Session E: April Vacation brings mystery called "April Showers"

"April Showers"
RL McNulty 2020
Micron Pen & Colored Pencil

Dragon's Eye will offer an April vacation adventure called "April Showers" on Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24. Detectives ages 7 to 14 (grades 2 through 8) are welcome to attend. The day begins at 9 AM and ends at 4 PM, with After Hours until 5:30 on Monday through Thursday. We're at the Landing YMCA at 24 Venture Drive in Brunswick.

This five-day adventure is a sequel to last summer’s “Junkyard Invaders.” April is the season for showers, but this year is a little different. This year, the annual Lyrid Meteor Showers bring more than rain, and a friend from Jake’s Junkyard is the first to sound the alarm. Detectives should pack their rain gear and their spacesuits for this mystery! We’re headed back to Roswell!

We will be crafting our own Skeeters  – mini aliens in flying saucers, made from old lantern parts and Sculpey. Any Detectives who have Moon Rabbits, Tomtes, Alien Robots, or Space Stations may bring them to this adventure!

Return of the Midnight Cat -- Recap

Two of the Detectives with their shadow puppets

The Detectives spent their April vacation in the mythical realms of ancient Egypt. The Midnight Cat and her accomplice, Dogtooth Spar, stole a whole swarm of winged scarabs from the Museum of Antediluvian Antiquities. The Detectives set out to find them, following the clues into the heavens.

Wadjet the cobra goddess tested the Detectives with a particularly challenging battle. With a little help from Shu, the Detectives prevailed and won her support. She transported them to the heavens on a serpentine staircase.

Khonsu the moon god assisted with another lift to the Sky Boat of Nut, goddess of the Sky. From there the group headed to see Geb the earth god.

First, they had to battle Selket, the fierce scorpion goddess. The group's boast about the force led to an impromptu lesson from Selket in how one generates the force. As with the dragon's Path of Honor, the force rises when one balances the energies of chaos and order within oneself. Our hardworking Detectives managed a circle of stillness and lifted the last sphere with their inner powers.

Geb provided the cipher and clue to the next leg of the "all expenses paid journey," courtesy of the Midnight Cat. This time, the group headed to the gates of the Underworld. They traded all of their jewels for some fabulous magical amulets.

Merneith the Time Raveller visited them to fix a wee problem with a certain Serpent Trap. She also discovered the secret to how the Midnight Cat and her companions entered the Duat. Thank goodness the group had just purchased the amulets of Bastet and Aset --- combined, the two amulets shrank our heroes into miniature cats jsut the right size to sneak into a tiny tunnel.

Naturally, more trouble ensued ...

Selket drawing by Gail

The details must remain secret for the next time I run this case. Let's just say, "Beware of warm fuzzies." Our clever team managed to handle every tricky turn and challenge of this case, those in game and out of game. We were tested in some extraordinary ways, and rose to each and every challenge, so this was a victory well-deserved! Congratulations to our persistent team! You won the respect and admiration of one tough scorpion teacher!

Visit the Dragon's Eye Facebook page to see the lovely artwork the team created for this adventure: Shadow puppets and drawings of Egyptian gods and goddesses.

April Vacation 2017: "Return of the Midnight Cat" Update

The Midnight Cat, Summer 2013

The April vacation program for ages 9 to 16 runs from 9 AM to 4 PM on Tuesday through Friday (April 18-22) at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick.

Our mystery features one of my favorite Dragon's Eye rogues. She's causing trouble once again at the Museum of Antediluvian Antiquities in London. When the Detectives investigate, the clues lead them on a journey into the mythical realms of ancient Egypt.

We will be making winged scarab amulets and toy theaters as our projects this week. For more information about the adventure, click here.

Return of the Midnight Cat: April Vacation Program for Ages 9 to 16

Dragon's Eye is sponsoring an April vacation program for ages 9 to 16 at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. The program runs from 9 AM to 4 PM on Tuesday through Friday, April 18-22.

The Midnight Cat returns with chaos following in her shadowy wake. This daughter and granddaughter of two Egyptian goddesses has a habit of “borrowing” precious jewels and artifacts from famous museums. This rarely works out for her, since the artifacts often bring problems of the mythical kind. It’s a good thing cats have nine lives.

Once again, the Detectives must step in to save the day from the troubles that follow the Midnight Cat. Our dragonmages will need all of their wits and a bit of knowledge of Egyptian mythology to solve this tangled tale.

Our activities will include Egyptian amulets and hieroglyphics.

The Oroborus - April Vacation 2016 Recap

Merneith the Time Raveler had a toolbox full of odd items

A small but brave group of Detectives took on the mystery of "The Oroborus" this past week at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. Rifts opening in the Serpent Roads of the Oroborus were threatening the known world, so the Detectives set off for the Egyptian Duat to find out who was causing the problem.

Fortunately, they had some help--an ancient Dragonmage known as Djedi, who once served the Pharaoh Khufu CA 2500 BCE, plus a Time Raveler known as Merneith. It was a week of serpents, some good, some bad and some very, very bad. One highlight of the week was the group's use of the Moon Rabbit as bait for the Serpents trying to capture them. The youngest Chef showed off his culinary skills, sending the hungry Serpent for some wild Sage, while he and the Rabbit escaped to safety.

Our new location at the YMCA provided some unexpected additions to our games. The exercise balls in the Aerobics Room quickly found popular uses as shields, water globules and comfortable seating. The Meditation Room proved to be the perfect place for the Circle of Stillness the Detectives created to calm the darting silver fish that represented their Ren or Names. The group soon found out how difficult it is to remain still when a Water Snake is rattling off nonsense rhymes and talking about itching noses.

The Big Bad (who shall go nameless for future adventures) found the Detectives to be a formidable group who just would not give up the chase! They had the audacity to petition help from Egyptian gods and goddesses, such as Au Set (goddess of magic), Anubis (god of the underworld and embalming, who brought an army of jackals), Serket (formidable scorpion goddess), Pesht (ancient cat goddess of the wild, wild variety) and others.

With the Detective's brand new Time Serpent Traps and the Time Stopper Amulets in play, the Detectives and the assembly of immortals saved the world from a watery chaos. The Oroborus was restored and a handful of Detectives now know the secrets of the Mystery of Mehen. We celebrated with a toy theater presentation for family and friends.

Thanks to the Detectives for a delightful week of fun, laughter and creativity! And thanks to the staff at the Landing YMCA for a warm welcome to the Y!

The Dragon's Eye Adventures Facebook pages has a few illustrations from the week.

April Vacation 2016

The Ororborus
Micron Pen & Pencil
R L McNulty 2016

Dragon's Eye Adventures is offering a special 4-day mystery during April Vacation. The mystery is for ages 9 to 14. It will run from Tuesday, April 19 through Friday, April 22, at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. The hours are from 9 AM to 4:30 PM, with After Hours provided until 5:30. The fee is $200 for the 4-day mystery.

The mystery is "The Oroborus." The serpent eating its tail (Ororborus) is a familiar character in the Dragon's Eye world, but do the Detectives really know much about this serpent that transports them through time and space? This mystery will reveal secrets only the time and space raveler* knows, drawn from Egyptian, Indian and West African myths as old as the trees.

Our projects this week will include Dragonmage Cards and Orobori. Our team will also encounter the very first Time Jewel the Detectives have ever seen.

*This is not a typo -- a raveler is one who ravels or unravels threads (or mysteries).