In today’s episode we read Chapter 20 – Moonlight - in which Magpie and Lucas live parallel lives across time and space
Brought to you by: Phaeton Starling Publishing and Things with Wings Productions.
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Author/Producer: Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com
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All music by Cannelle: http://www.cannellemusic.com
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This week's Boopod Network podcast partner is Shittin' Bricks: https://shittin-bricks.captivate.fm/
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 20 of The Skylark Bell, Wingspan. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In our previous episode, Lucas came to the realisation that he had somehow travelled back to 1920s Pocket, and was living with Charlotte and Edward Carnifex and their son James.
In today’s episode we read Chapter 20 – Moonlight - in which Magpie and Lucas live parallel lives across time and space
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
A year has gone by. An entire year alone in Scotland without Lucas. They hadn’t found any sign of anyone, let alone a large horse, entering the forest in the days following Lucas’ disappearance. The first few months, Magpie spent a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to put the pieces together, trying to figure out what happened and where Lucas had gone. It just didn’t seem possible to her that he would just… vanish! But after endless weeks with not even the smallest clue as to his or Cormorant’s whereabouts, Magpie was confronted with the sad reality that he probably wasn’t coming back. Though deep inside a part of her still held out hope, she pushed herself to move on. Her mother came to stay with her for a while, but she needed to get back to Pocket to take care of their house and continue her work.
For Magpie, some days are easier than others, today is one of the others. It seems everywhere she turns something reminds her of Lucas and their time in Pocket. She hears the meow of a barn cat and thinks of Scarlet, she makes blackberry pancakes with chocolate chips from his Grandma Gemma’s recipe. Now, she sits by the small window at the top of the stairs looking out at the sky, watching the moon rise against the fading blue sky…
Suddenly she hears a knock at the door downstairs…
~~~~~~
Thousands of miles and several decades away, Lucas is sitting in his bedroom window at the farmhouse, the bedroom that would eventually become Magpie’s room, looking up at the very same moon and thinking of Magpie, remembering all the times they would walk home by moonlight from their adventures exploring the area, having forgotten, once again, to keep an eye on the clock. He wonders what she has been up to the past year, what conclusion she came to regarding his disappearance. He’s quite certain the truth has not occurred to her, no one would believe that he time travelled nearly 100 years and a whole continent in one step… with a horse no less!
Lucas has spent the year working alongside Edward Carnifex, learning carpentry. He’s surprised by how much he enjoys it and how naturally it comes to him. He has now taken to repairing furniture and coming up with his own creations to sell at the farmer’s market. He has taken on all sorts of projects from signs for local shops, to whittling animals as party favours. He has grown quite comfortable with his existence as Marius Corbeau in 1923. Things were more challenging and awkward at first, he knew most of the buildings in the small town, but none of the people, and they grew suspicious of him, a stranger, knowing so much about their town. But over the past several months he has been able to win them over, and word of his carpentry talents has spread, ensuring he is perpetually busy with work.
One of the special orders he recently received came from none other than Mr. Nathaniel Shearwater. He asked Lucas to build a decorative box for his daughter Farfalla’s birthday. Explaining that she loves birds, he asked Lucas to engrave the box with a feather. Lucas spent weeks building the box, and it is a stunning work of art, complete with a lock and feather-shaped key that he found at Bunting’s General Store. Mr. Shearwater picked up the box earlier in the day and was so impressed he invited Lucas over for dinner tonight. Lucas is somewhat apprehensive… the last time he saw Farfalla she was over 100 years old! He hasn’t met her yet in this time, until yesterday she and her sister Paloma had been away at boarding school.
Lucas is deep in thought when a knock on the bedroom door startles him out of his reverie…
~~~~~~
The door creaks loudly as Magpie opens it, “Oh hi Julien, come on in!” she says, smiling warmly. Julien Sarcelle has returned from Paris to take over the caretaking at Carnifex House. Manon and Alfred have agreed to stay on for a few weeks to get him settled into his new role, then they will retire to the south of France. Magpie and Julien have been spending a lot of time together recently as he learns the ropes, and Magpie has invited him for a late dinner.
“I’m a little intimidated,” she begins “I’ve heard Paris has some amazing food… hopefully you won’t be disappointed!” she says to him.
Julien laughs “I’m sure whatever you make will be wonderful,” he says warmly, taking off his cardigan and draping it over the back of a rocking chair. Though summer has just begun, there is still a chill in the Scottish sea air.
“Okay well, I have put together some North American delicacies for you… are you ready?” she asks, a twinkle in her eye. Julien nods at her with anticipation. “Tonight, we are having…. Drumroll please….” At this Julien starts tapping his hands against his legs in a rapid drumroll. “… Mac and Cheese, Corn Dogs, some Cherry Cola to drink and to top it all off, homemade Apple Pie! Oh, but to keep you at ease, there will be ‘French’ Fries,” she says, laughing.
Julien is silent, staring at her. “What are these things? Are these foods? I cannot eat a dog!” He says, a horrified look on his face.
Magpie starts blushing, “Oh no, they’re not made with dogs, in fact these are veggie dogs there isn’t any kind of meat in them at all, it…” Julien’s raucous laughter cuts her off mid-sentence. He was just fooling with her! She gives him a push and smiles as she heads to the kitchen to grab their plates.
~~~~~~
Back in Pocket, Lucas turns to see Charlotte standing in the doorway. “You asked me to let you know when it was time to go,” she says, smiling at him.
“Thank you,” he replies, swallowing the lump in his throat so she won’t know how nervous he is. He heads downstairs, puts on his riding boots, and says goodbye to Charlotte and Edward before heading out the door. Lucas has been so busy today he neglected to take Cormorant out for a ride, so he has decided to take the long way over to the Shearwaters and give the horse a chance to stretch its legs. “
“Hey Marius!” he hears upon entering the barn. It’s Gordon Starling, nearly as tall as Lucas now. They’ve spent some time together over the past year. Lucas sees a lot of himself in Gordon, or perhaps it is the other way around… regardless, they both have a deep love of adventure and exploration. Gordon was a tremendous asset in helping Lucas navigate his new surroundings. Though he knew the town, there were still some stark differences, and Gordon was only too happy to bring Lucas up to speed. “I heard you were taking Cormorant out tonight; I’ve got him all saddled up for you!” he says. Considering Gordon is Lucas’ Great-Great-Grandfather, Lucas thinks it’s funny that Gordon looks up to him, almost like a big brother.
“Thank you so much, Gordon! I appreciate it!” he says, walking over to Cormorant’s stall. “Hello old friend,” he whispers to the horse. He feels a special bond with the animal, it is the only connection he has to his old reality. He leads Cormorant outside and hops into the saddle. Horseback riding has become second nature to him since living in this time where cars are a commodity mostly reserved for the wealthy. Lucas and Cormorant race through the fields behind the Starling and Carnifex farms, then cross the street to the rock quarry and Mirror Pond before heading toward the apple orchard behind Meadow Lane.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for Wingspan chapter 21, Moving Forward Looking Back, where Magpie and Lucas come to terms with their respective situations.
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 Shittin’ Bricks. Kate and Dominic are fantastic hosts who take a deep look at things that bring people fear. If you enjoy the supernatural atmosphere of The Skylark Bell you’ll want to check them out.
Again, thank you so much for listening. I'm Melissa Oliveri and this is The Skylark Bell podcast.
