Is This Mystery Not a Mystery to You?

[TromboneAl]

I'm working on a book--a Christmas mystery. It's always hard to know what things will be obvious to a reader, so I'd like to ask what you would suspect based on what happens in the book.

For decades, in the nativity scene of a small Vermont town, each morning finds the baby Jesus figure swapped with one of the animal figures.

It turns out that the swapper is a ghost--an angry teenager.

When they run a seance, the only thing the teenager ghost says is "I am Blayke Thurston. Switcheroo."

The private eye in the story finds that Blayke Thurston is alive and well.

Is it obvious to you what happened?

Thanks.

 

[FIREmenow]

Switcheroo.

 

[RobbieB]

He's Thurston Blayke?

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Switched at birth into a dysfunctional family (why else be dead and angry as a teen?) seems the most obvious answer.

 

[Ronstar]

Not obvious to me, but I'm clueless to this type of stuff.

 

[Marita40]

I don't get it, and I'm a literature major

 

[RetiredGypsy]

If it has to be a Christmas thing, maybe less obvious if it's the child being switched out? Everyone's eggnog is being switched with regular milk. All the nutmeg is being switched with cinnamon, overnight at the grocery store the ham and turkey stands get switched around? Or instead of just the baby, all the people and animals get switched places.

 

[Nemo2]

If it has to be a Christmas thing, maybe less obvious if it's the child being switched out? Everyone's eggnog is being switched with regular milk. All the nutmeg is being switched with cinnamon, overnight at the grocery store the ham and turkey stands get switched around? Or instead of just the baby, all the people and animals get switched places.

And Santa is Islamic.

 

[ERD50]

He's Thurston Blayke?

That's what came to my mind, and I'm terrible at these things. The spelling of Blake/Blayke adds to the plausibility of Blayke as a last name. And "switcheroo".

-ERD50

 

[Helena]

.

I don't get it either... but I don't believe in ghosts.
So it's not the kind of book I would read.

 

[tmm99]

No, it is not obvious what happened. I want to know more.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Totoro]

Jesus came back to earth. Stole Blayke's body to avoid triggering the rapture.

 

[exnavynuke]

At first glance, I'd guess that the ghost is the real Blayke Thurston and the living "Blayke Thurston" killed him and took his identity.

 

[imoldernu]

have been trying anagrams, letter reversals and "skips" to break the code...
So far dead ends...

 

[TromboneAl]

Okay, great info, thanks.

I see it over and over: The author is sure something is way too obvious, but it's not.

SPOILER BELOW:





Retired Gypsy got it. A poor woman replaces a rich baby with her own at birth (in 1953) so that hers will grow up in a rich family. The rich baby grows up in an orphanage, has a disease that would have been manageable had he been rich, and commits suicide. He becomes a ghost, and haunts the manger, angrily trying to tell the world about the switch.

I'm going to bury the clue a little more. The ghost will now say "Call me Blayke. I am alive."

Okay, back to work. Progress here.

P.S. I don't believe in ghosts, either.

 

[TromboneAl]

At first glance, I'd guess that the ghost is the real Blayke Thurston and the living "Blayke Thurston" killed him and took his identity.

Good idea. I think I'll have the detective think that for a while.

 

[FiveDriver]

Hey Al--
Tell me about the other story you were working on.....the one with the unstable President who goes off the reservation with low yield nukes.

Did you finish that story ?? Or did real-life events make that story obsolete ??

 

[Moemg]

Okay, great info, thanks.

I see it over and over: The author is sure something is way too obvious, but it's not.

SPOILER BELOW:





Retired Gypsy got it. A poor woman replaces a rich baby with her own at birth (in 1953) so that hers will grow up in a rich family. The rich baby grows up in an orphanage, has a disease that would have been manageable had he been rich, and commits suicide. He becomes a ghost, and haunts the manger, angrily trying to tell the world about the switch.

I'm going to bury the clue a little more. The ghost will now say "Call me Blayke. I am alive."

Okay, back to work. Progress here.

P.S. I don't believe in ghosts, either.

Now it sounds interesting before that it just seemed weird .

 

[TromboneAl]

Hey Al--
Tell me about the other story you were working on.....the one with the unstable President who goes off the reservation with low yield nukes.

Did you finish that story ?? Or did real-life events make that story obsolete ??

Funny you should mention that. I just released it a few days ago:

​

Democracy's Thief: An Eric Beckman Paranormal Thriller

I was seriously concerned that what happens in the story would happen in the real world, but it looks like I got it out in time. Now, at least, when what I wrote comes true, people won't think I just copied and pasted!

A new-release price of 99 cents at an Amazon near you, while supplies last.

 

[growing_older]

The rich baby grows up in an orphanage, has a disease that would have been manageable had he been rich, and commits suicide. He becomes a ghost, and haunts the manger, angrily trying to tell the world about the switch.

I would have a lot of trouble reading this or getting the clues to understand this is what happened. Maybe you are so familiar with the idea that it's obvious to you writing it, but it's going to completely elude me as a reader.

 

[gerntz]

This thread is a mystery.