In today’s episode we read Chapter 16 – Le Nightfall - in which Magpie begins to worry after Lucas and Cormorant don’t return from their ride, and Manon provides some very unsettling information.
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FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 16 of The Skylark Bell, Wingspan. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In our previous episode, Lucas and Cormorant step under a mysterious arch in the woods and inexplicably find themselves back in the town of Pocket.
In today’s episode we read Chapter 16 – Le Nightfall - in which Magpie begins to worry after Lucas and Cormorant don’t return from their ride, and Manon provides some very unsettling information.
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
“Perfect!” says Magpie, sneaking a small taste of pasta sauce off the end of the serving spoon. The sauce is gently simmering in a pot, the fragrant scent of basil and fresh tomatoes wafting through the kitchen. She grabs the pot of boiling pasta next to it and dumps it into a strainer, the hot steam shooting up from the sink and fogging up the window. She starts absentmindedly humming a little tune as she puts the garlic bread in the oven.
“Okay, what’s next?” she says out loud, looking at the chaos surrounding her, “Ah yes, the frosting!” she exclaims, pointing a finger in the air! She resumes her humming, but it is quickly drowned out by the sound of the mixer beating the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso into a luxurious mocha frosting for the cupcakes she baked earlier.
The oven dings to indicate the garlic bread is ready just as Magpie is frosting the last cupcake. She quickly tosses some mixed greens from the garden with a homemade vinaigrette, then glances at the clock. Her brow furrows, she thought Lucas would be home by now. Hopefully he’s not too far out, she doesn’t want their dinner to get cold.
Magpie steps out onto the patio, squinting into the quickly darkening field, but she doesn’t see any sign of Lucas and Cormorant. Brushing off the small tinge of worry at the back of her mind she steps back inside to grab cutlery and napkins, then comes back out to set the table. Still no sign of Lucas. Magpie bites her lip. “Don’t be such a worry wart,” she whispers to herself. She decides to start cleaning up the kitchen. She starts by scrubbing the pots and pans, then wipes down the counter, puts the extra food away, straightens up the utensil drawer, cleans out the fridge… still no sign of Lucas.
Unable to ignore the mounting concern that is gnawing at her, Magpie decides to head outside. She sits on the patio, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, questions swirling in her mind. Where is Lucas? Did he get lost? Is he injured somewhere? Did he just lose track of time while exploring like when they were kids?
A cold wind picks up and Magpie wraps the blanket around herself more tightly. She can’t tell if she is shivering from the cold or if her nerves are getting the best of her. Magpie decides to walk toward the pasture, maybe Lucas is getting Cormorant settled in for the night and just hasn’t come back to the house yet. She grabs a lantern from the patio and starts making her way across the grass toward the paddock. She’s just coming to the gate when something on the wind catches her attention. She leans in, listening closely. “What was that?” she whispers to herself. Magpie closes her eyes and focuses on the sound. It sounds like a woman’s voice, but ethereal, echoing and coming from every direction, singing a tune without words. Magpie can only catch intermittent pieces of it, but the tune sounds familiar. She digs hard through her memories but can’t quite put her finger on it. The singing fades away and Magpie is left alone with the wind and an empty paddock. Chilled, she decides to head back to the house and wait for Lucas inside.
Magpie makes a fire in the fireplace and settles onto the sofa with a book from the bookshelf. She piles a couple of blankets on her lap and tries her best to focus on the story, but her mind keeps wandering. Eventually she gives up on the book and just sits silently, staring out the window.
A knock on the door startles her, Magpie didn’t realise she’d fallen asleep. She shakes her head and pushes the pile of blankets off her legs. Sitting up, she sees bright sunshine pouring into the windows. Disoriented, it takes Magpie a moment to realise it’s morning. “Lucas!” she thinks, suddenly remembering that he didn’t come home last night. The knock on the door, it must be Lucas, perhaps he lost his keys and had gotten mixed up in the dark on his way home. Magpie feels relief wash through her as she races to the door. “Lucas, I was so worried!” she says, swinging the door open with glee. Magpie’s heart sinks when she sees Manon standing on the front step.
“Good morning, Magpie. Is everything okay?” asks Manon, the bright smile falling from her face.
Magpie feels her stomach sink. “It’s Lucas, he went out for a ride with Cormorant yesterday afternoon, and he never came home,” she says. Manon gets a look on her face that Magpie can’t quite decipher.
“May I come in?” asks Manon, “I think we need to talk.”
Magpie places a cup of coffee and cupcake in front of Manon and joins her at the small table in the kitchen. “Are you not eating?” asks Manon, noting the empty placemat in front of Magpie.
“I’m afraid I don’t have much of an appetite,” replies Magpie, her stomach in knots. Manon gives her an understanding nod. When she first arrived, Manon called Alfred who immediately began putting together a search party. So far, they had found no sign of Lucas and Cormorant on the beach or in the fields surrounding Carnifex House. Alfred is now going to the village to check in with the business owners.
Manon heaves a deep sigh, “I was hoping I would never have to have this conversation,” she says, her face grim.”
Magpie feels her heart start beating a little faster. “What do you mean?” she asks.
Manon looks up at her, a sad look in her eye, “This isn’t the first time someone has gone missing from Carnifex House.”
Magpie leans back in her chair, reeling. Lucas has gone missing. She hadn’t put those words together in her mind yet. He hadn’t come home for dinner, he took a wrong turn, maybe he was lost… but missing. Lucas was missing. The word put fear in her heart.
Manon hesitates, then looks Magpie squarely in the eye, “It last happened a few years after we moved here.” Magpie gasps, why hadn’t Manon told her? As if reading her mind, Manon continues, “Our son Julien was playing with one of his friends, a lively little boy with big blue eyes. I was watching them from the kitchen window while I was cooking, but then the phone rang, and I got distracted. Eventually when I looked back outside, I saw only Julien. I walked over to him to ask where his friend was, and he said his friend had gone into the woods.” Manon takes a small break, lost in what is clearly a painful memory.
“Did they ever find him?” asks Magpie, already knowing the answer to her question.
Manon shakes her head. “His parents were devastated. The entire village helped them search for the boy, but he was never found. It was like he had never even existed. Not a trace of him anywhere,” she says, sadly. “His mother blamed the spirits of the druids who used to live on this land. She thought they had taken her son somehow. Some say she never fully recovered and spent the rest of her life calling out to Dealan-dè to return him.”
“Is there any truth to it? What would make her think that?” asks Magpie, suppressing a shudder.
“There have been so many stories about the druids and their magical spells handed down through generations… perhaps it was easier to blame them than to accept the fact that sometimes terrible things just happen,” answers Manon, a strange look on her face.
Magpie feels like Manon is holding back, “What aren’t you telling me?” she asks.
“That little boy may have been the last person to disappear mysteriously, but he was not the first…”
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for a special episode featuring my original story The Other Rachel, inspired by my Grandmother who will be turning 106 years old in just a few days. This strange and mysterious story is filled with nostalgia, and I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with you. The following week we'll continue with Wingspan chapter 17, Le Corbeau, where Lucas has a strange dream, and wakes up to even stranger circumstances.
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, they help give the podcast visibility so others can find and enjoy the story. You can also support my work by subscribing to my Patreon where you get early access to episodes as well as MP3 downloads of the music, artwork, behind the scenes videos and more! Just check the show notes for links to Patreon, my website, and social media accounts.
Before I go, I’d like to share this reel for a podcast I quite enjoy called The Activity Continues. Amy and Megan are fantastic hosts who discuss episodes of paranormal television show The Dead Files. If you enjoy the supernatural atmosphere of The Skylark Bell you’ll want to check them out.
Thank you, once again, for listening. I'm Melissa Oliver and this is The Skylark Bell podcast.
