The Skylark Bell

The Skylark Bell - Teaser Trailer

Teaser Trailer for The Skylark Bell Podcast - launching January 2021!Intro Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.comInstagram: @theskylarkbellTwitter: @melissaoliveriPatreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveriSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Skylark Bell - Introduction

In this episode, we will be introduced to the story of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell. Our main character, Magpie, must figure out what has caused the mysterious silence at Meadow Lane before it spreads to the entire town!Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.comInstagram: @theskylarkbellTwitter: @melissaoliveriPatreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveriTRANSCRIPT:Things with Wings Productions, with the support of Whimsical Productions and Collected Sounds presents: An Introduction to The Skylark Bell. I'm your host, Melissa Oliveri.Each episode of this podcast will feature one chapter of my book, Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell. On the last Friday of each month, we'll take a break from the story, and cover a real-life supernatural, or at the very least unusual and unexplained experience.In today's episode, we'll be introduced to the town of Pocket, it's newest resident, Magpie, and the mysterious house at the end of Meadow Lane.So get settled in, grab a blanket, a warm drink, and let's get started...Meadow Lane sits on the outskirts of a small town called Pocket. There is no sound on Meadow Lane. No crunching gravel under people's feet, and not a sound if they yell or clap their hands. It stays surrounded in a thick veil of silence at all times. The wind doesn't blow there, there's not a bird in the sky overhead, and not a critter running through the tall, dry grass.Since Magpie and her mother moved to Pocket, Magpie has felt drawn to the mysterious, disheveled house. She hears stories about the young brokenhearted woman who cursed the property, and whisperings about the mysterious Skylark Bell.What really happened at Meadow Lane, nearly a century ago, that could erase all sound from the land? And who is the strange old lady who wanders through town without ever speaking a word?Magpie has a secret that not even her mother knows about. She has visions from the past, like slow-moving pictures, and suddenly they all seem linked to the inexplicable silence that hangs over Meadow Lane.Will she put the puzzle pieces together before the silence spreads to the entire town?Thank you so much for listening! Join me next week as we officially embark on our adventure and read Chapter 1 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, where we'll be introduced to our main character, and the town of Pocket's newest resident, Magpie.Be sure to subscribe, you don't want to miss a thing!Before I go, I'd like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing for this fantastically eerie story, and Cannelle Elanion for writing equally fantastic and eerie music for this podcast.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Skylark Bell - Chapter 1, The Old Farmhouse

In this episode we are introduced to our main character, Magpie, who is just moving into an old farmhouse on the outskirts of a curious little town called Pocket.Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.comInstagram: @theskylarkbellTwitter: @melissaoliveriPatreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveriTRANSCRIPTION:Things with Wings Productions, with the support of Whimsical Productions and Collected Sounds presents: Episode 1 of The Skylark Bell.  I am your host Melissa Oliveri.  In today’s episode we’ll begin our adventure with Chapter 1, The Old Farmhouse, where we are introduced to our main character, Magpie, who is just moving into an old farmhouse on the outskirts of a small town called Pocket.So get comfortable… grab a blanket, a warm drink… and let’s get started. “Phew, I think this is the last one!” says Mrs. Phaeton, setting a large box on the dining room table.“We did it!”  says Magpie, her bright blue eyes twinkling and a proud, excited grin on her face.Magpie’s real name is Margaret Phaeton; as far as she can remember no one has ever called her by her actual name.  As a baby she was attracted to shiny things, just like the Magpie, and it was her father who gave her the nickname.  Magpie doesn’t remember her father, he left when she was just a baby, so it has always just been her and her mom.  Until today, Magpie and her mom lived in a small apartment in the city, but her mother finally managed to save up enough money for a down payment on a large Victorian farmhouse on the outskirts of Pocket.  The house is like an old-fashioned dollhouse, with a wraparound porch, peaked roof, reddish-brown siding, and white shutters on the windows.  It sits far back from the road at the end of a long driveway lined with trees.  Large, blooming lilac bushes reach up to the second-storey windows, which are all adorned with window boxes just waiting to be filled.  Tulips and daffodils grow along the bottom of the porch and lush, green fields radiate all around.  Behind the house, a small storage shed is covered in ivy and wild rose bushes whose sweet fragrance drifts through the entire backyard.Magpie loves the farmhouse.  It feels like it is filled with history, and the energy of the families that lived there before hers.  The massive front door opens to a wide stairway leading to the second storey.  Wide planks of dark wood make up the floors of the house.  The sheen of varnish can still be seen along the edges of the walls in some places, but mostly, an uneven patina has formed in the areas where countless footsteps have tread.To the right of the entryway, a large opening with pocket doors leads to a dining room which features a large built-in hutch with ornate etchings in its rich, dark wood.  Behind the dining room is the kitchen where bright light filters through ruffled lace café curtains in the windows and a large porcelain sink divides the heavy wooden countertops that line the back wall.  Along the side wall, an old-fashioned turquoise enamel stove gives the kitchen a feel of days gone by, it faces the long kitchen island in the middle of the room.  A row of hand-made wooden stools lined up along the back of the island provides a more casual place to grab a quick bite.  To the left of the entryway is a spacious living room with a brick fireplace and a thick wood mantle on which someone has left an old clock.  But Magpie’s favourite room is the sunroom; it sits in the back corner of the house, connecting the living room and the kitchen, and is painted bright yellow with white trim around its many windows and along the ceiling and floor.  Through the sheer curtains billowing in the breeze she can see rolling fields of tall grass.  Upstairs, three mid-sized rooms with creaky wood floors make up the bedrooms.  Two of them face the front of the house while the master bedroom faces the back and connects to a small bathroom with a claw-foot bathtub.  Magpie’s room has a big, bright window looking out toward the front of the house where she can see the quarry and pond across the road.  The uneven floorboards are faded and scratched from years of furniture being moved across them, but Magpie is absolutely charmed by the sense of history.  Her favourite thing about the room is the closet.  Though it is awkward, with its door tucked in the corner of the room, the inside stretching along the entire wall like a tunnel, and its ceiling angled by the roofline of the house, Magpie doesn’t mind that it’s weird.  She plans to use it as a secret hiding place where she can bring a lamp and do some quiet reading or draw sketches.There are a few remnants of the previous owners strewn throughout the house.  The back shed is filled with gardening tools, a wheelbarrow, shovels and plant pots.  Inside the house, a thick rug sits in front of the stone fireplace and fills up most of the living room, a coat rack stands guard by the front door, and a red antique coffee pot sits on the stove.  The massive oak table in the dining room also came with the house, it shows wear and scratches from decades of family meals and Magpie can’t help but imagine the sounds and smells of holiday dinners with children racing around from room to room. “I’m bushed, what do you say we order a pizza and call it a day?” says Mrs. Phaeton, flopping onto one of the kitchen stools. She kicks off her sneakers and brushes a strand of copper coloured hair off her foreheadMagpie giggles, “Mom!  We live in the middle of nowhere, they don’t deliver pizza here!”  they both get caught up in a laughing fit before Magpie offers to walk into town to grab some food to go. “Here’s some money, see what you can find and make sure you’re back before it gets dark, ok?”  says her mom.“Will do!  See you in a bit!” shouts Magpie over her shoulder as she walks out the front door. She steps out into the early evening sun, a gust of wind ruffling her hair. It’ll be her first time venturing into the town of Pocket, and for some reason the thought sends a shiver down her spine…Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week as we pursue our adventure and read Chapter 2 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, where Magpie meets the boy next door who takes her on a tour of the town, and mentions a mysterious old woman named Farfalla.  – So don’t forget to subscribe, you don’t want miss a thing! Before I go, I’d like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing fantastically eerie story, and Cannelle Elanion for composing equally fantastic and eerie music for this podcast.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Skylark Bell - Chapter 2, Lucas

In this episode we meet Lucas, the boy next door, who takes Magpie on a whirlwind tour of Pocket. Lucas is very knowledgable about the history of the small town, but for some reason he holds back when Magpie expresses interest in a spooky abandoned house nearby.Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.comInstagram: @theskylarkbellTwitter: @melissaoliveriPatreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveriTRANSCRIPT:Things with Wings Productions, with the support of Whimsical productions and Collected Sounds presents: Episode 2 of The Skylark Bell.  I am your host Melissa Oliveri.  If you recall, in our previous episode we were introduced to our main character, Magpie, who just moved into an old farmhouse on the outskirts of a small town called Pocket.In today’s episode we’ll read Chapter  2, Lucas, where Magpie meets the boy next door who takes her on a tour of Pocket, but seems reluctant to talk about both the spooky abandoned house nearby and a mysterious old woman named Farfalla!So get comfortable… grab a blanket, a warm drink… and let’s get started.The cool spring air hits Magpie’s face as she walks down her long driveway.  The cloudy sky makes the early evening seem darker than it should be.  It casts a grey haze over the countryside. Magpie takes a deep breath and fills her lungs with the earthy smell of wet dirt and wildflowers, not at all fazed by the muddy puddles along the side of the road.  In fact, she’s surprised by how comfortable she feels in the country after living in the city all her life.  She passes by the driveway that leads to the house next door; next to it a large mailbox with a bright red flag perches atop a thick wooden post.  Next to the flag, worn letters spell out the surname ‘Starling’.Across the road, a little farther down, she sees a long lane leading to a delapitated two-storey house.  The house is completely dark, it looks like no one has lived there for decades, and Magpie is instantly intrigued.  She is so focused on the mysterious house she doesn’t hear footsteps coming up behind her.“I wouldn’t go there if I were you,” says a voice in her ear.  Magpie startles and turns around quickly.  A boy about her age is standing by the side of the road next to her, wearing worn jeans, dark rubber boots and a chunky knit sweater.  Tousled black hair falls around his face and his grey eyes look completely serious.“Excuse m-m-me?”  she stammers, her heart still beating rapidly. “You must be the new girl,”  he says, “I’m Lucas Starling, I live…”“…oh, next door to me,”  she says.  Lucas looks at her, puzzled. “How did you…?  Are you psychic or something?!”  he asks suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.“Psychic?” Magpie pauses, narrowing her eyes at him – how could he know? “Um… no, I saw your mailbox,”  she says, pointing to it in the distance.  “Ahh…” he says with a single nod, which sends his black curls waving back and forthThey stand, staring at one another for a moment, awkward silence between them, until Magpie realises he’s waiting for her to introduce herself.  “Oh!  I’m Magpie!”  she says, reaching out to shake his hand.  “My mom and I just moved in today.  I’m heading into town to grab some food, which restaurant would you recommend?”  she asks.A smile teases the corner of Lucas’ mouth.  “You’re from the city, aren’t you.”  It is more of a statement than a question.  “There’s only one restaurant in town, it’s called The Early Bird.  You might want to hurry though, they close in about an hour,”  he adds, glancing at his watch.“Oh!  I guess… I didn’t realise…”  Magpie feels completely foolish.“Why don’t I walk with you, so you don’t get lost,”  Lucas says with a wink.  Magpie looks back at the abandoned house.  She wants to ask Lucas to tell her more about it, but she is afraid he’ll think she’s weird, so she smiles at him, nodding, and they start walking toward Pocket.Lucas leads Magpie down the main street of town.  It is mostly lined with tidy, two-story homes with ornate trim around the windows, large front porches with swings and rocking chairs, and well-manicured flower beds.  As they near the center of the small town he begins to tell her about the handful of businesses that line its main street.First, they come across a gas station with old-style pumps from the 1940’s.  “The gas station used to be a hitching post back in the day, before people had cars.  The main building housed a tavern, I think it was called The Redwing Inn, for people passing through town on their way to the larger cities on either side.  The outside was painted bright red, I saw it in a painting once,” says Lucas.  Magpie can hear the passion in his voice, he’s very knowledgable and very interested in the history of the town.“That’s the Pocket General Store,” he says, pointing to a quaint building with grey wooden siding and a sloping roof, “They carry everything from groceries to farm equipment.  One of the kids, Sebastian, is in our grade so you’ll meet him next fall. You are going to Pocket High, right?” he asks. “Yes, of course,” she replies.  Magpie has pushed all thoughts of school to the back of her mind.  At her old school the kids weren’t particularly nice to her, and she is nervous about what might happen now that she’s the ‘new girl’.  “Pocket High is just down the street at the end over there,” says Lucas, pointing to the only crosstreet in the small town, “It shares a huge lawn with the library next door and we usually eat lunch out there under one of the trees.  The principal, Mr. Swift, is pretty cool; he lets us plant a community garden at the back of the lot where we grow all kinds of vegetables for families whose farms have had a bad season.  That way they have enough food to get through the winter.”“Wow, that’s amazing!”  says Magpie.  It sounds like the people of Pocket are kind and giving.  Maybe she has nothing to worry about!  “Where does that street go, across from the school?” she asks, pointing to the right.“The house on the corner is actually a bakery, Tuffetto’s!  Mr. Tuffetto makes the best bread you’ve ever had, and his wife makes cakes and pastries, all different shapes and colours.  We always get our birthday cakes there.  Then at the back of the street, where all the blackberry bushes are, that’s the house where Farfalla lives.”  he says, without offering any further explanation.  “Ah, here we are!”  he adds, not giving Magpie a chance to ask about the mysterious Farfalla and her blackberries. Magpie can’t help but wonder why someone who is so happy to talk about the history of the town would be so mysterious about the abandoned house, and the woman named Farfalla…?Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week as we pursue our adventure and read Chapter 3 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, where Magpie has an uncomfortable encounter with one of the locals, and learns that the people of Pocket may have reason not to trust strangers.  – Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe, you don’t want miss a thing! Before I go, I’d like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing for this fantastically eerie story, and Cannelle Elanion for composing equally fantastic and eerie music for this podcast.  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Skylark Bell - Chapter 3, The Early Bird

Magpie has an uncomfortable encounter with one of the locals, and gets the sinking feeling that earning the trust of the residents of Pocket may not be as easy as she hoped. On the bright side, she manages to learn just a little bit more about the mysterious abandoned farm across the street!Music: Nightbridge and The Early Bird by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.comInstagram: @theskylarkbellTwitter: @melissaoliveriPatreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveriTRASCRIPT:Things with Wings Productions, with the support of Whimsical Productions and Collected Sounds presents: Episode 3 of The Skylark Bell.  I am your host Melissa Oliveri.  If you recall our last episode, Magpie met her next door neighbour, Lucas Starling, who took her on a tour of the town, but remained guarded when it came to sharing information about the spooky abandoned house across from them, and the mysterious Farfalla. When we left them, the pair had just arrived at the restaurant.In today’s episode we’ll continue our adventure with Chapter 3 – The Early Bird – where Magpie has an uncomfortable encounter with one of the locals, and gets the sinking feeling that earning the trust of the residents of Pocket may not be as easy as she hoped. On the bright side, she manages to learn just a little bit more about the mysterious abandoned farm across the street!So get comfortable… grab a blanket, a warm drink… and let’s get started.Magpie and Lucas have stopped in front of a short walkway.  At the end of it lies a quaint building with turquoise siding and a bright, hand-painted board that reads ‘The Early Bird’ in large, bold letters.  Magpie notices the Open sign in the glass door and heaves a sigh of relief, she was getting nervous that they were going to be too late.  They walk through the door and up to the lunch counter where they each sit on a bright red swiveling stool. Magpie looks around; The Early Bird has a great retro feel, with rows of booths lining each side of the restaurant, black and white tiled floor spreading across the expanse of the dining room and brass light fixtures glowing along the turquoise walls. Being in there almost feels like travelling back in time… “What’ll ya have?” asks a dry, scratchy voice.  Magpie turns to see a petite, older woman in a white vintage-style waitress uniform, cap and all, staring at her from across the counter.“Oh!  Ummm… I guess I haven’t seen a menu yet,” she says politely. The woman looks at Lucas, and with a nod in Magpie’s direction says, “She ain’t from here, is she?” in a disapproving tone. “Magpie just moved here, she’s living in the house next door to mine,” says Lucas, meeting the waitress’ gaze with steely eyes.  The waitress mutters something under her breath and pushes a paper menu across the counter.“We close in twenty minutes so yer prolly gonna wanna hurry up and choose.  And we’re outta the meatloaf, just so ya know,” she adds drily. “I… we… I guess just a medium cheese pizza… to go, please.”  Magpie can barely speak, she’s completely thrown off by distrust emanating from the woman.  The waitress grabs the menu and scribbles on a ticket, slips it across the shelf between the lunch counter and the kitchen and rings a bell to alert the cook of her order.  “Have I done something wrong?” whispers Magpie, turning to Lucas.“Nah.  You know, the people of Pocket have lived here for generations, there hasn’t been a new family in town since… well, I guess mine, when my great-great-grandparents moved here… and they’re just barely starting to trust us!” he says, laughing.  “I’m just kidding about that last part, it’ll be fine, just give it some time,” he adds in a reassuring tone.Magpie smiles at Lucas’ joke, but she’s only half listening.  Through the opening in the wall between the kitchen and the lunch counter she can hear hushed whispers between the waitress and the cook, who both keep glancing suspiciously back her way. Finally, the waitress comes through the double-hinged door to the right of the lunch counter, a pizza box in tow. “That’ll be ten dollars,” says the waitress, holding out her hand.  Magpie pays for her order, grabs the pizza box and she and Lucas leave the diner.  The waitress stands behind the glass door, her eyes fixed on Magpie, and flips the sign to ‘Closed’ as the diner’s brass light fixtures go dark behind her. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It is now sunset and the sky is quickly getting dark.  Magpie and Lucas walk swiftly down the main street toward their homes. As they near the old abandoned house, Magpie opens her mouth to ask Lucas if he knows anything about its history, but before she can say a word a flock of blackbirds lifts out of the grass, startling them.“Whoa, that was weird!” says Lucas, his brow furrowed, “You don’t usually see birds near Meadow Lane…”.  “Meadow Lane?” inquires Magpie, excited to get a little information about the mysterious house.“Yeah, that’s what that farm is called.  I wasn’t kidding though, you really don’t want to go there,” he says in a very serious tone before continuing down the road at such a fast pace that Magpie can’t keep up without jogging.He stops briefly at the bottom of his driveway and turns toward her, “Well, enjoy your pizza!  Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow…” he says, his voice trailing off.“That would be great!” she says, “I’d love for you to show me around some more!”  And around Meadow Lane! she thinks.  She waves at him and jogs a little further to her driveway.“I was starting to think you got lost!” says Mrs. Phaeton as Magpie comes in the front door.“I ran into the boy who lives next door, Lucas, he showed me around town a little bit,” Magpie explains, without mentioning Meadow Lane, or the rude waitress at the diner.  “I got us a cheese pizza!” she adds, triumphantly holding up the pizza box.“Great!  I managed to dig out some napkins,”  says her mom, smiling.  They sit at the kitchen counter together, surrounded by moving boxes, eating pizza and talking about how they’re going to decorate the house and turn it into their home. But at the back of her mind, Magpie can’t stop thinking about the mysterious house on Meadow Lane…Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week as we pursue our adventure and read Chapter 4 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, where Magpie lets us in on her most closely guarded secret, and meets a new, unusual, and unexpected guest – Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe, you don’t want miss a thing! Before I go, I’d like to thank Phaeton Starling Publishing for this fantastically eerie story, and Cannelle Elanion for composing equally fantastic and eerie music for this podcast. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy