The Midnight Cat: Report

One of the beautiful shadow puppets
from "The Midnight Cat" This one is
by S. Melquist and M. Hoy.

A jewel thief known as the Midnight Cat led our six detective mages on a mouse and cat chase through the streets of London, the aisles of Les Puces de Saint-Ouen flea market in Paris and even back in time to the darkened halls of Le Chat Noir on closing day in 1897. It was a week full of secrets and ciphers--and this determined team tackled every code by hand! A very impressive display of code-breaking!

Favorite challenges of the week included the zany bird lady who imprisoned the zebra-finched Detectives (yes--zebra-finched is now an adjective describing the state of being turned into a zebra finch) in cages. She tried to sell them at Les Puces, but the birds were too clever. They played dead every time an admirer came to see them. Clever little bird claws reached for the keys, and soon the Detectives were ... de-zebra-finched!

The story took some unexpected turns, as our thief led the Detectives back in time to the closing day of Le Chat Noir. The artist Henri Rivière was able to shed some light on the reason our thief had stolen the Golden Cat amulet and the candelabra from the flea market.

Let's just say it wasn't good news. The Detectives entered the Shadow Realms to talk with the inhabitants of the prints made by Henri Rivière. Their beautiful shadow puppets may be seen in an album on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page along with the prints that inspired them. Their books of secrets and photos of the week's adventure are also on the page.



Sunrise in the Shadow Realms
Photo by Ike Voorhees, 2013

The Detectives found their journey leading to an ancient goddess of the sun, demoted to the status of a moon goddess and doomed to live out her life in the underworld. Fortunately for her, the Detectives had other ideas--and the sun rose again in her heart. All mysteries need not end in battle and even a red star can grow a tinge of gold.



Joker's Wild II: New Cards by Ike and the Detectives

Ghost Hunter by Ike Voorhees
Micron pen on Bristol board cards

Joker's Wild is the last mystery of the Summer 2013 season. We have been slowly creating a deck of cards from which the story will be drawn. There are character cards and challenge cards. Our Facebook page has an album called Joker's Wild which has all of the cards created to date. The artwork is by Rebecca McNulty, Ike Voorhees and each of the young Detective Mages who have been to a Dragon's Eye adventure this summer.

The deck will continue to grow each week, even as the Joker's Wild week unfolds. This is an experiment with "off-the-page" story creation.

Temple of the Sun: Report

Detective disguised as an Egyptian guard
by Drew Walden

Eight detectives teamed up in this week's adventure in ancient Thebes. The scarab amulet of Seti I was stolen from his tomb in ancient times, and the Detectives traveled back in time to 1112 BCE to investigate. Our team was off the page more often than on, with a train with a human face, a mummy-disguised detective leaping from a sarcophagus, a stolen starbowl, a shadowmage rescue, and a fire-water sheep spouting water bridges over lakes of fire.

In spite of the train, this was an Egyptian adventure. The city of Thebes will not be the same after all the sneaking and hiding, the guards pouring into the streets searching for the strange visitors from the Pharaoh.

All roads led eventually into the Duat. The underworld may not have been ready for this highly creative crew--certainly the 42 gods and goddesses gathered in the Hall of Judgment were in for a colorful visit.

It was a week full of some very skilled sneaking and great fun! Our most nerve-wracking moment may have been the meeting with Amenhotep, the High Priest of the Temple of Amon-Re. The Detectives discovered just how important a little backstory is--and researching the current Pharaoh you're supposed to be serving is highly advised.

It all turned out well in the end. The errant sun god was sent packing, along with Apep the serpent of chaos. The amulet of Khepri was returned to Seti I and he took his place in the Sun Barge of the Blessed Ones.

What did we learn from the week? One can get very, very far with only minimal magic.

The loveliest moment came at the very end. Each story begins and ends with a dream--and this week, the final dream was one of a winged scarab taking the Detectives for a ride. Just as I finished, one of the detectives looked down and found a tiny black beetle on the ground in front of us. Naturally, it became part of the dream.

For the detectives who were skeptical that the scarab is related to our beetles here in Maine, here is an article from National Geographic. Visit the Dragon's Eye Ventures Facebook page for some wonderful photos of our games, the Detectives' wonderful artwork and scarab amulets.

Welcome back to Ike Voorhees

Detail, Ike Voorheers, 2013
Pen on paper

Ike Voorhees will be joining the Dragon's Eye Ventures staff for the remaining four sessions of the 2013 summer program! Ike is an extraordinary artist -- one of those artists whose drawings have story attached to them, so he's a wonderful addition to the Dragon's Eye team. Ike was with us last summer, and the adventures benefitted from his creative input!

Detail, Ike Voorheers, 2013
Pen on paper

If you'd like to know more about Ike, visit this post from last summer. He graduated this May from Bard College with a BA in art. Ike's focus at Bard was printmaking--and his artwork here demonstrates the kind of detailed focus that is characteristic of his work. He's one young artist with an exciting future.

Detail, Ike Voorheers, 2013
Pen on paper

The images posted here are all details of a drawing that grew out of Ike's hand during several adventures last summer. The figure is based on a famous carving on the tomb of a Mayan king named Pakal, showing the Vision Serpent Kukulkan. The Detectives visited this serpent as part of "Terra Incognita."

Welcome back, Ike! It's an extraordinary gift to the program each time you join us!

The Golden Cage II: Off the Page with a Clever Firebird Rescue

Secret Keeper by Tommy D.
Pipecleaner and felt

The first adventure of the season featured our youngest detectives taking on the challenges of Koschei the Deathless and his Skeleton Knights. Our team used some clever magic to escape the clutches of Grubach the Skeleton Knight--they shrank him to the size of ant. They showed both courage and kindness when they stopped to help an old skeleton woman--and gained her help in the form of dolls. To see the dolls visit the Dragon's Eye Ventures Facebook page.

My favorite off-the-page moments: Drew's fire water sheep that drove away the skeleton knights but forgot to rescue the detectives from their bone cages, the ID's that transformed into IPhones for quick calls to Perun the god of lightning, and Thomas' idea to offer Baba Yaga alternative foods to her daily diet of children. She's eating pizza, brownies and black bean soup these days, thanks to our culinary wizards.

The adventurer's favorite games of the week: The dandelions Baba Yaga sent them to collect (They weren't just flowers ... ) and the flying foam Frisbee games (bone cage spells from the Skeleton Knights). The Vermilion Bird of Life (also known as the Firebird) was saved from the Golden Cage, and Koschei the Deathless has been sent packing. Even the witch Baba Yaga is happy--the Detectives left her with money for pizza, a gift certificate (for more pizza), and the cell phone number for pizza delivery to the Thrice-Ten Lands.

Newsletter and Location

The Firebird in the Garden
by Dory Magan, 2000

Dragon's Eye Ventures begins next Monday, July 1, with the first of five adventures this summer. We are changing locations on the Bowdoin campus: We'll be in Room 209 of Sills Hall, on the corner of North Campus Drive and Bath Rd. Newsletters have gone out to registered families--please read these with care! They contain daily schedules, a special invitation to our Friday presentations, and all kinds of information about the program's policies and procedures.

"The Midnight Cat" -- A little French jewel heist with Egyptian roots

The Midnight Cat
R L McNulty 2013
Micron pen & colored pencil

"The Midnight Cat" has one of my all-time favorite bad guys--a jewel thief and shadowmage with a fondness for codes. The story taps into some obscure shadow puppet history from the famous Parisian café known as Le Chat Noir. Henri Riviere is the artist best-known for his elaborate explorations in shadow puppetry--and naturally, we will be following in his footsteps with a little shadow magic of our own.

There are echoes of Egypt in this mystery, lurking under the surface of 19th century France, as the cat has a story that stretches back in time. A little French, a little Egyptian, a little classic jewel thievery and mischief--it all combines to create one of my favorite adventures. A story that won't stop rewriting itself.

Session IV: The Midnight Cat
July 22-26
Ages 9 - 13
$250

Click here for the basic story.
Visit our Facebook page to see our album of shady characters.

Three-Penny Mysteries

Here's something to do with those pennies collecting dust in jars and piggy banks. Bring a few to Dragon's Eye Ventures this summer and invest in a Three-Penny Mystery from Madame Drak.

This is no ordinary fortune-teller's booth--it's a miniature puppet booth currently in the works, part of the backstory that frames the Dragon's Eye adventures.

This is the design for the booth. Photos will be coming as the booth is constructed.

A Warm Welcome

Dragon's Eye postcard design by Rebecca McNulty

Welcome to all those who are new to the Dragon's Eye program, and welcome back to our returning families! It's wonderful to have adventures in the works once again. We have quite a range of folktales and myths this summer--from Celtic selkies (the seal people) to Russian firebirds and French cats.

For those who are new to the site, I recommend starting with the basic description on the Dragon's Eye Basics tab. Then head over to the Summer 2013 page which has links to each adventure we're offering this summer.

To see photos from last summer's adventures, visit the Dragon's Eye Ventures Facebook page.

Summer 2013 Enrollment

Enrollments are beginning to come for the Summer 2013 mysteries. Reserve your space today! There's space in each session.

Here's a glimpse of the new poster, with postcards to come.

The backstory for Dragon's Eye is a constantly evolving tale of mystery. This summer, detectives will learn bits and pieces of the story of how Dragon's Eye Ventures came to be.

Some of last summer's participants met one character who plays a role in the founding of the mythical detectives agency. I'll say no more, but hints may be found on this site and possibly on our Facebook page, the story told through images.

Summer Camp Fair in Bath -Thursday, April 4, 2013

Bath Recreation Department is sponsoring a summer camp fair on Thursday, April 4 from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM. The fair is being held in the gym at Bath Recreation Department, 4 Sheridan Road, Bath, ME 04530. All kinds of camps will be represented, both overnight and day camps.

Dragon's Eye Ventures will be there! Come early and be sure to sign up for the free raffle. We're offering a $25 discount coupon for one lucky family--and there are prizs from each of the camps. For more information, contact the Bath Recreation Department at 443-8360.

Summer Camp Fair in Portland - Sunday, March 17

Dragon's Eye Ventures will be one of 70 camps participating in the annual Summer Children's Camp Fair sponsored by Maine Summer Camps. The fair is this Sunday, March 17, from 1 to 4 PM at East End School gymnasium, 195 North Street. Portland.

Come see what wonderful programs Maine has to offer! Stop by the Dragon's Eye Ventures table to say hello and to learn about this summer's adventures. Four mysteries for the Mavens of Mystery (ages 9 - 12) and two for the Riddle Ravelers (ages 6 - 9).

Joker's Wild - Make-Your-Own-Adventure

The Fool
R. L. McNulty

A mysterious deck of cards leads the detectives on a journey into the unknown where Ace is high and Joker's Wild spells trouble. This experiment with random story generation will add some serendipity into the week. Detectives will create their own secret cards to add to the deck, so the journey we take will be determined by a random draw of cards created by the group and by the leaders.

Each session prior to this final one will add a card based on their week's theme, so this story's potential will grow all summer. This is a new type of Dragon's Eye Venture, so I cannot wait to see how this one evolves! We'll end each summer with a new Joker's Wild and no two will be alike.

Detectives will create their own story cards, sculpt their own set of dice and sew a little pouch to hold everything. The games will be determined by random draws, but rest assured--there is always sneaking in the cards. The group will help create a record of the story, so that an online chronicle of Joker's Wild can begin to grow.

Blackheart's Ruby - Madagascar Pirates

Bone Ruby Compas Rose
by R. L. McNulty

When a magical amulet known as the Bone Ruby shows up at Dragon's Eye Ventures, trouble follows close behind it. The detectives find themselves drawn into the world of pirates and pirate queens of Madagascar at the turn of the 18th century. Before this adventure ends, the detectives must discover the secret location of the legendary pirate utopia known as Libertalia, a place of contradictions where anarchy reigns and slaves walk free.

Detectives will create their own Bone Ruby amulets, pirate maps and flags. Our week will feature new variations of an old classic game called Overboard, along with many other pirate-inspired challenges like Walk-the-Plank.

The Midnight Cat - 19th Century France

Drawing by R. L. McNulty

A mysterious jewel thief known as the Midnight Cat leaves a trail of coded messages that leads the detectives on a wild romp through the artworld of 19th Century France. All roads lead to Paris and the studio of an artist known as Henri Rivière, whose famous shadow plays hide a secret known only to a very few. Can the detectives catch this wily thief, or will the Midnight Cat vanish into the shadows?

Ciphers and coded clues abound in this mystery, and our art projects will include more shadow puppet play. Detectives will make their own codewheels and a jeweled Book of Secrets. Games will include treasure hunts for hidden clues and tracking and trailing the Midnight Cat through the landscape.

Temple of the Sun - Egyptian mythology

Khepri by R. L. McNulty

The Ba spirit of a long-dead pharaoh of Egypt seeks the detectives' help to retrieve an ancient amulet stolen from his tomb. The detectives travel back in time to investigate the theft, which took place in the 19th year of Ramses IX. The clues reveal a struggle between two powerful politicians. Before this case is over, the detectives find themselves on a journey into the Egyptian underworld, in search of the court of Anubis.

This case is based on ancient records of a court case about a tomb robbery. The robbery and the court case are real, but Dragon's Eye adds a little magic to the story! Our projects this week will include Egyptian amulets, hieroglyphs and ushabti (miniature statues placed in tombs--ours will be truly small).

Jewel of the Tides - Celtic Sea Legends

Sea Witch by R. L. McNulty

Celtic legends from Ireland and Scotland are full of stories of the selkies, the seal people who inhabit the seas. In this Dragon's Eye adventure, a sea witch has stolen the shining jewel of the tides from the selkies. Can the detectives stop the sea witch from releasing the dreaded Tonn Taoide, the tidal wave, upon the land?

Our art projects for this mystery include black seal stones and handsewn pouches. Detectives will face many challenges of the sea--waterbreathing, octopus escape plans and anemone sea ciphers, to name just a few.

The Golden Cage - Russian Firebird Tales

Firebird by R. L. McNulty

A falcon's news sends the Detectives off into the Thrice Ten Lands in search of the legendary Firebird who lives in the Golden Mountains of the Sun. Their journey takes them through the mythical landscapes of Russia, with encounters with Baba Yaga the witch and the dreaded Koschei the Deathless and his skeleton knights. Help comes from unexpected places in the fairy tale realms.

Our art projects for this week will include Secret Keepers and lacquered boxes of treasure stones. The games feature ciphers and riddles with a Russian flare, lots of sneaking through magical forests and flying yarnballs.



Summer 2013 Programs for Ages 6 to 13

Dragon's Eye will return for more mysteries for young people this July and August. This year, we're expanding our offerings to include advenures for a wider group of ages. Our first two sessions will feature mysteries for Riddle Ravelers, those budding detectives ages 6 to 9. Following those sessions, we'll have four sessions for the Mavens of Mystery, those young sleuths ages 9 to 13.

What is a riddle raveler? Ravel is one of those strange words in the English language that means the same with or without the more-familiar "un" that turns it into unravel. So a riddle raveler is one who unravels a tangled mystery.

What is a maven of mystery? A maven is an old word for one who has mastered a skill. So our mavens of mysteries are those more experienced detectives who have developed their skills of logic and deduction.

I'll be posting more details about the adventures themselves in the coming weeks.