly burst out and struck Chase directly, knocking him back. He’s been sick ever since…

They have a dark secret, whispers in the night
It’s what they try to hide, far out of sight
The key is in the alien lights shining strong
They shine so brilliant you can’t stare for long
But there’s a reason they don’t want you to look
They are afraid of what you might read in the book
Cade discovered a clue yet to be revealed
There is a twist regarding how to be healed
The lights hide a secret buried right under the glare
But it’s not at the flashing lights you should stare
The glare of the alien lights are not for what’s there
They hate what they can’t see behind the stage
You see, their lights are looking for the hidden page…

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DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE:
THE MYSTERY OF GALAXY PEAK

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

Cade and Blake have climbed many mountains around Cashes Dade, but one of their favorites is Galaxy Peak. It’s rough, steep, and kind of dangerous, which is why they like it. But the aliens didn’t want students climbing that mountain anymore. No one knows why, but Cade believed there must be a secret hidden that the aliens didn’t want them to find. Check out the prophecy at the end to see if you can figure out what the secret of the mountain is. Leave a comment below if you think you know. This post also gives a clue that can reveal who the spy is. Can you figure it out? The aliens watch the mountain during the day, so the kids only climb it at night, following the glowing lights, while the aliens watch other places, yet it seems to be at night when the secret of the mountain is revealed…

Galaxy Peak was the most iconic part of the City of Dayces Cameron, but what was really special was at the top, the Galaxy Peak Shop. This is what the kids really climbed the mountain for, until it was destroyed in the first alien attack. What’s bizarre is that no one was there when the aliens shot it down, exploding in a brilliant flash. Galaxy Peak is a tall, slick mountain made of black stone, with three sides. There are hidden pools within the forest of really tall Aysos Evergreens with their three cone shaped points. Glittering waterfalls can be heard but never seen somewhere hidden behind the Aysos Evergreens.

Cade and Blake climbed the mountain many times at night. Now, it is usually not a good idea to climb a mountain at night, unless you’re starting a climb early in the morning before sunrise and you have good, strong lights and are on a trail, not trying to do any major climbing yet. The author knows the problem of getting stuck in the mountains at night all too well. But this particular mountain kind of glows in the night just enough that the kids could see the slopes well enough to climb safely at night. Of course, with Cade and Blake, they always can find a way to make an experience not so safe.

Cade and Blake always raced to the top, and they would challenge eachother to crazy moves up the mountain like who could jump the farthest, who could jump over the largest rock, who could jump across the widest creek flowing down the mountain. They wanted to be the first ones to find a waterfall. They would try by following the creek through the many twists and turns. Sometimes they could see the lady of the mountain’s lantern light reflecting in the water as she sang. She would always sing the same song with no words, with a haunting, yet hopeful melody hidden deep within as she stood at the top. Her voice would carry down the mountain, sometimes sounding distant and sometimes sounding closer. Cade discovered a secret, that if you stopped and listened to the song, you could hear which direction her song was coming from. You see, the top could never be seen and was confusing to find. But Cade realized that if he could follow the music, he could find the way to the top, but he never told Blake why he always found the way to the top first.
The best feature of the mountain shop at the top was the high rounded ceiling showing all these glittering stars in the galaxy with these white lights spread throughout, some in clusters, in random points among the spiral haze of glowing gold stars. The lady would sing with her song echoing throughout blending in mysterious ways. Cade would do the same thing every time, literally every time, he would go to the window overlooking the city below. Cade would lean out the window and pretend to fall, but with terrible acting. A large painting of a glittering waterfall hung next to it hidden behind blue mist that looked haunting, yet with a hopeful bright look deep within where the water glowed.

The darkness will a long time hide the dawn
You will feel the glory days are long gone
You will see no strong foundation to stand on
Yet what you see looking back is an illusion
The picture you see is blurry with limited vision
One day you will wake up in the night
Into darkness will go your last light
Yet you will not have lost your key sight
The lady of the mountain will someday reveal all
It’s what the kids found in the Caymisdorm Hall
But there is a secret that you cannot see
Keep climbing higher, higher, and higher, free
Then the deepest dark will reveal the key
The aliens will look for the sign to show the way
Galaxy Peak reveals how this happen that day
Look for what appears on the mountain at night
Yet remember that you will not find it by sight
Galaxy Peak reveals this secret in the mark
Some lights only shine in the deepest dark…

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CHARACTER FUN FACTS:
IS BENNIE MAYSHER THE SPY?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

Gold and red lit triangular crafts flooded the sky with brilliant flashing lights. Alien ships moved ahead in a cluster, blazing through the sky, with a sonic thundering pushing down on the Cashes Dade Army lined up in the hills. Then the alien ships suddenly spread out wide at an incredible speed. A crowd of citizens hurried across the wide field toward them. Several ships dropped down. That’s when Bennie Maysher led the charge to defend them and something mysterious happened that’s hard to explain…
Its time to check out the next suspect. It’s important to remember there is no significance to the order of the suspects in these posts because they are being presented in alphabetical order by first name. Bennie Maysher is one of the seven Cashes Dade Army Leads. One of them has to be the spy, because someone was seen talking to the dark spirits in the tunnels, getting ready to give away key secrets. They couldn’t be seen or heard clearly enough to be identified, but a dark orange star patch was seen on their shoulder marking them as one of the seven leads. Do you think you can figure it out? Leave a comment below if you think you know whether Bennie Maysher is the spy. But before we check out his profile and an intriguing story about him, it’s time to reveal the answer for the last mystery challenge. If you haven’t read the previous post called WHAT’S HIDDEN IN BRENNAN’S PAINTING? check it out to see if you can solve the mystery for the post and perhaps even figure out the greater mystery of the alien fountain lights in Cashes Dade. Here is the answer:
The key word in the prophecy was: aliens

Bennie Maysher is relatively short with rough, blonde hair.
He’s always active, always moving, and quite impatient.
He has a half-trimmed beard.
He’s kind of odd, and always seems to be somewhat agitated, talking fast in short sentences.
Bennie takes the second position in the formation for the army leads.
He is a tough fighter who loves to charge out in battle. He is really good at overwhelming the enemy with power and speed.
Bennie has always dreamed of being a great war hero, leading a great, legendary charge against all odds in battle. He is a master at riding horses and loves to challenge people to races. For him, the rougher the path, the better. He is really ambitious, always wanting to prove to others what a great rider and fighter he is.
After seven protestors were shot dead by the aliens on what will be forever known in Cashes Dade as “Bloody Friday,” they declared war on the aliens. Brilliant lights of all colours shot out across the night sky in blazing streaks. The soldiers huddled down in their trench. The dark green grass and soggy soil lit up almost like during a bright sunny day in the spectacular lights. Bennie stared at the slowly approaching cluster of seven alien ships with a mixed look of awe and excitement. Their red and gold lights flashed in fast, rhythmic waves from the center ship out left and right through the other ships. The ground hummed in a low tone sounding close yet far away. In the distance an alien ship shot out a blue laser light striking the mountains with a brilliant flash.
“They’re going to see them,” said a soldier to his left.
“They’re getting ready to drop,” Bennie said in a low voice.
At this time further back in the mountains, Cade, Blake, and Drew were traveling up the massively wide river with David and Callie on a small, dark boat. They could see the brilliant alien lights flashing across the dark water waves striking their boat hard from both sides. Dark spirits gathered at the far right bank. Cade pretended to try to take the oar away from Blake which was followed by fake crying. The kids spotted the dark spirits. Cade smiled, knowing they would never fall for their trap. Blake quietly drove the boat toward the left bank. From the shadows Cade waved goodbye to the ghosts waiting on the far side. Dark shadows stretched across the glittering waves. Whispers flew in the chilling dark as the dark spirits on the left coast waited for them to dock…
After the ships dropped, Bennie in a sudden flash, grabbed a small flame shooter full of powder and jumped on his horse. He charged across the field. The seven hovering aliens ships glowed like burning red fires. The ground underneath hummed. They shot out a bright blue laser light from the center directly at him. He ducked out of the way slightly before it hit the ground. He charged ahead, watching the ships. At a rapid pace, from close and far away, the lasers shot out one after another in rapid succession. He shifted back right, before the next two lasers struck. He kept riding ahead as two more shot out at his left and right, followed by two more further to the left and right. Another one shot directly at him but he moved to the left just before it hit. Two more shot out as he moved back right. He kept dodging them, one after another, moving right before they hit or charging right between them. Then he held up his flame shooter, set the fire, and shot out the blazing dark orange light at the center ship where the fires exploded out, driving the ships back. Then he turned sharply and led the people across the field while the dark orange haze kept the ships back until the people were able to reach the underground. The soldiers couldn’t believe what they had seen. Was Bennie just lucky, or did he somehow know exactly how the aliens would fire on him? But how did he know?

The final clues are Bennie’s three best known quotes:

“I can’t stand the birds that never stop chirping.”
“The battle belongs to the one willing to lead the final charge.”
“Shoot first, and the rest will fall into place.”