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The Skylark Bell - Chapter 24, This Is How Ghosts Must Feel
In today’s episode we continue our adventure with Chapter 22 – where Magpie finally goes into the house on Meadow Lane to find the mythical Skylark Bell.
Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)
Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.com
Instagram: @theskylarkbell
Twitter: @melissaoliveri
Patreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri
TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 22 of The Skylark Bell. I am your host Melissa Oliveri.
In our last episode, Magpie learned about her family ties to both Meadow Lane and Charlotte Carnifex, and was sent on a mission to save the town of Pocket from the ever-growing silence.
In today’s episode we continue our adventure with Chapter 22 – where Magpie finally goes into the house on Meadow Lane to find the mythical Skylark Bell.
So get cozy… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
The dust from the road behind her settles as Magpie reaches the bottom of Meadow Lane. She stares at the small grey house in the field of silent grass, and pushes a growing sense of dread to the back of her mind. Inhaling deeply, she puts her head down and takes a few steps up the lane. Instantly, she can no longer hear the birds, the wind, or her footsteps. She stops in her tracks and stays perfectly still, her body frozen in fear. She feels panic rising in her chest and is on the verge of bolting back toward the road when something inspires her to look back up at the house. She slowly lifts her head and fixes her gaze on the weathered structure. For the first time, she doesn’t see it as broken and scary, but rather, sad and lonely. Magpie knows that feeling only too well… with renewed courage, she takes a step.
Making her way up the lane, Magpie imagines what the fields must have looked like when the grass was vibrant green and swaying in the wind. What the forest sounded like, filled with songbirds and crinkling leaves. She pauses at the front steps to the house, takes a deep breath, which makes no sound, and walks up. On the front porch she pushes one of the rocking chairs to see if it will creak, but even though it has been outside for decades it just moves back and forth silently. She turns to face the front door when, suddenly, she sees the reflection of a flock of birds in a shard broken window! She jerks her head around quickly, but the sky overhead is silent and empty. Though she can’t hear it, she feels her heart beating faster and harder. Her shaking hand pushes the door and it swings open soundlessly, the darkness beyond beconing as she takes a hesitant step into the house.
Inside, the house on Meadow Lane is surprisingly unassuming. The peeling wallpaper is orned with faded vines and flowers, and large wooden beams overhead support the second floor. Across from the front door there is a small kitchen with a long counter and large rustic sink. Nearby, in the dining area, sits a heavy wooden dining table. Magpie takes a moment to feel around for a light switch before realising the house was abandonned before being fitted with electricity. It’s like it has been frozen in time. She takes a few steps closer to the table to have a look. Under a thick layer of dust she can see plates and cups laid out on it, like the house is waiting for someone to return. Magpie’s heart is instantly filled with sadness. The early evening sun barely filters through the dirty, broken glass of the windows, but it is enough for her to see the remnants of a fireplace just beyond the dining room. She feels drawn to it and makes her way around a massive antique buffet, still housing a few chipped porcelaine plates. In the fireplace, a small pile of ashes sits behind a tarnished brass screen; a poker, broom and shovel rest on the floor nearby. Her gaze travels up the blackened bricks to the mantle. On the heavy wooden shelf she finds an old photograph, but she can’t see very well in the fading light. On impulse, she slips it out of its frame and into the inside pocket of her jacket.
Magpie looks at her reflection in the dirty mirror above the fireplace. Trying to give herself confidence, she says, “Well, I guess it’s time to head upstairs!” But although she can see her mouth moving in her reflection, not a sound comes out of it and the room remains silent. It’s like she doesn’t even exist. She briefly thinks this is how ghosts must feel, then chases the thought away with a shudder.
She makes her way to the staircase, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before heading up. The stairs feel surprisingly solid under her feet, but the banister wobbles back and forth silently. On the landing, the light is slightly brighter. She makes her way to the room on the left, and discovers it is the primary bedroom. It contains a fairly large bed, a dresser with a hairbrush and empty perfume bottle strewn on top, a few remnants of old linens in a large wooden wardrobe, and a night table with an open drawer in which there sits an old book. She picks up the book to take a closer look (the skye lark belle?) but it immediately begins disintegrating in her hand. She gently puts it down and steps back into the hall.
Recognizing that time is of the essence, Magpie focuses on finding Farfalla’s room. Out of the corner of her eye she catches a slight, quick movement nearby, and whips around. She sees a little white shape at the end of the hall. The shape stands up and saunters on velvet feet through the doorway behind it. Magpie feels a pinch in her heart as recognition sets in… Scarlet. Scarlet has come to guide her one last time. Magpie walks cautiously down the long hallway to the very last door. Squinting in the fading light, she sees something carved into the wood of the door. She steps closer and traces the outline of the carving with her finger; it is a swallow, its wings stretched out in flight. This has to be Farfalla’s room! She takes a deep breath, wondering what she will find inside…
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week as we pursue our adventure and read Chapter 23 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell – will Magpie find the bell in time to save the town of Pocket from the silence’s growing reach? Be sure to subscribe so you can find out!
Before I go, I’d like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing for this fantastically eerie story, and Cannelle Elanion for composing equally fantastic and eerie music for this podcast.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-content
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
View all episodes
By Melissa West
5
1919 ratings
In today’s episode we continue our adventure with Chapter 22 – where Magpie finally goes into the house on Meadow Lane to find the mythical Skylark Bell.
Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)
Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.com
Instagram: @theskylarkbell
Twitter: @melissaoliveri
Patreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri
TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 22 of The Skylark Bell. I am your host Melissa Oliveri.
In our last episode, Magpie learned about her family ties to both Meadow Lane and Charlotte Carnifex, and was sent on a mission to save the town of Pocket from the ever-growing silence.
In today’s episode we continue our adventure with Chapter 22 – where Magpie finally goes into the house on Meadow Lane to find the mythical Skylark Bell.
So get cozy… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
The dust from the road behind her settles as Magpie reaches the bottom of Meadow Lane. She stares at the small grey house in the field of silent grass, and pushes a growing sense of dread to the back of her mind. Inhaling deeply, she puts her head down and takes a few steps up the lane. Instantly, she can no longer hear the birds, the wind, or her footsteps. She stops in her tracks and stays perfectly still, her body frozen in fear. She feels panic rising in her chest and is on the verge of bolting back toward the road when something inspires her to look back up at the house. She slowly lifts her head and fixes her gaze on the weathered structure. For the first time, she doesn’t see it as broken and scary, but rather, sad and lonely. Magpie knows that feeling only too well… with renewed courage, she takes a step.
Making her way up the lane, Magpie imagines what the fields must have looked like when the grass was vibrant green and swaying in the wind. What the forest sounded like, filled with songbirds and crinkling leaves. She pauses at the front steps to the house, takes a deep breath, which makes no sound, and walks up. On the front porch she pushes one of the rocking chairs to see if it will creak, but even though it has been outside for decades it just moves back and forth silently. She turns to face the front door when, suddenly, she sees the reflection of a flock of birds in a shard broken window! She jerks her head around quickly, but the sky overhead is silent and empty. Though she can’t hear it, she feels her heart beating faster and harder. Her shaking hand pushes the door and it swings open soundlessly, the darkness beyond beconing as she takes a hesitant step into the house.
Inside, the house on Meadow Lane is surprisingly unassuming. The peeling wallpaper is orned with faded vines and flowers, and large wooden beams overhead support the second floor. Across from the front door there is a small kitchen with a long counter and large rustic sink. Nearby, in the dining area, sits a heavy wooden dining table. Magpie takes a moment to feel around for a light switch before realising the house was abandonned before being fitted with electricity. It’s like it has been frozen in time. She takes a few steps closer to the table to have a look. Under a thick layer of dust she can see plates and cups laid out on it, like the house is waiting for someone to return. Magpie’s heart is instantly filled with sadness. The early evening sun barely filters through the dirty, broken glass of the windows, but it is enough for her to see the remnants of a fireplace just beyond the dining room. She feels drawn to it and makes her way around a massive antique buffet, still housing a few chipped porcelaine plates. In the fireplace, a small pile of ashes sits behind a tarnished brass screen; a poker, broom and shovel rest on the floor nearby. Her gaze travels up the blackened bricks to the mantle. On the heavy wooden shelf she finds an old photograph, but she can’t see very well in the fading light. On impulse, she slips it out of its frame and into the inside pocket of her jacket.
Magpie looks at her reflection in the dirty mirror above the fireplace. Trying to give herself confidence, she says, “Well, I guess it’s time to head upstairs!” But although she can see her mouth moving in her reflection, not a sound comes out of it and the room remains silent. It’s like she doesn’t even exist. She briefly thinks this is how ghosts must feel, then chases the thought away with a shudder.
She makes her way to the staircase, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before heading up. The stairs feel surprisingly solid under her feet, but the banister wobbles back and forth silently. On the landing, the light is slightly brighter. She makes her way to the room on the left, and discovers it is the primary bedroom. It contains a fairly large bed, a dresser with a hairbrush and empty perfume bottle strewn on top, a few remnants of old linens in a large wooden wardrobe, and a night table with an open drawer in which there sits an old book. She picks up the book to take a closer look (the skye lark belle?) but it immediately begins disintegrating in her hand. She gently puts it down and steps back into the hall.
Recognizing that time is of the essence, Magpie focuses on finding Farfalla’s room. Out of the corner of her eye she catches a slight, quick movement nearby, and whips around. She sees a little white shape at the end of the hall. The shape stands up and saunters on velvet feet through the doorway behind it. Magpie feels a pinch in her heart as recognition sets in… Scarlet. Scarlet has come to guide her one last time. Magpie walks cautiously down the long hallway to the very last door. Squinting in the fading light, she sees something carved into the wood of the door. She steps closer and traces the outline of the carving with her finger; it is a swallow, its wings stretched out in flight. This has to be Farfalla’s room! She takes a deep breath, wondering what she will find inside…
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week as we pursue our adventure and read Chapter 23 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell – will Magpie find the bell in time to save the town of Pocket from the silence’s growing reach? Be sure to subscribe so you can find out!
Before I go, I’d like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing for this fantastically eerie story, and Cannelle Elanion for composing equally fantastic and eerie music for this podcast.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-content
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy