Fall Fun at Dragon's Eye -- Recap of Election Day and Veteran's Day 2019

Election Day was a school holiday for a handful of districts in the area, so we gathered at the Landing YMCA for a day of Tomte fun. Many of the children already had Tomtes and small houses from our adventures last winter, so they brought what they had and added to it. A few detectives made their first Tomtes and houses, all in a day!

The delightful results of this building may be seen on the Dragon's Eye Adventures Facebook page. Click here for the album.

Veteran's Day was the day the detectives make an annual visit to Dunraven Fair. This fictional fair is run by goblins, fairies and trolls. In the past, the detectives have had to sneak into the fair. Last year, the Gentleman Caller used some powerful time magic to bring the fair to Brunswick.

This year, the Raven King decided to invite the detectives as his honored guests. He gave them special Dunraven passes and masks to disguise their identity as mortals. The fair is not a safe place for mortals, since many of the visitors are quite dangerous to mortals.

This year, our team created a board game with the tents and game booths, and the Dunraven Castle overlooking the fair. We will use this board game for future fairs, changing and growing the games each year.

The game booth makers crafted the three games the detectives played, in order to earn artwork for trading. The games were great fun! I'm happy to report that the detectives won enough tickets to visit the Goblin Market.

At the market, they had a choice of merchants to visit. The trolls were there with their special trolls treasures--a Snail Stone, a Troll Wizard Doll, and two other Troll Dolls. The fairies had Fey Folk Dolls, a Fairy Dragon Doll, and a Baby Fairy Dragon Doll. The goblins had Lizards, a Dinosaur Egg, a Toad Stone, and a Firefly. Everyone went home with a very special trade!

Photos of the board game are on the Facebook page. Click here for the album.

Fall Festivities for Election Day and Veteran's Day

Dragon's Eye Adventures is hosting two one-day programs to celebrate the fall.These programs are for experienced detectives in grades 2 thru 8.


Tuesday, Nov. 5 -- Election Day -- Tomte Festivities

The Brunswick schools have this day off, so I thought I would offer a short program on this day. The program runs from 9 AM to 4 PM, with after hours available until 5:30 PM. We will meet at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. The fee is $55 for the main day, and an additional $10 fee for the after hours.

The Tomtes are preparing for their annual visit to the Dunraven Fair on Nov. 11, so we will spend our day preparing for the festivities. Detectives may bring their Tomtes and their Tomte houses, if they have them. Those who don't have a Tomte may make one, and those who have one may augment their houses or add kith and kin to their Tomte clan.

Monday, Nov. 11 -- Veteran's Day -- Dunraven Fair III

This program will also run from 9 AM to 4 PM, with after hours until 5:30 PM, at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. The fee is $55 for the main day, and an additional $10 fee for the after hours.

This is our third visit to the hobgoblin trade fair known as the Dunraven Fair. The Raven King has sent an invitation to the detectives for this year's fair--a very rare occurrence in the fairy realms.

Detectives should prepare tiny artworks of extraordinary quality to trade for rare artifacts at the fair. Detectives are also welcome to bring tiny treasures to trade with one another -- with parents' permission.

Notes for both days:

Be sure to send a waterbottle and a lunch with your child. If your child has special dietary needs, add two snacks to the lunch, one for morning and one for the afternoon. I will serve fresh fruit and snacks for those who can have them.

Please accompany your child to the room, if they are under 12 years of age. Children ages 12 and over may sign themselves (and any siblings) in and out of the program, with permission from a parent. Teens may also be added to another family's list of authorized pickups.

Drop off begins at 8:45 AM, and pickup extends from 4 PM until 4:15 PM. There is a late fee of $10/10 minutes. After hours are available on both days until 5:30 PM, for a $10 fee.

Participants may bring a sleeping bag/blanket and pillow for use during our freeplay time after lunch. We'll use the sleeping bags for our trading grounds at the Dunraven Fair.

Summer 2019, Session VII: Junkyard Invaders -- Recap

The final mystery of the 2019 summer season was held at the Landing YMCA in August. An experienced team of fifteen detectives tackled the mystery with everything they learned from earlier adventures. They were a little suspicious of the raccoon who led them to Jake's Junkyard in Roswell, NM, but this didn't stop them from going.

It's not easy bringing a junkyard to the classroom, but we managed! Old bins full of the most intriguing "junk" kept things fairly contained -- and gave lots of inspiration for the robots we made.

We met some intriguing and pesky aliens. The Skeeters were out in full force this week, both the earthly skeeters and the alien ones. We met another group of aliens as well, the clan of the Tartars, named after a Cream of Tartar can from the junkpile. They were refugees from an alien planet, searching for their mother ship.

I can't say much more about this, since I will definitely repeat this adventure in the future. We went off page partway through the week, bringing Jake's Junkyard Tomte into the story -- but it was so rewarding that I may include that part next time. Thank you, OE -- that was a brilliant addition to the story!

We're going to have to make more junkyard Tomtes, and more junkyard robots, so I'm thinking sequel next February or April. This will give the robots we made this week a real workout, too -- we need to explore what they do!

Kids and staff were busy all week, crafting alien robots from old tin cans, pieces of old folding rulers, silverware handles, and parts from antique oil lanterns. Pipecleaners became the fasteners of choice for arms, and collectively we made about twenty five glass eyes. The results were fabulous--the robots may be viewed on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page by clicking this link.

Photos of the adventure may be viewed here.

Thanks, once again, to Oliver Van Soest for working as my assistant this summer. His robot may be viewed along with the ones I made for the story, by visiting this link on my Ravenscrawl Studio page.

A very special thank you goes to Jeremy Tardif. He cut the old folding rulers into arms, and drilled all of the holes in our tin cans.

Summer 2019, Session VI: The Beekeeper at the Crossroads of Time -- Recap

The sixth session of the summer was our last mystery on the Bowdoin campus. The detectives visited the Pierian Mountains of Greece, to investigate the deaths of the mythical bees there. The mountains are home to one of the springs of the nine muses.

Our team drew on their extensive knowledge of Greek mythology to solve this mystery. We started the week with a "download" of the Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes that the detectives knew--and the list included about 70 names, plus the names of the five rivers in Styx. That was just a start, since many others came up over the course of the week, along with their stories.

This is a particularly tricky adventure to summarize, while maintaining the secrecy needed for the next time I run this mystery. Let's just say these few things:

1)  Our team of detectives was on top of every possible direction the case could go, devising one intricate theory after another for who could be behind the troubles we faced.

2)  There were bees. Lots of bees. The bees we made are adorable, and their flowers are gorgeous. You may view those on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page by clicking this link.

3)  Zeus was ... Zeus. He didn't know much about things as tiny and insignificant as bees, but he sure liked that Pierian honey. We treated him to some aroma therapy.

4)  Why visit one Oracle at Delphi when you can visit four, in four different time periods? So, maybe it wasn't our idea to do that, but it worked out well for us. Four pythias and one omphalos stone helped us understand the crossroads of time more efficiently. Thanks, little bee!

Photos of the adventure are on the Dragon's Eye Facebook page -- here's the link!

Special thanks go to Oliver Van Soest, my assistant for the summer.

Summer 2019, Session V: Goat and Ger Recap

The fifth mystery of the summer involved a trip to Mongolia to investigate the disappearance of a very special goat pulling the Shrine of the First Queen on a cart. Sangarel the Moon Rabbit led the way to the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, via moon bridge.

The detectives disguised themselves as two shepherds and a herd of goats, to travel into the mountains. Trouble arrived quickly in the form of trolls called Mangathai. The Mangathai were gathering in large numbers for a meeting with their Khan, to celebrate the discovery of a very special treasure.

A gathering that large and that special required the best chefs in the realm, so chefs came from afar to compete for the honor of creating the best stew for the Khan. Goat and human were on the menu, naturally -- surely you saw that coming? It isn't a Dragon's Eye adventure until someone threatens to eat our detectives!

Our wily team outwitted the chefs, leaving them sleeping in the kitchen, while they went in search of the treasure. They found their stolen artifacts. and the Spirit Cat one detective brought revealed more secrets, leading to the Goat, Burke, and the ger.

The poor goat had the bejeebers scared out of him, leading to many jokes about the lost bejeebers. I suspect this will not be the last time that bejeebers are lost, as we started to imagine just what kind of creatures bejeebers might be. I sense an art project coming in the future.

One of the highlights of the week was a showdown between a detective disguised as a troll chef, and a mangathai chef. The competition went well -- our chef was slinging out the disgusting ingredients and frustrating the mangathai chef quite nicely. Until he summoned the Lady of Pestilence to request a poisoned penny. The Lady came and the results were ... disastrous.

Fortunately, the detectives had a back plan called Des Arnaldo. He used his sonic toe crack to stun the trolls, throwing them again the walls. He summoned mutant woodland creatures to nibble on their toes, and took over their limbs and forcing them into a huge food fight. Our team grabbed the treasure and headed out of the trolls' caverns.

They had the goat, the ger (magically transformed into a golem, so the trolls wouldn't know they had the cart and ger), and First Mother ... but the adventure was far from over.

In a grove of trees outside the cavern, the team discovered a black owl with green eyes that had been watching the entrance to the cave. The owl turned out to be one of the nine sons of Erlik Khan, king of the demons. His father had sent him to capture the First Queen, so he was very interested in the goat and ger and the little box the detectives carried.

Our team outwitted this adversary and escaped by using their dragon wings. They turned into full grown adult dragons, thanks to the first detective to ever reach twenty mysteries. They flew deeper into the mountains, until they were safe.

The adventure continued with more blessings and challenges -- a ring summoned the Wind Horse, a Moon Rabbit returned with pocket Tengri for each detective, a Marmot attacked a second time--attempting to shoot the moon with his arrows--and all nine sons of Erlik Khan tried to capture the First Queen with her goat and ger.

I'm happy to report that the detectives defeated every challenge--and yarnball--thrown their way.

Thank you once again to Oliver Van Soest, my assistant, who played many roles this week--Marmot, Mangathai Khan, Son of Spies, Son of Darkness, Son of Evil, Son of Defeat, and Troll Chef.

We had a wonderful week! Photos of the pouches and Tengri we made are on the Facebook page, along with images from the adventure.

Summer 2019, Session IV: "Lizards of Solomon's Mines" Recap

The fourth adventure of the 2019 summer season featured an adventure called "The Lizards of Solomon's Mines." Fifteen detectives ages 9 to 14 took up the mystery, bravely diving into the story.

Madame Drak's lizards, Yasheritsa, led the detectives into the Copper Mountain jar, where it is pennies all the way down to the subterraneous world of lizards. A rollercoaster ride led to the depths of King Solomon's secret gold mine in the mythical land of Ophir. There, the detectives discovered a box made of light hovering over a grid of jewels. A dark fog was oozing from the jar, freezing the miners and the magical shedim working in the mine. Even the lizards were in trouble. They turned into crystallized, jeweled lizards, frozen in time.

A tiny airplane delivered an invitation from a stranger, leading the detectives into the desert in search of a secret entrance into the underworld. The Night Demons chased them, trying to steal the box--and for a brief time, they succeeded--but our team pulled together and escaped with the box of light.

The visit was quite unique. Let's just say that our host was just hanging around the cave, waiting for visitors to entertain him. The detectives amused him quite well--and he sent them to the next person who could assist with their quest.

She was very helpful. She gave the detectives sound advice, protected the box of light from the night demons, and provided many jewels for their journey. How very kind of her. She even told the team who to visit, to find the three missing jewels needed to secure the box. So very helpful.

Our detectives traveled back in time to the 10th century BCE, to meet with Zadok the High Priest from the Tribe of Levi, Hiram the Builder from the Tribe of Dan, and King Solomon from the Tribe of Judah.

What can I say about the ending, without giving away anything to future detectives? Not much. All's well that ends well, and no lizards were harmed in the making of this adventure. I'm happy to report that the crystallized lizards were returned to their normal forms, and they were so grateful to the detectives that they are now offering them their special brand of lizard magic.

Thank you to Marcello Santomenna and Oliver Van Soest, for playing some very entertaining characters! This was Marcello's last week as a CIT, and we will miss him! 

We have three more adventures with Oliver--and he continues to create cartoons and drawings for each mystery. I will post his cartoons after the summer ends -- and will let families know when they are on the website!

Visit the Dragon's Eye Adventures website for photos of the lizards the detectives made, and for images of the adventure.

Summer 2019, Session III: Recap for "Indra's Net"

Fifteen detectives joined forces for the third mystery of the 2019 summer, "Indra's Net." The story drew on Hindu and Buddhist myths from India, featuring the retired Vedic god, Indra, and his net of illusions. The birth of a baby elephant with wings frays the net, and the detectives were called by the dragons -- and by Indra--to investigate.

They flew by Garuda Express toward Swarga, Indra's heavenly palace and realm, but were waylaid by shadow nagas, enemies of the Garuda. Yarn balls and foam Frisbees flew in turns, swift runners were named, and the games were spectacular as the detectives sent the shadow nagas home for healing spells.

The meeting with Indra did not go as expected. His priorities were not the same as the detectives', but he did loan the team some powerful items for their quest. Those came in handy at the end, but not for the reasons Indra intended. Let's just say that the old god of storms had a sudden flash of insight -- and a baby elephant gets to keep its wings!

Photos of the beautiful pouches and stones the detectives made are on the Dragon's Eye Adventures Facebook page. Here is a link. Images of the adventure itself may be found here.

Thank you to Oliver Van Soest and Marcello Santomenna for assisting me this week. This is Oliver's second summer as my assistant, and Marcello is volunteering as a CIT for a few weeks this summer.

Summer 2019, Session II: Recap for "Wayward Tales"

Madame Drak and the dragons sent the detectives to the Asante tribe of Ghana, Africa, for the second mystery of the 2019 summer. When two visitors arrived at the Dragon's Eye Detectives' Agency, the team had to choose which one to follow. This team flew into the heavens to visit Nyami the Sky God. He told them about the empty Treasure Box of Stories, and asked them if they could hunt down the stories and return them so that he and the sky people could enjoy a good tale.

The detectives headed to the village where Anansi the Spider lived, to ask him about the escaped stories. His wife Aso and youngest son, Ntikuma, helped the detectives locate Anansi, who had a tendency to wander when work was about to be done.

Our mystery involved tracking and trailing a series of three deconstructed stories. Anansi's memory was full of holes, so the detectives had to visit the people and animals in Anansi's stories, to interview them. They didn't always see the stories as Anansi did, so getting them to cooperate took some brave and clever work on the detectives' part.

The Facebook page has some wonderful shots of the detectives tracking and trailing Osomo the elephant, riding a dragon through the sky, and sneaking up on a blind bat. Here is a link.

While I can't expose many of the secrets of the tales, I can say that the detective with the triceratops foot has been cured, along with the detective who had the T-rex arm. The furry hand, arm, and shoulder took a little more work to cure, but I assure you that no detectives were left behind as a pile of bones. Good thing we had that dinosaur egg from the first adventure, and that Tomte from last February's adventure, and the fairy dragons ... they saved quite a few people from the lovely lady we met by the river's side.

Our team's kindness turned a start from red to gold -- and now we have a friend in high places, and a whole village of friends in the jungle. Even Anansi was pleased with the detective's parleying skills. He has a whole new story to tell.

As for Nyami, his Box of Stories overflows with the stories the detectives created. If you'd like to see some of their beautiful books and the creatures detectives made in after hours, visit them here.

Summer 2019, Session 1: Recap

We discovered daily rainbows cast
by the sun every afternoon in Searles

The detectives gathered three found pennies for the first Three-Penny Mystery of the summer. Madame Drak brushed off the cobwebs of winter and scrubbed away the muddy vestiges of spring, as she polished her crystal ball for the first dream from the dragons.

A Black Skystone of Doom was heading toward earth, and the dragons foretold of a trip back in time to a place where the dinosaurs roamed. Sure enough, a package arrived from Professor Eon Oscaput, a paleontologist with an extraordinary tale about a magic ring that the dinosaurs had that could turn aside the Black Skystone of Doom.

Our team gathered the largest cabbages they could find an headed off for a visit to Timedigger and his Tin Lizzy time machine that loves riddles. Timedigger sent them back 66 MYA, to the Atrocious Period, a little-known era at the tail end of the Cretaceous Period.

The cabbages came in handy as camouflage for the carnasaurs -- and as friendly offerings for the herbisaurs. Our team had a fabulous week of romping and stomping with the dinosaurs. The pictures are priceless and may be viewed here!

We couldn't save all of the dinosaurs, but we did our part rescuing Mamasaura's dinosaur eggs. They'll hatch once in every adventure, when a detective needs a little dinosaur help with future mysteries!

Dinosaur eggs for "Black Skystone of Doom"

With the start of the summer season only weeks away, I've been working on projects for each session.

I have to admit that I have a history of rocks that follow me home -- a habit that I couldn't quite shake from childhood. When Andrea and I visited Washington state, there were several boulders on the beach that were calling to me ... and sure enough, they came home in my suitcase and are sitting in the window of my living room 20 years later.

When I went looking for egg-shaped stones for our dinosaur eggs, I turned to an Etsy vendor from Washington state. Four heavy deliveries later, we have stones for our project. Here is the first round of dinosaur eggs, painted with exotic patterns that enhance the beautiful gray.


If you're looking for the camp location at Bowdoin College, scroll down to the next post. The posts for each week start three posts down from this one--and a specific week may be accessed by clicking the title of each mystery on the Current Programs page.

New Location for the First Six Weeks of Summer -- Searles 314

Dragon’s Eye Adventures is moving to Searles Science Building, Room 314, for the first six sessions of the summer. The building is on Upper Park Row, two doors down from the art museum, and right next to the theater.

Searles is one of my favorite buildings, blending Gothic Revival and 20th century Modern steel and glass. Our space is air conditioned, fully accessible, and slightly larger than our old room. Some detectives will recognize the room--we used it last summer on hot days.

The physics professors have a hallway chess game outside our door. Please keep an eye on this as you arrive. The pieces are more delicate than they look--and an actual game is in progress, so caution children to leave the pieces where they are. We will make our daily moves as a team.

A campus map is on the Current Programs page of the website. Leave extra time, in case there are no parking spaces on Upper Park Row.

Do not drop your child off at the door, if they are under the age of twelve. An adult (or sibling over twelve) must accompany all children under twelve to and from the room.

The Night Parade -- Recap -- April 2019

Eighteen detectives gathered over April break, determined to prevent Nurarihyon, the Gentleman Caller, from taking over the Dragon's Eye Detectives' Agency. They brought all kinds of magical artifacts, including tiny fairy dragons, Secret Keepers, shadow dragon amulets, a luminous Moon Rabbit, a troll tooth, and even a goldfish who could summon the Salmon of Knowledge.

We needed all of that extra magic, plus the clever insights of our team, to send Nurarihyon packing. For anyone who has not been following our 9-month adventure, Nurarihyon is a Japanese Yokai who loves to take over people's homes.

You may read more about him from his first emergence in "The Dreameater" to his re-appearance at "The Joker's Wild." A summary of his actions for the past nine months is part of the February recap for "The Gentleman Caller."

Nurarihyon started out as a kind of bubble creature called a nurarihyon. These jellyfish-like creatures float out of the waters of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. One of these creatures rolled onto the shore and transformed into the short, gourd-headed monk named Nurarihyon. He is the leader of the Night Parade of 100 Demons, a dreadful parade through the streets of Japanese towns and villages.

Nurarihyon moves into people's homes. He puts the owners under a spell and slowly takes over ownership of the house from the spirits who own the ancient land. He came to the Dragon's Eye Detectives's Agency after the detectives lost a game to him. The detectives owed him a boon, a request granted. Nurarihyon asked to become a detective.

As soon as he moved into the agency, Nurarihyon started to work his magic, taking control of Rebecca the Dragonmage and going after the Twig and Turf held by the Dragon's Eye Tomte or house gnome (genius loci) named Madog. The Twig and Turf are the deeds to the Dragon's Eye property, as practiced in an ancient ceremony called the Livery of Seizin. The detectives called upon their own Tomte to stop Nurarihyon from stealing the Turf and Twig.

Nurarihyon sent Rebecca to the Underworld to fetch some cookies from the Queen of the Underworld, Izanami. When Madame Drak sent a dream showing Rebecca surrounded by a ring of Bubble Creatures, the detectives were forced to leave the agency on a rescue mission. Mathea the Dreammage in charge, promised she would hold down the fort.

They found the overly happy Bubble Creatures in an Underworld lake, but they slipped away, taking Rebecca with them. A helpful spirit octopus recommended a visit to the Queen of the Underworld -- a daunting visit full of peril, given her history.

Izanami was a goddess of the Upper World, once -- beautiful and strong. She and her husband Izanagi created the world, the islands of Japan, and all of the creatures and plants that inhabit that world. She died giving birth to the fire kami (god).

Izanagi tried to bring her back from the Underworld, but made the mistake of shining a light on her while she slept there. The light revealed a decayed corpse crawling with maggots -- a terrifying sight. Izanagi fled, and Izanami was enraged (he had promised not to look at her). She sent her Ladies of Horror and her Skeleton Warriors after him, and he barely escaped. Izanagi promised to divorce Izanami, and in revenge, she promised to kill 1000 beings each day. He swore he would give life to 1500 more beings each day, to offset her destruction, and so it has been ever since.

Our detectives had to visit this lovely lady with a gift. They chose flowers, first, and then decided to bring her a perfume that evoked the smells of the very first morning of creation. They hoped the lovely scents might bring back good memories. Their only fear was that she might think of Izanagi and fly into another horrible rage.

The detectives were careful not to look at her. They were polite and respectful and courageous. They performed all kinds of funny dance steps as she requested, hopping like frogs, leaping like fire lizards and running around like wild horses. They even sang her a song. She liked that most of all. (It was the alphabet song, a song she had never heard before this.)

The detectives were granted a rare audience with the perilous Queen of the Underworld. They followed all of the Underworld protocol, and presented their gift. Izanami smelled the sweet perfume and thought about the mist rising from the water, the dewdrops on the bright green grass, the snowdrop that grew from her footprints. She almost remembered her ex-husband, but the detectives quickly turned her thoughts to the other beauties of creation.

The Queen of the Underworld granted them safe passage through her realms, and revealed the secret location of Nurarihyon's palace, the place where the Bubble Creatures had taken Rebecca.

The detectives went there and found Rebecca (disguised as a cuttlefish) and the Bubble Creatures, deep in the Seto Inland Sea. The detectives cast an earth spell over them preventing them from leaving ... and then were surprised when Rebecca dug out of the trap and told them that the Bubble Creatures were only trying to show her something.

Nurarihyon's sea palace, smashed by an earthquake

The Bubble Creatures took Rebecca and the Detectives to Nurarihyon's palace. They were shocked to discover that it was lying in ruins, destroyed by an earthquake created by a giant catfish that lives under the islands of Japan.

This was the reason that Nurarihyon periodically rises from the sea, along with his Bubble Creatures. He was homeless.

He would rise out of the sea, take over a home while his palace was being rebuilt. Once it was done, he would disappear as mysteriously as he had appeared. When the catfish broke loose from his chains again, the palace would be destroyed and Nurarihyon would set out again to take over another house.

The detectives agreed that this was very sad--and they saw an opportunity. If they could build Nurarihyon a new palace, using their magic, then maybe he would leave the agency.

Mathea the Dreammage contacted the detectives, calling for their help. Their watch wouldn't work, since the Gentleman Caller changed the password, but Mathea sent a dream through the Dragonstone. She told the detectives to hurry back, because Nurarihyon had done something terrible. The dream revealed the Tomtes, turned into Yokai, or Japanese demons. Mathea, too, turned from a beautiful phoenix into a demonic phoenix as they watched.

The detectives rushed home, only to discover that the sign had been changed. (See the photo!) Nurarihyon decided that if he turned the Tomtes into Yokai, they would see him as their leader and grant him custody of the Twig and Turf.

Fortunately, the detectives arrived in time. They challenged Nurarihyon to another game. The stakes: control of the Dragon's Eye Detectives Agency vs his own brand new palace and a list of promises made to the detectives. The sight of the new palace almost swayed Nurarihyon by itself, but he loves a good game, so he took up the challenge.

It was a fierce game. Yarnballs flew back and forth, turning detectives into Yokai when they came from Nurarihyon, and then turning them back into humans, when they came from the group's very skilled healer. The detectives almost lost. Two lonely detectives stood between them and distaster, but the healer managed to free more detectives at just the right moment, and the tides turned.

The detectives won. Nurarihyon lost. A contract was drawn up, requiring Nurarihyon to give up any claim to the Dragon's Eye Agency, and to restore the agency to its original condition. The detectives asked him to apologize to every person whose home he ever took -- and to Rebecca, Mathea and the Tomtes who had been Yokaified. He complained that that would take centuries, but he lost the game, so he had to honor his promise.

The new palace constructed by the detectives

Nurarihyon was delighted with his new palace, and in the end, thanked the detectives for the most fun he's had in many thousands of years. He agreed to be a friend of dragons, which means he might help the detectives in the future.

A huge party was held -- Nurarihyon lifted any nightmarish qualities from everything in the Box of Nightares, so the detectives were able to eat the food of the Underworld. It was a good thing that Nurarihyon removed the Underworld taint from Izanami's cookies, since they were lady fingers.


A very special thank you goes to Mathea Hoy, who was my assistant for this adventure. She joined Dragon's Eye when she was first nine, as one of the legendary Maine Founders--the first Maine detectives. She has completed sixteen mysteries, and now is old enough to take on her first job, working for Dragon's Eye Adventures during April vacation. Her wonderful drawings brought the adventure to life as a cartoon, and her fine art and sewing skills really helped guide the children as they made their Tomtes. Thank you, Mathea!

Photos of the Tomte, some of them turned into Yokai, are on the Facebook page.

Summer 2019 Session I: Black Skystone of Doom

Humongasaura Regina
Micron pen and colored pencil
RL McNulty 2019

Dragon's Eye Adventures will begin the 2019 summer session with a mystery called "Black Skystone of Doom." The program for ages 7 to 10 will run from 9 AM to 4 PM on July 1 through 5. We will be closed on Thursday, July 4.

This is a beloved adventure, run many times as a favorite among the dinosaur-loving crowd. A meteor threatens to collide with earth, sending our detectives back in time to the Atrocious Period. This little-known era lies at the very end of the Cretaceous Period, when the dinosaurs were threatened with extinction.

Will the detectives find the legendary jewel that turns aside the black skystone of doom, or will Humongasaura Regina (Big Lizard Queen) enjoy a very rare and tasty mammalian snack? Only time will tell ... and that's in short supply this summer!

Our projects include vegan haberdashery in the latest herbivorean style, and fossilized cipher stones.

Summer 2019 Session II: Wayward Tales

Anansi's Box
Micron Pen & Digital Ink
RL McNulty 2019

Session II of the Summer 2019 season will run from 9 AM to 4 PM on July 8 - 12 at Bowdoin College. The adventure will be "Wayward Tales," a mystery for ages 7 to 10.

Our story begins where the Ashanti myth about Anansi's Box ends. Anansi the Spider has stolen a box of stories from Nyami the Sky God. The tales escaped from the box, flying throughout the world.

Now Nyami needs a good story, and there are none to be found in his kingdom in the sky. Nyami hires the detectives to capture some of these wayward tales.

This might seem easy, but the tales have landed in the hands -- or claws -- of some pretty scary creatures. It will take no small amount of courage to sneak in and steal these errant tales--and then the detectives will have to contend with whether or not the tales wish to come home.

We will be making our own treasure boxes full of stories fit for an African Sky God.

Summer 2019 Session III: Indra's Net

Indra's Net
Micron pen, colored pencil & digital ink
RL McNulty 2019

Session III of the Dragon's Eye summer program will feature an adventure for ages 9 to 14. The program will run from 9 AM to 4 PM on July 15 through July19, at Bowdoin College.

Our mystery will be "Indra's Net."

Indra, the Vedic god of storms from ancient India, lives in a palace on Mount Meru, the sacred mountain. Above his abode hangs a shining net of jewels. Each jewel is reflected in each of the other jewels.

When the net begins to fray, the detectives travel into the heavens to investigate, but the storms of time are working against them. Can they save the universe, before the net begins to fall to pieces?

Our projects this week may include elephant cloud amulets and jeweled nets. Elephants will be a theme of the week, in particular the cloud elephants.

Summer 2019 Session IV: The Lizards of Solomon's Mines

Lizards of Solomon's Mine
Micron pen, colored pencil
RL McNulty 2019

Session IV of the Dragon's Eye Adventures 2019 summer program will be held from 9 AM to 4 PM on July 22 through 26, at Bowdoin College. This is a program for ages 9 to 14.

The mystery is "The Lizards of Solomon's Mines." It combines Dragon's Eye tales about lizards and the jewels that power our magic, and Jewish legends about King Solomon.

King Solomon was a legendary ruler of ancient Israel, renowned for his wisdom, magic, and wealth. He owned a gold mine called Ophir, the source of much of his wealth. Many have searched for it, but no one has found it--mostly because they failed to ask the lizards.

Now, the lizards need help, and the detectives must investigate the troubles brewing deep inside Solomon's mines. A visit to the king may be in order, as the detectives learn about the trouble connected to Solomon's infamous ring.

Our projects will include lizards and enchanted rings.

Summer 2019 Session V: Goat and Ger

Goat and Ger
Micron pen and colored pencil
RL McNulty 2019

"Goat and Ger" is the title of the fifth mystery of the Dragon's Eye Summer 2019 program. This session runs from 9 AM to 4 PM on July 29 through August 2, at Bowdoin College. Detectives ages 9 to 14 are welcome!

The story arises from an earlier adventure called "The Wind Horse," drawing on the history and legends surrounding the descendants of Genghis Khan.

Somewhere in Mongolia is a cart pulled by an old goat. On the back of the cart is a ger, a tent-like shrine to Mother Earth. The existence and location of this shrine are closely guarded secrets. Many deny that the traveling shrine even exists. Yet now, the detectives must find it, to save the shrine from an ancient threat that rises once again.

Our projects will include some kind of rag and bone relic. Yes, rag and bone magic will be a part of this mystery, and a certain Grey Mare may make an appearance.

Summer 2019 Session VI: The Beekeeper at the Crossroads of Time

The Beekeeper
Micron pen, colored pencil, ink
RL McNulty 2019

Session VI runs from 9 AM to 4 PM on Aug 5 - 9, 2019, at Bowdoin College. This program for ages 9 to 14 features the adventure called "The Beekeeper at the Crossroads of Time."

This is a mystery that has been mulling in the background of my mind for many years. I've been collecting books on bees and beekeeping, and searching mythology for the stories that intrigue my sense of curiosity. My research into the Greek myths has led to some fascinating ties between the bees and some of my favorite ancient Greek sites.

The results are this emerging story about a mysterious keeper of bees:

When the center begins to crumble, the detectives travel to ancient Greece in search of the Beekeeper at the Crossroads of Time. Only she can help them prevent the collapse of civilization. It's all about the bees. The bees hold the secrets. Let's hope our heroes speak lingua apes, the language of the bees.

Our projects this week are still under development. I'm pretty sure bees will be the theme. Omphalos stones and honey bee amulets are possibilities--but I always reserve the right to flashes of inspiration!

Summer 2019 Session VII: Junkyard Invaders

Junkyard Invaders
Micron pen and colored pencil
RL McNulty 2019

Session VII of the Summer 2019 Season will be held at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. This program for ages 7 to 14 features a new mystery called "Junkyard Invaders."

This mystery has been inspired by years of delving through fleamarkets, rag and bone shops, and antique malls searching for the lost discards that speak of hidden lives and treasures of the heart. Combine this with midcentury myths of alien invaders, and a story is born.

Our detectives travel to New Mexico to investigate an alien invasion of a junkyard. They find lots of junk, and the strangest little creatures this side of the Milky Way. Can our team stop the invasion or will earth be overrun by invaders from a galaxy far, far away?

Our projects this week include building our own alien robots from discarded junk. Please bring bits of vintage flotsam and jetsam to this adventure, for constructing 7" to 9" robots. Small bits of brass and tin parts, old spice tins or food cans from the 30s through 50s, small lamp parts, and other items are welcome -- and I will be providing other bits as well!

We'll be pooling our resources, so the whole group can construct amazing little robots that come to life! If any parents, grandparents, older siblings or others wish to help with the construction, Oliver and I would love the help! We'll be building Tuesday through Friday mornings from 9 AM to 10:30 AM.

Here is a link to the Dragon's Eye Facebook album I've made, showing the kind of parts I've been collecting for the alien robots we're going to meet:  Alien Robots In The Making.

The Night Parade - April Vacation

The Night Parade
Micron pen and colored pencil
RL McNulty 2019

Our April vacation mystery will be "The Night Parade." The adventure runs from Tuesday, April 16 through Friday, April 19, from 9 AM to 4 PM. After hours are available until 5:30 PM on Tuesday through Thursday. Detectives in grades 1 through 8 are welcome!

This is the final adventure in our gentleman caller series, and hopefully the one where the detectives learn how to encourage their guest to move out of the Dragon's Eye Detectives' Agency.

The Gentleman Caller has failed in his attempts to wrest the Twig and Turf from Madog, the Tomte, so he turns to his next plan: To turn the detectives and their Tomtes into Yokai. This wouldn't be so bad, if he turned them into the nice Yokai, like the Baku or the Kirin, but this isn't his plan. He's aiming for the nastier variety of demons, like the Oni.

Rebecca the Dragonmage for the agency has disappeared on an underworld errand for Nurarihyon the Gentleman Caller. The detectives will have to fight their own transforming loyalties, to find her and help her return with the solution to their problems.

Will they succeed or will the agency devolve into the Demon's Eye Detectives' Agency?

 

The Gentleman Caller -- Recap -- Feb. 2019

Fourteen detectives gathered for winter vacation at the Landing YMCA, to take on the challenge of "The Gentleman Caller." We had a wonderful week, trying to save the Tomte from Nurarihyon, the Japanese yokai who has taken over the Dragon's Eye Detectives' Agency.

Nurarihyon was trying to steal ownership of the agency by forcing Madog to perform an old ceremony called the livery of seisin. This ceremony predates written deeds of property. It involves handing over the Dragon's Eye Twig and Turf, two items that represent the land, along with a cup of water from any river, creek or well on the property.

Madog refused and a chase ensued. The Tomte evaded the yokai and his shadowy serpents. When the detectives arrived, Nurarihyon tried to learn where the Tomte was hiding by sending a shadow serpent to listen to Madame Drak's dream. Fortunately, the ice blue dragon unfolded his wings at jsut the right moment to block Watatsumi from seeing where the Tomte went.

Madog dove into the tea cup that Rebecca kept filling with the best Dragon's Eye tea, for the Gentleman Caller. Several detectives remembered a similar trip they took in the tea cup of the Raven King, using troll magic and a mini whirlpool.

The detectives set off to rescue their Tomte, but Nurarihyon had other plans. He sent Rebecca on long, arduous tasks, so he could go after the detectives without a full dragonmage hindering him. It was pretty hilarious -- our lovely guest would go full-on demon, sending his shadow serpents after the detectives, and then stopping when Rebecca re-entered the room.

The detectives told Nurarihyon that Madog was in his tomte house. He, of course, wasn't there, but his family was, so Nurarihyon captured them in a demon sock. The detectives rescued them, only to be shrunk and swallowed by the demon socks themselves.

Rebecca came back, and Nurarihyon stashed the sock on the top of the bookshelf near the tomte house. The Gentleman Caller sent Rebecca on a quest to bring back chocolate chip cookies made by Izanami in the Japanese Underworld.

Meanwhile, the detectives escaped from the sock with the help of one of their own artifacts. They discovered two spirit cats with double tails waiting for them. They cleverly fed the cats and turned their allegiance from Nurarihyon to the detectives.

The tiny detectives made it to the Tomte's home and met the whole family: Megwyn the Mama Tomte, Meriodoc and Merdoc the twins, plus Miriam, Morwen, and Mimi the baby. They discovered a secret message written by Madog and quickly turned in into English of a sort. (Tomtes don't spell very well.) The message revealed his plan, and the secret to diving into the tea cup.

They promptly forgot this information, so they had a teensy bit of trouble diving into the whirlpool when they finally made it to the tea cup. The whirlpool transported them to the Raven King's palace in Dun Raven, Wales. There, they found Madog and were able to hatch a plan with the Raven King's help.

They summoned all of their own family Tomtes for some powerful homing magic, and went back to face Nurarihyon and his henchsnake, Watatsumi. Once again, our heroes triumphed and Nurarihyon's attempts to steal the Twig and Turf were foiled.

Watatsumi turned out to be ... not Watatsumi, but a one inch creature called a Blue Dragon Sea Slug. Here's a link to a YouTube video with an image of the sea slug. It's a real creature--and be careful not to touch one, since they siphon the power of a Man-o-War's poison.

The detectives celebrated their victory with a party at the Tomte village that grew on the shelf. Fireworks were provided by the Grey One. The Gentleman Caller isn't gone yet--and Rebecca has not returned from the Underworld, but there is hope -- with the Tomte strengthened by the power of a whole village of Tomtes, and the help of the Raven King, Nurarihyon's days at the Dragon's Eye Detectives Agency are numbered.

Visit the Dragon's Eye Adventures Facebook page, to see photos of the delightful Tomtes and tiny houses that the detectives made this week! Here is the link.

The Gentleman Caller -- Feb 2019 Break

The Gentleman Caller
Micron pen & Colored Pencil
RL McNulty 2019

Dragon's Eye will offer a 4-day adventure on Tuesday through Friday, Feb. 19-22. The program will be held at the Landing YMCA, 24 Venture Ave. in Brunswick. Hours are 9 AM to 4 PM, with after hours until 5:30. Fees are on the Current Programs page.

The mystery is "The Gentleman Caller." This is part of an ongoing story about a Japanese yokai or demon. His name is Nurarihyon. He is an elderly gentleman dressed like a monk, and when he comes to call, a household slowly falls under his enchantment.

Our youngest detectives met Nurarihyon last summer, in a mystery called "The Dreameater." Then our whole group met him again, when he was summoned into the "Joker's Wild" game. The detectives at that adventure lost a game to him, and owed him a boon. He asked to become a Dragon's Eye Detective.

Nurarihyon moved into the Dragon's Eye Detectives Agency last August and has not left. Our November crew discovered just how powerful he is when he cast a time/space spell bringing the Dunraven Fair to the agency. Our Dragon's Eye tomte (a house elf named Madog) is quite alarmed by his presence, since Nurarihyon slowly takes over the ancient rights to any place he inhabits.

In January, the Gentleman Caller started summoning demon shoes that he enchanted with a thousand thousand tiny blue eyes. The detectives managed to free the spirits of the owners of the shoes, who were all people who marched for freedom and peace.

That brings us to February, and our Winter Break mystery. The Gentleman Caller still inhabits the agency, and Madog is nowhere to be found. The detectives have a vision from Madame Drak, one familiar to the detectives who came to "Joker's Wild." Let's just say it involves horns and tails and transformations.

Our projects during the week will include house gnomes and their miniature houses. We'll have a display of these on Friday at 3:30 PM. Parents, family, and friends are welcome to come!

What to bring: Lunch, waterbottle, AM and PM snacks for those who have special dietary needs, sleeping bag, pillow, indoor running shoes, and outdoor gear, just in case the weather cooperates.

Walk A Mile - ML King Jr Day -- Jan. 21, 2019

A Bakezori -- a type of Yokai that evolves
from the discarded and broken shoes

The first program of the new year will be a one-day program at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick, on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. The day will begin at 9 AM, ending at 4 PM. After hours will run until 5:30. Children in grades 1 through 8 are welcome.

Walk a Mile is the name of our little adventure for the day. The old worn shoes of civil rights activists find their way to the door of the Dragon's Eye Detectives Agency, summoned by the Gentleman Caller. The Detectives must find a way to settle the unresting feet before the agency becomes a walking disaster zone.

Dragon's Eye Programs for the New Year -- 2019

Winter ferns at Pettengill Farm, Dec. 28, 2019

Happy New Year to all Dragon's Eye detectives, families and friends!

Trouble is already brewing at the Dragon's Eye Detectives Agency. We have a visitor who arrived last summer and never quite left. He's making plans ... plans that will be revealed in our winter and spring programs!

The summer is shaping up well, too. Research in ongoing into myths and legends about dinosaurs, ancient kings, cloud elephants, and alien robots.

More details will be coming! Visit the Dragon's Eye Upcoming Programs page for basic details and registration forms for 2019 programs.