Tag: mysteries

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LET’S ROLL

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

The aliens have been trying to destroy the BlackStar Ranked Students of Cashes Dade. They are the ones classed as failures; lazy and disruptive. They claimed the intense, bright neon green lights were meant to save them, but only if they were willing to work hard and follow their One Way to succeed. They don’t allow students to learn in their own ways or be creative. But a bright, fast-talking, fast-singing, fast-moving 12 year old named Josiah Mardade found his own way to quickly overcome the terrible illness. It all happened during a bizarre fire fight with the aliens. His recovery was incredibly fast and mysterious. His dad, Todd Mardade, made a secret plan with six others to destroy the fountain lights. It’s time for another mystery challenge where we will check out the alien battle Josiah was involved in, to figure out the key word in the prophecy at the end. This word will be another clue for what’s really going on with the alien fountain lights. When you have all the words, you will have the answer, but the answer will lead to bigger questions. Now the aliens are coming after Josiah. Why? What does he have that they want? The key clue is revealed by the words Todd said to the other six right before they made their decision to risk their lives to protect their people. You see, the question is, what will you be? The people of Cashes Dade will never forget them, when he turned to them with strong defiance and said, “Let’s roll.”

When the seven citizens were shot dead, including Todd Mardade, Cashes Dade declared war on the aliens. Ever since the first alien attack on Cashes Dade a year and a half ago, the people of Cashes Dade, led by Todd, have been developing their massive underground in the mountains west of Cashes Dade. They built all the tunnels and undeground chambers many years ago when dark spirits began haunting the land. But after the attack, many people went to work strengthening the structures and stockpiling food, supplies, medicines, and weapons in secret places. It’s basically a massive, complicated maze where they can hide from the aliens. When the dark spirits are sent in to capture them, they can run to another secret location in the underground. Most of the tunnels are lit by dark orange lanterns, some by dark gold-lit chandeliers, and others by deep blue lantern lights. The people made the tunnels really confusing and hard to follow, thus easy for Cade, Blake, and Drew to mis-direct the dark spirits trying to find the people and key supply locations. It’s also great for endless games of hide and seek.

On Friday night, after the murders of the seven protestors, the leaders of Cashes Dade held a secret meeting deciding to declare war. They got the citizens ready to move out fast, set up their cannons, and began shooting at the alien towers on Saturday night. The sky was calm and quiet as sleek blue clouds slowly streamed across the sky. Moonlight barely broke through various points down to the slick dark green field spread before them. Josiah hid down in a trench with a group of soldiers who were good friends of his dad, with the mountains behind them. The distant alien tower glowed in a fiery green haze in the silent, chilling night. Josiah just stared out with an empty, distant gaze, shaking with sharp chills and a strong fever. Then he gazed up at the breaking moonlight rhythmically flickering through the passing clouds. High in the distance, through the passing waves, a shooting star blazed across the dark sky.

In a sudden flash, the alien tower went completely dark. The soldiers watched and waited. As they watched the calm flowing sky, seven blurry green sleek triangular alien crafts slowly appeared just hanging still in the clouds. A distant eerie whistling sound played out over the field sounding like it was slowly falling. That’s when Josiah suddenly jumped up with eyes lit. He started running up the line, singing a bright, energetic song with a fast-paced rising melody. Then the Cashes Dade dark orange fires lit up the sky…

When the alien towers burn the night

When they put out the last light

When they try to crush every student’s dream

When they shoot out their intense, searching beam

When they overwhelm the sky with confusion and dark

When the rejected creative student sits alone at the park

When cold darkness overwhelms in relentless waves

When all you can do is dream of living in the graves

When the alien’s burning white eyes stare down at you

When you feel like there is nothing more you can do

Remember what the defiant leader said before the end

It was a call to turn from despair, the loss of a friend

It was a call to be energetic, to live in the light

The sign to reveal the truth is the star shooting through the night…

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CHARACTER FUN FACTS: IS RYAN CARDADE THE SPY?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

The citizens of Cashes Dade are hiding in the mountains, trapped in the underground, surrounded by the aliens. But the enemy is also within. An alien spy is among them, secretly trying to take them down. But Cade Mayson and his friends are on the case, and the greatest revelation may come at an unexpected time, in a concert…

The prophecy hints at someone from Cashes Dade preparing to turn on them, preparing to give them up to the aliens. Ghostly whispers are heard in every distant, dark corner. Cade, Blake, and Drew are running constantly, trying to keep track of everything the seven Army Leads are doing and saying, but it’s hard to keep up with everything that’s going on. The aliens are coming after them with everything they have.

Ryan puts a lot of energy into the underground concert where they plan to play Bloody, Bloody Friday for the first time. Is he focused on sending a message to the aliens? Or is the concert meant to be some kind of distraction? The prophecy also refers to a ghost singing in the moonlight…

Its time to check out the seventh and final suspect. There is no significance to the order of the suspects in these posts because they are being presented in alphabetical order by first name. Ryan Cardade is one of the seven Cashes Dade Army Leads. One of them has to be the spy, because someone was seen by Cade and his friends, talking to the dark spirits in the tunnels, getting ready to give away Cashes Dade’s 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. Now that we’ve seen all of them, leave a comment below if you think you know who it is. Cade, Blake, and Drew are on their way back to Cashes Dade to help out their people in their war against the aliens. Will they be able to figure out how to break through? The prophecy hints at a mountain they can escape to where they will be protected from the aliens. But the key to solving this mystery will be figuring out which one of these seven army leads is the spy. Who is it?

Ryan Cardade is somewhat awkward with short, wild dark hair shooting out every which way.

He is rough, wild, and kind of crazy.

He is really into music and loud crashing sounds.

He talks pretty calmly and to the point.

He takes the fourth position in the formation for the army leads.

He is a really strong fighter. He’s great at holding the line and firing powerfully at the enemy.

Ryan owned a guitar shop in Cashes Dade. He loved to make the most unique and loud guitars possible. He dreams of playing legendary concerts while playing legendary guitar solos.

One time Ryan was working on a new guitar he called “Hell Crasher.” I’m not sure exactly what that was supposed to mean, but basically, it was meant to be loud. He was on stage at the grand blue crystal concert hall dimly lit by dark orange chandelier clusters through the three levels, preparing for a concert that night, most of all testing out this new guitar. They don’t have electricity but they have a way of mixing certain powders that amplify the sound in the guitar. He kept trying it out on stage, playing strong, powerful chords that shook the arena, but every time he did the same thing, just walked away shaking his head. “It’s not loud enough. It’s not loud enough. I want this place to feel like it’s about to collapse.” He mixed stronger powders into it. Several people warned him about it, but he just waved them off. He played several chords, and the guitar started on fire. “You’ve got the hell part right,” one guy said close by. Ryan shot him a fiery intense look. Then he went back to work.

It’s kind of a mystery how they make their instruments play so strong and loud, a mystery that even the aliens are trying to figure out.

Around the time of the concert, Cashes Dade scouts see a lot of activity happening around a massive, green-lit alien complex. They see dark spirits streaming in from various directions, sleek, triangular shaped alien ships in fiery blue glows flying through the deep blue streaming clouds landing somewhere near the top of the stretched, curved complex. Dark golden lights glow like slow moving flames inside the grand windows. Sour horns blared out loud and strong, shaking the walls. A sonic boom overtook the sky, shutting out every other sound. Blurry moonlight spilled across the high rooftop where several lead aliens met, preparing for an announcement…

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

“Let’s rock it”

“Play it loud”

“Any way you can, get your message heard”

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CHARACTER FUN FACTS: IS JULIE CASSHER THE SPY?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

“This way, this way,” Cade whispered. The kids rushed into sharper chills. Dim, dark orange lanterns spaced far apart swung slowly as they jogged down the winding tunnel.

“Did you see who it was?” asked Blake.

“No, it was too dark,” Cade answered. Neon green lights appeared near the end. They began to hear ghostly whispers. “Slow down, slow down,” Cade said to the other two behind him.

“What?” asked Drew.

“I said slow…” Cade turned back as Drew ran into him. “Down.”

“Oh, we’re getting close.” The kids crept toward the bend. They got down low and listened close. Blake peered around the corner. Three dark spirits stood among the green lights. One pointed ahead and whispered, “Wait for the signal, the distant relatively slow burning flame…”

Its time to check out the next suspect. We’re on number six of seven. There is no significance to the order of the suspects in these posts because they are being presented in alphabetical order by first name. Julie Cassher is one of the seven Cashes Dade Army Leads. One of them has to be the spy, because someone was seen by Cade and his friends, talking to the dark spirits in the tunnels, getting ready to give away Cashes Dade’s 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 six of the suspects after this post, with only one more to be revealed. Leave a comment below if you think you know who it is already. 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 WHAT DOES CASEY CARDADE KNOW ABOUT THE ALIENS? 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: determined

What are the dark spirits waiting for in the tunnel? Is the spy getting ready to reveal something important about the Cashes Dade underground? The aliens seem to be preparing something, something big…

Julie Cassher is tough and strong with short, smooth black hair.

She is kind of loud, active, and brutally honest.

She is really into puzzles and loves putting them together.

She is a loud and fast talker, constantly blurting out what’s on her mind.

She takes the sixth position in the formation for the army leads.

She is a really tough fighter. She’s great at working and leading through confusion.

Julie was a lead miner working for one of the top mining companies of Cashes Dade. She seems to have a great sense of direction in the deep dark. She dreams of making an unbelievable discovery.

The sound of Josiah Mardade’s young, sweet, energetic voice soared through the dark underground tunnel lit by small, dark orange lanterns. He sang a fast, rhythmic song to the pace of his swinging ax. Several weeks before the event of Bloody Friday, Todd Mardade’s 12 year old son, Josiah, was working in the mines with seven others led by Julie Cassher. Josiah has short, matted blonde hair and bright eyes. As he sang, bouncing along, Julie slowly paced back and forth checking the progress. Josiah’s song waves played through the tunnel, as well as up through the left side tunnel sloping high, twisting back and forth toward the upper mountain halls. His bright, energetic notes hit the pulsing dark orange lights, dancing in the glittering breeze. In a sudden chilling rush, all the lights blew out. They heard a loud crashing boom.

Julie lit up several small blue candles and sent a few miners to check the tunnel exit. The main tunnel was blocked. Frantic whispers played out. Distant ghostly whistles echoed through the lower tunnels. Julie called them all together, clapping and shouting impatiently.

“We’re going up the left tunnel. I’m going to go ahead on my own and explore the upper tunnels to find a safe way before we all get buried. Look for my dark blue light shining in the dark. Follow that.” Then she disappeared. Josiah sang a quiet, slow building, energetic song as they worked their way through the chilling dark. Their glittering blue lights pulsed to the fast rhythm of Josiah’s song, getting faster and faster. Ghostly whispers echoed back and forth in the higher tunnels when they saw the distant dark blue light, burning like a slow flame…

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

“Keep on fighting for what’s right”

“Just keep pushing on, and pushing through”

“Follow the light of the way”

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CHARACTER FUN FACTS: IS CHRISTY CALDADE THE SPY?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

A quiet eerie whistling alien ship drifted slowly across the night sky, powering through the rough clouds mostly hiding the moon. The grand alien complex lit up in fiery green lights through the tall crystal windows. The alien structure had two high towers with a massive curve-shaped complex in between. Alien horns blared out across the mountains where Cade, Blake, and Drew were hiding down in the underground with the rest of the people of Cashes Dade. Blazing red triangular shaped alien ships flew in from various directions. Several aliens in glittering blue and white crystal suits stood on the balcony, staring down intensely with their burning white crescent moon eyes on the gathering crowd of dark spirits below. At the same time, Cade Mayson and the other two ghost strikers were struggling to find their way to a key point among the mountain maze. What are the aliens meeting for? What are they getting ready to do? While the aliens may be planning a major attack from all sides, Cade, Blake, and Drew are running out of time to figure out which mountain they can find protection from the aliens…

Its time to check out the next suspect. We’re on number four of seven. 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. Christy Caldade 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 Cashes Dade’s 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 four of the suspects after this post, with three 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 DID THE ALIENS GO AFTER DAMIAN CASHDADE? 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: students

Someone else is with Cade and his friends getting ready to make their move, Christy Caldade. Does she know anything about what the aliens are secretly planning? Is Cade about to walk into a trap? Dark spirits are waiting…

Christy Caldade is short and thin with cropped blonde hair.

She is calm, quiet, and secretive.

She is really into mountain climbing, but doesn’t talk about it much or where she’s climbed.

She’s relatively quiet and shy, usually not saying too much and always talking in a soft, quiet tone.

She takes the fifth position in the formation for the army leads.

She has great battlefield vision, especially in confusing situations, and is great at spotting key details.

Christy owned a business of special medicines and bath products. Her dream is to have a great business that has all kinds of rare and special minerals that have great medicinal powers.

On a Saturday, several months before the first alien attack, Cade and Blake were playing around in the city, getting bored. They happened to be close to the Caldade Rare Treasures Shop and thought it looked pretty interesting. They decided to enter, but they had to enter the same way they always do, by bursting in like they’ve just escaped from a monster outside. When they pushed open the two glittering blue crystal doors with fancy designs carved across it, the two kids almost ran into a black marble table of fine minerals.

“HEY, hey,” Christy hurried over to the kids with a wide-eyed, anxious expression. “This is a quiet store,” she whispered. Cade and Blake slowly nodded, before turning to eachother, each flashing a look that said, “Looks like we have a new challenge.” Blue shimmering lights spilled in through the dark blue stained glass windows too dark to see through from the outside. Cade walked over to another table full of various glittering gold stones. He pointed excitedly. Blake half jogged over, bumping into another table, drawing looks from several old ladies sitting in a dark corner.

Christy glanced over at the kids from time to time while she whispered with someone in the far corner. Cade tapped his fingers on the next table anxiously in the unsettling quiet. Blake bumped into another table. He watched curiously as a lady stared at a row of soap bars for what seemed like an eternity.

“Hey, look at these,” Cade whispered, making his way to the soap table. Picking up several shimmering, sharp ones he said, “These could go pretty fast.” He started tossing them in the air. Christy placed a dark sheet over the corner table, then rushed over to them.

“You’re supposed to smell them, not throw them,” she said. Blake picked up a bright green one, sniffed it, then fell back against the wall.

“That was a strong one,” he whispered as Cade just placed his head in his hands. The two kids clumsily worked their way through the rest of the shop while Christy hurriedly took a blanket full of stones off a table and took it into the back…

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

“Keep it together”

“Make yourself useful”

“Find your own way”

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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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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.”

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DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE:
WHAT SECRET DID CADE DISCOVER
IN CAYSHER PARK?

“THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY THROUGH”

One of Cade’s favorite places to go was Caysher Park in his home city of Dayces Cameron. He and his friends played “Music Tag.” In Caysher Park music would be playing, but then suddenly disappear, and then come back again. If you were standing in a place where the music played, you were safe and couldn’t get tagged. But if the music faded away, then you better run. Cade had a strange way of always knowing where to go to be in the music. But that wasn’t the only mysterious thing about Caysher Park. While the adults at the park would get annoyed by the kids constant running and splashing in the pools and waterfalls, distant eyes watched them from high in the towers that overlooked the city, white half-moon shaped eyes of the aliens…

These next six DarkCorner Land Features will go to an intriguing place in Cashes Dade that was destroyed by the aliens in the first attack. There is something mysterious about these places, but what’s really mysterious is why the aliens destroyed them. Music sounding like a brilliant, energetic symphony played through the silent waterfalls of smooth, blue water falling in sheets. But no one could figure out where the music was coming from. Who was playing it? Can you figure it out? Cade figured out the secret of the music, do you think you know? After you read this, leave a comment below if you think you discovered the same secret Cade did, or perhaps a different one. One moment the music would sound really close, the next, it would be gone. As you stare at the bright reflections of the city towers blending with the flashing green lights of the alien towers you wonder, “Where did the music go?”

Caysher Park was located in the center of the stadium shaped City of Dayces Cameron in Cashes Dade. This is one place where Cade maintained his perfect record of never getting tagged in tag. He didn’t care how he had to get away; running through one waterfall after another, charging through a cold pool, crawling through and somehow disappearing in one of the green gardens of colourful flowers and small evergreens close together with sharp pointed leaves. He would always get away, and just when you thought you had him cornered, the brilliant symphony music would play in strong, fast rhythms through the colourful reflections blending within the sheets of waters falling. They’d wait for the music to fade away, but when Cade found it, it didn’t, at least not right away. Cade would just stand there and smile, driving the kid, who was it, crazy.

Bizarre, twisted images reflect through the sheets of pure blue water. At first you just see the dazzling blue city towers rising up in rows as well as the shimmering green alien towers further in the distance looking down over the city. That’s where the aliens keep watch over the citizens, sometimes blaring white lights roam through the city to check on their activities. They also watch the kids playing in the park, just standing on one of their balconies, staring down at the kids with burning, intense eyes. They seem especially interested in the games of tag, but no one knows why…

It isn’t just towers that you see in the waters. People report seeing murky shapes like crowds moving, ghostly citizens in bright dazzling lights moving around in strong, fast rhythmic circles. The ghosts were silent. This is when the dazzling colours of the towers blended together with the moving ghosts. The new colours would travel in one direction or another through the sheets of falling water. The kid who was it would stand ready to tag Cade, ready to be the first one, but would start to get impatient, because Cade would start to walk along the waterfall as the music moved, but he would stay in the music. No one else knew where the music would go, but Cade somehow knew.

Cade would keep moving with the music until stopping again. The one who was it would think he finally had him, until Cade turned to him and smiled. Then he would give him a wink. The music kept playing and playing and playing. Cade would wait for just the right moment. One moment he’s completely still, the next, he flies past you at a moment when you get slightly distracted. Something always happens in the waterfalls that gets them distracted and Cade knows exactly what it is, and exactly when to fly past them. Then, after Cade is well past them, the music fades away. How did Cade know?