Magpie accidentally discovers a previously hidden part of the old farmhouse she and her mother recently moved into, and experiences yet another vision related to Meadow Lane.

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 6 of The Skylark Bell.  I am your host Melissa Oliveri.  

In our last episode, Lucas finally told Magpie the impossible truth about Meadow Lane, that it is cursed with a complete silence that spreads to anyone who sets foot on the property, and Magpie had just come home after a strange vision that inexplicably caused her to lose track of time.

In today’s episode we pick up where we left off with Chapter 6 – An accidental discovery, where Magpie accidentally discovers a previously hidden part of her new house, and experiences yet another vision related to Meadow Lane.

You know the drill, Get settled… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… here we go

Magpie stands staring at the phone for a moment, still perplexed about losing track of time during her vision of the couple in the horse cart. She walks back through the house to the living room where she finds Scarlet curled up on the sofa.

“Come on, Scarlet, let’s head upstairs,” Magpie says to the cat.  They have bonded over the past week and it follows her everywhere around the house, but refuses to set foot outside.  It hops up the staircase with amazing agility and races in front of her to her bedroom door.  “I’m going to hang in the hideout and write in my notebook, want to tag along?” she asks as she opens the bedroom door, Lucas’ flashlight still in her hand. Magpie has nicknamed her long awkward bedroom closet The Hideout.  She hasn’t yet used it for some quiet time, but tonight feels like a good night.  She grabs a blanket and Lucas’ flashlight before creeping in, crawling to the back of the long closet and sitting down with her notebook.   Scarlet follows her with soft, velvety footsteps and curls up in her lap.  The back of the closet is peaceful and dark, and Magpie relishes the lack of distractions as she starts sketching and writing notes about her vision, describing everything in as much detail as possible:  the couple, their cart, their belongings... something at the back of her mind tingles, like she’s missing something, so she pauses for a moment, but it just won’t come to her.

Time seems to be at a standstill, and she has no idea how long she’s been sitting in the darkness, but her back feels a little stiff from being bent over her notebook.  Leaning back against the wall of the closet, she closes her eyes to take a break.  Suddenly, she feels the wall behind her shift slightly, like the weight of her body is pushing it in. Intrigued, she scoots Scarlet off her lap and turns around to shine her flashlight at the wall.  To her amazement, she sees a crack in the plaster and what looks like empty space behind it.  It’s a secret door!  It has been plastered over and was completely hidden until she accidentally pushed it and broke the seal.  She nudges it gently to see if it continues to move, and sure enough it swings inwards.She grabs her flashlight and shines it into the opening.  The trap door leads to a short corridor at the end of which she sees a dusty, narrow stairway going up.  Filled with both nervousness and excitement, Magpie crawls through and carefully walks toward the stairs.  She puts a tentative foot on the first step.  It creaks a little but feels solid.  She slowly makes her way to the top of the stairway, keeping a tight grip on the banister. From the top of the stairs her gaze sweeps across a massive attic; it looks like it has been untouched for decades! 

Through the small circle of light provided by her flashlight, Magpie can see piles of old trunks, a rocking horse, a dress form and various pieces of furniture covered in dusty sheets.  Cobwebs criss-cross one another atop the rafters and among piles of old furniture.  She feels around for a light switch, hoping there is electrical lighting up here, but no luck.  Is it possible no one has been in this attic since the house was fitted with electricity?  To her left she can see moonlight shining faintly through a small round window.  She carefully makes her way through the tangle of old belongings and wipes some of the dust and grime off the glass so she can see out.  The window faces the front of her house; she can make out her front lawn, the old quarry across the street, the line of trees between her property and Lucas’ driveway, and, in the distance, the bottom of Meadow Lane where it meets the road.  She squints in the darkness, trying to see the house, but it is too dark.  

She’s about to turn and head back downstairs to tell her mother what she’s discovered when something catches her eye. For a moment, she sees a brief flicker in the distance, almost like someone walked by a window while holding a candle.  She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to ‘reset’ her vision, and lets out a gasp when she opens them again.  Outside the small attic window, in the dark field across the road, she sees Meadow Lane, every window filled with light, silhouettes dancing in front of a large, roaring fireplace in the living room.  She can faintly hear the sound of music, like an old record playing on a victrola. Outside, on the side of the house, she sees lanterns hanging from carriages and horse carts, the horses patiently waiting for their drivers to return from the celebration.  Another quick gleam of light makes her glance toward the back of the house.  Squinting, she can make out two lanterns bouncing back and forth, getting further from the house, like they are being held by two people who are walking toward the forest.  Shocked, she stands perfectly still, staring out the small window at the impossible scene before her eyes.  Suddenly, Meadow Lane is washed in darkness once again, and Magpie realises she has just experienced another vision.  Behind her, a faint meow brings her back to reality.  

“Come on, Scarlet, I think I’m ready for bed now,” she says quietly as she heads back down to her room. She curls up in a ball on her bed, Scarlet snuggled at her feet, and pulls the blanket up to her chin.  Even though it is summer, Magpie feels a chill right through to her bones.

Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week as we continue our adventure by reading Chapter 7 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, where some nice quiet time by Mirror Pond ends with yet more mystery!  – Don’t forget 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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