Whose Move, A Dragon's Tale

Each fall after harvest, the dragon would storm into the village of Falorn. The people would hide in fear as the beast ransacked the town, eating anything and everything in sight—corn, wheat, flower boxes, and wagon wheels—and breathed fire and smoke as it thundered through the streets. The poor people were always left with nothing but scraps to live on, and more damage to repair. This continued year after year after year, until one day, a homeless orphan boy named Timothy confronted the dragon, and everything changed.

In the window of a small, rustic gallery on the corner of First and Hemlock Street in the village of Cannon Beach, Oregon, the artist, William W. Steidel, author of Mallory in the Forest of Lost Kites, can often be found. He sits behind a simple but ingenious swing-out easel, surrounded by a hodgepodge of artistic tools and paraphernalia. Here Bill produces his particular brand of magic. He creates works of art, spins yarns, makes music, watches the passing parade of people, and delights in the view of the lush green mountains in the distance.

“Art, I find, is an emotional food. It gives us nourishment. We feed on its many forms, and if at times it jars too roughly, tickles too uncomfortably, or soothes too frequently, it would, if not available, be sorely missed. If we were unfortunate enough to lose it, we would once more create it so we could debate why it is so very necessary.”