The Melitan Miniature

This ancient dog, the Melitan, is said to be ancestral to the modern Maltese Terrier, although it does not closely resemble it. But because of surviving depictions, including vase paintings, grave reliefs, and terracotta figurines, we can see that it was a miniature, fluffy, spitz-type dog, commonly white, with a pointed, fox-like muzzle.

It was an energetic, playful companion dog especially popular among children and women, though it was also loved by men. Doting owners sometimes tolerated problem behaviors like yapping in their Melitans, which other people, particularly dog-sitters, found annoying.

Blossom, the Melitan in “Sweet Revenge,” is Theodora’s companion: “Come, my little Blossom. Sit like Mama taught you. . . . No, no, not on the couch!

“Now, Blossom, I said off! Sometimes you act like a fluffy fool. . . . Good girl. There now, let me scratch that patch behind your ears. Shsh. No yapping. You know I can’t stand it.

“And you know, my miniature Melitan, how heartless Papa Leo is. There, there, stop growling. I’ll never send you back to him. Never, never.

“Did you know, my pet, that scum never notified me that he was divorcing me and never returned my family’s estate? And the betrothal gifts! Stop it, Blossom. You’re yapping again.”

The advantage of having a dog as your confidant is that it will not tell your secrets. Neither will Miriam bat Isaac. Your skeletons are safe with her. So, for the September 2026 issue of Dark Horses: The Magazine of Weird Fiction, click here.