THE LADY OF SHALOTT

T’was quite early when I first heard the cock crow, almost on cue as the clock struck four. Then suddenly there was an urgent knocking upon my chamber’s door.

“Patience, patience!” I replied, as I threw the quilt aside and shuffled towards the door in my nightshirt. T’was Anna Bristol, one of her Ladyship’s maidens, who conveyed her message with a great urgency.

“Her Ladyship requests your presence at once. She is in the royal launch at the river dock. You are to bring everything required in order to paint her portrait, as she is fearful of an omen revealed in a dream, she feels time is running short. She desires this above all else and seems to be in such a woeful state. I will wait for you to gather what you need. Hurry please!”

“Tis more important you return to her Ladyship posthaste, and calm her until I arrive, I shan’t be long. Now, you hurry and tell her I am on my way.” And Anna Bristol abruptly turned and called for her horse. Soon the sound of hooves melded into birdsong in the early morning light.

My easel was still folded and my paint kit was as I had left it from the previous days of painting in various points of interest on the vast estate. There were a few rolls of canvas waiting to be stretched and I took two of them.

I put some cheese and bread, dried fruits, and sweet cakes, into a sack, as I was unsure of how long I would be out. All was packed on my horse as I rode off towards the river, less than a mile away, under a somber sky.

Time has a way of playing tricks on the mind as it can seem so real that one would never consider it in any other way. These memories I am now having, of this day like none other, happened many long years ago, yet I can still smell the oaken forest, the oils on my palette, and notes of cardamom of the sweet cakes.

My thoughts were reeling as I rode along the river’s path. It was believed the noble lady had been cursed and forbidden to venture into the outdoor world, and so she must have somehow escaped from the tower’s keep. What was this urgency I pondered?

Was it that she believed her portrait would serve as an amulet of protection and keep her from any harm that might befall her, or was it something else?

Emerging from the copse of old oaks around the bend, I could see the dock close ahead with her Ladyship sitting pensively amid the sturdy craft. I paused to take in the view from this most desirable vantage point, dismounted and set up my easel, and stretched a canvas on the spreaders.

Her Ladyship acknowledged my presence, placing a finger to her lips, indicating silence was to be observed. I bowed in respect and took a stick of charcoal and began to sketch.

In a short while I had composed the serene scene and in my observations it was important to include many of the details in a state of flux with the passage of time. I endeavored, as best I could, to eternalize these precious moments. The pair of swallows searching through the marsh grasses, the single candle flame struggling in the breeze to stay lit. A splendid, colorful tapestry draped over the side of the boat touched the water gently lapping against the hull where it floated amongst the lily pads.

The Lady Of Shalott, as she came to be known, had been left alone by one she came to admire, who’d gone off to conquer in some distant lands by order of the King. Through some questionable circumstances she had been sequestered away and had spent her days weaving her sorrows into patterns she felt stirring deep within her being. The brilliant colors within the tapestry belied the essence of the exquisite work, now baptized by the waters of the ancient river.

What was it attached to the chain she held loosely in her right hand? So close to letting go of it, she managed to keep it in her grasp. I had imagined it was some precious thing that may have kept her from floating away downstream.

With broad strokes on the canvas I laid in the background fields in colors and then carefully began to define the many elements within my composition. The first hues of Autumn had made their appearance and I was applying them where they were appropriate.

The Lady appeared to be lost in her dreams and I could only speculate upon what might be stirring within her troubled mind. Her gaze at the moment was fixed upon the small crucifix on the foredeck.

The soft morning’s glow upon her radiant features will be, in this very moment, frozen in time for posterity on this canvas. Some gossamer, mystical light had filled the air surrounding us with an etherial aura. I strived to capture its essence with an array of brushstrokes in a spectrum of magical light. Particles of the mineral pigments in my oils, reflecting, as music for our eyes, primarily to excite us with mystery, wonder and delight.

This is why I paint. I try to capture light when the moment speaks to me, it’s intuitive. I see things in nature evolving in a myriad of fascinating ways. But now I must paint the bow of the sturdy watercraft in such a way that best reflects its strength, contrasting with the ripples. The lantern which will soon hang from her graceful bow is now emerging.

Try to imagine, if you could, to capture the songs of the birds and somehow embed them within an image? Someday, mark my words, they will have abilities to do such things. There are eyes upon me, I must continue to paint. I am amazed by how still she manages to stay, so motionless. I poured a jug and filled my cup, and gestured with an offer of water to the sphinx. She sees everything, but you would never think it so. She offered me not a wink or nod.

I must hurry now and finish this piece by days end. Do take the time to explore its hidden secrets, which are not always completely obscured, so very subtle they are.

I must encapsulate what happened next, as this channel will soon be lost. I have conveyed all you that you have read so far, to this person who is doing the actual writing. His name is Jon. I am known as WM.

So, the painting is finished before the setting of the sun, but it is not the painting that is in the National Gallery, that is a much larger copy. This one is the original, it’s what inspired John W. Waterhouse to paint the larger work, in 1888.

He knew where to find the original as he had inherited a chest of ancestral heirlooms and a key to an ancient secret. The object at the end of the chain, her Ladyship held her right hand was the key to the crypt where the original painting had been kept waiting for centuries. The story about this new creation, a larger copy of the original, is not as interesting. as it is mostly studio work, except for one most unexpected event.

When certain beings reincarnate, specific traits, skills and not the least, memories of previous incarnations may be recalled with great clarity and purpose. I can remember clearly what took place after my completing the work. I had not paused to eat, only having sips of water for the duration of my ordeal. But what happened next was something totally unexpected, a surprise to my ultimate delight.

From her sphinx like pose, held for hours, her Ladyship suddenly stands up and leaps from the boat to shore, and motions for me to join them. Anna and Aubrey were there with some baskets of something concealed by cloth.

I thought my senses were tricking me, at certain moments throughout the day, into thinking I could smell the aroma of roasting duck, and other scents wafted by on the breeze that teased and tempted. It was so odd I thought, as there were no houses nearby, other than the boathouse, where one might find a kitchen.

I packed my things on my horse which followed me as I walked briskly along the path with the painting on its easel. I was hoping her Ladyship would be pleased with my work. I don’t think I had ever painted so quickly, but felt time was of the essence.

When I reached the landing, I was met at the foot of the steps by the three ladies who all gasped in unison when the saw the artwork on the easel. I set it up and stepped back to see their expressions of amazement and delight. The Lady Elaine, as she was introduced to me seemed overjoyed with my work, saying it has a divine light within.

We followed Aubrey up the steps and onto a veranda with a splendid view of the river. I was shown where the painting was to be placed at the table and set it up. To my great surprise, Anna and maiden Aubrey had prepared a lavish table, which was not at all visible from my spot on the riverbank where I had painted.

There upon the linen table cloth were many delightfully tempting dishes, it was truly a feast for royalty, but we four were the only ones here. The blending of aromas was having an actual physical effect on me. My senses where not fooling me, there was a platter with roast duck, everything smelled so delicious.

I was urged to sit at the head of the table. I felt a little out of place hearing this, and tried not to show it. Lady Elaine was at the opposite end. Wine was poured and the maidens began serving. Lady Elaine seemed entranced with her portrait, but a soon as the last carrot was served, she quickly snapped out of her trance. She picked up her utensils and urged I do the same, and she exclaimed “Enjoy!”

It was a feast like no other I had ever imagined. Everything was beyond delicious, I never dreamed of tastes as I had just experienced. We sipped a sweet pear liquor afterwards.

It was then that I queried, “My Lady, if you don’t mind my asking, what was the great urgency? I was told you saw an omen or something in your dreams, and time was short.”

“Yes my dear Merlin, I sought you to create this likeness of me in order that when the alignment occurs this night I will have a portal to enter into. Anna and Aubrey need not know who you really are and it’s best they continue to think you are just a painter and not a wizard.

“Keeping a low profile can be challenging at times, as you know. However you did make a most beautiful tapestry in your time away, it shall live on as well as your portrait.”

The maidens had busied themselves in packing the food away and onto a cart. They would not be present when the alignment occurs within the next half-hour. Sounds of hooves and wooden wheels on the road faded into the distance, as dusk enveloped the two before the artwork.

The rising moon loomed large on the eastern horizon. It was a blood moon wearing a crimson veil this night. An omen from a dream perhaps?

Lady Elaine stood next to Merlin and handed him the chain with the golden key attached.

“You have a most challenging voyage ahead in the Nether Realm, let the stars be your guides.” He said to her.

“It is my destiny and I believe it will be a journey of great new discoveries, so much is still unknown.”

At that moment a sphere of light began growing above Lady Elaine’s head and it continued enlarging until it surrounded her completely, a high trilling sound was being emitted asthe light sphere quickly began to shrink, when it took off like a comet heading directly towards the portrait merging with it, in a burst of sparkles.

Merlin just stood there a while, reflecting on the moment. He thought to himself; better than spending the rest of your life in the tower, I’d say. See you again in 1888.

THE END