A Fish Story

A nishikigoi at Ueno Park by Lepidlizard
from Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday's birthday party featured a story drawn from two sources: A modern urban legend about Hanoko the 226-year-old koi from Japan and the Chinese myth about the koi transforming into dragons at Dragon's Gate. Our detectives breezed through the challenges and earned the trust and gratitude of the nishikigoi and koi traveling along the Yellow River. Congratulations to the team for an afternoon of fun with fish and dragons!

Pepper's Ghost: Columbus Day Mini Adventure

October is the month for ghosts and goblins--and Dragon's Eye Adventures will open its school-year sessions with a one-day mini adventure called Pepper's Ghost. The adventure will be held on Monday, Oct. 13 (Columbus Day) from 9 AM to 5 PM.

We will meet in the second floor hall of the Pilgrim House across from First Parish Church, at 9 Cleaveland St. in Brunswick. The fee for the day is $60, covering eight hours of spooky adventure.

Here is a brief description of the mystery Pepper's Ghost: 

The Dragon’s Eye Detectives investigate the ghostly apparitions haunting an old London theater. The clues lead back in time to the 1860s, when John Henry Pepper’s Ghost Illusion was all the rage on the London theater scene.

This mini adventure features a hands-on exploration of this special effect, which has been used in “roller ghosters” (the precursors of roller coasters) and haunted houses since the 19th century. Participants will make their own ghosts and bring them to life in our special Pepper Ghost Mini Chamber.

Book of Shadows - Report

Book of Shadows by Mathea Hoy

The final week of the summer 2014 season featured the mystery known as "The Book of Shadows." Eleven detectives traveled to the village of Knockainey in Ireland, to track and trail a mysterious mage known as Mr. Blackthorn.

Trouble plagued the group in the form of bramble traps and false bounty. The detectives lost their Starbowl, their pouch of jewels and four IDs before the week was done, but they managed to overcome all obstacles in their path. Even the Shadow Creatures were no match for our team.

With courage running high, the detectives kept up as Blackthorn moved from one ancient barrow to another, gathering the Book of Shadows and the key that would unlock the portal leading into the Shadow Realms.

Fran Townsend as a squirrel

We were blessed this week with more help that allowed for advanced games. Fran Townsend brought her considerable skills as an arts educator and school teacher, taking on characters like the Shadow Creature and Donn Firinne. She played the Shadow Eye that guarded the artifacts in Blackthorn's tiny briefcase, allowing us to play one of our favorite sneaking games in the halls of Searles Science building.

Mary Melquist as Aine Cli

Mary Melquist also joined us this week, as the Irish sun goddess Aine Cli. She came in glorious regalia, testing the detectives' courage, compassion, wisdom and respect. Aine Cli gave the detectives their Sun Spark Stones, which may be seen in an album on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page.

After a journey into the halls of Donne Firinne, the detectives faced their final magical battle in the shadow realms of the Book of Shadows. Their wonderful Books of Shadows may be seen on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page, along with other albums showing the week's adventure.

Very special thanks go to Fran Townsend and Mary Melquist. Fran's help was invaluable this week and her stamina impressive! The albums are full of her wonderful photos. Mary's performance was full of color and warmth, so fitting for a sun goddess.

Mr. Blackthorn and three shapeshifted detectives,
a moonmage, a blackjack and a Americian saddle horse.

Thank you also to all of the amazing detectives who journeyed with me this week! It was a week of extraordinary courage and heightened imagination.

Take a look at the shadowpuppet album -- each detective chose their magical path as a mage, complete with their favorite transformation. We have chaos, order and balance mages among us who shapeshift into a Shadow Dragon, a Rabbit, a Blue Fire Lion, a Moonmage, a skeletal T-rex, a Phoenix, a Chameleon, a Barn Owl, an American Saddle Horse, a Blackjack and the very rare Mermage.

Mask of Dreams - Report

Eleven Detectives took on the mystery known as "Mask of Dreams" last week at Bowdoin College. While rain kept us traveling from building to building on some days, we managed to eek out a really fun week. Our three new Detectives dove right into the spirit of adventure and the group took on the Oroborus challenge without a single hitch all week!



Kate Sibole joined us as an assistant, opening up possibilities for game play. Ken Walden and Lou Ensel returned for another role as Phantasms. Kate's team and my team were able to split up and track the Phantasms through the labyrinth of the Cave of Sleep. It was a game for the record books, sure to become legendary among those of us who were there!





We started in the Searles science building, where the two Phantasms parted ways. The trackers crossed paths through the bowels of the art building and the trail became twice as dangerous as the Detectives had to watch for freezing spells coming from both directions. Both groups passed an amazing wall of eyes and I had to take a picture -- it was so perfect. Bowdoin is wonderful for the bits of serendipity it provides.


Morpheus the god of dreams challenged the Detectives to a competition in the dreaming. This turned out to be a shadow puppet competition. Each side has three minutes to make shadow puppets. Morpheus began with a story about a hero sailing through the waters in a dragon boat.

The dream became nightmarish when the dragon boat swallowed the hero. The first group of Detectives had three minutes to turn that nightmare into a good dream again. Then Morpheus turned it back into a nightmare and the second group of Detectives turns it into a dream.

Our poor hero was saved by rainbows and unicorns, only to have them turn into pits of doom and sharks. Along the way, the hero enjoyed many burritos and occasionally a taco, but even that came back to bite him in Friday's version for parents, when the Taco monster rose. Fortunately, our clever Detectives saved the day--and Morpheus was entertained by their creativity, their humor and their ingenuity.



It was an amazing week, and the dream masks and shadow puppets are all in albums on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page. The children's art never ceases to amaze me, and these albums are becoming treasure troves of memory for these brief and fleeting adventures!

Thank you to Kate Sibole for such capable help this week! From Phantasms to Charon to Athena to Oneiros the ancient god of dreams, Kate played them all with style and ease!





Thank you also to Ken and Lou for another great morning--tracking and trailing of that kind is an advanced maneuver for the Detectives! More adults on my side even for a short while means trickier games and richer challenges!

Thank you, Kate, Ken and Lou -- and thank you to my wonderful, clever Detectives. This was one memorable mystery! The Mask of Dreams will never be the same.

Nine Fallen Suns - A Special Report

Very special thanks go to Ken Walden and Lou Ensel for their help with the Nine Fallen Suns adventure this week! These two fathers of detectives braved the wilds of the Dragon's Eye world by coming to play the guardians of hell. I wish I had thought to use the camera that was in my bag, but I enjoyed the moment so much (the expressions on the children's faces, the performances by our two guests) that I forgot the camera was there.

I don't wish to give away secrets for the next adventure, but suffice it to say that our visiting lords of hell were fabulous! Appropriately menacing as guards and impressive and forceful as the King of Hell and the Lord Inspector. Their sons suspected something was up, but agreed that their dads were great in their roles. Proof that D&D has some use in the real world!

Thank you, Ken and Lou! Here's a look at how one son viewed the two of you:

Horse-face and Ox-head, the Guardians of Hell
Drew Walden

Nine Fallen Suns - Report

Eight detectives gathered at the Dragon's Eye headquarters for the second mystery of the 2014 summer. "The Nine Fallen Suns" is a story about compassion for nine missing ravens shot from the sky by Yi the Archer in Chinese mythology. Tenth Sun's strength is waning as he carries the burden of ten suns, and he needs his brothers to rekindle his sunspark stone.

I think of this case as a story about compassion--and this group of detectives really took that message to heart. The Turtle Lion named Kung Tan arrived to hugs. The detectives rusted and then burst the metal bars of an iron cage, and then felt so bad, they healed it, breaking the spell they didn't know was there and releasing Iron Ox. There aren't many iron cages left in "Nine Fallen Suns" -- the twenty-one cages that held the nine sun ravens and the twelve moon daughters all became baby oxen.

Even the campus bugs received the love as we stopped for every beautiful moth, beetle, cicada and what-in-the-world-is-that creature. The detectives greeted the campus squirrels with our traditional gesture--and one little squirrel sat down to eat a perfect little white mushroom as Sara and I said hello.

We had fun out of game with the Chaos and Order Spies searching for the Dragon's Eye detectives. The group decided to hide their identity, and became an art camp led by Mrs. Wiggins. Her art instruction must have really helped, because this week's art really flourished. The detectives learned to work with chaos and order in their paintings and the glorious results may be found on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page.

I will remember this special week as the week of hugs and bugs. The mythological world may have been headed into darkness, but our group of detectives brought a special light with them into the underworld! The sun ravens and the moon daughters are home, safe and sound, free to take their turns in the world. Tenth Sun has been healed and the sun spark stones shine with a brighter light.

Moon Lanterns

One of the loveliest and simplest of art projects is the Moon Lantern we're going to be creating for the mystery "Nine Fallen Suns." After a week of sunchasing, the Detectives will need a bit of the moon's cool and collected beauty. Twelve rabbits might seem an unlikely crew to produce such soothing, gentle moon energy, so I like to think of this project as something the moon daughters create during bunny snuggles time (which is most of the day--I should know, I have three rabbits slumbering in my home.)

I tested many different flower and lantern designs to come up with something easy and elegant. Here is the final design:

It's a traditional fanfold flower made from crepe paper, which gives it more strength and suppleness. The petals are easily arranged and fluffed. The light is a little battery-powered tea light. Safe for paper, since it's an LED bulb. I think the handle may need to be two pipe cleaners, so they hold their shape.

At night, the Moon Lanterns come into their own with a lovely warm glow.

I can't wait to see a whole group of these -- we may have to find a dark hallway somewhere on campus, so we can take some lovely photos. There are more photos of the lantern in the Nine Fallen Suns album on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page.

The Red Crow

The Red Crow
R L McNulty
Micron pen & colored pencil

The first puppet I ever made was a sock puppet that I happily dubbed a red crow. I loved that little bird. My mom gently suggested that maybe it was a cardinal or some other red bird, but I insisted that it was a crow.

Years later, while researching Chinese myths for a play I was writing, I came across the stories of the three-legged red crow that inhabits the sun. Further research into ornithology showed that there are indeed red relatives of the crow in Southeast Asia.

Naturally, I had to write a Dragon's Eye mystery about the red crows/ravens (the Chinese do not distinguish between the two in their myths). "Nine Fallen Suns" is the result -- a response to one of those myths that just ended badly for the crows.

Here is a drawing that bears a striking resemblance to my first puppet. I'll be out this weekend looking for the right red sock. If anyone has a good one, let me know!

[Update: For pictures of the final puppet, visit this album at on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page.

Secret of the Gargoyles - Report

Eleven detectives ages 6 to 9 gathered for the first adventure of the summer. The dragons sent them to the island of Chimera, where the villagers needed their help. A certain sharp-eyed detective spotted the first gargoyle in the village just after they arrived (for a glimpse of that gargoyle, visit this page) and the gathering of secrets began. 

There was a story to hear from Old Mum, a tale of a young girl named Aine the Brave, who saved the village from trouble five hundred years ago. There was the wizard behind all the troubles, and the secret source of his magic powers. There was a secret keeper named Mr. Pinkerton -- a tiny pink rabbit whose help proved invaluable to our clever sleuths.

My favorite part of the mystery was a visit by a new shadowmage named Razark (played by our CIT, Raphael Foye). Razark specializes in alchemical potions of disguise and hallucinations, and the young detectives found this very helpful when they wanted a nice--oops, I mean horrible--gargoyle disguise so they could enter the wizard's castle.

I'm happy to report that the detectives managed to trap the wizard in his own crystal ball. All gargoyle troubles have safely been stashed away in cans, and each detective has taken one home as a keepsake. Assuming they don't open the cans, I can assure parents that there will be no more gargoyle troubles.

Summer 2014 Begins with "Secret of the Gargoyles"

Island of Chimera by R. L. McNulty 2014
Micron pen, colored pencil & acrylic wash

The yarnballs are in the wash and the foam Frisbees drying on the rack -- a sure sign that a summer of mysteries is on the way. My table is overflowing with art supplies and my entryway holds an ever-growing stash of bags carrying the makings of an adventure.

Session I "Secret of the Gargoyles" starts on Monday, June 30, with a group of eleven detectives. Here is a glimpse of the map behind the story -- it's gargoyles all the way on this one. We will be searching out Bowdoin's stone guardians and doing our best to keep the village safe.

Summer Internship with Dragon's Eye Ventures

O Captain, My Captain!
Photo by Ike Voorhees, Summer 2013

Dragon's Eye Ventures is looking for an intern for the Summer 2014 season. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the inner workings of adventure-based education. This is an unpaid internship that runs from Friday, June 27 through Friday, Aug. 8--six weeks and a day of adventuring with young people!

The intern will work side-by-side with Rebecca this summer, playing character roles in the adventures, running games and team challenge initiatives, helping detectives with their projects, and assisting with the daily tasks, such as snack and lunch. The hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM with a half-hour break around lunch time.

Applicants may send a resume and coverletter to dragonseyeadventures@gmail.com.

Session IA: Ragabash the Rude

The Serpent's Tooth
in its raw form waiting for
the scrimshaw map

Session 1A has been added to the summer 2014 adventures as an additional mystery for ages 6 - 9. The mystery for this week is "Ragabash the Rude." A missing scrimshaw on an old sea serpent’s tooth leads the Detectives on a one-of-a-kind journey aboard The Roustabout, the ship carrying the notorious Ragabash the Rude and his band of pirates known as the Rabblerousers.

There are two paths through this adventure and the group much choose between them: Infiltrate the pirate and follow the story disguised as Rabblerousers or join Ragabash's nemesis, Captain Blunderbuss and the crew of The Gusty Gull. Either path leads to trouble on the seven seas, so our Detectives better have their wits and their sea legs about them!

Our art projects depend on the path the Detectives choose--pirate bandanas or British Navy tricorn hats. We'll be the best-dressed sailors on the campus this week. We will also be making our own scrimshaw serpent's teeth.

Ragabash the Rude: An Additional Adventure for Ages 6 - 9

Compass rose from a pirate map
by R L McNulty
Colored pencil on paper

With the first session nearly full (one space left) and requests coming for additional weeks for our youngest detectives, Dragon's Eye Ventures is adding one more week to the summer offering for ages 6 - 9. Session IA will run from July 7 through July 11 as a five-day mystery.

The adventure fee is $250, and After Hours is $50. If you have already registered, just print out the second sheet of the new registration form and send that along with the payment.

Our mystery this week will be "Ragabash the Rude"--a wonderful romp on the seven seas with Ragabash the Rude, captain of The Roustabout and leader of a crew of pirates known as the Rabblerousers.

Session V: The Book of Shadows

A book of shadows by R L McNulty

Our summer 2014 season will end with a journey into the underworld realms of "The Book of Shadows." This is an advanced adventure for ages 9 to 13, a story for the brave hearts among us.

A powerful Irish mage seeks “The Book of Shadows” in an attempt to open the portal between the realms of light and shadow. Can the Detectives stop him from releasing the vengeful Shadow Wraiths upon the mortal world or will the dreaded shadowy terrors walk the sunlit paths?

This adventure draws upon old Irish myths of the sun and the dark realms of the dead. Our activities will also focus on light and shadow, with books of shadows and sunspark stones. The books of shadow come alive when light shines through them. The most intriguing shadows are often the ones discovered and not planned.

Session IV: Mask of Dreams

Mask of Dreams
R L McNulty

Session IV features "The Mask of Dreams," a mystery for ages 9 to 13 that draws on Greek myths about Morpheus and Oneiros, two ancient gods of dream.  A mask of unknown origins has some secret powers that unlock the dream world. This story is a tried-and-true adventure guaranteed to augment the detectives' knowledge of Greek mythology. One 4th grade teacher friend of mine uses "Mask of Dreams" every year during her unit on Greek myths.

The activities this week include making our own two-sided masks of dreams. One side represents a happy dream and the other represents a nightmare. Morpheus also challenges the detectives to a shadow puppet duel in the world of dreams--and parents, family and friends will get to see the duel on Friday at our usual 3:30 presentation!

Session III: The Nine Fallen Suns

Moon Daughter
R L McNulty 2014

The third session of the summer involves an adventure inspired by an old Chinese myth about "The Nine Fallen Suns."  Our mystery picks up where the original myth left matters.

Tenth Sun has carried the burden of ten for millenia, and his sunstone needs to be rekindled by his brothers' sunstones. Can the Detectives find them in time to prevent the sun from setting for a final time?

The nine fallen sun ravens is a fascinating myth that is based on the Chinese calendar system. The ancient Chinese reckoned time with both a base five and a base six system. They had a ten-day week based on the sun, and a twelve-day week based on the moon.

This summer, the Detectives will encounter the twelve Moon Daughters on their journey--elusive rabbit girls whose myths have been lost to time. Ten sun raven boys and twelve moon rabbit girls -- a cosmic family in need of a reunion.

It saddens me that while we have the story of the sun ravens, the story of the moon daughters has been lost--I intend to fix that, based on what I know about the myths and calendar system surrounding the story of the sunravens. We'll bring the daughters and the suns home this summer.

Session II: Da Vinci's Dragons

The second session is an adventure for ages 9 to 13 called "Da Vinci's Dragons." This is a more complex version of a recent birthday party adventure, redesigned for the Mavens of Mystery. A mysterious globe is stolen and the Detectives are called in to follow the trail of clues in a classic "whodunnit." Naturally, there are dragons at the base of this story ... and a famous artist.

This week has something for everyone--fairy dragons, old globes with mysterious origins, and a unique combination of Renaissance art, science and magic. Our projects this week will include perspective drawings that explore a little Renaissance magic and fey dragon sculptures.

Session I: Secret of the Gargoyles (Ages 6 to 9)

Gargoyle Globe
from "Secret of the Gargoyles"
by R L McNulty

The summer 2014 season will begin with a four-day adventure for children ages 6 to 9 (entering first through fourth grades). "The Secret of the Gargoyles" involves a wizard and stone gargoyles that don't stay stone for very long ... and that does not bode well for the villagers who live below the castle. Can the detectives learn the secret of the gargoyles before the wizard unleashes his evil plan?  Our art projects for this week include gargoyle masks and snow globes.

Summer 2014 Programs Announced

Dragon's Eye Ventures will be offering five weeks of programs during the summer 2014 season. These will be held on the Bowdoin campus in July and August, running Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. Afterhours care is available for the week or a single day.

The first week of July will feature an adventure for our youngest detectives, ages 6 to 9. The Secret of the Gargoyles promises lots of fun with wizards and gargoyles and a mythical creature called the chimera.

The next four sessions are for detectives ages 9 to 13. Session II is "The Black Skystone of Doom"--a hilarious romp through the little-known Atrocious Period, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth. This is perhaps the funniest Dragon's Eye adventure, with the dreaded spitasaurus and Humongasaura Regina, the Dinosaur Queen.

Session III features "Ravens of the Sun," a story that takes up where a Chinese myth about sun ravens ends. Nine sun ravens have been shot from the sky, leaving Tenth Son to carry the burden alone. When he grows ill, his mother seeks out the Detectives, for help finding the nine fallen suns.

Session IV offers "The Mask of Dreams," a mystery leading to the Cave of Dreams in the Greek underworld. The Detectives must seek the help of Morpheus, the god of dreams, if they are to save the world this time.

Session V closes the summer season with "The Book of Shadows." This adventure leads into the Irish underworld realms, chasing a shadowmage who threatens to unlock a door into the shadowrealms. What goes into the shadowrealms is not the Detective's concern--it's what come out that causes concern.