How the Marlowes Came to Mellowdene

When Cecile visited Natalie Marlowe's "mental hugging" business (Mentis Amplectendo) a few months ago, there were two things that left her with a positive impression. One - and I won't go into details other than say it left Cecile feeling particularly affectionate - was a particular "fur grooming" method. The other was a friendly encounter with someone who lives above the business. Atlanta Marlowe.

Cecile and Atlanta share similar outlooks on life, and it would not surprise me if they also shared the underlying mischievous nature that adds the frisson to our marriage. What led me to this suspicion?

Our boy Brendan is friends with Hughie Grunt and this means Cecile often meets up with Hughie's mother, Constance. On one such meeting, Cecile mentioned how Atlanta seemed a very friendly person and how she had warmed to her in the brief time they had talked. Constance had chuckled, and when Cecile had queried why, the reply was simple. Atlanta had effectively said the same thing to Salome Persis when she and her husband had visited the Persis's carpet business. Constance had witnessed the exchange.

This led to Cecile and Atlanta sharing lunch at the Blackcurrant Cafe (where else) and then another. And another. It wasn't long before the families met. We had a nice meal then settled to chat.

After the meal had been cleared. Beverley volunteered to wash the dishes and Atlanta's two boys said they would help (apparently this is one of their regular chores). Brendan tagged along. With just the adults remaining, we retired to the living room.

"I've never asked before - what prompted you to move to Mellowdene, Atlanta?" asked Cecile.

"Melvin's work, primarily," said Atlanta, glancing across at her husband, "but we weren't originally going to settle here."

"Oh?"

"The initial plan was to move to Catsholme. We knew a few cats there, but I wasn't sure I could settle in the place."

Cecile glanced at me and I shrugged. Why would I know?

Melvin moved the conversation along. "It's because she thinks they're weird."

Atlanta's head swung and she glared at her husband. "Melvin! I do not think they're weird." 

Turning back she continued. "There's nothing wrong with Catsholme. All the cats are friendly with one another as you would expect of any Sylvanian community. But my upbringing made me feel that it wasn't the place I should make a permanent home."

"Because?" prompted Cecile.

"I was raised as a sea cat. My father is a sea trader, and ever since I was a girl we'd occasionally anchor at the natural dock east of North Beach.

 

 

"We'd have some dealings in Acorn Valley but the hill cats from Catsholme would frequently come along to do business. We got to know something about them. For one thing, the place is virtually all cats. I can't be doing with all that. You see, I'm used to associating freely with all races, and since I married Melvin I enjoy living amongst more than just cats."

"They have some funny rules too, don't forget that," added Melvin.

"I wouldn't say 'funny'," said Atlanta, "but restrictive enough to stop me wanting to live there. And I'm not just going from rumour. We went to see John Silk."

Both Cecile and I nodded. We knew John Silk.

Sylvania has many villages, towns and even a few cities. Despite all Sylvanians sharing common values, there can be additional factors varying between communities - rules or conventions that alter the ways those communities live their lives. Sometimes it's geographical features - consideration of natural hazards, such as coastal dangers or seasonal extremes - but it can be social traditions. As such, there can be differences in by-laws and conventions, often usually minor, but it is sensible for communities to have an awareness of these differences. If only for transacting business. John Silk helps in this area. So who is John Silk?

He's related to the Golightly family. This cat family is fairly well established in Mellowdene. They were amongst the first cats to move here who weren't hill cats. Holly Golightly's brother is Johnny Silk and he's employed by Mellowdene council to interpret community law. By this I mean he maintains an in-depth knowledge of every community's particular laws. He may act as a mediator, a legal adviser, or play the part of an advocate for any of those places.

 

Atlanta continued. "He was most helpful. He told us that there are some unusual aspects of Catsholme life. It isn't just that they prefer that only cats should live there. Johnny has the impression that many residents are expected to keep a particular secret. He didn't know exactly what, but he thinks it involves some black-robed cats."

Cecile and I exchanged glances. I suppose it made sense that there would be some hill cats that had knowledge of the Mist Cat tribe's comings and goings.

"Well, that explains why you didn't want to live in Catsholme," said Cecile, "but not why you wanted to move to this general area."

"Tell them about my brother," said Melvin.

"I will, dear," said Atlanta, "in my own way." She returned to her explanation. "You will know about the importance of the canal to both Catsholme and Mellowdene. You may also know that the canal boats that were in use a few years ago were..."

"Falling apart," said Melvin.

"Past their best," said Atlanta, smiling at her husband. "Now Mason - Melvin's brother - is in business with Lawrence Seabreeze. I believe you know the Seabreezes?"

"Doris is an old friend," said Cecile. "I knew her before she was married, when she was simply Doris Columbus."

"I've met her a few times, mainly through our sisters-in-laws. She seems nice. But anyway, back to the canal boats. When Lawrence was in Mellowdene - something to do with his part in the Seafood Restaurant - he saw the canal boats and that they were overdue a replacement. Given his wife is from the village, he thought it would be a nice gesture to supply three or four narrow boats to solve the problem." 

I knew Lawrence technically owned the canal boats but didn't know how that had come about.

"The trouble was," said Atlanta, "even though the boats would be welcome, the Catsholmers have always been quite an independent community."

"Less so than when the hill cats lived in Hawkshade," I commented. "They were really isolated then."

"So I believe. And whilst they are generally comfortable with their relationship with Mellowdene these days, they would have been uncomfortable accepting charity from a rabbit, especially one not from Mellowdene."

"So that's where my brother came in," said Melvin. "He wasn't from Mellowdene either, but he is a cat. They were prepared to do business with him, but they still weren't happy about a long-distance business relationship."

"Obviously, this was resolved," said Cecile.

"It was. Natalie was looking for a location to set up her mental hugging business, and Mason's job means he can easily relocate. They decided to move to Catsholme, solving the canal boat issue."

"But they didn't end up there," said Cecile, "and I'm not clear how that brought you here."

"Me," said Melvin.

We looked at him. He was watching himself idly rotate his ankle. He must have realised we were waiting for him to continue as he paused and lifted his gaze. Smiling sheepishly, he said, "I suppose you could call me a boat engineer. I've been involved in boat construction. Part of the problem with the old canal boats was that they had nobody with the skills to maintain them properly. They'd need someone to keep the new boats running. I could do that. Maybe train a couple of likely Catsholme youngsters. I figured, if Mason was moving,  I could too."

Cecile turned to Atlanta. "So that's why you moved? Were you happy with this? You being a sea cat?"

"Oh, the ocean was never the main attraction for me. Marrying Melvin meant I was already spending more time ashore," said Atlanta, "and I was living in a bustling community. The main thing I liked about being a sea cat was the variety of people I met. I was able to get that in one place whilst raising our children."

"So there wasn't a problem moving away from the coast?"

"Not really. We just needed to make sure the children would be okay at the new place. I know Marina was concerned there'd be nowhere for her to swim - again, sorry she couldn't come for the meal; her swimming lessons with Miguel Woolly are important to her - but we told her we'd sort something out. Troy and Sheridan are happy to go anywhere - they are good boys. Anyway, it became clear that Natalie's business couldn't easily operate from Catsholme - especially when she heard what Johnny Silk had to say. She'd have a wider clientele here in Mellowdene. And I knew that she wanted a posher house than most used by the hill cats."

Melvin gestured. "And Natalie can wrap Mason around her smallest claw."

"It worked out well," Atlanta explained. "The houses on Cherry Blossom Avenue are more Natalie's style. And they decided to have a pool, which suited Marina just fine."

"Too posh for me," said Melvin. "Our place in The Mews is ideal. Near enough the canal for my work, but only a short walk to the centre of Mellowdene."

"Anyway, that's how the Marlowes came to live here rather than Catsholme."

"Because our wives call the shots," teased Melvin.

"Melvin!"

"As it should be," said Cecile, winking at me. "It's interesting that you're an engineer though, Melvin. My cousin Colt Ivory is too."

"Any relation to Rowan Ivory?" asked Atlanta.

"My brother," smiled Cecile. "You know him?"

Melvin laughed. "Oh, yes."

Atlanta started to chuckle. 

I could see why Cecile liked Atlanta. There were definite similarities between them. Also, I liked Melvin's sense of humour and his straight talking. I found myself smiling. As was Cecile. And then we wondered about Rowan. What had he done this time?

We were not to find out. Not yet anyway. The door opened and in came Beverley, Brendan, Troy and Sheridan. Brendan was a little damp. Cecile raised her brow in silent query.

Beverley laughed. "Washing up's done, mum."

o 0 O 0 o

Mental Hugging

With the premiere of the musical behind us, I had naively thought that I might immediately move on to other things, whatever they might be. But no. Not immediately.

Remember the Mellowdene Day tradition of highlighting things for which we were grateful? Well, this expanded beyond our family when it came to mentioning the musical. It was included in the prepared speeches from Beverley, Brendan, and Orton, and I wasn't surprised when Rowan told me Figwort could be added to that list. However, I didn't expect numerous schoolchildren and their families to become so enamoured; I was beginning to feel like a minor celebrity when smiles and congratulatory conversations cropped up with regularity. I confess it felt a little over-the-top as I'm not used to such effusive language. 

Don't get me wrong. It was nice. Yet I felt that I was merely doing my normal job of work. Thinking about it, I wonder if Darcy's build-up to the event in his newspaper together with his subsequent review made it more into a village achievement. I don't mind that.

Who knows?

One aspect of this aftermath was a series of visits from Cecile's friends to get the "behind-the-scenes" gossip. I expected Marion Brighteyes and individual members of the Cake Club yet there were quite a few others.

Cecile told me of one such visit and its consequences. She's happy for me to relate this and has proof-read my ramblings.

o 0 O 0 o

Doris Seabreeze and Celandine Ivory actively listened to Cecile's report on the development of the musical, the obstacles that Chris and I had overcome - some of which neither of us had considered obstacles (sorry, Cecile) - and the performance itself.

"You've been through a lot, Cecile," said Doris, "and I'm sorry I've not been there for you. I've been preoccupied with Lawrence's brother and his family. Busy with their arrival in Mellowdene, sorting out their accommodation and so forth..."

"Family comes first," said Cecile. "Don't concern yourself."

"And I wasn't here either," said Celandine. "Even though I wasn't living in the village, at the very least I should have phoned you more often. Some friend I am..."

"Now stop it, both of you. I'm proud of Jackson, and sharing his journey is something wonderful. The way you're talking is if I'd been through a terrible ordeal. Why would you think that?"

Her two friends looked at each other. Doris spoke. "I suppose it's because you've been placed in a supportive role all this time. What about your needs?"

"What rubbish," said Cecile. "We are a partnership. We love each other..."

"Goodness," said Celandine, "No one's saying you don't. But you have to admit that everything's been put on hold whilst Jackson's been working on the musical."

"No. We came to visit you and Colt..."

"That was nearly a year ago. It was lovely, but you know Jackson was a little preoccupied."

Cecile regarded Coltsfoot's wife. She was aware that, if I had been preoccupied, it was nothing to do with the musical. I had been through my own ordeal searching for Orton's parents and my thoughts were probably on the consequences of my discoveries. But Cecile couldn't explain that. [See Butterglove Losses and Routes of Sylvania]

"Yes, well..."

"You've been shouldering all family responsibility. You need some pamper time," said Doris, "and I know just the place to do that."

o 0 O 0 o

It emerged that Lawrence Seabreeze's sister-in-law Irene had arrived in Mellowdene and had immediately expressed her concern to Doris about something she believed lacking in the village.

"I find it ironic that - in a village called Mellowdene - there isn't a business that specialises in promoting a mellow mind."

Lawrence had nudged his brother. "Hey Tarquin, whatever did you do to give you a mellow mind before you moved here?"

Irene regarded him coolly. "You may mock. But it's important." 

She returned her attention to Doris. There must be somewhere in the village that deals with mental hugging, and I'm going to find out where."

Mental hugging? Well, despite the odd terminology, Irene was right. Well, sort of. Although the vast majority of Mellowdenians find the entire village fulfils the purpose that she sought, there are some who look for that little bit extra. And Irene found it.

In the Mews.

o 0 O 0 o

Some may recall a story my brother Merlin related over a year ago to Orton, Brendan and his pals. [See The Story of Hawkshade].

 
It concerned the natural disaster that occurred to the hill cat community of Hawkshade. I was a baby at the time. Prior to this, the hill cats had led a fairly isolated existence, preferring to associate primarily with other cats. There was limited trade with Mellowdene making use of a shallow watercourse known as The Ditch. The disaster forced the hill cats to evacuate and our villagers brought them to Mellowdene, sharing their homes.

This created a bond between the two communities, and even after the new village of Catsholme was built back in the foothills, that bond continued and The Ditch was developed into our canal route making transport easier. Nevertheless, most cats preferred their independence and moved to Catsholme.

Mellowdene had performed is magic on our visitors. Some cats decided to relocate to Mellowdene, enjoying the association with the variety of crittizens of other species. The Harvey family were amongst the first to move here, and the Persis cats came not long afterwards. Some wanted to move here but enjoyed the feeling of security they had living alongside other feline families. The quandary was resolved by building some homes at the north of the village, near to the canal. Whilst not restricted solely to cat residents, it was understood that these homes, collectively known as the Mews, would give first refusal to any cats looking to live there. This satisfied the newcomers and the Mews is now around 80% inhabited by cats, although visitors of other races are always warmly welcomed.

So, that's the background.

Many houses in the Mews resemble the design of old stables, being largely open plan on the ground floor - often dedicated to businesses or holding meetings - with residences on the upper floor. The "mental hugging" business Irene Seabreeze had located was on one such ground floor. Irene had found out about it from Natalie Marlowe, a Tuxedo cat who - rather than being a resident of the Mews - lived at the posher end of Cherry Blossom Avenue. Mason Marlowe and Lawrence had business dealings.

o 0 O 0 o

Doris had arranged for Cecile to have an appointment at Mentis Amplectendo, a small business at one corner of The Mews overlooking a shared courtyard. I don't think Cecile was particularly bothered about going, but she didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings. 

 

Upon arrival, she saw two young male cats running around playing a chasing game. Seeing her, they went to a side door and called out.

"Mum! Visitor!" 

A friendly-looking cat emerged and rubbed the youngsters' ears. "Good lads. Go on inside. Troy - keep an eye on the stove. Sheridan - finish setting the table. I'll be with you shortly."

She turned to Cecile and gave her a warm smile. Cecile knew her but she wasn't someone with whom she'd had any dealings.

"Hello. Cecile Butterglove, isn't it? I'm Atlanta Marlowe. We live upstairs. Natalie is my husband Mervin's sister-in-law and she runs the business. She shouldn't be long."

"I'm a little early. Don't you work here, then?"

"Me?" she laughed. "No. It's not my thing, really." She paused. "I shouldn't say that, I suppose. It helps a lot of cats. Not just cats. Rabbits, squirrels, bears. Even the occasional dog. I was brought up differently, that's all. Perhaps I should shut up."

Cecile warmed to this friendly lady with her open demeanor, and lowered her voice to a confidential tone. "Don't worry. I don't know if it's my thing either. A friend arranged this."

Atlanta grinned. "Ah, you'll be alright. Natalie and her daughters get a lot of repeat custom." She looked over Cecile's shoulder. "Here they are now." 

 

o 0 O 0 o

The fancy silk clothes of the three Tuxedo cats contrasted with the more practical attire adopted by Atlanta and Cecile, and the name of the establishment fitted their... poshness.

There were brief introductions, and then Natalie, Lily and Rose escorted Cecile into Mentis Amplectendo.

Once inside and into the reception area, Cecile was informed - although it was patently obvious - that the open plan lower floor had been partitioned off into a number of rooms. Natalie initially referred to them as "pods" but lapsed into calling them rooms after seeing Cecile's facial expression upon hearing the term "sound-capture-pods".

"I mean some rooms are sound-proofed so that noisier treatments don't disturb other clients," Natalie explained.

"Oh," said Cecile, "and is that likely to be a problem? What would be so noisy?"

"To be fair, there are not that many such treatments - but we need to consider clients who are here to relax."

"That makes sense."

Natalie showed Cecile through to an "open pod" where they could discuss the available treatments.

"You'll see from our leaflet that we don't usually cover the self-care treatments that could be done elsewhere - Sylvanians can benefit from reading, drinking water, sleeping, baking, and doing their assorted hobbies without any aid from us. We offer environments to aid meditation, provide saunas, fur grooming, paw massage, claw polishing and more."

Cecile scanned the leaflet. "I'm not sure what I'd like. As you know, my friend Doris Seabreeze made the appointment."

"I see. Doris contacted us upon her sister-in-law's recommendation. However, as Irene has tried a variety if treatments when she visited, that doesn't give me a clue what might suit you."

"Do you do that facial thing with cucumbers on the eyes?"

"Some cats don't tend to react well to cucumbers, but I've been trained to handle them as we want to cater for a wider clientele. Do you think you might like that?"

"I just wondered what it was about."

"Hydration, help treating tired eyes..." - she assessed Cecile's appearance - "...but I don't think you need that. Why did Doris think you'd benefit from treatment?"

"She thinks I need to pamper myself. Her words, not mine."

"You don't think so?"

Cecile didn't get a chance to answer as, without warning, a harsh yowling noise echoed from somewhere in the building. It varied in pitch but no-one could call it musical. Wild-eyed, Cecile turned to Natalie, calming down when saw the cat slowly shake her head. Still, my wife being my wife, she had to say something.

"What in Sylvania is that? Is someone in pain?"

"Don't worry, Cecile. It's nothing bad. Well, not in that way." She caught sight of one of her daughters. "Lily?"

"Yes mother. Room C. I'll close the door."

Cecile watched her leave then returned her gaze to Natalie, her expression clear that she wanted an explanation. Natalie sighed.

"It's Melvin, my brother-in-law. As we're using his property, he has free reign to use our facilities." She gave a pained smile. "Of course, we don't mind. Unfortunately he has a tendency to leave the door open when he uses Room C. It's not particularly generous for me to say, but I suspect he does it on purpose as a joke."

"Ah, right," said Cecile. "And what exactly is Room C?"

"It's another of the self care options we provide. It's open to anyone, but it's mainly our feline clients who avail themselves."

"And?"

Natalie considered her words. "You're probably aware that we cats are an independent group. What you might not know is that a few occasionally suffer from frustrations, sometimes unreasonable, and they have to find an outlet to return to the Sylvanian ideal to which we all aspire. Everyone is capable of finding their own way, but we offer an environment to ease the path for those who desire it."

The noise was cut short. Natalie smiled.

"That's better. Now I know that what I just said sounds like a sales pitch, but it's true. The cats that use Room C find it convenient and beneficial."

"So what does it involve?"

"We have a wall upon which we can project images of the subject of a client's frustrations. The client is encouraged to shout, scream, miaow, hiss or make any noise they like until they feel calmer." She chuckled. "Or embarrassed enough to stop. That's why the room is sound-proofed."

Cecile laughed. "And Melvin airs his frustrations with the door open."

"To an extent. I think it's more a case of him liking to make a noise. Sometimes he doesn't bother to project anything on the Cat-a-wall."

"Caterwaul?"

"Yes, I know. Mason - my husband - came up with the name. Sometimes I think he's as bad as Melvin."

"I love it. What a great name."

"I suppose so."

Natalie regarded Cecile thoughtfully. "The question remains - which treatments would  give you benefit - and physically, I don't think you need any urgent facial or body treatment. Unless something leaps out at you from our leaflet, maybe we should start in one of our meditation pods."

"Okay..."

 

o 0 O 0 o

On her return home, Cecile sought me out and summarised her treatments as "an experience."

"I liked the fur grooming. My skin tingled afterwards and it was definitely pleasant. The meditation pod was alright but only once they'd turned off the music. I found it tedious and irritating. I couldn't relax with it going widdly-diddly all the time. You would have ripped the speakers off the wall!"

"I don't think so," I laughed, and she digged me in the ribs.

"Well, maybe you could have restrained yourself, but you would have been tempted. I certainly was but thought it better to ask Rose Marlowe to turn the noise off."

"And then you could meditate?"

"I was never really sure what I was supposed to be doing. I went through the physical routine as instructed but it felt false to me."

I smiled. There are no pretensions with my darling wife. "So what did you do, sweet wrinkle?"

"I think I fell asleep."

We laughed. A lot. When we'd calmed down, Cecile said something I found a little unusual. "I think they were hoping I'd have a spiritual experience. If they expected me to find something like the Snow Queen then they were hardly likely to succeed."

"Oh?"

"Never mind that." She gave me a sly smile. "I want to show you how the fur grooming works."

o 0 O 0 o

 

I happened to casually mention the Snow Queen remark to Darcy when I was writing this piece. After some consideration he asked me if Cecile had ever experienced the Dreamstone. Obviously I thought he was joking.

"What are you laughing about, Jackson?" he said. "Don't you read what I write when I fill in for you?" [See Living with a Myth]

I said that I didn't know how to, that he should know by now that I'm not into all this webby stuff. He huffed in mock frustration then showed me how access and read all the past "Life in Mellowdene" entries we've written over the last few years.

Reading about the Dreamstone was a surprise.

Had Cecile had an encounter? It could account for her acceptance of the Snow Queen myth, however understated she was about it. At first I wondered if I should ask her about it, then I checked myself. Does it really matter? I love Cecile just as she is. Bringing the Dreamstone into the conversation isn't necessary. If she's touched the rock or not, fine. I don't intend to. I don't need mental hugging!

o 0 O 0 o