In today’s episode we continue our adventure with Chapter 10 – The Dinner Date, where Magpie and her mom catch up on the day, bringing the mysterious Farfalla into the conversation.

Music: Nightbridge by Cannelle (www.cannellemusic.com)

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TRANSCRIPT:

Things with Wings Productions, with the support of Whimsical Productions and Collected Sounds presents: Episode 10 of The Skylark Bell.  I am your host Melissa Oliveri.  

In our last episode, Magpie and Lucas explored the secret attic and discovered treasures from the home’s original owners, and discovered that there is much more to Scarlet the cat than meets the eye!

In today’s episode we continue our adventure with Chapter 10 – The Dinner Date, where Magpie and her mom catch up on the day, bringing the mysterious Farfalla into the conversation.

 So get comfortable… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… are you read? Let’s get started...

The smell of charcoal wafts through the entire back yard, overpowering the delicate scent of the wild roses.  Magpie loves the sizzling sound as the food hits the hot grill.  One of the great things about living in the country is the variety of fresh produce from the neighbouring farms sold at the Farmer’s Market.  The market is held every Sunday on the sprawling lawn of the library, gathering farmers and artisans from the area surrounding Pocket and beyond.  Magpie and her mother love to wander from booth to booth, exploring various handmade goods like knitted shawls, candles, and jewelry.  But Magpie’s favourite thing is being surrounded by the bright colours and rich smells of the fruits and vegetables. She and her mom love to cook together, hanging out in the kitchen for hours, trying out new recipes or baking treats with the locally ground flour from the small mill in the neighbouring town.

“Magpie, why don’t you go grab the candles.  I think these are just about done,” says Mrs. Phaeton, expertly flipping their dinner so it is perfectly marked by a trellis of black lines.

“Sure thing, Mom.  Do you remember where you put them?” asks Magpie.  

Mrs. Phaeton gets a look on her face that tells Magpie her mom has no idea where the candles ended up.  With a giggle, Magpie scurries into the kitchen and starts checking the cupboards. She’s down to the last one when she hears the sound of the small bell on the cat collar again, this time coming from the living room.  She follows the sound and is overcome with joy when she sees Scarlet sitting on the mantle above the fireplace.  “Scarlet!”  she cries, “I was afraid you were gone forever!  You’re still my cat, and I’m still calling you Scarlet,” she tells the small cat while reaching up to pet her.  Scarlet crosses the mantle and sits on the end of it, looking intently at Magpie and meowing loudly. “Is there something I’m supposed to do?” asks Magpie, feeling only slightly foolish for talking to the cat as if it’s a person. Scarlet reaches down with her paw and strikes one of the bricks below the mantle.  Magpie leans down for a closer look and realizes there is something engraved in it.  She dusts it off with her hand a little and the initials “C.C.” become clearly visible.  “Charlotte Carnifex!” exclaims Magpie.  She stands up to look at Scarlet, but the cat is gone.

“Any luck finding those candles?” calls her mother from the back door.  Magpie looks in the bookcase next to the fireplace and sees the candles thrown haphazardly onto a shelf.

“Just found them!” she yells, and heads back outside for dinner.  

A vase filled with roses sits atop the bright yellow tablecloth.  Magpie inhales deeply, filling her lungs with their sweet perfume, before taking her place at the picnic table.  She tucks the candles into Grandma Lilian’s small crystal candle holders and carefully brings a match to the wick.  The warm glow of the candles’ tiny flames washes over Magpie’s face as her mother joins her at the table, two plates of steaming grilled vegetables in her hands.  They reminisce about Grandma Lilian, their old apartment in the city and dinner dates gone by as the cool evening breeze ruffles their hair. 

“This might be the best dinner I’ve ever had!” says Magpie, breaking into giggles simultaneously with her mom as they collect empty plates and cups.  It’s a running joke between them; every time they do a ‘dinner date’ they congratulate themselves on their cooking skills.

“I stopped by the most adorable bakery today,” says her mother, changing the subject, “They have these wonderful little cupcakes decorated with flowers and birds.  I bought us a couple for dessert.”

“Oh, that must be Tuffetto’s Bakery!  Lucas told me about it the day we moved in,” says Magpie.

“Yes, Mr. Tuffetto, that was his name!  He wasn’t very chatty, and his wife just stayed in the back preparing the pastries.  People here definitely keep to themselves more, don’t they?!  There was a woman there, with bright white hair and blue eyes, she was probably 100 years old!  She was carrying a basket with jars of blackberry jam.  I offered to let her go ahead of me but she just kept staring straight ahead, as if I didn’t exist!” says her mother, “I’m looking forward to the day when we’re finally considered ‘locals’.”  

Magpie’s heart starts beating a little faster… “The old woman’s name, did you ask Mr. Tuffetto what it was?” inquires Magpie.

“As a matter of fact, he did mention it… it was a strange name, Befana?  Farina?” 

“Farfalla?” suggests Magpie.

“Ah yes, Farfalla!  I hung back to look at the marvelous array of cakes and pastries on display, and he did get a little more conversational after she left.  He told me she’s the oldest resident in town and that no one has ever heard her make a sound.  

 She walks around town every morning to do her errands, after that she heads to the diner for the same breakfast every day - blackberry waffles that she washes down with some sweet orange tea before walking home.  On Sundays she drops off a basket of home-made blackberry jam for him and his wife to sell at the market, and in exchange he gives her bread the rest of the week.  We’re definitely not in the big city anymore!” she finishes, laughing.

“Pocket is definitely a quirky little town…” agrees Magpie, remember her encounter with the waitress at the diner on her first night in town.  “So, what’s this new painting you’re working on that sent you to the ‘big city’ for supplies?” she asks, changing the subject.  Her mother launches into the details of her most recent piece of artwork and how their new surroundings, and even the residents of Pocket, have inspired her.   They chat long into the night, savouring their dinner and the delectable cupcakes from Tuffetto’s.  Eventually, the candles burn low and it’s time to go inside.

“Let’s leave cleanup for the morning.  Deal?” asks her mom, stacking their plates on the counter. Magpie is only too happy to oblige, and they head upstairs.

“Goodnight, Mom, I love you,” she says, standing in the doorway to her room.

“Goodnight, my beautiful bird, sweet dreams,” answers her mother tenderly before fading into the darkness of the room across the hall.

Magpie slips under the light blanket on her bed and lies on her back, staring at the closet door dimly lit by the crescent moon outside her window.  Where is Scarlet?  How could she be Cerise, who had lived generations ago?  What is the connection and where is she now?  And what happened to Charlotte Carnifex and her family? Where did they go? And Farfalla, who never makes a sound, and goes about her routine by herself every single day, what is her story? Magpie’s thoughts continue swirling as her eyes get heavy…

 

Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week as we continue our adventure by reading Chapter 11 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, where Magpie has a terrifying experience in the night that involves many of the unexplained things she has experienced since moving to Pocket.  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 composing equally fantastic and eerie music for this podcast.

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