The Key to Markree Castle: Lu & Lu, #3

By Bradley Charbonneau

4 boys, 3 days, 1 castle.
You do the math.
It adds up to adventure, trouble and ... fries.

In "The Secret of Markree Castle," 4 young boys find themselves in a 1 castle for 3 days and the nanny who was supposed to watch over them ... flaked. "That's OK," their parents said, "They're old enough now and responsible, right?"

You can practically hear the boys' voices, "Sure, dad, we're responsible ... !" Then queue the evil background laugh and kids boiling pots of parents deep in the dungeon and ... I have to stop. It doesn't get that bad, I swear.

But you see, dear reader, this book was written together with these 4 real life boys. We had Skype calls together (2 of the boys live in Beijing, China), we shared emails and asked lots of questions (for example, "If you could have any magical power, what would it be?"). I think it's fair to say that I learned more about my boys and their 2 friends writing this book together with them than I did hanging out with them all together.

The Secret was the first book in the Markree Castle series and got the boys through the first night. This is the second book in the series and in "The Key to Markree Castle," the boys are in deeper than they thought possible, with the future of the castle in their hands.

Here is a list of bullet points of takeaways from the book.

-- 9-year old references no adult could possibly understand (or want to).
-- Soccer, fries, and a castle. What else could a few boys dream of?
-- Useless phrases in Dutch and Mandarin you can use at school to impress your friends!
-- Written with the help of real 9- and 11-year olds.
-- Parenting strategies so questionable your kids will be begging you to adopt them (the strategies, not the kids).
-- Rarely before witnessed insight into the minds of young boys on their own with no parents.
-- Study guides included on medieval castle architecture. (OK, not really.)
-- Fun for the whole family! (Depending on your family, of course.)
-- Bonus: learn the names of Donald Duck's nephews in Dutch and Mandarin!
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bradley Charbonneau
• Release date: Jun 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201298562

Bradley Charbonneau

The following is an excerpt from the foreword to Bradley's upcoming book "Every Single Day" (available Oct. 17, 2017). "He no longer resembled the mopey dejected "former writer" I'd known. He became unstoppable. A machine. It wasn't just about the writing, either. It was a deeper transformation. He became much more confident and bold. He was inspiring and even intimidating in some ways. He wasn't the same person anymore. He took risks and wrote books and closed his business and moved his family halfway across the world. He's done so many things I couldn't imagine "2012 Bradley" doing. That he couldn't imagine actually doing. I barely recognize my old friend these days, and I'm glad.  He realized his dream and became a professional writer. This book is only a small piece of the proof of that." -- John Muldoon, excerpted from the foreword to "Every Single Day"

Book preview

1

It's not a secret if you know what it is.

The boys are about to learn The Secret of Markree Castle ... whether they're ready for it or not.

Having seen way too many movies and not really sure when adventure movies and reality merged, the boys were a little confused when they were still standing there after their big decision to accept Alastar's challenge to go further into the castle. If they were in an adventure movie or even better, actors in an adventure movie, the last big scene would have ended, the director would have said, Cut! That's a wrap! and they would have relaxed and gone for lemonades in their trailers .

But none of that happened.

In fact, nothing happened at all. Dan had quietly spoken for the entire group when he whispered to Alastar that they were in and after that, they were still standing there. No fade to black, no director, not even any lemonade.

Now that the boys are in ... how are they going to get out?

The four boys interpreted the idea of We're in. in four different ways.

For Dan, it meant they were really going to go through with it, they were hired, so to speak, to take on the challenge at hand. Alastar had sought them out, trusted them and now was fairly certain that these were the boys who could carry out the mission.

Lu was up for anything and was infected by Dan's enthusiasm. Of course, if that meant going out into the grounds and playing soccer, that would be fun, too. But he was quietly intrigued by the mystery of the castle and was both scared and excited about what might be behind the door.

Dec was out if Li was out and in if Li was in. He wanted to hang out with his friend. But secretly, he was magically obsessed with the castle and wanted to get beyond the next door and was willing to do pretty much anything to get there.

Li was just plain scared. He put on a good show, but the whole downstairs and dungeon-like tunnels and musty passageways were a little too real for him. Still, he didn't want to be outdone by his brother, so he was in if they were in.

And they were in.

Alastar was still standing there. The boys were still standing there. Finally, Alastar spoke.

Splendid lads, he said with a smile, but it wasn't all happy-go-lucky. There was something in his smile that was the slightest bit mischievous. We're all in, he paused again. The boys said nothing. I'm so pleased.

The boys were a little uncomfortable and didn't say anything although there was a bit of mumbling among them.

OK lads, I need to do a simple test, it will only take a minute. Are you ready?

Well, Dec said after no one else said anything else, How are we going to know if we're ready if we don't know what the test is?

Excellent point, Alastar said.

Do you mean like a test like at school? Lu asked.

No, I'm quite sure you have done nothing like this at school, he said and paused. You know, boys, let's just do it and you'll see. It doesn't hurt and will only take a minute.

It might hurt? Lu asked.

No, I said it wouldn't hurt, Alastar said and wondered if Lu was toying with him. He eyed Lu seriously and Lu finally stopped his silly questions.

I'm only going to turn out the lights briefly to see how you all adjust. Is that alright with you all? Alastar asked and looked at each of them.

The boys collectively couldn't think of a reason they shouldn't do it. They trusted Alastar and he was the good guy. If Killian had asked the same thing, they would have had plenty of reasons to object.

We're OK with it, Dan spoke up for the clan.

Magnificent, Alastar said and he looked rather pleased. I'll just hit the light switch and I don't want anyone to move or speak. I'll keep it off for a total of three minutes so our eyes can adjust to the darkness. Please remember that this isn't like at cinema where there is some light that you can focus on to get your bearings. We're under 50 feet of earth and stone and there is not a peep of sunlight down here, so your eyes won't know quite what to do with themselves, he kept looking at each of them.

So, we just stand here and do nothing? Dec asked.

Precisely, Dec, Alastar was happy to have a bit of dialogue.

Are you boys ready? Are you standing on firm ground? Not going to fall onto something near you? Also, get just far enough apart from each other so you can't reach out and touch anyone else, he continued and the boys moved cautiously away from each other. It was awkward as being out of arm's reach was similar to being in the deep end of the pool: it didn't matter how deep it was at a certain point. If you couldn't touch the bottom, then it could have been 100 feet or 1,000 feet deep. They shuffled away from each other and looked at each other as if it was the last time they would see each other.

Alastar noted their new positions. Perfect, he said. Are you ready? Take a deep breath and relax. The three minutes might seem like a long time, but I'll count it in my head. In fact, if you'd like to count in your head, that will help you pass the time. But remember, please don't speak and please don't make a sound. I can tell you why later, but please know that it's important, he again scanned each face. Got it, lads?

Got it, Li said as forcefully as he could, but it took most of his strength as the buildup to the lights going off was getting worse than the light actually being off. Or so he thought.

I just need to take a few steps over here to the switch and then I'll walk back in darkness those same steps to you, he continued but noticed the boys were deathly silent. Boys, I don't mean to frighten you, but this is actually rather important. I realize you might be scared, but there's nothing and no one down here but us. It's just darkness and silence and I need it to remain exactly so. Are we all in?

Again Dan knew his cue, We're in.

Great, he said and took slow and deliberate steps towards the switch. He said nothing more as he shuffled over. He seemed almost to glide over the ground and Dan thought his eyes were already playing tricks on him.

I'll count down from five just to give you fair warning. I'm counting on your silence, he whispered as he reached the wall and the switch.

Five, he said in a normal voice.

Four, he lowered his voice and his Irish accent came through. He took a breath. The boys could hear it as if his mouth was next to their ears.

Three, he again spoke more softly, but somehow was easily understandable.

Two, he was barely audible. It looked as if his lips raised ever so slightly in the corners and he was smiling.

One, he said but the boys weren't sure the number was actually spoken.

The very last thing the boys saw seemed to happen in slow motion. Alastar's ring finger pushed down on a level on a plate on the wall. No one blinked or breathed. There was no click or light bulby sound or anything. There was no sound at all.

After there was no sound, there was no light. At all. Absolute pure and thick and unknown darkness.

2

Blind as Bats

Too dark to think.

It’s actually hard for people to hear nothing, to see nothing. Our eyes and ears don't quite know to do with complete silence or utter darkness .

Our young heroes sink into the darkness as if they were being lowered into a vat of ice-cold water. Their bodies quickly acclimatized to the silence and darkness, but it was almost painful. They heard ringing in their ears and saw light formations beyond their eyelids. The boys experimented with closing their