**Trigger warning - This fictional story contains vague mention of alcoholism and abuse***Today’s Halloween Special Episode was inspired by a real-life ghost story told to me via my dear friend at The Haunted UK Podcast. From that, I put together this fictional account of the story from the perspective of the ghost itself, a little girl named Helen who ended up trapped in the cellar of her house... for eternity.Find The Haunted UK podcast here: https://www.instagram.com/hauntedukpodcast/Find The Foxes Curiosity Cabinet official website here: https://thefoxescuriositycabinet.co.uk/passwordand on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/foxescuriosity/The Skylark Bell is brought to you by: Phaeton Starling Publishing and Things with Wings Productions.The Skylark Bell official website - http://www.theskylarkbell.comThe Skylark Bell on Instagram: @theskylarkbellAuthor/Producer: Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.comJoin Melissa's Patreon for early access to podcast episodes, music downloads, and more: http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveriMelissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveriAll music by Cannelle: http://www.cannellemusic.comCannelle on Instagram: @cannelle.musicOfficial Merch Shops: http://www.melissaoliveri.com/storeFULL TRANSCRIPT:Things with Wings Productions presents: A Skylark Special Epsiode in collaboration with The Haunted UK Podcast. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.  Today’s episode was inspired by a real-life story. You can hear the original story on the Haunted UK Podcast, check the show notes for a direct link. The version in today’s episode of The Skylark Bell is being told from the perspective of the ghost itself.Be sure to listen through to the end of this episode for the preview of The Haunted UK Podcast, a fellow member of the Boopod network of paranormal and true crime podcasts.Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink…  and celebrate spooky season with this eerie, unsettling story.I didn’t mean to scare the boy; I promise I didn’t!I didn’t mean to make the people shout. I didn’t mean to make papa cross either.It’s just that... well... I’ve been down here such an awful long time... it gets quite lonely you know!I don’t know how long it’s been since That Day. I don’t much like to talk about it, but since you asked...I guess I was born a bit clumsy. It took me longer than most to learn to walk, I remember Mama saying, “Your brother Henry was walking before his first birthday!” She was so happy when I finally took a few steps, but there was still quite a lot of stumbling and tumbling which lead to me getting a few bumps and bruises. Up until That Day though, the only damage done had been to my body. The previous week, Grandma Yvette had given Mama a lovely vase for her birthday. Mama got some flowers from the market to put in the vase and placed it on the side table next to the sofa. The flowers made mama so happy. I love it when Mama’s happy.My big brother Henry was running around as usual, taunting me because I couldn’t catch him. My legs and feet just would not go where I wanted them to. I tried and tried to go faster. If I could catch Henry, maybe Mama would be happy. Mama had been crying a lot the last few days. If I could catch Henry, maybe Papa would be proud of me. He had been shouting a lot the last few days. If I could catch Henry, maybe everything would get better. So, I took a deep breath and charged at Henry with all my might... and CRASH! My knee gave out and I slammed into the side table, sending the vase hurtling toward the floor. It landed with a smash, shards of glass flying everywhere, and water seeping between the rapidly wilting flower petals. I stayed put on the floor, frozen in fear. A large shadow hovered in the doorway. Papa. Papa had just come home. Papa had seen the whole incident. The shadow came toward me, and Papa came into view. He was walking funny too, maybe I get it from him. His eyes were glassy, and his eyebrows were furrowed. He smelled like that terrible smell when he gets grumpy. Mama says it’s his medicine that smells like that. I don’t know what kind of medicine it is, but I hope I don’t ever have to take it!“Look what you’ve done!” Papa shouted so loudly that my ears started to ring. He grabbed my shoulders, and I knew. I knew just what he was going to do. I started kicking and screaming, begging him not to, apologizing, calling for Mama... Papa carried me to the door that leads to the cellar. I grabbed onto the door frame, trying to stop him from pushing me through, but he was stronger than me, and my fingernails collected paint as they scraped across the wood. Once I was through the door, he promptly closed it and I heard the latch close. I was locked in the basement.  I kicked and scratched and banged on the door, I stomped my feet, I screamed for Mama, I screamed to be let out, then I just screamed. I marched around the cellar, looking for a way out, but the windows were all blocked off, and it was pitch black. I sat on the cold cellar floor and cried loudly, wailing, until my throat got scratchy, and I couldn’t wail anymore. Finally, I crawled back up the stairs, my hands and feet and throat raw from the tantrum, and I sat on the very top step, silently heaving, until my breathing returned to normal. I think I fell asleep then. I’m not entirely sure. All I remember is waking up as I was flying through the air and then my body landing on the cellar’s stone floor, hard. Then everything went dark, which is strange because it was already so dark in the cellar, but this was a darker kind of dark. A nothing kind of dark.When I woke up again, I was still in the cellar, but there was more light. I could see the pile of coal in the corner that we used to heat the house, and the machine that washed our clothes. I remember helping Mama with that once. She had been happy that day too, washing up little pyjamas for the new baby that was in her belly. That baby in her belly became my other brother, James. But now there were no baby pyjamas. Now there were storage bins piled along the wall, with things inside them that I had never seen. I tried to go up the stairs, but when I got to the top the door wouldn’t budge. I sat on the top step for a while, but then I remembered how much it hurt last time I sat on the top step, so I came back down and waited. I waited and waited and waited. Then one day I heard the door open, and some footsteps coming down. “Mama?” I whispered. I saw an older man.  A stranger. I hid in the corner and watched him as he walked to the corner to fill a small bucket with coal. “Hello?” I tried again. This time, I saw the man stand straight up and turn around very quickly. He looked toward me, but his eyes kept moving around, almost like he couldn’t see me. He shook his head and walked quickly across the cellar and back up the stairs, closing the door tightly behind him.I don’t know how much time went by. Maybe it was years? Over and over again the man would come to the cellar to get some coal. Sometimes a woman would come down instead. Sometimes she would come and wash clothes, and I would stand nearby, eager to help. Sometimes I would look at her funny outfits and giggle. I don’t think she liked that much. She would always hurry to collect the washing and scurry back up the stairs.Then came the boy. I had never seen him before. He was much younger than the man and woman. I watched him walk slowly across the cellar, carrying his little bucket. He scooped a little bit of coal into it, but some pieces fell onto the floor. He was clumsy like me! I let out a giggle, and the boy spun around, his eyes wide. He looked so very scared! I felt quite terrible about the whole thing. He hurried across the cellar with his bucket and ran up the stairs. I got scared too, then. What if Papa got mad at me for scaring the boy?A while later I heard the people upstairs shouting. They were saying things like “I told you she was down there!” and “I didn’t think it was real!” and “Why didn’t you tell me!”I guess maybe they do know I’m here... why don’t they let me out? Maybe they’re also mad at me for being clumsy. Maybe they’re afraid I’ll break something. Maybe they’re mad I scared the boy.So, I stay in the cellar. It’s not so bad, you know. Sometimes people come down here, and I say hello, or just stand close to them while the go about their tasks. I keep hoping, maybe someday, one of them will take my hand and lead me through the door at the top of the stairs. Then I can see Mama and Henry and James again, and maybe even Grandma Yvette, and I can find Mama a new vase and go pick some flowers for her in our yard. Maybe I can even see the sunshine. It’s been so very long since I’ve seen the sunshine.Or maybe you could come find me down here, and we could be friends. I know lots of wonderful games and nursery rhymes. I think we’d have quite a time in the cellar you and I. Don’t be afraid... after all, I’m just a little girl... *giggle*Thank you so much for listening. I hope you’re having a safe and fun spooky season. Here at The Skylark Bell podcast it’s spooky season all year long, but we love when the rest of the world joins in.The Skylark Bell is brought to you by Phaeton Starling Publishing and features original music by Cannelle. I would love for you to join me on Patreon for additional content and be sure to follow my social media accounts where I share regular updates and previews. I’d also like to give a special mention to an amazing creative soul, Kat, who creates for and owns The Foxes Curiosity Cabinet where you can find incredible sustainable fashion, hand-mixed, teas, unique housewares and more. Kat does an incredible job of designing original prints and creating clothing in an eco-conscious way. The Skylark Bell is proud to be affiliated with her brand, and we encourage you to go take a look at her incredible work.Links to The Foxes Curiosity Cabinet, The Haunted UK, my patreon, website, and social media are all available in the show notes for this episode. Once again, thank you for listening, I’m Melissa Oliveri, writer, producer, and host of The Skylark Bell podcast.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/theskylarkbell/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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