In today’s episode we read Chapter 7 – Pocaid - in which Magpie and Lucas arrive in the quaint little Scottish town of Pocaid, but the welcome isn't as warm as they hoped.
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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FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Episode 7 of The Skylark Bell, Wingspan. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In our previous episode, Magpie had yet another strange, very realistic unexplained experience as she and Lucas were on the ferry taking them from to the island.
In today’s episode we read Chapter 7 – Pocaid – in which Magpie and Lucas finally arrive in the quaint town of Pocaid on the Isle of Skye, and encounter a strange reaction from the residents at the mention of Carnifex House.
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
It feels like their driver has been expertly navigating the long, winding, narrow roads forever when suddenly Magpie and Lucas find themselves driving along the coast, the salty smell of the sea drifting into the open car windows.
As they come around the bend Magpie lets out a gasp, just ahead is a quaint seaside village, each row house painted a different colour, the gray of the steep cliff rising behind them creating a stark contrast despite being marred by the bright green of the odd tree. A large stone manor stands perched atop the cliff, overlooking the town and the ocean beyond.
“Welcome to Pòcaid! Sure is somethin’, ain’t it?” says the driver, a knowing smile on his face. Clearly this isn’t the first time he’s seen the reaction of newcomers as they first drive into town. “That up there is Goldcrest Manor and Goldcrest Gardens, been there for centuries…” he says, nodding toward the top of the cliff. “Would you like to stop in town for a moment, get your bearings before I take you up to the house?” he asks
“Getting out of the car for a moment sounds great.” Says Lucas, making eye contact with Magpie to confirm she’s on board. Magpie promptly nods in agreement.
The driver parks along the seaside, across from the rainbow of row houses and steps out. Magpie and Lucas join him, the wind blowing their hair and carrying the driver’s voice as the starts telling them about the town. “Along the main street you’ll find the post office, Crake’s general store, the gift shop… then there’s The Capercaillie Art Gallery, lots of amazing artists ‘round these parts!” he says proudly. “Then if you’re hungry there’s the Red Kite Café, they have a great seasonal menu. Next to them are some offices – lawyers, accountants and the like – then the Whimbrel Inn, and last, but certainly not least, is the Skye Blue Bakery, it’s the oldest bakery on all the island! You won’t find better bread and morning buns on the mainland, that I can assure you!” The love of his land can be heard in the driver’s voice, which makes Magpie and Lucas even more excited to go check everything out. They thank him and head off.
“Where shall we start?!” asks Magpie
“How about we go in order from left to right?” suggests Lucas
“Works for me!” she says, as they start walking.
A sign above the door reads “Mr. Crake’s Odds n’ Ends” in large bright blue letters with “General Store” printed in white underneath. A small bell signals their arrival as they step through the door. The store looks larger on the inside than they would have guessed. It clearly serves as a grocery store and pharmacy as well as providing basic household needs like towels and cleaning supplies. Then there are the “odds n’ ends” mentioned on the sign – everything from horse riding boots to cat toys, tools and office supplies… this is definitely a one-stop shop!
“How are you doing this fine day?” says a pleasant voice as a large man with a thick silver beard makes his way around the counter.
“Hello! We’re great, thank you for asking!” replies Magpie.
“Anything I can help you find?” he asks. The man’s demeanor and personality are so inviting they instantly make Magpie and Lucas feel comfortable. “I know the store can look a bit messy to newcomers, but I know exactly where everything is! Just last week Joe Dotterel was in here looking for a fairy castle for his daughter’s birthday and guess what, I knew exactly where to find one! Poor Joe had to pick his jaw up off the floor, he was so sure he had me with that one!” The man lets out a belly laugh that echoes off the walls of the store, making some of the knick-knacks on the pegs behind him flitter back and forth.
“We’re actually just looking around for today,” says Lucas. “We’re new here, though I’m sure you noticed,” he adds shyly.
“Aye, had an inkling maybe you weren’t from these parts,” says the man, his smile warm and inviting. “Well, I’m Mr. Crake, got that sign outside the door to remind me in case I forget.” He says, chuckling at his own joke, his huge hands splayed across his protruding midsection.
“I’m Magpie, and this is Lucas,” says Magpie, smiling back at him.
“Lovely to meet you both, and welcome to Pòcaid, I’m sure you’ll find it to your liking. Will you be staying at the Whimbrel Inn?” he inquires.
“No, actually, we’re moving into Carnifex House,” answers Magpie “It used to belong to some ancestors of mine.”
At this, the man’s smile vanishes from his face and his brow furrows. “Well, it’s been nice meeting you both, I’d better get on with my work,” he says, rather shortly, before heading back behind the counter to reorganize some pegs with varying office supplies.
“Okay, nice to meet you…” says Magpie awkwardly as she and Lucas exchange a look of confusion and head back toward the door.
“Did you see how he reacted when you mentioned Carnifex House?” asks Lucas as they step back out onto the sidewalk.
“Yes, it was very strange. Maybe there’s some ancient rivalry between his family and mine or something,” shrugs Magpie. “I don’t want to read too much into it, I’m sure it’s nothing,” she adds, mostly to convince herself.
They walk past the gift shop, peering in the window to see a myriad of trinkets; local woolen goods, tartans, stuffed animals shaped like highland cows and sheep, blankets, jewelry. “Let’s come back here to buy some gifts to send back home when we have more time,” says Magpie. Lucas nods in agreement. They amble past the art gallery, which is closed, its limited hours posted on a small tidy sign in the door. The Gallery’s oversized display window features a large painting of a white and gray bird with black wings and red eyes. Magpie shivers slightly at the sight of it, beautiful but intimidating.
Next door to the gallery is the Red Kite Café, an easel on the sidewalk boasting about the daily specials in perfect cursive handwriting.
Cullen Skink
Pies n’ a pint – (with vegetarian options!) exclamation point, written in parentheses
fresh fish n’ chips with mushy peas
Carissa’s famous cauliflower curry
and for dessert:
Cranachan with local berries & honey
“I don’t even know what some of those are!” says Lucas, laughing. Magpie giggles in agreement.
“But I’m excited to find out!” she adds.
Just then, a waitress walks up to them. “Hullo!” she says pleasantly, “will you be dining with us today?”
“Not today, but we are curious, what is Cullen Skink?” asks Magpie.
“And Cranachan?!” pipes up Lucas.
The waitress laughs wholeheartedly “Ah! Well, Cullen Skink is a bit like chowder, but heartier and smokier… and better!” she adds with a wink, whispering to them from behind her hand, “and Cranachan is a dessert made with berries, honey, whiskey, oats and whipped cream… it’s like eating a sweet little cloud” she ends.
“That all sounds wonderful!” exclaims Magpie. “If we had more time, I would take one of each of everything right now, I’m starving! But we need to get to Carnifex House before dark,” she adds.
The woman immediately takes a step back, recoiling from Magpie. “Well, we’ll see you some other time then,” she stutters with a forced smile before turning and walking swiftly back into the café.
“What on earth…?!” says Lucas “Magpie, that’s twice now… something is going on.”
Magpie grabs his hand as they keep walking. They are almost at the end of the street, having raced past the office building and the inn, with only The Skye Blue Bakery left to check out. As they are approaching the door a hand appears from behind the glass and quickly flips the “open” sign to “closed”. Without skipping a beat, the shades in the windows on either side of the door drop violently.
Dismayed, Lucas and Magpie glance at each other before turning back. They can no longer deny there is something about Carnifex House that the people of Pòcaid aren’t telling them. Perhaps, the best thing to do at this point is head up there to find out what it is for themselves. Magpie and Lucas cross the street and walk back to the car, the driver leaning on the hood looking out at the beach. “Did you have a nice visit?” he asks.
Magpie nods quietly as they get into the car. The driver revs up the engine and the car turns onto the steep, winding road that will take them up the cliff to Carnifex House.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for Wingspan chapter 8, Carnifex House, in which Magpie and Lucas finally reach their destination, and lay eyes on Carnifex House for the first time.
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.
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