Nov. 12, Veteran's Day program: Dunraven Fair III -- for 1st grade and Up

Dragon's Eye Adventures will host a mini-adventure on Monday, Nov. 12, at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. This program is for children in first grades and up. The fee is $55 for the day, which runs from 9 AM to 4 PM. After hours are available from 4 to 5:30 PM, for an additional $10 fee.

We will be following the Dragon's Eye Tomte as he heads to the annual Dunraven Fair. This mystical fair is held each year by the goblins, fairies, trolls, and gnomes near the Raven King's castle in Dunraven, Wales.

For those who remember, this is the place where we first met the Occulus. For those who weren't part of Dunraven Fair I or II, "The Rag and Bone Man," or "Joker's Wild," this may mean very little. Let's just say that we'll need to keep our eyes peeled for any signs of danger.

Participants should create four or five tiny pieces of artwork for trading at the fair. The art should be about 2" x 3," fully colored, since the goblins are very fond of color. Don't forget to bring a few found pennies, so we can purchase our mini mystery from Madame Drak.

Bring a healthful lunch (no candy, gum or sodas), a water bottle, sneakers for the Y's play spaces, and a pillow and sheet for some tentmaking.

Session VIII: Joker's Wild -- Recap

The final adventure of the summer was Session VIII: The Joker's Wild. Our story was drawn from playing cards the detectives made during each adventure of the summer. The detectives made cards that brought either help or hindrances to the game, Joker's Wild.

A mysterious box arrived at the Dragon's Eye Detectives' Agency. When opened, a Voice said, "The Game commences. Players take their seats." Resistance was futile, and every detective was drawn tot he table for a game of unknown origin and design.

The game's objective: "Survive." And "impress the GM." The GM was the Game Master, whose identity was hidden for most of the game.

Cards were drawn, introducing characters and events into the game. The Nightmare Box from "The Dreameater" returned with Ballerina Kitty, a deceptively sweet, dancing and twirling kitty who turned into a Yokai, a demon. The Grey Lady from "Rag and Bone Man" arrived, along with her pestilent pennies.

A Gentleman Caller came knocking. He seemed helpful most of the game, sitting on the nightmare box so it wouldn't explode. When he won one of the games, he asked to become a Hero of the Dragon's Eye, so an official ID was procured from Rebecca.

We had a riot with the week's adventuring, as we faced challenges from skeleton knights, a dragon slayer and Rakshasas. Each team constructed a board game which came into play the last few days of the week -- and the winner of each game was able to request a boon from the loser.

This worked well for the detectives when they won. They were able to ask the Gentleman Caller to ask the game to banish some of the worst enemies they were facing. They started with Ballerina Kitty. They also asked the Grey Woman to gather her pennies and leave the game. She did, although a few pennies were left in the Nightmare Box, since removing them involved opening the box.

Some of the helper cards they received were very timely, too. The Jatayu swooped down to rescue people in the sewers of London game. The Treasure Keeper of the gods offered special dice for the games.

The Hindu goddess Sita arrived, recently trained as a Hero of the Dragon's Eye. She had her dice and her jewels, but her Third Eye of Inner Wisdom was missing. The detectives discovered that her help comes like a monsoon in summer -- rushing in great waves of overblown magic and causing as much trouble as help. Fortunately, they eventually drew Sita's Moon Rabbit card, and her Third Eye of Inner Wisdom was restored.

Oliver and I took turns playing the Occulist, one of the most horrible enemies in the game. He eats eyes -- and was very interested in Sita's lost third eye. What a treat that would have been. He pulled out a plate, knife and fork and a napkin, to begin his feasting -- but even he was defeated at last.

I'm happy to report that the detectives learned who the GM was and how he came to learn about the Heroes of the Dragon's Eye. First he was disguised as a cicada the group admired on a tree. He watched the team and decided to stay, turning from one insect or creature into another.

He was a June bug that the girls found in the bathroom. They rescued him by taking him outside where he could fly free. Another week, he was a wasp that found its way into the Dragon's Eye room. The detectives captured the wasp in a cup and sent him out the window to his freedom (and their great relief).

Each week he changed, and each week the detectives showed their kindness and courage. They befriended him as a squirrel, nodded to him as a crow and admired him as a huge, black beetle.

Our friend was a skeptic, so he couldn't believe his eyes and ears. He devised the game to test the reality of this team's honor -- and sure enough, they passed. He may have to amend his ancient report to the gods about the shortcomings of humans.

The best part of the adventure came at the end. The game was done. The party over. Rebecca was left at the Dragon's Eye Detectives' Agency. She went to turn off the lights and realized that someone was still there. Who was it?

The Gentleman Caller.

He's still there, turning the detectives into his own little demons.

A sequel is in the works for next February.

Pictures of the adventure and the board games are on the Facebook page. I've combined the art and adventure into a single album, since they were so integrated this week.

Session VII: Blackheart's Ruby - Recap

Dragon's Eye Adventures moved to the Landing Y in Brunswick, for the seventh adventure, "Blackheart's Ruby." The story dives into a romanticized world of pirates, where liberty and chaos reign supreme.

The detectives receive a visit from a mysterious man seeking their help. The encounter ends badly, when the man is dragged into a void by red webs and tentacles. He throws a pouch to the detectives, with hasty instructions to destroy the Bone Ruby it contains.

The detectives follow the clues to Wales and then back in time to Libertalia, a legendary pirate port on the island of Madagascar. There, they seek information at Rapscallion's Rootbeer Pub. Their plan was to join Blackheart the Pirate Queen on the final voyage of her long life.

The team disguised themselves as pirates, and undertook Scalawag's Trial of Seaworthiness. A rollicking game of "Overboard" ensued, with seafaring instructions like "Batten the hatches," "Hoist the sails," and "Captain's Coming." By the time Blackheart arrived, the detectives were performing like pirates, which is to say, pretty well, with occasional excursions to the brig. Pirates love the brig.

By now, my experienced readers may sense that I'm leaving out a few details -- a few very important details. Like what happened to one certain detective, whose very life and liberty were threatened in a very significant way. Well, I'm just not going to say more that that right now. I may run this case again. (I've already run it twice in Maine, and about five times in the Boston area.)

I can't tell you where the pirates were going, who they met along the way or why they were going to this place. Let's just say, it was dangerous. Very dangerous. Life and liberty hung in the balance, and the detectives had to keep their wits about them.

Blackheart's Ruby had a good time. A very good time.

Thank goodness the detectives had the fey dragon, the black cat and the moon rabbit with them. They were just a few of the random bits of magic that saved the day. 

We had a wonderful time playing pirates and drinking rootbeer. Pictures of the detectives' wonderful pirate maps and bone amulets are on the Facebook page. So are shots of the adventure itself. Maybe those photos will provide a few more clues about the story!

Session VI: Hound and Horn -- Recap

Koschei the Deathless as a baby
with the Spirit Pups and Cernunnos' Horn

Our sixth adventure of the 2018 summer season began a year ago, when a group of detectives turned Koschei the Deathless into a baby. A baby needed someone to care for it, so they gave the infant to the nearest immortal they had summoned for help. That immortal was Cernunnos, the Celtic god of the Wild Hunt.

A Russian necromancer in the hands of a Celtic Winter King ... what could go wrong there? Naturally, the action spawned a sequel, which was "Hound and Horn."

This year's program assistant is Oliver Van Soest -- the owner of the Cernunnos amulet that was used last year. With some help from the Raven King, Oliver assembled a team of detectives to investigate what happened to the baby Koschei.

The team started in Wistman's Wood in Devon, England -- a short, stubby wood known for its ties to the Wild Hunt. The woods were full of pesky brambles and adders, and even a couple of ornery dwarves, but the detectives managed to make their way through the challenges.

An encounter with the Hounds of Annwn (the underworld spirit hounds) soon confirmed that the group was on the right track. Cernunnos requested a demonstration of the group's targeting skills before allowing them into his summer home, deep inside an ancient oak tree.

They soon learned that Cernunnos had sent the child into the care of a nurse. A swift roller coaster ride on the backs of spirit hounds led to her home. A squirrel's offer of jewels was turned down, due to suspicions about its character. This may be the first offer of jewels ever turned down--but several of the detectives in the group have had trouble with chaos jewels given by a "friend," so their caution is understandable.

The team turned themselves into bats with squirrel tails--a perfect disguise for entering the cave where the nurse lived. The sleuths proceeded with great caution -- a few among them were convinced that the nurse would turn out to be the Baba Yaga or some other witch who would try to eat them.

The nurse seemed perfectly lovely, taking care of baby Koschei in a cradle. He was playing with spirit hound puppies and his skeleton knights. He was not happy to see the heroes of the Dragon's Eye and tried to warn the nurse, but she could not understand his baby talk.

The team tried to explain why they needed to take Koschei away, but the nurse was reluctant to part with her little ward. She was trying to fatten the little guy up--a challenge, given that he's basically a skeleton with a few scraps of flesh.

When the detectives resorted to trapping the nurse in a serpent trap, everything went awry. They ended up caught. She turned into a blue-skinned hag named Black Annis. She had iron claws strong enough to dig out her own mountain cave, and long, stringy hair and a hideous face. Sure enough, she planned to feast on their bones, and she started to prepare the broth for soup.

Fortunately, the team had a group of detectives hidden in the tunnels, still disguised as bats. A little troll magic turned the broth Black Annis was stirring into a whirlpool. Another spell trapped the witch into a lightning cage and banished her to the nether realms.

In all of the chaos, Koschei the Deathless escaped. He hooked up his little spirit hounds to his cradle and flew off into the sky. He left behind a drawing of his plans. He was headed to Ceridwen's Cauldron, to dip his Skeleton Knights into the cauldron.

Once the detectives escaped their cages, they dove into the whirlpool.

Whirlpools are time and space portals used by trolls to travel around the world from one whirlpool to the next. When you use such clever troll magic, it is wise to tell the whirlpool where you wish to end your little travel. Our detective forgot to do this, which means we had to toss a coin and roll the dice to find out where the detectives would land. We've visited multiple whirlpools in Dragon's Eye Adventures, and no one wanted to revisit Charybdis and Scylla, or the Naruto Whirlpool in Japan.

We ended up at Old Sow in Downeast, Maine. She's a lovely pig with a golden star, friend of dragons. When she heard the detectives' story, she sent them to the Corryverckan Whirlpool off the coast of western Scotland. Two of the detectives had been here, one for "Midcoast Trolls" and the other for "The Winter Queen."

The Summer Queen (Brigit, Brigit and Brigit -- she's a triple goddess) welcomed the detectives into her golden hall of summer. She revealed the mysteries behind Koschei's plan to visit Ceridwen's Cauldron. He wasn't going to the one in Lake Tegid, which gave poetic inspiration. He was headed for the one in the heavens, that brought spirits back to life again in the cycle of life and death and life again.

Brigit, Brigit, Brigit explained Cernunnos' role as the Winter King, otherwise known as the constellation Orion. The Hunter rises at dawn on Samhain, Nov. 1, to take over the night sky during the winter. The Summer King is the Serpent known as Scorpio, who takes over the ruling of the sky at Beltane (May 1). With Koschei the Deathless in the Celtic Realms, the world would have two Winter Kings vs. 1 Summer King, upsetting the balance and bringing Winter year round.

The Cave Bear

The detectives made a plan to disguise themselves as bone creatures worthy of joining the bony army Koschei was trying to gather on his way to Ceridwen's Cauldron. Their plan was to trick him into taking them with him -- and then stopping his master plan to take over the Wild Hunt.

I'm happy to say that their little ruse succeeded. Koschei was overjoyed to find such ruthless villains to join his army. Pictures of the ruthless villains are on the Facebook page.

The final battle was spectacular, with yarnballs flying, healing spells rolling and Koschei ranting about the ruthless army that never showed. The group finally subdued the little tyke (he was tougher than one might imagine). A little kazoo magic summoned the Summer King serpent for help, and a pair of well-crafted glasses hypnotized Koschei into telling the truth about his diabolical plans.

The detectives devised a plan for returning Koschei to the Russian realms of myth. They sent him back to the Isle of Buyan, where his soul is kept underground. They forced him to become a lime on a tiny tree that would grow all summer, keeping him contained until the proper time arrived. He would be released to play his role as a winter king of sorts, maintaining the balance in the Russian realms, but each summer, he would resume his shape as a lime.

Congratulations to the team for a week of funny antics and escapes, and a most unexpected ending. Lime magic is a rarity among the varieties of earth magics. Almost as rare as kazoo magic, which is almost as rare as a ladybug that swells up and squishes the enemy.

Pictures of the adventure are on the Facebook page.

Summer 2018 Session V: The Serpent Roads -- Recap

The fifth session of the summer focused on Egyptian mythology for a mystery called "The Serpent Roads." Merneith the Time Raveler requested help from the detectives as she investigated a time tangle in the Serpent Roads.

Our team traveled with great care to the source of the problem, uncovering a plot to drain this world into the next. Silvery serpents tried to draw the team into the huge funnel knot, but the detectives drew on some vintage Star Trek magic and Sarubobo the Monkey Baby from Japan to protect themselves.

A bit of trickery landed the detectives in two glowing crystal pyramids. The two groups could not communicate, so they each began working on a solution. With turtle magic, we nearly had two tunnels being dug toward one another at the same time--but one team was slightly faster, so the second spell was saved for later use.

After defeating a giant Sandworm, the detectives made their way to an oasis in the desert. Their luck changed as the Egyptian goddess of luck, Renenutet, showed up with help. The team cast a scrying spell to locate Merneith, and found her in a prison tomb beneath an abandoned temple in Egypt.

One woolyborus ride to Egypt and the detectives arrived as golden scarabs. Two hungry cats were hunting beetles and snakes in the overgrown grass near the temple. After sending the cats scurrying after a red laser beam dot, the detectives found themselves with only a fire jewel. The cats had the jewels and an ID.

The team decided to rescue Merneith before retrieving their items. They faced some challenging serpent powers, who caught them and put them in prison. The very prison where Merneith was held.

Once again, I don't wish to give away secrets of the story, in case their is a future repeat of this mystery. Merneith and the detectives managed to escape the prison with some new knowledge that helped turn the tide of the adventure.

The detectives received Moon Shadow Books that summoned help from an Egyptian god or goddess. They assembled Fixitrons--tiny robots that perform time and space feats of engineering magic. Armed with these two powers, the detectives took on the trouble of the time tangle.

I'm happy to report that all's well with the world. The clog was removed, the Serpent Roads untangled and the responsible parties were hauled off the the Hall of Judgment for a talk with Ma'at, goddess of truth and justice.

And the detectives? They had a party; and what a party it was. Pizza, fireworks, and the summoning of a new immortal, an asteroid god who couldn't resist the lure of a good celebration.

Photos of the adventure are on the Dragon's Eye Adventures Facebook page. Images of the Books of Shadow are also there.

Summer 2018, Session IV: Rag and Bone Man -- Recap

The fourth session featured a mystery called "The Rag and Bone Man." The detectives traveled back to the 19th century in search of the rag and bone man in Victorian London. They chose to begin their search in 1851, when they could blend in with the many foreign visitors attending the Great Exhibition.

The detectives visited Cloth Fair to find the shop of the rag and bone man named John Dunne. Cloth Faire is an old alley behind St. Bartholomew's Church, across from Smithfield. The adventure centered around this area, with multiple trips through time.

The group soon discovered that they were not the only ones seeking John Dunne. A friendly ophthalmologist offered some assistance, while two dapper gentlemen with steampunk wings offered some trouble. The detectives found an old shopkeeper who purchased their rag bundles for a few pennies. She knew of John Dunne's shop, but hadn't seen him in a while.

The team decided to visit the Great Exhibition while they were there. Then they were off in time again, still searching for Mr. Dunne. When they found him, he was very helpful, teaching them to make amulets powered with rag and bone magic.

Rag and bone magic is a deep kind of earth magic, drawn from the broken and discarded debris of human lives. It is mending and healing magic -- and very useful in scrying and spirit magic. The detectives needed a boon for Madame Drak -- and John sent them on a quest for the three items he needed to make it.

The first item took the detectives to the Bartholomew Fair in Elizabethan times. The second item led to St. Bartholomew's Hospital in the 12th century; and the third item led back to around 12,000 BCE. I won't reveal details here, since this mystery will be offered again. (No secrets before their time.)

Let's just say that a lady offered a helping hand, a gentleman kept an eye on things, and our two winged friends offered interference as often as they could. The team managed to make it through even the most dangerous challenges, and Madame Drak received her boon from the Rag and Bone Man.

Photos of the adventure are on the Dragon's Eye Adventures Facebook page. Pictures of the rag and bone amulets are there as well.

Summer 2018 Session III: Shadows of Dawn -- Recap

Ravana

The third session of the summer featured a mystery called "Shadows of Dawn." The story drew upon the traditions of Balinese and Javanese shadow puppetry, called the wayang kulit, and the Hindu epic, The Ramayana.

Sita was a shadow puppet who takes advantage of the magical twilight just before the dawn, when a door opened between the shadow realms and our world. She snuck out of the dalang's box of shadow puppets, hoping to find a little time to herself. She didn't realize that she had been followed, and soon found herself abducted--again--by Ravana the sorcerer and his Rakshasas.

Hanuman the Monkey King witnessed this and traveled to the Dragon's Eye Detectives Agency to ask the detectives to find Sita. She wanted to become a hero, so that she wouldn't have to wait for Rama to rescue her (again).

Our Detectives were quite sure they were up for the job. Sita was a very enthusiastic detective, diving right into her first fire spell. The results were spectacular. BOOOOM! Door gone. The noise drew a wee bit of attention from Ravana and his Rakshasas--so Sita had the brilliant idea of turning herself into a little dog, so she could zip through their legs.

The detectives tried desperately to stop Sita, but the little dog took off through the city. Before the detectives knew it, she was rolling another spell. Fire serpents rose throughout the city, spitting fireballs all around them. The city went up in flames, and Ravana and his henchmen were soon busy putting out the flames.

Seeing the devastation she was causing, Sita tried to fix the overkill with a little water spell. She summoned clouds to rain down on the city. She did not know how to turn off the spell, so this soon turned into a flood, and the detectives and Sita were washed out of the city to the seashore.

Taming and training Sita was no easy job, and many a chase ensued as misunderstandings occurred. The detectives explained the need for wisdom to Sita, and eventually, they made it back to the agency, via an origin stone from Terra Incognita.

The detectives set off again, this time to return Sita to the shadow puppet box. Along the way, they encountered the mysterious King of the Yakshas and his jewel-spitting mongoose. This brought them treasures, amulets that could summon help from Hindu and Balinese immortals, such as Indra, Saraswati, and the Barong.

Another encounter with Grami-Devi, a village spirit, brought insight into the reason that Sita's wisdom was missing. This opened a new quest for the team: To restore Sita's wisdom. I won't go into the details of the journey, to save a few secrets for future groups. Let's just say that the final battle included Ravana and hi demons, plus one of the most alarming immortals in Balinese and Indian mythology.

Our detectives called upon their special amulets for assistance, and finally succeeded in defeating Ravana and his Rakshasas. They restored Sita's wisdom, brought Rama and Sita back together, and the immortals threw a party worthy of such a victory.

This was a wonderful week! Our detectives really excelled in their courage, compassion, wisdom, respect and honor. They taught Sita what they themselves had learned--to think with care before taking action. Visit the Dragon's Eye Facebook page for photos of the adventure, as well as photos of the group's amazing shadow puppets.

Summer 2018 Session II: DaVinci's Dragons -- Recap

A fey dragon among the dragon tongue beans

Session II of the summer 2018 season began with an investigation of a crime scene. A globe made from ostrich eggs had vanished. The clues led the detectives first to Austria and then to NYC for a visit to the public library, where a second globe, this one made of copper, had also disappeared.

It's tough to write a description of the mystery without giving away too many details to future participants in this mystery. Let's just say that the tables were turned. The villains turned out to be heroes and the heroes villains; and the detectives found themselves aligned with some unexpected yet delightful cohorts.

The detectives were hired a second time, to chase the new villain through time, to rescue the two globes that were stolen. They took the Oroborus back to Florence in 1509, to visit the studio of Leonardo daVinci. They soon found themselves trapped in a cage and attempting to convince Leonardo to return their magnifying glass. He kept it--he was studying optics and a lens as fine as this one was very difficult to secure. (He did return it to them, but not until 1518.)

The detectives soon left for Rome in 1516. They visited a slightly older Leonardo, but he didn't see them. Their target was a certain dragon slayer called by the Pope to investigate a rumor about two dragons that Leonardo had. The trail soon led to 1518 in Amboise, France, where Leonardo was staying at Chateau du Clos Luce.

Detectives piecing together a clue

In France, the detectives used invisibility spells to evade floating eyeballs, and dodged flying spells with great skill. The chef with the gold star in her shadow had a few surprises in store. The best were the fey dragons hiding in her vegetable gardens.

Special thanks to Jeremy Tardif and his team of gardeners. We visited the Bowdoin College gardens and hid the dragons among the beautiful plants growing neatly in rows. Later, we learned that we had hidden them among the dragon tongue beans!

Our art projects this week included adorable fey dragons and fairy engineers with flying machines. Photos of the artwork and the artists at work are on the Dragon's Eye Adventures Facebook page. Click here for the link.

The detectives did finally retrieve the two missing globes. They uncovered the secret of Mona Lisa's smile, and solved the mystery in a very satisfying way. They traded the dragon slayer for fake globes, sending him off happy (for the moment).

Fairy parties are known for their fun -- firework by the firebirds, flights of dragons through the stars. All's well that ends well.

Thank you to our bold and fun group this week! I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful works of art you created. A lot of hard work went into the fairies and engineers, and it shows in the final results!

Click here for pictures of the games and challenges we had this week.

Summer 2018, Session I: The Dreameater -- Recap

The first week of the summer began with a new nightmare each morning. The Dream Box was opened, and something horrible was revealed, and the Detectives had to gather all the courage they could to dive into that box to investigate the source of the bad dreams.

The nightmares weren't so bad at first. How could a sweet little kitty in a tutu possibly be a nightmare? She was.

Our brave Detectives faced each nightmare with courage and a little help from Tig and company. Tig is the baby dragon who casts a magic bubble around a Detective, providing a convenient shield. The group needed Tig less and less as the week progressed.

They took down the powers of the basan, the colorful roosters who breathe fire.

They left a stone to honor an ancient tree spirit and a magical night heron who blew blue spirit bubbles that floated through the air.

They greeted ghosts with a wish for a safe journey to the Underworld.

They faced a giant spider -- and even shook it's hand ... it's paw ... it's leg. "Hello, gentle spider."

As the Detectives solved this mystery, they each had a friend they brought from home. We had a penguin, an owl, two tiny hedgehogs, a miniature leopard, a pink unicorn, a bobcat, a bear, and a rather large bunch of broccoli.

The stuffies met the Baku, the Dreameater. He gave them each the power to eat nightmares. They had a feast of nightmares before the story was done. They ate a huge, one-eyed ogre. They devoured a whole army of skeleton knights. They swallowed a rising sea of ink.

I can't tell much about the cause of the nightmares without giving away secrets for the next group to take up this mystery, so I'll have to say that all's well that ends well. This story ended well. We had a party, with potato chips and pizza, and fireworks. The nightmares ended. Sweet dreams returned.

Each Detective went home with a picture of the Baku to place under their pillow, and their stuffies are still Deputy Dreameaters, ready to dine on nightmares whenever they may occur. Visit the Dragon's Eye Adventure page on Facebook for photos of the adventure.

Summer 2018 Preparations

This week, I had two young visitors who helped me test projects for the summer mysteries.

First, we made inventors, a special kind of Secret Keeper. They're constructed from pipe cleaners, wooden beads and Holland wool felts. Once we had the figures, we designed tiny flying contraptions for them.

Each design was different. The one pictured to the left is the Thunderbird special, complete with storm and lightning effects. We used rice paper and wooden sticks to fabricate these.

These inventors will be part of the story for Session II: DaVinci's Dragons.

Here is a second design. This one is a more modern take on wing design. This is the strongest of the three flying machines we made, with double constructions that look much like a suspension bridge for the teeny tiniest travelers to cross.

Visit the Dragon's Eye Facebook page to see one more of these little flyers -- and come back later this summer, to see how the whole group tackles this cool project.

Dragon's Eye Summer 2018 Update

With the Summer 2018 season just around the corner, I am busy writing stories, crafting odd little characters and planning cool projects. Here are a few examples of some of the projects and characters we'll be meeting.



The first image is the Baku. We'll be meeting him in Session I: The Dreameater.  This adventure for ages 9 to 12 still has four spaces open. More information about the story may be found here.


The second image is another character from The Dreameater. I can't reveal who she is or what that magical vessel next to her does. You'll have to find out from one of the young detectives who solve the mystery.

The third image shows the tiny fey dragons from Session II: DaVinci's Dragons. They are one of the art projects for that week. That adventure has one space open. More information about that story may be found here.


The Current Programs page has information about the programs. The registration form may be found here. The Summer 2018 newsletter may be found here.

Introducing Our Summer 2018 Program Assistant

I am delighted to introduce our Summer 2018 Program Assistant: Oliver Van Soest.

Oliver is a rising junior at Casco Bay High School in Portland. He has spent two summers working at Waynflete's summer programs. He is a member of the Model UN at his high school, and studies fencing at the Portland Fencing Center. Last summer, he spent four week in Tokyo, studying the language and culture of Japan.

In 2015, Oliver organized a middle school climate change awareness march to City Hall in Portland. As a member of his high school's Environmental Awareness Team, he helped organize a symposium in conjunction with USM, to educate the public on the dangers of ocean acidification.

In his spare time, Oliver takes art courses at MECA and exercises his considerable talents in the arts. He is a young artist to watch--and clearly a civic leader in the making. I have watched Oliver grow into an amazing young man over the last six years, and he and I are both delighted to see him step into the role of Program Assistant.

Oliver is a veteran Dragon's Eye detective, one of the Maine Founders who joined in 2012 when Dragon's Eye first opened in the state. He is well-known among our team members as the one who summons Cernunnos, the Celtic god of the Wild Hunt. Cernunnos walks a path of extreme chaos, so the results of asking for help are always surprising.

Here's a link to some of Cernunnos' actions during "The Well of Destiny" and "The Golden Cage." This summer, Oliver will lead the detectives in the investigation into what happened when Cernunnos took the baby Koschei the Deathless into the Celtic underworld.

Summer 2018, Session VIII: Joker's Wild

Joker's Wild
RL McNulty 2013
Micron pen on paper

Dragon's Eye Adventures will be returning to the Landing YMCA for two weeks this summer. Session VIII will run from Monday, August 20 - 24, for all ages (6 to 16). The hours are the same: 9 AM to 4 PM for the adventure, with after hours until 5:30 PM.

Session VIII will feature a mystery called "Joker's Wild: Second Edition." A mysterious deck of cards leads the detectives into the unknown, where Ace is high and Joker's Wild spells trouble. Our story will be generated from a random draw from a deck of cards. Detectives will create their own secret cards as the week progresses, trying to counteract the dangers of the ones already in the deck.

Our projects this week will include the story cards, our own set of dice and a handsewn pouch to hold them.

Summer 2018, Session VII: Blackheart's Ruby

Blackheart the Pirate Queen
RLMcNulty 2018
Micron pen, colored pencil, ink

Dragon's Eye Adventures will be returning to the Landing YMCA for two weeks this summer. Session VII will run from Monday, August 13 - 17, for all ages (6 to 16). The hours are the same: 9 AM to 4 PM for the adventure, with after hours until 5:30 PM.

Session VII will feature an adventure that is among my oldest stories. Red stars abound in this high chaos mystery called "Blackheart's Ruby." It features a magical amulet called the Bone Ruby. The Detectives undertake a quest to discover its origins, trailing the clues back to 18th century Madagascar. This ruby was nonce owned by a pirate queen named Blackheart, and our heroes will have to sign on as her crew if they wish to solve this case. We'll see if they can convince her to take them aboard the Rabblerouser.

Our projects will include our own Bone Rubies with their accompanying pirate maps.

April Vacation 2018: Terra Incognita (Ages 6 to 16)

World Tree

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

The April vacation adventure will be held at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick, for all ages (6 to 16). The program will run on Tuesday, April 17 through Friday, April 20, from 9 AM to 4 PM. After hours will run from 4 to 5:30 on Tuesday through Thursday, and until 5 PM on Friday.

The adventure is "Terra Incognita," the unknown lands. These are the lands marked on the edges of old maps, the unexplored corners of the world where monsters dwell. These unknown lands are growing, while the known lands are shrinking. The Detectives race against time to uncover the reason before their memories of the known are lost in the mist.

Pull at the rhumb lines of this adventure, and a whole network of world tree myths emerge, with the fearsome Three at its core. Do the Detectives have the courage (or folly?) to visit the Dread Three?

Our project this week is one of my favorites: Origin maps. Each participant should bring copies (not originals) of photos of the people, places, animals of their lives. We'll be mapping out our journeys with a bookmaking project.

We will host a Friday presentation for parents at 3:30 PM. This will be an exhibit of the group's origin maps.

Summer 2018, Session I: The Dreameater

The Baku

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session I of the Summer 2018 season runs from July 2-6 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. This is a four day adventure, with July 4 off as a holiday.

The mystery is called "The Dreameater." It draws on Japanese myths. Detectives should select one small and brave stuffed animal to bring to this adventure as a guest in the story.

Stormclouds full of nightmares gather in the Dreamtime, sending the Detectives on a quest for the legendary Baku, the Dreameater who feeds on nightmares. This elusive and shy creature inhabits the farthest reaches of the Dreamtime, the corners where many mortals fear to tread. Not our brave adventurers! Armed with their Courage Stones, our Detectives will dive right into the maelstrom, searching for the one who can help them defeat the Nightmare Maker.

Our stuffed animals will return home bolstered with enhanced nightmare deflection skills.

Summer 2018, Session II: DaVinci's Dragons

What Dragons?

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session II of the Summer 2018 season runs from July 9 - 13 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Our adventure will be "DaVinci's Dragons." The story draws on Italian Renaissance legends about the artist Leonardo DaVinci.

The Detectives are called to New York City to investigate the disappearance of a brass globe. Clues lead them into the fairy realms and then back in time to the Renaissance studio of the great Leonardo. Fey dragons, fairies and famous artists -- what's not to love about this adventure?

Oh! I almost forgot to mention the gadgets. We can't visit Leonardo without making some cool and artsy gadgets and gizmos.

Summer 2018, Session III: Shadows of the Dawn

Shadows of Dawn
RL McNulty 2018
Micron pen & digital ink

Session III of the Summer 2018 season will run from July 16-20 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Our mystery this week will be "Shadows of the Dawn." The story is inspired by Indonesian shadow puppetry and the Hindu epic "The Ramayana." We'll be playing with Javanese and Balinese leather shadow puppets from my collection, and learning how to make our own from illustration board.

Our story leads into the realms of shadow and light, in search of the Princess Sita. She's been kidnapped yet again, and she's tired of waiting on the Monkey King and her husband, Rama, to send a rescue. With the help of our Detectives, she takes matters into her own hands, unleashing a world of chaos on the ogres.

Summer 2018 Session IV: The Rag and Bone Man

The Rag and Bone Man
RL McNulty 2018
Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session V from the Summer 2018 season runs from July 23-27 for ages 9 to 16 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. It features a story called "The Rag and Bone Man." The rag and bone men traveled from house to house, buying old bones, rags, metal scrap and other household junk. They would sell the rags for making paper; and the bones were used to make handles for knives and other items. Soap was made from the grease. The metal scraps were the most valuable items, helping the ragpickers stay alive.

Our mystery involves a legendary rag and bone man from 19th century England. He and his horse made their way through the streets of London, and magic followed where they went. Madame Drak will be sending our Detectives on a mission to uncover some of the secrets of rag and bone magic. It's a grubby journey best undertaken by those who have no problem with mud pies.

Summer 2018 Session V: The Serpent Roads

The Serpent Roads

RL McNulty 2017

Micron pen & digital ink

Session V of the Summer 2018 season runs from July 30 -- Aug. 3 for ages 9 to 16 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Our mystery draws inspiration from Egyptian myths about "The Serpent Roads." These are the roads that lead the way through the underworld and into the stars. These roads are created within the body of the serpent god known as Mehen. In Egyptian art, Mehen is often seen as a kind of serpentine aura protecting Osiris as he journeys into the Duat.

Mehen makes his way into the Dragon's Eye world as the Ororborus, the magical serpent who transports the Detectives through time and space. Merneith the Time Raveler will be sending the Detectives into Oroborus on a tracking and trailing mission. We will be making our own time and space gadgets to survey the serpent roads. It's not easy mapping chaos, but we will do our best.

Summer 2018 Session VI: Hound and Horn

Hound and Horn

RL McNulty 2018

Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink

Session VI of the Summer 2018 season runs from August 6 - 10, for ages 9 to 16 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. The mystery is "Hound and Horn," a story drawn from Celtic and Russian mythologies. It is a sequel to last summer's "The Golden Cage," a Russian tale. The detectives from that case solved one problem by creating a new one, turning Koschei the Deathless into a baby and allowing Cernunnos the Horned God to take the infant home to care for him.

Cernunnos isn't normally part of "The Golden Cage." He was summoned by the magic of a detective who is fond of the chaotic god of the hunt. Every summer, Cernunnos has helped the detectives in some rather unexpected ways. His help comes at a cost. We'll discover that cost this summer, in the mystery "Hound and Horn."

We've already had hints of what's to come from the Dunraven Fair miniquests that were held last November. I can say that transporting an immortal from one mythological system to another (Russian to Celtic) sets up many intriguing questions about broken boundaries, so chances are Merneith the Time Raveler may be involved in this one.

The Sun Thief - February Break Mystery for Ages 6 to 16

The Sun Thief by RL McNulty
Micron Pen & Colored Pencil

Dragon's Eye will be offering a mystery for ages 6 to 16 during the February 2018 break. The program will run on Tuesday through Friday, Feb. 20 - 23, from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. After hours are available from 4 to 5:30 on Tues through Thursday, and Friday until 5 PM.

Our mystery will be "The Sun Thief "-- a story based on Cherokee myths about the sun, horned serpents and Grandmother Spider. These stories are traditionally told only during the winter months, when the horned serpents have returned to their watering holes. Tell these stories in the summer, and the serpents will hear you and send snakes after you.

This is another series of star myths that connect the workings of the winter and summer solstices with the cycles of the stars throughout the year. The detectives will learn which constellation represents the horned serpent and what web Grandmother Spider uses to bring back the sun each year.

It's the web that needs some repairs, so Merneith the Time Raveller will be training the Detectives in the dangerous work of Time Ravelling.

Star Quilt - Update on Monday, Jan. 15 Mini Quest

Puzzle Quilt and Story Stone for "The Star Quilt"

We'll be celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a story shaped from African American folklore. "The Star Quilt" started as a tale focused on the Underground Railroad, but it took a turn towards the south during the research phase. Must have been all of those bitterly cold winter days ... the flock moved towards warmer climes.

Our project will be a handpainted puzzle quilt, with designs and colors drawn from African mud cloth. These elegant puzzles will be fun, since the quilt can be made and remade by shifting the pieces.

The Dragon's Eye Facebook page has an album of images of the Puzzle Quilt designs in progress. I'll be adding images of the children's work after Monday's adventure. Here is the FB link.

There is still room in this mystery for a few more children! More details about the story are here, and the registration form is here.

The Star Quilt -- Jan 15 Mini Quest for Ages 6 to 16

The Star Quilt
R L McNulty, 2017

Dragon's Eye Adventures will offer a mini quest for ages 6 to 16 on Monday, January 15 at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. Our adventure will feature a mythical story about the quest for freedom, drawn from African American folklore and the history of the Underground Railway. Our tale will tie into the modern struggle for civil rights and the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The adventure will run from 9 AM to 4 PM, with Afterhours until 5:30 PM. The fee for the day is $55, with Afterhours an additional $10. The registration form is here. Children should bring a water bottle, a healthful lunch, winter clothes, and indoor gym shoes.

There is still room in this adventure, as of 1/11/2018.