In today’s episode we read the chapter 8 – The Silence, in which we learn what sparked the mysterious silence at Meadow Lane.
This week's podcast partner is Mums, Mysteries, and Murder: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mums-mysteries-murder/id1578866284
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The Skylark Bell is brought to you by: Phaeton Starling Publishing and Things with Wings Productions.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Chapter 8 of The Skylark Bell, Skyedive. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In last week’s episode, Marius vanished in the terrible snowstorm of 1925.
In today’s episode we read the chapter 8 – The Silence, in which we learn what sparked the mysterious silence at Meadow Lane.
Today’s podcast partner is fellow Boopod Network member Mums Mysteries and Murder. If you enjoy true crime with a side of belly laughs then this is the podcast for you! Marti and Effie explore stories from their combined homelands of Australia and Scotland, which almost ensures they’ve covered some cases you haven’t heard before. Be sure to check the show notes for a link to Mums Mysteries and Murder.
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
May 3rd, 1925
Everything has changed.
It’s not just that Marius is gone. The light, the wind, the rain, it has all changed. Normally the lilac and the apple blossoms would be filling the air with their sweet scent at this time of year, but not this year. Normally, the foxes would be playfully hopping out of their burrow, and birds would be singing from the highest tree branches, but not this year. Normally, the grass would be turning green, young leaves would appear at the end of the tree branches, tulips and daffodils would be blooming, but not this year. Normally, I would be happy and joyful, singing and dancing, celebrating spring and getting ready to wed Marius, but not this year. Or any year. I feel no joy, only heartache.
Of course, Marius was never found, but you knew that already. You know everything. Well, almost everything.
Papa and Mama have decided we should leave Meadow Lane. Perhaps the Carnifex family was right to leave when they did, perhaps we should have done the same. Perhaps Marius would still be here if we had.
I went to the Oak Tree to say goodbye this morning. It was eerily quiet. Too quiet. There was no sound of wind blowing through the branches, no birds chirping, I didn’t even hear my shoe scrape against the thick bark as I climbed to my favourite branch. There was no haunting tune and no heartbeat. Perhaps what Isadora Finch told me, how her people believe everything has a spirit, even rocks and trees, is true. Perhaps, like Marius, the spirit of the Oak Tree is gone.
I wonder sometimes if, perhaps, my spirit is gone too…
~~~~~~
“Falla, it’s time to go!” Mrs. Shearwater’s voice echoes up the stairs.
Farfalla is sitting in front of her vanity, staring at herself in the mirror. Her face looks so much older now, sadder. She puts her hand against the cool glass to hide her reflection. Her notebook sits open in front of her, she re-reads her last workds "I wonder sometimes if, perhaps, my spirit is gone, too...". A tear slips down her cheek and lands on the word "spirit", causing it to blur. Farfalla closes the book and shoves it in the drawer of her nightstand. She turns to take one last look at her room, the room where, not so long ago, she was dancing and singing with joy. She feels for the silver chain around her neck, and the feather ring looped onto it. She couldn’t bear to have the ring on her finger as a constant reminder of Marius, but she also couldn’t bear the thought of not having it close, so she slipped it back onto the chain, just like she had the day Marius proposed in the apple orchard.
“Farfalla, it’s time to go!” comes her mother’s voice again, more insistent this time.
Farfalla is about to leave when she hears the Skylark Bell ring outside her window. The sound is striking, she hasn’t heard the bell ring for weeks. Almost like there hasn’t been any wind to blow it around. If she’s honest with herself, she had all but forgotten about it. She opens the window and carefully removes the bell from its hook. A wave of grief washes through her as she remembers unwrapping Marius’ gift to her. She runs her finger along the Skylark’s wings and circles the vine down to the bell.
Farfalla reaches under her bed for the decorative feather box that the bell had once been stored in, the one her father originally commissioned Marius to build. She turns the feather key in the lock and lifts the lid off the box. She places the bell inside with great care, then closes the lid, turns the key to lock the box, and slips the key onto the silver chain around her neck, next to the feather ring and tree charm.
Farfalla pushes her area rug off to the side and feels around the floorboards for the plank with the notch in its side. When she and Paloma were children, they discovered a secret compartment under the floor, and used to hide small treasures under there. Then one day Paloma reached in and felt a mouse scurry between her fingers, so they stopped using the secret compartment as a hiding place. Farfalla lifts the board and carefully places the box in the space beneath it. She kisses her fingers and touches them on the top of the box. “I love you, Marius. I will always love you,” she whispers, before easing the plank back into place and pulling the rug back on top. She stands, grabs her travel case, then steps into the hallway and closes her door, for the last time.
Mr. and Mrs. Shearwater have decided to move to the city with Paloma, to Paloma’s delight. Farfalla has chosen to stay behind in Pocket. Audrey Tourtereaux spoke to her parents, and they’ve agreed to let Farfalla live in the small apartment above the bakery for a modest sum. For work, Farfalla has approached several residents in Pocket about dressing their flower beds and window boxes. The Buntings are paying her quite handsomely to decorate the gardens at the general store, and they’ve put up a flyer advertising her services on their community bulletin board.
Several months go by, and Farfalla is doing quite well for herself. She gets a contract with the library to decorate their planters and front entrance for the fall, and they’ve asked her to put together some decoration ideas for the holiday season as well. She dresses the window boxes on The Early Bird restaurant and the owner, Mrs. Kestrel, is so impressed she asks Farfalla to design the flower beds at her house on the edge of town. Before long most of the flower beds in Pocket are overflowing with beautifully coordinated flowers and plants, all with Farfalla’s signature style. She takes pride in her work and is grateful for the kindness of her fellow townspeople and the trust they’ve placed in her.
After a year of living on her own Farfalla begins to fall into a routine and feels a sense of normalcy return to her life. She regularly joins Audrey Tourtereaux for tea on the patio behind the bakery, and during the summer she attends a few larger gatherings with Isadora Finch, the Starlings, and Willy and Emma Bunting. They reminisce about “the olden days”, always careful to avoid any mention of Marius. Farfalla spends the holidays with Audrey’s family, enjoying their traditional French-Canadian cooking and songs, and for the first time in a long time she feels something akin to joy.
Winter comes and goes without incident, to the relief of everyone in town, and Farfalla is excited to get started on her springtime projects. She walks down the street, breathing in the scent of the hyacinths, and feels a semblance of happiness. The past year of living independently, forging her own path, staying connected with her friends, earning fair pay for doing a job she enjoys, has brought some comfort to her, and helped heal her heart. Just when it feels like everything is falling into place, talk of “the silence” begins.
At first Farfalla notices a subtle change in the people of Pocket. Hushed whispering that stops suddenly when she enters a room. Sideways glances from people at the diner or the general store. Then come the cancellations; first Mrs. Kestrel cancels Farfalla’s services for both her home and the diner, then a few smaller clients follow suit. Finally, the library informs her they will no longer be needing her services, and lastly Mr. Bunting tells her they can no longer afford to hire her due to budget issues, but his tone indicates this is merely an excuse.
“Audrey, do you have a moment?” she asks one day, spotting Audrey on the sidewalk outside the bakery. They haven’t gotten together for tea since last autumn, but Farfalla chalked it up to the winter months not being conducive to social gatherings on an outdoor patio. Audrey looks around nervously and nods her head, but signals for Farfalla to follow her around the corner to the back of the building.
“What’s going on?” asks Farfalla, perplexed at her friend’s strange reaction.
“People in town are talking…” begins Audrey, clearly uncomfortable. Farfalla waits patiently for her friend to continue. Audrey lets a long silence hang between them, like she is hoping Farfalla will just drop the subject, before finally continuing. “They’re saying there’s something strange going on at Meadow Lane,” she says at last.
“Meadow Lane? No one has lived there in over a year, what are they saying is going on?” she asks, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.
“Well, Mrs. Kestrel says that last month while her nephew was visiting, he walked up the lane to go climb the big tree but came running back a moment later crying and screaming that he couldn’t hear anymore. Mrs. Kestrel says his mother stepped onto the property to see what he was talking about, and she fainted almost immediately. They packed their things the next day and neither one of them has said a word since,” finishes Audrey, taking a deep breath.
“That’s very strange… it doesn’t even sound possible! But, even if it’s true, why is everyone acting strange around me?” asks Farfalla.
At this Audrey stares down at the ground. “They think you caused the silence.”
The six short words send Farfalla reeling. “What? Why would they think that?!” she asks, at once feeling horrified, scared, and angry.
“They think you cursed the property after Marius disappeared. They say it’s strange how you prefer to spend your time with plants and animals instead of people. They’re afraid of you,” says Audrey, somberly.
Farfalla is afraid to ask her next question, but she needs to know. “Are you afraid of me too, Audrey?” Farfalla feels her heart sink as she sees her friend turn to look away.
“Audrey, we need your help with these pies!” comes Mrs. Tourtereaux’s voice from the window behind them.
“I have to go. I’m sorry,” says Audrey, hurrying past Farfalla.
The rumour spreads like wildfire over the course of the next few weeks, and by the time summer comes Farfalla has been completely cut off from everyone in town. She goes about her day quietly, using what little money she has saved up to buy food and supplies from the general store, and keeping to herself in her tiny apartment. She doesn’t dare to go back to Meadow Lane to see what everyone is talking about. She convinces herself that doing so would give credence to their fantasy. But deep down Farfalla knows, the real reason she doesn’t want to go back to Meadow Lane is because she’s afraid the stories might be true. She felt the silence the day she left; it had wrapped itself around the Oak Tree like a blanket. Once again Isadora Finch’s warning had come true, “There will be a long silence,” she had said that day several years ago.
Never in her wildest dreams did Farfalla think one day the entire town would shut her out and accuse her of being a… Witch? Sorceress? What did they think of her, really? She knows she didn’t do anything to cause the silence, so where did it come from?
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for Chapter 9 – An Old Friend – in which someone from Farfalla’s past reappears just when she needs him most.
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 or a review, they are both greatly appreciated. You can also support my work by subscribing to Patreon or Ko-Fi, where you get early access to ad free episodes as well as digital downloads of the music, artwork, behind the scenes videos and more! You can also find The Skylark Bell exclusive merch on my website, www.theskylarkbell.com. Just check the show notes for all necessary links.
Once again, thank you for listening – I’m Melissa Oliveri, writer, host and producer of The Skylark Bell Podcast.