Maybe It’s Malory

“Mimosa Minipas has won a Fantasy Short Story competition at the ARC Arthurian Readers Club. Her prize is a week’s stay at Cloudbank Cabin” Little Plump Jo told her five canine writing companions, the Dabrowski Dogs.

“Regina Penman, the Secretary of the ARC sent me an email about it, asking me to welcome her and organize the room for her.”

Little Plump Jo was the current Artisan in Residence in Malory Tennyson’s Cloudbank Cabin for Arthurian Studies. She had met Regina Penman when she attended the ARC Arthurian Readers Club Conference. Before that she had only known Regina as the person who had suggested that Jo should apply for a residency at Cloudbank Cabin.

Jo had met Mimosa Minipas at the ARC Conference and their relationship had got off to a bad start. Mimosa had described Sir Lancelot as half fairy with pink spiky hair and big blue eyes and ‘the darlingest little wings’. Jo had started yelling at her that Lancelot was not a fairy and had dark eyes and coal black curls. Jo had been asked to leave the session that Mimosa was presenting about her latest Work In Progress.

The next day Mimosa came up on stage when Jo was giving a plenary session about Working at Cloudbank Cabin. She said Cloudbank Cabin had spooked her because her dog kept on running into the corners of rooms and barking at nothing.

“Maybe she will not even want to come” Jo said hopefully.

Jo could see quite clearly what must have happened when Mimosa Minipas and her yappy little handbag dog had visited Cloudbank Cabin in the past. Malory Tennyson, the owner of the cabin, was not a temporarily absent real life landlord. He was a permanent fictional presence. He was not a Ghost. He was a Fiction. And he could make his presence felt to sensitive people and especially to dogs. Jo's five canine writing companions, the Dabrowski Dogs, gave Jo a strong connection to Malory.

He held strong opinions about the physical appearance and character traits of the Arthurian characters who were re-enacting the tales from the Arthurian legends at his direction in the Fog Lake at the foot of the cabin. They must be as described in the works of Sir Thomas Malory and Lord Alfred Tennyson. Malory would stride about in his fictional dimension, yelling maledictions at authors and artists who did not please him. Obviously he would not have been pleased by a Lancelot with pink hair and wings! The little dog would have heard; but Mimosa herself probably felt no more than a disturbance in the air of the cabin.

“Maybe she won’t come!”

But Mimosa Minipas did come, accompanied by her little dog.

“Un chien? Vraiment?”Sir Lancelot du Lac’s massive companion dog, Heureux, looked at the creature in disbelief.

“That’s a dog? Really?” barked Psycho Motor Dabrowski.

“Yes, it is a Mexican Hairless Dog” contributed Sensual Dabrowski.

“Xoloitzcuintli or Perro Pelón Mexicano? No, it is not one of those. It is a Chinese Crested Dog” That was Intellectual Dabrowski, sounding very smug.

“You just wanted to say that big name, didn’t you!” commented Emotional Dabrowski.

“Ask her what her dog’s name is. I don’t think she can hear us” woofed Imaginational Dabrowski.

“Do come in. The room is ready for you. Do you want your dog to sleep in your room or in the laundry, near the dog door flap?” asked Jo.

“Oh, I have brought a bed for CH. Yippit Fae Floosabelle. She always sleeps in my room. She is a multiple Best in Show winner, you know.” Jo did not like to ask what breed of dog it was. And she was not quite sure how to address the issue of overnight toileting arrangements either.

“What do you hope to accomplish while you are here?” Jo asked.

“I intend to write and illustrate the next chapter of my book Lancelot flies to the rescue” Mimosa replied.

“I am not sure Malory Tennyson would be happy about that” Jo cautioned.

“Oh good! Malory is here at the moment. He was not here when I came last time. Regina Penman told me to send her love to Malory and run my story past him for his approval!”

Dagonet the Jester started to laugh uncontrollably. “Have fun explaining that to her, Little Plump Jo! Tell her to leave a written message from Regina for Malory on the pin board.”

“You see” elaborated Dagonet, “Malory Tennyson has a bit of a passion for Regina Penman. She is in tune with Malory and the vibe of the Fog Lake, like you. She understands Malory. But Regina, who is the secretary of the ARC, is married to the president of the ARC, Arthur Penman. Arthur is one of those historical and archaeological evidence for King Arthur buffs; and Regina likes the myths and legends. So Malory sees a similarity between Himself and Regina and Lancelot and Guinevere. But Malory really does have to love ‘pure and chaste from afar’ because he is in the Fictional Realm and she is in Reality. At least Lancelot and Guinevere are both in the Fictional Realm together and authors and artists can make of their love what they will.”

“Well, are you going to warn Mimosa about the wrath of Malory before she starts writing tonight or are you going to let him terrify Floosabelle again?” asked Intellectual Dabrowski.

“I tried to talk about it with her when we were sitting out on the porch this afternoon. She obviously could not see or hear the action happening in the Fog Lake. She looked at me really strangely when I laughed at Dagonet’s antics, cheered Sir Lancelot’s mastery of his horse or sighed at the beauty of Lady Elaine’s latest weaving. And the little dog just slept in her handbag all the time. I suggested Floosabelle might like to play in the Fog Lake with my dogs. But Mimosa said that would be too rough and tumble for her.”

“I asked Mimosa why she wanted to come back to Cloudbank Cabin after having such a scary time previously. She said she would never turn down a prize such as a week in Cloudbank Cabin with personal editorial input from Malory Tennyson himself! She said it was probably the wind in the rafters than had frightened Floosabelle last time.”

“I said maybe it was Malory! I tried to explain about dogs being able to hear Malory when he is ranting in his dimension, when an author is writing something he does not approve. I warned her that his Sir Lancelot du Lac is the Arthurian character he sees as a projection of himself. His Lancelot is a tall, stern warrior with dark eyes and coal black curls. Portraying him as a pink haired fairy would be highly offensive to Malory!”

“She said I was completely mad and delusional and probably just jealous that she had won prizes and had graphic novels published, and that she looked forward to meeting Malory in the morning. I tried to warn her!”

“That Regina Penman has a wicked sense of humor. Maybe if Mimosa survives the night, if she does not write or paint, tomorrow I could show her the ring of fairy house mushrooms near the old tree and see if she can find her story there” suggested Imaginational Dabrowski.”