Hmmm. This is tricky!

I have to admit that I am trying to solve this mystery along with my characters. We are struggling a bit! But here are the 509 words we came up with.. It was Thursday 27th when we began!
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Troy moved as quickly and as quietly as he could. I have to keep up, he told himself. I can’t let the owl get too far in front of me. As he half-walked, half-ran, he thought back over the plan that he had made with Charlotte. Deciding that the stranger would certainly notice if everyone had tried to escape at once, Troy had suggested that he follow the owl first and take up a hiding place. When the stranger left to meet the owl, Charlotte and the others would follow at a safe distance, so that everyone would be near the rock when it opened. At that point, they would all run through the entrance, back to the safety of their village. But the more Troy thought about it as he struggled to keep up with the owl, the more he began to realize that their plan was flawed. We were too desperate to get home, he thought. We didn’t think it through. The stranger won’t let us go that easily. What if the rock doesn’t open fast enough? What if the stranger hears Charlotte and the others following him? This is too dangerous! He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the owl’s descent. It flew down towards a tree with a broad branch. Its wings skimmed the top of the branch and it disappeared. It wouldn’t be long now.

Troy’s mind raced. If the owl was in position, the stranger would soon be on the move. Perhaps the owl was already looking at James, the stranger’s thoughts entering the young boy’s mind. Troy sighed. He remembered how good it had felt at first. He remembered feeling excited at the thought of being chosen and of the joyous sound of the music…

The music! Troy gasped. They had forgotten about the music! The music had made them forget their worries. It had bewitched them. As long as the music played, they had done the stranger’s bidding.

I have to block the noise of that pipe! Troy thought. I have to be able to think clearly! Frantically, he grabbed the sleeve of his shirt with both hands and yanked hard. He felt the stitches pull and he yanked again. This time there was a tearing sound. With one more hard pull, the remaining stitches pulled away and Troy was holding the soft cotton fabric. His hands trembled as he tore the fabric into smaller strips. First he tore two smaller pieces, which he rolled around his fingers, until they made a small ball. These he pushed into his ears. Then he wound the remaining strip of fabric around his head in a thick wad, before knotting the ends firmly. Troy clicked his fingers and was relieved to hear that the sound was much fainter than normal. I hope that’s enough, he thought. He took up his hiding place behind the tree with the thickest trunk. “Please Charlotte,” he whispered, watching back down the path he had travelled, “please remember about the music. You have to remember.”