In today’s episode we read Chapter 19 – One Step Forward, One Century Back - in which Lucas comes to terms with the fact that he has travelled back nearly a century to early 1920s Pocket.

Brought to you by: Phaeton Starling Publishing and Things with Wings Productions.

The Skylark Bell official website - http://www.theskylarkbell.com

The Skylark Bell on Instagram: @theskylarkbell

Author/Producer: Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Join Melissa's Patreon for early access to podcast episodes, music downloads, and more: http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle: http://www.cannellemusic.com

Cannelle on Instagram: @cannelle.music

Horror Roulette Podcast: http://www.horrorroulette.com

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 19 of The Skylark Bell, Wingspan. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.  

In our previous episode, Manon Sarcelle recounted the mysterious disappearances of several people in a conversation with Magpie.

In today’s episode we read Chapter 19 – One Step Forward, One Century Back - in which Lucas comes to terms with the fact that he has travelled back nearly a century to early 1920s Pocket.

Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.

Lucas has no notion of how long he’s been sleeping. The past several hours, or days, are a haze… a kaleidoscope of blankets, muffled speaking around him, sipping soup from a mug, the crackling of a fire nearby. Finally, today he feels a little more clearheaded, and he sits up in bed to get his bearings. He is in a small, simple room that feels vaguely familiar. He notes a wooden dresser and wardrobe, with matching nightstand by the bed, a small wooden chair in the corner, and a handmade rug on the floor. On the nightstand he sees an antique oil lamp and a carafe with water, a half empty water glass next to it. A gentle knock on the door startles him, and the door slowly creaks open to let a smiling woman with gentle brown eyes into the room.

“Good afternoon, Marius. How wonderful to see you sitting up, you must be feeling a bit better!” she says happily. “Is there anything I can get you? Perhaps some stew? Or maybe a cold washcloth for your face?” she asks.

Lucas feels disoriented. He looks out the window and sees a familiar scene outside; Mirror Pond in the quarry, and Meadow Lane to its left, a blooming apple orchard behind it and people working in the fields on either side. “Wh-where am I?” he asks.

“Oh dear, please forgive me, of course you must feel a little disoriented. You are just on the outskirts of a small town called Pocket. My name is Charlotte, Charlotte Carnifex. My husband Edward and I live here with our son James,” she says. 

Just then, Lucas hears the sound of a small bell and feels a sudden pressure on his feet at the end of the bed. He turns to look at sees a small cream-coloured cat with a brown face, paws, and tail. The cat gives him a knowing look with its striking blue eyes. “Scarlet!” he whispers under his breath.

“Oh! This is Cerise, my cat! She doesn’t like to feel left out, follows me absolutely everywhere!” laughs Charlotte.

Slowly, the veil is lifted from Lucas’ mind. The impossibility of the situation sending him reeling… He has time travelled. He is in Pocket. It must be sometime in the 1920s. Charlotte and Edward Carnifex are the owners of what would eventually become Magpie’s house. Scarlet the cat, whose… ghost, for lack of a better word, would eventually visit Magpie in the future, is here now, alive and well, living under her original name of Cerise. How any of this is possible is far beyond his comprehension and trying to sort it out is far too overwhelming. Lucas decides to keep things simple. They think he is Marius Corbeau, so be it. He will assume the name until he can find a way home, a way back to Magpie.

“You know, some stew and a cold washcloth sounds great,” says Lucas, smiling at Charlotte.

She nods and turns toward the door. As she is about to step out, she mentions “Oh, you’re probably wondering about your horse, we brought him to the stables next door, he is safe and well cared for. What an incredible animal he is, I’ve never seen anything like it! Where is he from?”

“Cormorant… He came with me… from Europe…” stammers Lucas, realizing that the stories he heard about Marius and his horse are actually playing out as written. He starts to think of how those stories end, but pushes those thoughts to the back of his mind. He would be back home with Magpie in his own time long before any of that took place. 

Later that day Lucas feels well enough to get out of bed and explore his surroundings a little. Around the corner from his room, he sees the stairway to the attic in its original form, before Edward walled it off when they left the house in the terrible winter of 1925. He realizes that Magpie’s closet hasn’t been built yet, that it will probably be created at the same time as the attic stairway is hidden. Lucas heads up the staircase to the attic, flashbacks of he and Magpie just a couple of years ago… or 90 years into the future depending on how you look at it… bouncing around in his mind. The attic is relatively bare, though the cradle with James’ name engraved on the side is up there, along with a rocking horse and dress form. He walks to the small round window that looks out the front of the house and sees Meadow Lane in the distance. 

Lucas is lost in thought when a sound behind him catches his attention, the bell on the cat collar.  Cerise walks up to him and rubs up against his legs.  “Hello old friend,” he says to the cat “Long time no see.” He bends down to scratch its ears and the cat purrs loudly. “Alright, why don’t we head downstairs,” he says. The cat looks up at him with its large blue eyes, like it knows everything about everything; the past, the future… He wishes it could tell him how to get back home.

“Ah, hello son! Back up and at ‘em, eh?” Edward Carnifex is sitting at the dining room table as Lucas is coming down the stairs.

“Yes, feeling much better sir, thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality,” replies Lucas.

“Make no mention of it, here in Pocket we help each other out!” he replies. “Charlotte told me you’ve come all the way from Europe, you and your beast of a horse!”

“Yes, that’s right,” replies Lucas. Technically, it’s not a lie… he just hasn’t mentioned that along with the distance he also travelled back nearly 100 years and has no idea how it happened.

“Are you just passing through or will you be staying in town for a while? If you’re needing work, I’m a carpenter and have been looking for an apprentice, I reckon you’d do a fine job,” he says, smiling warmly.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to do just yet, but for the time that I’m here I’d be honoured to learn from you and work by your side,” he says. Just then a boy, perhaps 14 years old, saunters into the room, his blond hair rebelliously pushing off his head in different directions.

“Marius! I’d like you to meet our son, James! I’ve asked him to be my apprentice, but he has other notions… likes working with numbers and papers and the like this one, he’ll make a fine businessman or accountant someday I reckon!” he says, playfully ruffling the boy’s hair.

“It’s nice to meet you, James,” stammers Lucas, in awe that he is shaking hands with the boy who would grow up to be Magpie’s Great-Great-Grandfather. The whole situation is surreal!

“Nice to meet you as well, sir!” says the boy, smiling pleasantly, his handshake firm.

“I’ve been meaning to check on my horse,” says Lucas “might you show me where to find him?” he asks.

“Sure thing!” says James, motioning toward the back of the house. 

Lucas steps around the large dining room table, the same one that will still be in the room nearly 100 years later when Magpie and her mom move into the house. They walk through to the kitchen where Charlotte is busy baking pies and cleaning pots and pans. She smiles at them as they walk through. Lucas notes with amazement that the antique stove is also the same one he saw at Magpie’s house. He shudders at the impossibility of it all and follows James out the back door.

“We don’t have stables at our house, but we keep our horses next door at the Starling’s farm, so we brought your horse there too. He’s something else ain’t he?!” says James as they step between the fence rails separating the Carnifex’s house from the one next door. At the sound of his last name, Starling, Lucas freezes in his tracks.

“What did you say?” he asks.

“I said he’s somethin’ else ain’t he? Your horse I mean! Never seen anything like it!” repeats James.

“No, I mean after that, did you say the Starling farm?” asks Lucas.

“Oh yeah, they live next door. Nice folks. Always there to help if you need it. I’m sure you’ll meet them sometime. The youngest boy, Gordon, he’s always out and about exploring. We go to school together, but he misses a lot of days, goes out poking ‘round the fields and woods like he’s discovered a new continent or sumthin’,” says James, laughing.

Gordon. Gordon Starling. Lucas remembers the name from his Grandma Gemma’s ancient family photo album. She’d point out the different people in the photos, remembering most of their names, even the ones she hadn’t met. She used to refer to him as Grandpa Gordon, which means he is Lucas’ Great-Great-Grandfather!

“You comin’?” shouts James, now several paces ahead of Lucas. Reeling, Lucas nods, and follows him into the field behind the house he was living in with his grandmother only a few months before.

Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week for Wingspan chapter 20, Moonlight, where Magpie and Lucas live parallel lives across time and space. 

The Skylark Bell is brought to you by Phaeton Starling Publishing and features original music by Cannelle. If you are enjoying this story, please consider leaving a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple Podcasts, this gives the show more visibility so others can find and enjoy it as well. You can also support my work through a donation via your podcast provider or by subscribing to my Patreon where you get early access to episodes and so much more! Check the show notes for links.

Before I go, I’d like to share this reel for a podcast I quite enjoy called Horror Roulette. Em and Nick are fantastic hosts who discuss paranormal events and true crime. If you enjoy the supernatural atmosphere of The Skylark Bell you’ll want to check them out.

Thank you.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy