Endless Forest

The Endless Forest is a fantasy-adventure for all ages. The Endless Forest tells the story of 10-year-old Niles who is troubled by Calamidrake, a dragon in his head who belittles him and urges him to get in trouble. Niles attempts to appease the dragon (misbehaving to shut the dragon up in order to stop the pain of being belittled), but heeding to the dragon only makes things worse. Niles learns from his best friend Roger that Roger has also experienced the dragon. Roger tells Niles that to stop the dragon, he must embark on a journey-alone.

In the forest, Niles is befriended by a cast of offbeat animal characters each with some lesson to impart. These characters provide Niles with a foundation from which he builds the courage to confront the dragon (metaphor for crisis) and the fortitude needed to continue and complete his journey.

As Niles progresses through a series of adventures that lead towards a climactic confrontation with Calamidrake on the Bridge of Passage, the reader becomes aware of how Niles has been empowered and transformed through his journey through the endless forest. Does Niles overcome the dragon? Can anyone ever permanently overcome a dragon? Maybe, maybe not. We learn from this tale that every crisis has life-changing potential and that often pain precedes and motivates transformation, hopefully resulting in a wiser, knowing self.

And, remember, at face value, this is a delightful children's story whose surprise ending will make you smile.