In today’s episode we read the chapter 6 – The Skylark Bell – in which the mythical object finally makes its grand entranceThis week's podcast partner is Dark Tales from the Road:https://linktr.ee/darktalesfromtheroadThe 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/melissaoliveriThe Skylark Bell on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/theskylarkbellAll music by Cannelle: http://www.cannellemusic.comCannelle on Instagram: @cannelle.musicOfficial Merch Shops: http://www.melissaoliveri.com/storeThe Skylark Bell is brought to you by: Phaeton Starling Publishing and Things with Wings Productions.FULL TRANSCRIPT:Things with Wings Productions presents: Chapter 6 of The Skylark Bell, Skyedive. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.  In last week’s episode, Farfalla encountered Marius for the first time while sitting on a tree branch in the apple orchard at Meadow Lane.In today’s episode we read the chapter 6 – The Skylark Bell – in which the mythical object finally makes its grand entrance.Today’s podcast partner is fellow Boopod Network member Dark Tales from the road. Host Kayla covers weekly episodes traveling to find the weird, haunted, macabre, morbid, criminal & more – if you love the eerie atmosphere of The Skylark Bell you definitely won’t’ want to miss this! Check the show notes for a link to the Dark Tales from the Road podcast.Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.August 1st, 1924We are in love.Oh gosh, to see the words written down makes my heart flutter!Last spring Papa told Marius he could use the shed behind our house as a workshop. He works there nearly every day, joining Mama, Paloma, and I for lunch most days. I bring him tea and biscuits in the afternoon, we sit on bales of hay in the barn to drink our tea and talk about everything and nothing.For my birthday he gifted me the most amazing treasure. He kept it a secret for months, never telling me what he was working on in that shed. My heart almost stopped when I saw it. A Skylark carved out of wood, its head twisted toward its back, a blackberry held firmly in its beak, with a vine curving all around it then down between its clawed feet. At the end of the vine hangs a small silver bell. He must have spent countless hours working on it, all for me. It’s hanging in my window right now; I can hear its sweet sound floating on the breeze. Marius says the bell came with him from Europe, and that it’s very old. There are larks swirling all around it in an infinite spiral, and words written in a foreign language. Mama told me she thought the words looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she’d seen them before. Finally, after several weeks she came running into my room one day, unnaturally agitated, holding The Skye Lark Belle book in her hand. She whipped it open to the spot where she’d left her bookmark and pointed to the page. “Here it is!” she said, “It’s Scottish Gaelic, the words engraved on the bell, they’re the same as the words in my book!”I remember staring at her, stunned at the unbelievable coincidence. I asked Mama what the words meant, and she read from the book, “The Skylark Bell rings only for The Skye Lark Belle”. We looked at one another and shrugged then, neither one of us understanding what that was supposed to mean. Mama had owned that book for years; it was her mother who had brought it back from a trip overseas. She’d found it in a tiny bookshop and liked the etching of the siren on the front. For years Mama had read us only the first part of the book. The happy part. It was only recently that she let me read the final few chapters. Chapters that made me feel devastated and angry. I had grown up with The Skye Lark Belle; admired her, emulated her, grown unnaturally attached to her. It broke my heart to learn how her story ends. My story will not end that way. Papa and Mama have organized a big celebration tonight. It’s going to be the talk of the town, they’ve invited absolutely everyone, even Cousin Bruno and Auntie Freda! Mama has been cooking nearly non-stop the past three days, and Paloma convinced Papa to let her go to the city to get her hair cut into one of those modern bobs for the occasion.  I am going to wear my prettiest dress, the blue one that Mama got me for my birthday last month. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion, and I think that will be tonight. I have a feeling this will be a night to remember for all time…~~~~~~Farfalla stands in the corner of the room, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. The house at Meadow Lane is filled to the brim with guests. Music floats through the main floor from the Victrola in the sitting room and people weave in and out of the dining area with plates and drinks. Farfalla hears loud laughter to her left and turns to see Paloma and Willy Bunting by the fireplace going through an old photo album. At long last, she sees Marius walk in the front door and her heart starts pounding. Mr. Shearwater pulls him into the house, and she sees Auntie Freda thrust a plate of stew and glass of beer at him. She giggles to herself as he tries to navigate the crowded room with his hands full. Finally, he reaches the dining table and unloads the food and drink. He looks up and realizes she is watching him. She smiles as his cheeks turn pink, and he gestures for her to meet him in the kitchen. She follows him, but moments later Cousin Bruno bursts in and insists they let him take their photograph. From across the room James Carnifex watches, his eyes narrowed. If Farfalla had looked his way she would have seen his jaw set in anger and his knuckles turn white as his grip on the empty glass in his hand tightened, but she is too distracted by Marius’ presence to notice. James finally puts down his empty glass and walks toward the front door. He grabs his coat off the rack, and heads home heavy-hearted.Once the photo is taken, Farfalla and Marius sneak out the back door of the house and skip to the apple orchard, lanterns in hand to light the way in the darkness. They stop, breathless, under the branches of the tree Farfalla was sitting in when they first met. Marius takes Farfalla’s hands in his and begins, “There’s something I have to tell you…” Farfalla’s heart starts beating a little faster, could it be…?Marius gets a faraway look in his eye and pauses, like he is focused on something in the distance. Farfalla leans over so her face is directly in his line of sight. “You what…?” she asks.Marius looks at her then like she is the only thing in the world that truly matters. He slips his hand into his pocket and takes out a small silver ring shaped like a feather. Farfalla gasps at the sight of it, both because of its beauty, and because of what it must surely mean. Marius proceeds to ask her to be his wife, and she says yes without a second thought. She feels her heart soar as Marius picks her up and spins her around.They agree to keep their engagement a secret until Marius can ask Mr. Shearwater for her hand, as is customary. Farfalla slips the ring on the silver chain with the tree charm that Paloma gave her for her sixteenth birthday. She can almost feel warmth radiating from it and spreading through her entire body. Nearby, Cormorant lets out a loud whinny. “Are you feeling left out old boy?!” Asks Marius, cheerfully. Farfalla suggests they go for a celebratory ride. He lifts her up into the saddle and hops on behind her. She feels like they are flying as Cormorant goes galloping through the fields by the light of the silvery moon. At long last, her prince has arrived. At the bottom of Meadow Lane, a figure stands watching, blurry through the veils of time that separate them. Another figure appears behind it and pulls it away from the lane, then they both fade away. A breeze picks up, sending the old creaky branches of the Oak Tree swaying back and forth as the ringing of the Skylark Bell echoes in the night.Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week for Chapter 7 – Marius’ Disappearance, in which we relieve the terrible winter of 1925, this time from Farfalla’s point of view.The Skylark Bell is brought to you by Phaeton Starling Publishing and features original music by Cannelle. If you are enjoying this story, please consider leaving a rating or a review, they are both greatly appreciated. You can also support my work by subscribing to Patreon or Ko-Fi, where you get early access to episodes as well as MP3 downloads of the music, artwork, behind the scenes videos and more! You can also find The Skylark Bell exclusive merch on my website, www.theskylarkbell.com. Just check the show notes for all necessary links.Once again, thank you for listening – I’m Melissa Oliveri, writer, host and producer 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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