Mystery Contest for April 2009
If you want to enter the mystery contest, just finish the mystery we’ve started below by entering your part of the story into a comment. We do not need any personal information about you. You can just enter your name or your online nickname. We don’t need an email address or anything else. Of course, we are hoping that kids will be the primary contestants since the mystery is a kids mystery. There’s no real prize other than getting a lot of attention for your writing on this site.
We’ll post the winner in our blog sometime in May 2009.
Good luck.
Here’s how the mystery starts:
The trees of the forest bent over sideways in the howling wind. The white disk of the full moon shimmered behind the swaying branches. Southbay Forest was being battered by the storm. Rain began to pelt the ground. It was an altogether nasty evening.
Riley Hitchens made his way along the muddy path with dread. The lantern’s feeble light swung wildly back and forth across the narrow way as his fingers gripped its handle tightly.
It was just an old crypt. That’s all. Nothing but a pile of old stones with a rusty iron door. That door was clanging in the wind now. It had disturbed Riley’s sleep.
So now poor Riley staggered in his soaking nightclothes toward the crypt that was creating such a din.
A wolf howled.
Riley stopped in his soggy tracks and glanced behind him. A shape flashed between the trees. He lurched forward and bolted down the mud path toward the old stone crypt.
He burst through the half-open door and sucked the dank air into his lungs. His mud-caked slippers echoed in the stone chamber. The rain pounded the forest outside. Just ahead, Riley could make out the dim shape of the tunnel entrance.
He stopped and felt the cold sweat of terror at the back of his neck.
From far down the dark winding way of the tunnel, underneath the raging of the storm, came the delicate sound of… music.
Now, continue the mystery in a comment below.
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18 Responses to “Mystery Contest for April 2009”
April 1st, 2009 at 7:54 am
HE GOT A DOG AND THEY WENT TO THE CAVE THE END
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:59 am
[...] Editor put an intriguing blog post on Mystery Contest for April 2009 – Candlelight StoriesHere’s a quick excerptIn addition, we are broadening our content beyond children’s stories. We are now going to include discussion of grown-up fiction, film and games. We will label our posts so that the new categories will be clear. … [...]
April 6th, 2009 at 7:29 am
He got the wolf and made the dog a good pet to keep.
The wolf is now a dog he treated good. right?
The wolf made a good song at howling. I think.
Was it a dog or wolf?
It was a wolf.
Do you remeber?
A wolf howled.
Do you remeber in the story line?
I remeber.
Do you?
The wolf could be a good wolf.
Good pets do good,Bad pets are bad.
Right?
April 6th, 2009 at 7:35 am
riley follows the music to a safe tunnle that leads to a dark and wet cave. he watches as the sand slips through his hands.suddunly,somthing russles in the bushes!! and in the flash of bright lighting,riley was jogging back home.
April 6th, 2009 at 7:36 am
riley dies
April 6th, 2009 at 7:41 am
he sees a wolf and calls MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
April 9th, 2009 at 7:32 am
the story ends when Riley sees the wolf and runs deeper and deeper into the cave. She runs and runs and sees an exit from the cave, gets out and five seconds later the wolf comes out too she runs out out of the forest and safly gets home. THE END
April 9th, 2009 at 7:34 am
The entrence was open and dark but when he steeped into it he saw crazy eyes. And then the sun had rised and he could finnly see what was making all the noise.A vampier and he was scary and killd him .THE END
April 12th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
He went in the dog and him became friend an lived happliy ever after THE END
April 12th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
He looked around and left but on the way back he got lost and he found a cave so he went in the cave. when he went to sleep about fifteens minutes after he a loud noise woke him up and so he went outside to investigate and there was a wolf so he ran as fast as he could then he found his way to a city somewhere in ohio and so he made a few calls and got back together with his family
April 13th, 2009 at 12:08 am
HE GOT A DOG WITH HE LIVED HAPILY.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
A bullet of wind blew out Riley’s lantern. Riley opened his eyes wider hoping it would help him adjust to the darkness. He stared down the tunnel straining to see any kind of light-all he heard was music. It sounded as if it was coming from another dimension-so far from his usually dreary life.
That’s why he came down to the crypt–on a dare. To do something brave for once.
‘Crash!’ The lightening tore at the sky outside and shook Riley out of his reverie. His heart was in his throat, beating like a hummingbird. Riley wanted to run home, but he had to do this! Setting the useless lantern on the floor Riley felt a surge of bravery. He slowly felt his way against the crumbling wall of the crypt-the tinny sound of a music box growing louder with each step–and that’s when he saw it; the flicker of a candle floating towards him with no one behind it.
April 23rd, 2009 at 2:03 am
The trees of the forest bent over sideways in the howling wind. The white disk of the full moon shimmered behind the swaying branches. Southbay Forest was being battered by the storm. Rain began to pelt the ground. It was an altogether nasty evening.
Riley Hitchens made his way along the muddy path with dread. The lantern’s feeble light swung wildly back and forth across the narrow way as his fingers gripped its handle tightly.
It was just an old crypt. That’s all. Nothing but a pile of old stones with a rusty iron door. That door was clanging in the wind now. It had disturbed Riley’s sleep.
So now poor Riley staggered in his soaking nightclothes toward the crypt that was creating such a din.
A wolf howled.
Riley stopped in his soggy tracks and glanced behind him. A shape flashed between the trees. He lurched forward and bolted down the mud path toward the old stone crypt.
He burst through the half-open door and sucked the dank air into his lungs. His mud-caked slippers echoed in the stone chamber. The rain pounded the forest outside. Just ahead, Riley could make out the dim shape of the tunnel entrance.
He stopped and felt the cold sweat of terror at the back of his neck.
From far down the dark winding way of the tunnel, underneath the raging of the storm, came the delicate sound of… music.
‘That’s funny!” thought Riley, catching his breath. ‘What could be making music down here?’
A flash of lighting sent a flicker of light through the crack in the doorway. In the distance down the tunnel Riley thought he caught a glimpse of something, something moving. He was away from the wolf, but should he still be afraid?
“Hello” he shouted, “is anybody there?”
There was no reply for a moment, and then the sound of fluttering began to echo along the corridor. Riley squinted, trying to make out the shape coming towards him in the darkness. He jumped back as a raven passed him swiftly, and flew out the door.
“Well I never!” he said to himself “I didn’t know ravens could sing!”
Riley returned his attention to the doorway, in the hope that the wolf would be long gone.
Then, suddenly, there it was again, music, sad music, like someone very lonely, with not a friend in the world. He turned to face the tunnel again, ‘That’s no bird!” he thought ‘There must be someone down there!”
“Hello” he called again.
This time there was a faint reply! So faint that he wondered if it was the sound of his own voice, echoing back to him out of the pitch black that lay ahead.
“Are you alright?” he called.
There was no reply. He felt cold and a little scared, but he thought to himself ‘I’ll have to go and see if they’re all right! God knows what would bring them down here? Or me for that?’
He began to slowly tread his way along through the cold, darkness, stumbling on bits of broken brick, and getting cobwebs caught in his wet, black hair.
Riley came to a doorway off the main tunnel and saw that there was a candle burning inside, and a small portable radio sat on a shelf. ‘Oh’ he thought, “you must be where the sound came from!” he picked up the radio and found it was very light. ‘That’s funny ‘he thought. He turned the radio round to discover an empty opening, where the batteries should have been.
“If it wasn’t you,” he said with intrigue, “Then where did the sound come from? and who lit this candle?”
He turned and walked back over to the main passage. Then there was the sound of footsteps, echoing down the corridor.
He walked deeper in the tunnel. Deeper and deeper till he reached another doorway and stopped!
Then Riley heard an eerie sound, not music this time but heavy breathing. He was scared for a moment, but then he realized that it was not the sound of someone who was ready to pounce, but someone who was scared themselves. Riley peered round the doorway, to find a little girl, a little younger than him, trying to say out of sight in the darkness.
“It’s alright” he assured her. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Oh thank god!” she said, with a sigh of relief. “When I called out you earlier, I thought you were a boy, but then I thought to myself you might be a grave robber. I’m glad your not! Ah- you’re not – are you?”
“Oh” he laughed, “No, I hid down here from something in the trees!”
“Really?” she asked “what?”
“Oh, nothing!” he said “Probably long gone by now!”
“Ok” she said relieved “Is this your crypt? I was walking by, and there was a gap in the fence, so came down to get away from the storm!”
“Was that your radio?” asked Riley.
“Yes” She said “I took the batteries out when I thought you were a robber, so you wouldn’t hear it!”
“ Did you light the candle too?” asked Riley
“Yes” she said “I found a match and struck it on the wall!”
“Why didn’t you just switch the radio off?” asked Riley.
“Just seemed like the thing to do!” she smiled “I suppose I should’ve put out the candle out, but I was in such a hurry!”
The two walked back along the passage, picking up the radio on the way, and reached the end to discover the storm had passed and the coast seemed to be clear of wolves. Making sure the crypt door was firmly shut. They went inside Riley’s house to dry off and have a hot cup of cocoa; the girl introduced herself as Eliza. They got on like a house on fire and the two were friends for a long time after, in fact they still are now!
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:44 am
In the cave Riley saw a blanket full of insects.since he was so tired he cleaned the blanket and started to sleep in it.After sometime a strange music came from the little passage which disturbed his sleep.To stop the music he went down the little passage with thrill.But to his surprise he saw nothing.But still he wanted to find where the music was coming from.
He saw all around him.Then to his surprise he saw another canal which was so dark.So he lighted his lantern and he went into the canal.Even though it was a very long path he did not lose his heart.And at last the passage came to an end where he saw many skeletons of birds,animals and humans sitting together and singing a song.On seeing this he ran back.After coming out of the cave he promised himself that he would never go deep into a cave.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:52 am
BOO BOO
May 12th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I dunno, haha
May 15th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Riley followed this interesting sound. It was a range of pipes mixed with a woodwind instrument. Maybe it came from missing hikers, or just the wind… He edged closer to the entrance. “Should I?” He was thinking, just then, a voice friom behind whispered “Go in. It is safe, and whatever you do, don’t turn around…”. Riley’s senses told him to back away, but what was that voice coming from? Without second thoughts, he walked slowly into the seemingly never ending cave…
A couple of worries later, Riley knew he shouldn’t have gone down here. There were rats, water drips and the horrible stench of… food? The music was gradually getting louder the further Riley went. Yet something caught the attention of his eyes – a shiny gold coin with a face of a dog carved on. Just as he was he was going to inspect it, the same voice he heard from outside whispered “There is no time to look around. Keep going.” Riley quickly regained his posture and set a gentle yet quick pace through the cave.
There were now lanterns hung up. Was there lost people living here? Riley closed his eyes and imagined there would be the 3 things he always wanted at the end of the tunnel. Suddenly, he tripped over. He opened his eyes like a shot, to see a hairy man wearing some old clothes standing behind him. Riley pretended not to see and lost his worries a second. He diverted all of his thoughts onto one question – Who was this man?
Finally – Riley and his hairy friend had reached the end of the cave. There was a great ceiling of the cave with a mighty hole gaping through the centre. The light let Riley see everything that was happening. Now he knew where the music was coming from. There was a tribe living in this cave! Suddenly, the man from behind placed his large hand on Riley’s shoulder and showed him a golden coin. It read “The Tribe of Cavesteep”.
The music was a group playing instruments made from solid wood – yet it was too fine to be carved by hand. There were small huts with families of around 3 people. It seemed awfully crowded to Riley, but the tribe seemed to find it quite cosy. The hairy man that had followed and directed Riley all this way, gave Riley the golden coin, and led him to a secret exit – a strand of rope from a hole in the ceiling.
By the time he’d got out, the sun was back out – but the groundwas still damp and wet. Riley raced home to tell everyone his adventure, and the cavepeople from the cave are telling the story too…
By Pippa – Age 10
August 18th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Mystery kds (mystery from the Past
One day there was a Two girls they are Holly, Miranda they both walk along from school and start chatting then when they get to school they start going to class. what Holly saw from her past was a bullies who once killed her friend from her old school and now Holly didn’t know they are here so Why the bullies are here are they taking revenage on someone like Holly?
Holly now needed help because she’s in danger, Holly want to know about what going to happen to her so Night falls Holly was going to be invited to the party all her fiends here so it was late night and Holly’s boyfriend Peter take her home but one of the bullies kidnap her take her to her old school and holly dose’nt like it it brings her nightmares so in the end holly eas murder
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