The Black-Caped Thief: The Whisper Valley Experience, #1

By Ellie Valley

Mandy and Abigail have been best friends forever. One day, Mandy's family made a big move from the city to Crane River, right by Abigail's family. Now they have Whisper Valley, a town with 40 kids. Mandy's old nemesis Amelie soon moves in to Mandy's house for the summer. As soon as Amelie makes the move, things start being stolen. More and more thefs are reported. Somebody goes as far as to let Mandy's and Abigail's horses, Luna and Dandy, out of their pens! Mandy and Abigail keep see a black cape, just around the corner. Who is this black caper? 

Big things are around the corner for Abigail, Mandy and even Amelie. Can Mandy and Amelie's friendship ever be restored? Can Mandy and Abigail find out who the Black Caper of Whisper Valley is?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Whisper Valley
• Release date: Jul 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386903642

Ellie Valley

Ellie has always wanted to write a book. But the thing is, it was hard if it didn't come from personal experience. And, though most of the story is just fiction, Whisper Valley really did happen - but with four people, not forty. She's got a cat named Chloe, and has always loved horses.  Ellie is still in her 12-16 years, but being an author has always been her dream.

Book preview

Prologue – The Valley

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ORNINGS IN WHISPER VALLEY WERE ALMOST ALWAYS THE SAME. Abigail and I got up and fed Whisper Valley’s animals – cats, a dog, rabbits, and finally, our horses (really, they’re hobbyhorses. We pretend to feed them). So now you should know, everybody in Whisper Valley,  40people in all, are kids. Whisper Valley is our own playtown in Abigail’s family’s and my family’s countryhouses (we live really close together, pretty much on the same lot). A lot of kids that aren’t related to us practically live in Whisper Valley, too. Our parents are the only ones involved. Everybody has a shop with its own hours. You can team up with somebody (like Abigail and I), or you can set up by yourself. But you are required to keep to those hours. You can be a maximum of thirty minutes late. Or you can contact the mayor and let him know you won’t show. There’s no penalty for being late or anything. Before you can join, you have to pay $25, because that’s what it cost to have the shop built, since it’s tiny. Or, you can pay $100 for a shop four times as big. Abigail and I went with the $25 one, since it’s all we needed. You will also need a walkie talkie, a 50-channel one. Several kids share walkie talkies and their shops, but still, 50 channels work.

The adults live in Abigail’s green house. We call it 1 Woodrow Avenue. Right behind Woodrow is 544 Willow Road. That’s the Howling Wolf Cafe. 

My brother, Aaron, is our mayor. Abigail’s brother, Nick, owns our autobody. 

Anyway, Abigail and I took our sweet time, especially on the cats.

Oh my goodness, Abby! I gasped. It’s already 10:45. The shop should have been open 15 minutes ago, and you know how picky Aaron is about the time we open the shop!

Better hurry. Run, Chessie! Abby said to her hobbyhorse, a bay Akhal-Teke mare. My horse, Mystery, is also an Akhal-Teke, but she’s a chestnut.

The Kitten House wasn’t too far away from the shop. As we approached, we saw two figures, both shorterthan 4’7. Yes, it was the boys. The boys means my brother and Nick!

You’re 20 minutes late, Mandy, he said coldly.

I know, I know, I said, sighing. I wished my brother would just loosen up. We had tried to be on time, but the animals were our priority.

OK, so what would you like to buy? Abigail asked roughly. 

Ahh, my good Abby, I thought. She’s always on my side.

Hmmm, what do you have? Aaron asked, using his high-and-mighty voice. It’s always very annoying when he uses it. Then again, that’s all he likes doing – annoying people.

"You know what we have, mister, Abigail said. So just pick. We don’t have all day!"

Our walkie talkie rang, so I picked it up.

Hello, this is the Howling Wolf Cafe, Mandy speaking. I said. Sure, a little formal since it’s just someone from Whisper Valley, but still, it’s play!

Hi, Mandy, it was Abigail’s mom. "We were wondering on the Wolf schedule. When’s your next trip to Oreo’s Garden?"

Oreo’s Garden is named after a kitty, Oreo, who died last spring. We named the garden after him to honour the kitty and keep his memory alive. The Wolf is Whisper Valley’s bus. That’s why Nick has an autobody – in case we need anything. He also does stuff with bikes, so it’s more than just an autobody.

Our next trip to Oreo’s Garden is going to leave 1 Woodrow Avenue in approximately 15 minutes, I said. Be ready! By the way, we can only take two people at a time, so we’ll do two trips, if you’d like.

Okay, we’ll be ready! Abigail’s mom said. They don’t really ever play with us, they just play along.

"Abigail, I just remembered, the Wolf is supposed to be leaving 1 Woodrow Avenue in 15 minutes. I really, really gotta get it started and everything. I’ll take our spare WT!"

All right, Mandy. See you soon, Abigail said, smiling warmly at me.

I picked up the silver keychain that held both the lawnmower’s – that’s what the Wolf really is, a rideable lawnmower – and the shed door’s keys.

Come on, open up! I felt foolish about it, but I was practically begging the door to open. Finally, I twisted the lock off and I put the lock in my pocket.

The lawnmower takes up most of the shed, so it was a real squeeze. But I finally managed to get on to the lawnmower and back it out of the shed. Sure, I’m only 13, and Abigail’s only 12, but driving that thing is so-o-o easy! And we can’t even go that fast. It doesn’t go more than 15 km/hr. Maybe it even goes slower than that. Either way, its fastest is slower than a quad’s slowest!

Finally, I got it close to the wagon so I could hitch it up. Since the wagon can only carry 2 people at once, I’d have to do four stops. Two on the way, two back.Or maybe Abigail will do that. 

I went to Channel 4 on my walkie talkie. That’s the adults’ phone number. It rung, and then my mom picked up. Hello, she said.

Hi, this is Mandy from Howling Wolf Cafe. Somebody at your number called about the bus ride to Oreo’s Garden.

Yes, that would be us, my mom said. I could hear Abigail’s mom giggling in the background.

"OK, good.