Its time to go back into Carolmire, the kingdom where it’s always Christmas. There’s an intriguing mystery to solve. If you haven’t yet, check out the post, DARKCORNER LAND FEATURE: CAROLMIRE’S SECRET LIGHT to see the list of possible women who could be the secret singer and the prophecy that offers clues as to how to find her. Here is the link:
https://dadestarmysteries.com/darkcorner-land-featurecarolmires-secret-light/
Christmas can be a great time and for many it can be a dark time, but with a distant light, a distant, mysterious hope. You can also check out the author’s facebook page to see more about his mountain climbs and there are weekly bible studies for anyone interested including a special look at the Christmas story in the bible that you probably have never seen before. Check it out here:
https://www.facebook.com/jeff.sanborn.100/
Leave a comment below if you think you know the answer to this mystery. Now let’s get back into the story. Can you figure out who it is?
Dark orange slowly turned to dark purple over the distant snow-covered mountains behind Carolmire while the two kids worked their way up the rocky trail winding up the mountain running back and forth from the west side to the east side across the south side overlooking the endless white plain. Snow fell calmly from the rolling dark blue clouds streaming across the sky. The two kids stopped momentarily, a short distance from the peak.
“We better hurry,” Blake said tensely.
“Why?” asked Cade with a casual shrug.
“Because she’s going to start singing soon,” Blake said, nodding to the creamy dark blue sky.
“We’re only seconds from the top.” Blake gazed up the rocky slope with a doubtful expression. Dark blue shadows fell slowly down the steep slope, blocked at several rocky points.
“We’re still an hour from the top,” Blake answered, nodding toward the trail winding back and forth multiple times up the final slopes. Cade gazed up the steep slope with a brightly intense gaze. Then he turned to Blake and slowly broke a smile. “Oh come on.” Cade smiled brighter. “No, Cade, no way. Look at all that snow?”
“Fastest way to the top is…”
“It’s too steep, with all that snow? You can’t…”
“Okay, here we go,” Cade answered, talking fast. “You take the traaiiel, ch, ch, ch,” Blake watched confused as he made slow waving motions, “and I’ll go straight to the top, woooosshhhhh, and we’ll see who gets there first, cool, awesome, ready?”
“Let’s go.” Blake bit his lips as he sprinted up the trail. As the trail cut back to the right he saw Cade sprinting up the slope, powering through the snow. Blake sprinted harder. Then he saw Cade slide back fast, almost back to where they started. Blake’s eyes lit up as he turned the next corner. He heard Cade yelling something, his voice rising fast up the slope behind him. Blake bit his lips tighter as he drew near to the next turn. He made a sharp turn back to the right. Cade slid fast about 20 feet.
Citizens began singing “Joy to the World” from beyond the mountain top, sounding faint and ghostly. Their voices echoed sharply back and forth as Blake reached the top to watch Cade climb 30 feet, only to slide back 10. Finally, as chilling darkness fell over the mountain, Cade fell across the top, looking almost dead.
“See…I…told…you…like…only way.” Blake just stared at him in disbelief.
“Cade, you’re not even making sense.”
“Well…I am…but you’re…down there…” Blake just shook his head.
“We need to get ready,” Blake said, walking over to the northern edge overlooking the Christmas city glowing like a dream in the cold, dark night. More and more citizens came out of the mines and entered into the singing of Christmas carols on the narrow twisted streets.
“It’s almost time I think,” said Blake glancing back toward Cade who slowly approached.
“We’re not the only ones who think so,” he said quietly, pointing to the mountain left of Carolmire. Several bright lights roamed back and forth from the aliens’ neon green shining tower. A sonic boom shot across the dark rolling sky. The kids ducked down behind several large rocks.
“Be ready,” said Blake.
“I’m ready, won’t need to tell me twice.”
“I’m just saying, you might be tired after all that sliding.”
“No way,” Cade shook his head sharply.
An alien ship lit up in glittering gold lights hovered over the top of the city. Neon green candles glowed in the windows of the general store. Bright blazing blue candles lit up the entire castle. Gold-lit candles glowed in strong flashing lights throughout the grand square windows of the hotel. Gold candles remained still in heavy clusters of various citizens’ balconies. Dark orange candles shined with slow burning lights in the grand windows of the restaurant. The ship’s lights began to grow dim within the dark haze of the night sky.
“Be ready,” said Blake, “should be any time…” He turned to Cade, who was leaning against a rock, asleep. Blake kicked him. Cade woke up to a haunting, but beautiful voice singing Silent Night.
“It’s on, it’s on,” said Cade, clapping a few times. The kids stared out at the dreamy city. The singing came soaring out from the clocktower where dim gold candles shined.
“We know she’s not there though,” Blake said in a low voice. “She’s somewhere else.” Both kids scanned the various homes lit by gold and multi-coloured candles swaying in the chilling song. They looked around at the small shops and prominent places. Then Cade took out the prophecy. Blake lit up a bright sparkling candle.
“What is the two?” Cade asked.
“It’s about a light.”
“Who’s they?” The two kids stared at the lines while the singing swayed over the dreamy lights. The alien ship slowly circled around the city.
“It must be the light and the singer,” said Blake. The ghostly, yet sweet voice kept singing, sounding distant, yet sharp and clear. The music soared over the dream-like lights blending with the towering Devas Evergreens with their spiraling branches rising in high twisted cones. Breaking moonlight fell through the one Devas Evergreen glowing neon green in various points just over the kids, the light spilling down through the branches from the top slowly down to the bottom as the peaceful singing played on.
“Aaaauuuurrrrrggghhhhh,” said Blake, holding his head in agony.
“What happened?”
“I can’t stand trying to figure it out their way, trying to break down every line, every word, it doesn’t work.”
Cade turned to Blake with bright intensity. “Then we figure it out our way.”
Blake slowly looked up, then answered, “Right on.” The kids turned back to the prophecy copy under bright flickering light. Her song swayed, rising and falling over the murky flashing lights. “I think we need to look at the whole picture.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what does the entire prophecy say?” The kids read over the lines, then looked down at the musical city below, then they read the lines again, then gazed back down at the musical lights.
Her ghostly, yet hopeful singing swayed through the neon green candles glowing in the windows of the general store. The bright blazing blue candles lit up the entire castle. Gold-lit candles glowed in a strong flashing light throughout the grand square windows of the hotel. Gold candles remained still in heavy clusters of various citizens’ balconies. Dark orange candles shined with a slow burning light throughout the grand windows of the restaurant.
“The prophecy’s talking about lights blending, connecting,” said Blake talking quietly. “I think it’s talking about two lights that will meet.” The kids stared more intently at the quiet singing city. Dark orange candle clusters shined brightly through crystal grand windows of the playhouse. Single candles in the simple windows of the grand home across the top hill remained still in the chilling music.
Then Cade started gazing out across the lower mountain slopes. Breaking moonlight cast sleek shadows over the creamy slopes, falling from the top all the way down to the city entrance. Chilling winds whistled across the slopes on all sides.
“I got it,” said Cade with eyes lit, “I got it. It’s an echo. She’s singing from one place but making it sound like it’s coming from another place.”
“So where is she?” asked Blake. Just then several alien ships emerged from the dark rushing clouds.
“She’s at the hotel. The lights are blended together in there just like in the restaurant.”
“Let’s go,” said Blake. He started to turn, but Cade pulled him back as several bright lights lit up in the sky. “What are you doing?”
“I think the aliens figured it out. Look.” The two ships dropped low in the sky close to the hotel. “We have to get her out of there.”
“It’ll take an hour to get down there,” said Blake.
“Not my way,” said Cade gazing down the north slope.
“Oh come on…” Cade slowly broke a smile that looked almost evil, and crazy. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Cade turned to him with a confident smile. “There’s no way.”
“It worked on the way up.”
“How do you know we won’t hit any rocks?”
“I know, trust me, it’s obvious.” Alien lights shot out toward the hotel. “Come on,” Cade urged. “This is our chance.” Blake sighed heavily and started pretend-writing on the prophecy copy. “What are you doing?”
“Just writing my will…”
“Come on, we need to go.” Cade jumped down and began his slide down the slope while Blake closed his eyes before starting his. The kids started to gain speed surfing down the snowy slope toward the quiet, still hotel.
“So how do you know we won’t hit any rocks?” Blake challenged.
“I saw the shadow go all the way down the slope,” Cade answered calmly.
“THAT’S IT?!?”
“We’re almost theeerrrrreeeee.” Cade and Blake turned sideways as they eventually slid into a snow drift at the city park right in front of the hotel. The kids gazed up at the alien lights moving in together over the hotel. Then they drifted apart, searching the grounds. “Now, go, go, go.” The kids sprinted to the entrance while the alien lights moved back toward the entrance.
Slow burning dark orange candles lit the narrow black marble halls with brightly coloured carpets.
“To the top floor windows,” said Blake. Cade nodded while they sprinted up the winding steps of the grand center room. They ducked the roaming alien lights. The ships drew in closer. The floors and walls rattled under the pressure. Just then they heard the singing as the lady turned to see them approaching. It was Annie Carabright.
“We have to get you out of here,” said Cade.
“They’ll find me,” she said, nodding to the searching lights.
“We can get you out,” said Blake. “Right, Cade?” Cade looked around outside as the lights grew stronger. Then his eyes slowly scanned the grand top floor room until stopping on a grand piano in the corner.
Talking fast Cade answered, “I know how we’ll escape, I know how we’ll escape, I’m going to play, just play us out, get ready, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.”
“Woah, slow down…”
“I’ll start playing, you guys get ready, hide by the front entrance, I’ll join you and then we get out when they all rush to here.”
“They figured it out, remember?” said Blake. “They’ll know you’re here playing the piano, they won’t think it’s coming from the restaurant.”
“I know, I have a different plan, trust me, go now, wait for me.”
“This better be good,” Blake whispered as he and Annie made their way for the entrance and hid down behind a large couch. Then the song began, it was Silent Night. The ship descended to the street. Cade played strong and fast, with an added echo to the song as he played the keys. The place vibrated to the fast-paced rhythm of the strong, fast playing. The dark orange lights swayed to the energetic, strong, yet peaceful song.
“Why do you sing secretly?” Blake whispered.
“For them,” she nodded toward the restaurant. “My music brings them together and shines a light on them instead of me. It highlights how special they are, how talented they are, like tonight, the chef and his wife realizing what a great restaurant they have, and for the rest of them over there singing and dancing, they realize how great they are. You see, we all have a great destiny, like the two of you being led here to save me with your bright determination, so my music can continue bringing light to them. Sometimes our destiny may be hard to see in the heavy darkness, but it can still shine if you go deep enough to find the light that only shines in the deepest dark.” The ship reached the ground. Several aliens quickly walked out. They headed down the street for the entrance while the Silent Night played on and on, the bright, hopeful notes rising higher and higher around them.
“He’s out of time,” Blake whispered.
“No I’m not,” Cade whispered behind them.
“How did you…”
“Same way she did,” he answered. “I played it so it would echo long enough for us to escape.” The aliens rushed in, then up the steps. The two kids and Annie snuck out, then hurried down to the restaurant and slipped inside.
All the people were sitting still just listening to the bright keys playing the song echoing out through the city. Cade, Blake, and Annie each smiled as they saw all of the citizens of Carolmire sitting together, listening to the same song, feeling the same peace, singing the same song but in their unique voices, joining in the magic of the Silent Night.
