Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Wingspan - Chapter 4, The End is the Beginning is the End
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Wingspan - Chapter 4, The End is the Beginning is the End
In today’s episode we read Chapter 4 – The End is the Beginning is the End - in which Magpie has a strange, and rather frightening experience on the cobblestone street outside the vintage shop.
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
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 4 of The Skylark Bell, Wingspan. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In our previous episode, Magpie and Lucas explored the streets of London and ended up in a curious vintage shop where the owner made Magpie an offer she couldn’t refuse.
In today’s episode we read Chapter 4 – The End is the Beginning is the End - in which Magpie has a strange, and rather frightening experience on the cobblestone street outside the vintage shop.
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
Magpie and Lucas have only taken a few steps down the street from the small vintage shop when Magpie hears the sound of hooves echoing down the cobblestone street. She turns just as a horse-drawn carriage whizzes by. “I didn’t realize they still had horse-drawn carriages these days!” she says to Lucas. “Lucas?” she says again when he doesn’t reply. Magpie turns around, but Lucas is nowhere to be seen. “Lucas?” she says again, a little more loudly. Where could he have gone? Wasn’t he just behind her a moment ago?
Magpie looks down either side of the street, but no one is there. She glances back at the small vintage clothing shop they just visited, but can’t remember which building it was exactly, and for some reason she doesn’t see the sign above the door. “What is going on?!” says Magpie out loud, a sense of panic starting to rise from deep inside. She looks up and down the street again, and this time sees the silhouette of a woman at one end of the street where a dense fog appears to be rising rapidly. Magpie blinks and the woman is gone, leaving only a swirl of fog spinning around itself like a small tornado.
“The silence is coming,” says a soft voice from behind her right shoulder. Magpie pivots and comes face to face with the woman who was at the other end of the street just a fraction of a second ago.
“N- n- no,” stammers Magpie, “The silence is gone. It ended. I ended it myself!”
Magpie feels dizzy and disoriented, like the swirling fog has somehow made its way inside her head. “I must be dreaming,” she tells herself. “That’s it! It’s the jetlag. I’m in bed in the hotel room, and I’m dreaming, just like how I was dreaming on the plane. In a little while I’ll wake up and Lucas will knock on the door and we’ll go down to the café across the street from the hotel and we’ll order French pastries and the waiter will ask if we know the lady who drew on a paper napkin because he thinks we look alike and then we’ll go for a walk and find a little vintage shop tucked away down a cobblestone street and I’m going to buy a fancy blue dress and the owner will give me the matching shoes and we’ll come out of the shop and… and….”
“The silence hasn’t even begun,” says the woman.
Magpie is reeling. She has been so preoccupied trying to figure out what is happening that she hasn’t taken a moment to truly look at the woman. But she is looking at her now, and a wave of shock washes through her. The woman is a bit older than she is, but she looks just like her! Magpie swallows hard. “What do you mean it hasn’t even begun?” she asks. “I rang the bell! I saved the town! The silence went away! It’s over, the silence is gone! I did exactly what Farfalla told me to do!” I AM NOT FARFALLA – the words echo, unspoken, in Magpie’s mind, making her shudder. Whose instructions had she followed, then, the day she rang the bell to end the silence? Who was the old woman with the wild white hair who claimed to be her Great-Great-Grandmother?
At this point Magpie is terrified and swings her head from side to side, searching desperately for help, but she is alone with the strange woman on this foggy cobblestone street.
The woman continues, her soft voice keeping the same even tone, “The silence is like an Ourboros, clamped down on its own tail in an endless loop… It has ended, still, it has not yet begun,” says the woman, her icy blue eyes unwavering.
“Who are you?” asks Magpie, her fear giving way to anger. “Who are you and why are you here? Why are you saying this to me? What does it even mean?!” at this point Magpie is on the verge of shouting. The woman remains silent, but her lips curve into a twisted, terrifying smile. Magpie, horrified takes a step back from the woman and trips on the curb. She can feel herself falling into the street.
Magpie hears a car horn blaring and feels a strong squeeze on her arm that sends pain shooting up into her neck and shoulder.
“Magpie! What are you doing?!”
It’s Lucas, his eyes wide, his hand still clamped on her arm to keep her from stumbling into the street. Magpie shakes her head and looks around. They are just a few steps away from the small vintage shop, it’s sign prominent above the door. She looks up and down the street wildly. “Where’s the woman? The woman who looks like me?” she asks, panicked.
Lucas stares at her, his face filled with concern. “Magpie, what woman? What are you talking about?”
“The woman who… she… where were you? I looked everywhere for you! I called out to you! You just… you just left me there! You left me there all alone with her!” Magpie is on the verge of tears.
Lucas takes her in his arms and holds her until her breathing slows, then he pulls back and looks into her face for a long moment before speaking. “Magpie, I think you had another vision. We stepped out of the shop and we were walking down the street when you just stopped. Your eyes glazed over; it was like you weren’t there. It only lasted a few minutes, but next thing I know you’re flying backwards off the curb into an oncoming car!” He pauses a moment before adding, “I would never leave you. I’m right here.”
Magpie shakes her head in disbelief. “Lucas, it felt so real!” she says quietly.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. Not right now. I…. I thought this was over,” she says, looking down at the ground.
Lucas can clearly hear the heartbreak in her voice. He places a finger under her chin and gently lifts her face to make eye contact. “It is over, Magpie. It’s over. You rang the bell; the silence went away. Tonight, we’re going to your mom’s exhibit opening, in London of all places, then you and I will head to Scotland for a brand-new adventure! We’ve got some amazing things to look forward to. Meadow Lane, The Skylark Bell… it’s all over. It’s in the past,” he says, his tone gentle yet confident. They stand still for a moment, a long meaningful look passing between them. They have experienced so much together; Magpie can’t imagine not having Lucas to lean on in moments like this. She heaves a sigh and nods. “We should start heading back, you’ll need time to pivot in case that dress doesn’t fit!” he says, winking slyly at her. Magpie forces a smile, and they start making their way back toward the hotel hand in hand.
Magpie wants so very badly to believe Lucas. Though he did manage to make her feel a little more at ease… in the back of her mind the strange doppelgänger woman’s twisted, taunting smile still haunts her.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for Wingspan chapter 5, The Clawfoot Gallery, where unexplained events continue to occur as we join Magpie, Lucas, and Mrs. Phaeton for the grand opening of her art exhibit.
Before I go, I’d like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing for this fantastically eerie story, as well as Cannelle for composing eerie, mood-setting music for this podcast.
If you are enjoying this story, please consider leaving a rating or a review, they’re both greatly appreciated. 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 as well as MP3 downloads of the music, artwork, writing, recipes, and more! Checks the show notes for links.
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
View all episodes
By Melissa West
5
1919 ratings
In today’s episode we read Chapter 4 – The End is the Beginning is the End - in which Magpie has a strange, and rather frightening experience on the cobblestone street outside the vintage shop.
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
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 4 of The Skylark Bell, Wingspan. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In our previous episode, Magpie and Lucas explored the streets of London and ended up in a curious vintage shop where the owner made Magpie an offer she couldn’t refuse.
In today’s episode we read Chapter 4 – The End is the Beginning is the End - in which Magpie has a strange, and rather frightening experience on the cobblestone street outside the vintage shop.
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
Magpie and Lucas have only taken a few steps down the street from the small vintage shop when Magpie hears the sound of hooves echoing down the cobblestone street. She turns just as a horse-drawn carriage whizzes by. “I didn’t realize they still had horse-drawn carriages these days!” she says to Lucas. “Lucas?” she says again when he doesn’t reply. Magpie turns around, but Lucas is nowhere to be seen. “Lucas?” she says again, a little more loudly. Where could he have gone? Wasn’t he just behind her a moment ago?
Magpie looks down either side of the street, but no one is there. She glances back at the small vintage clothing shop they just visited, but can’t remember which building it was exactly, and for some reason she doesn’t see the sign above the door. “What is going on?!” says Magpie out loud, a sense of panic starting to rise from deep inside. She looks up and down the street again, and this time sees the silhouette of a woman at one end of the street where a dense fog appears to be rising rapidly. Magpie blinks and the woman is gone, leaving only a swirl of fog spinning around itself like a small tornado.
“The silence is coming,” says a soft voice from behind her right shoulder. Magpie pivots and comes face to face with the woman who was at the other end of the street just a fraction of a second ago.
“N- n- no,” stammers Magpie, “The silence is gone. It ended. I ended it myself!”
Magpie feels dizzy and disoriented, like the swirling fog has somehow made its way inside her head. “I must be dreaming,” she tells herself. “That’s it! It’s the jetlag. I’m in bed in the hotel room, and I’m dreaming, just like how I was dreaming on the plane. In a little while I’ll wake up and Lucas will knock on the door and we’ll go down to the café across the street from the hotel and we’ll order French pastries and the waiter will ask if we know the lady who drew on a paper napkin because he thinks we look alike and then we’ll go for a walk and find a little vintage shop tucked away down a cobblestone street and I’m going to buy a fancy blue dress and the owner will give me the matching shoes and we’ll come out of the shop and… and….”
“The silence hasn’t even begun,” says the woman.
Magpie is reeling. She has been so preoccupied trying to figure out what is happening that she hasn’t taken a moment to truly look at the woman. But she is looking at her now, and a wave of shock washes through her. The woman is a bit older than she is, but she looks just like her! Magpie swallows hard. “What do you mean it hasn’t even begun?” she asks. “I rang the bell! I saved the town! The silence went away! It’s over, the silence is gone! I did exactly what Farfalla told me to do!” I AM NOT FARFALLA – the words echo, unspoken, in Magpie’s mind, making her shudder. Whose instructions had she followed, then, the day she rang the bell to end the silence? Who was the old woman with the wild white hair who claimed to be her Great-Great-Grandmother?
At this point Magpie is terrified and swings her head from side to side, searching desperately for help, but she is alone with the strange woman on this foggy cobblestone street.
The woman continues, her soft voice keeping the same even tone, “The silence is like an Ourboros, clamped down on its own tail in an endless loop… It has ended, still, it has not yet begun,” says the woman, her icy blue eyes unwavering.
“Who are you?” asks Magpie, her fear giving way to anger. “Who are you and why are you here? Why are you saying this to me? What does it even mean?!” at this point Magpie is on the verge of shouting. The woman remains silent, but her lips curve into a twisted, terrifying smile. Magpie, horrified takes a step back from the woman and trips on the curb. She can feel herself falling into the street.
Magpie hears a car horn blaring and feels a strong squeeze on her arm that sends pain shooting up into her neck and shoulder.
“Magpie! What are you doing?!”
It’s Lucas, his eyes wide, his hand still clamped on her arm to keep her from stumbling into the street. Magpie shakes her head and looks around. They are just a few steps away from the small vintage shop, it’s sign prominent above the door. She looks up and down the street wildly. “Where’s the woman? The woman who looks like me?” she asks, panicked.
Lucas stares at her, his face filled with concern. “Magpie, what woman? What are you talking about?”
“The woman who… she… where were you? I looked everywhere for you! I called out to you! You just… you just left me there! You left me there all alone with her!” Magpie is on the verge of tears.
Lucas takes her in his arms and holds her until her breathing slows, then he pulls back and looks into her face for a long moment before speaking. “Magpie, I think you had another vision. We stepped out of the shop and we were walking down the street when you just stopped. Your eyes glazed over; it was like you weren’t there. It only lasted a few minutes, but next thing I know you’re flying backwards off the curb into an oncoming car!” He pauses a moment before adding, “I would never leave you. I’m right here.”
Magpie shakes her head in disbelief. “Lucas, it felt so real!” she says quietly.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. Not right now. I…. I thought this was over,” she says, looking down at the ground.
Lucas can clearly hear the heartbreak in her voice. He places a finger under her chin and gently lifts her face to make eye contact. “It is over, Magpie. It’s over. You rang the bell; the silence went away. Tonight, we’re going to your mom’s exhibit opening, in London of all places, then you and I will head to Scotland for a brand-new adventure! We’ve got some amazing things to look forward to. Meadow Lane, The Skylark Bell… it’s all over. It’s in the past,” he says, his tone gentle yet confident. They stand still for a moment, a long meaningful look passing between them. They have experienced so much together; Magpie can’t imagine not having Lucas to lean on in moments like this. She heaves a sigh and nods. “We should start heading back, you’ll need time to pivot in case that dress doesn’t fit!” he says, winking slyly at her. Magpie forces a smile, and they start making their way back toward the hotel hand in hand.
Magpie wants so very badly to believe Lucas. Though he did manage to make her feel a little more at ease… in the back of her mind the strange doppelgänger woman’s twisted, taunting smile still haunts her.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for Wingspan chapter 5, The Clawfoot Gallery, where unexplained events continue to occur as we join Magpie, Lucas, and Mrs. Phaeton for the grand opening of her art exhibit.
Before I go, I’d like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing for this fantastically eerie story, as well as Cannelle for composing eerie, mood-setting music for this podcast.
If you are enjoying this story, please consider leaving a rating or a review, they’re both greatly appreciated. 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 as well as MP3 downloads of the music, artwork, writing, recipes, and more! Checks the show notes for links.
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