Where were you when…?

Intellectual Dabrowski had instigated a research project. He was investigating the effects of traumatic events and social change on the characters who participated in the re-enactments of the Arthurian legends in the Fog Lake at the foot of Malory Tennyson’s Cloudbank Cabin for Arthurian Studies.

Intellectual was one of the five canine writing companions of Little Plump Jo, the current Artisan in Residence in Malory Tennyson’s Cloudbank Cabin for Arthurian Studies. Because dogs hear a different range of sound, the Dabrowski Dogs were attuned to Malory Tennyson and the Arthurian characters and could enable understanding and communication between the literal and fictional dimensions for Jo.

The stories of the Arthurian legends were re-enacted by the original canon characters in the Fog Lake at the base of Cloudbank Cabin. The stories ran in a continuous loop. After King Arthur’s defeat at the Battle of Camlann, he would return from his Long Sleep on the Island of Avalon. The Fog Lake would be reset and the birth of Arthur would be enacted with a baby from the Tavern folk playing Baby Arthur. Then Arthur would come, draw Excalibur from the stone and anvil to be declared the Rightful King of All Briton and the next iteration would begin.

It was apparent to Intellectual that there had been several moments of profound significance during the previous iteration of re-enactments. The most significant of these was The Glitch in the Fog Lake, after which the climate was no longer Camelot Perfect all the year, the landscape had been affected (for example boulders had appeared where none had been before) and events had appeared out of their usual order. There were many conflicting theories about the causes of The Glitch and blame was being laid in many different quarters.

There had also been significant social changes, such as the Names and Backstories movement with its protest march. A few of the canon characters had changed their role or gained greater prominence than in previous iterations. Intellectual was curious to research whether these social changes were unique to that Fog Lake Glitch Iteration and whether the influences would continue in the future.

Intellectual began his investigations with informal discussions based on the conversation ice breaker ‘where were you when …..…happened?’

He had seen Little Plump Jo use this method as a dinner conversation starter.

Where were you when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon?

Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?

Where were you when the Berlin wall came down?

He chose to ask such questions as:

Did you attend the Names and Backstories march?

When did you become aware of The Glitch in the Fog Lake and how has it affected you?

It soon became obvious that some of the characters had been canon characters participating in Fog Lake re-enactments for many, many iterations and some had only become fully aware since the Names and Backstories march. Intellectual decided that it was the equivalent of asking people of various ages what they knew or actually remembered about historical events. That prompted Intellectual to ask the ones he interviewed whether they knew who Lady Charlotte-Elaine, the Lady of Shalott and Entrepreneur owner of Charlotte’s Web Weaving and patron of Red Sleeve Care provider Services and Elaine, the Fair, Elaine the Lovely, the Lily Maid of Astolat were. The traditional canon characters knew that these names referred to the same person. Those whose memories only extended back as far as the Names and Backstories march knew and admired the entrepreneur weaver and patron. Some had heard ballads about Elaine the Lily Maid who had nursed Sir Lancelot du Lac for months on end, fallen in love with him, died of unrequited love, and floated down to Camelot in a barge, with a lily and a letter to Sir Lancelot in her lifeless hands. They usually did not associate that story with that of the illustrious weaver.

Intellectual was curious to know whether Elaine refusing her traditional role and setting up her weaving business would become a role model for other ladies. Would her actions be the start of a feminist movement? Or would she merely be regarded as an oddity, an outstanding person, a woman ahead of her time?

Malory Tennyson held Little Plump Jo responsible for Elaine’s changed trajectory. But Jo had not actively caused the change by writing it and thus making it so. Elaine had taken advantage of Jo’s lack of plot line planning and her poor understanding of the various Arthurian characters and had informed all and sundry that she would no longer be filling the role of Elaine of Astolat.

Little Plump Jo believed that she was not able to cause the characters to act by writing original storylines. She was under the impression that she could only watch the characters performing the re-enactments in the Fog Lake and record their actions. That was probably because Malory Tennyson was delighted to finally have an Artisan in Residence in his Cloudbank Cabin, that he was able to communicate with via the Dabrowski dogs, who shared his views about the physical appearance and character traits of the Arthurian characters. He wanted to steer Jo’s writing and just may have given her the idea that she could only record rather than create!

But it did seem that maybe she did have the ability to write it and make it so, as Imaginational Dabrowski had suggested a few new characters and plotlines to Jo during that Glitch Iteration which were still in evidence in the new iteration.

Intellectual soon realized that his investigations could lead to a thesis about the social history of the Fog Lake or about psychological reactions to change or maybe even about cause and effect of storylines. There had also been changes over the centuries in the way the stories were told, so it would have to be a longitudinal study. Intellectual realised that Imaginational would say that it would be very helpful to have the ability to time travel!

Intellectual had always been diligent in his research for Little Plump Jo but she had often ignored the information he brought to her, preferring to listen to suggestions from Imaginational Dabrowski. So this time Intellectual would work on his own project.

He knew he would need to conduct the research in a professional, rigorous and ethical manner. But this would be his own project!