In today's episode, Lucas finally tells Magpie the impossible truth about Meadow Lane, that there is NO SOUND there at all. Magpie struggles to understand the connection between her mysterious visions and the abandoned farm.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 presents: Episode 5 of The Skylark Bell.  I am your host Melissa Oliveri.  Welcome back! In our previous regular episode, Magpie let us in on her most closely guarded secret, that she has visions of things that have happened in the past, and she met a surprise guest, an unusual cat who appeared suddenly at her back door, then hinted at a connection to the old farmhouse before disappearing just as suddenly.In today’s episode we’ll be pursue our adventure with Chapter 5 – Sunset on the Bridge, where Lucas finally tells Magpie the impossible truth about Meadow Lane, which seems to trigger the mysterious visions that Magpie struggles to understand.By now, you know what to do! Get comfy… grab a blanket, a warm drink… and let’s get started.“I hope we’re in Mrs. Piper’s class next fall, she’s big on field trips and local history,” says Lucas. “Ugh, I can’t think about school yet, summer just started three weeks ago!” Magpie exclaims, dramatically putting her arm against her forehead and feigning exasperation.  They both start giggling as the mud oozes under their rainboots.  “I’m glad you decided to come out,” Lucas says, still smiling.  “Hopefully that’s the last of the rain!”  Magpie and Lucas have made plans to watch the sunset from the bridge over Pine River, but the rain was threatening to ruin their plans.  Now, the thick mass of gray clouds is blowing farther away with each gust of wind, and the evening sun is shining brighter and brighter every minute.“Well, you know us fancy girls,” kids Magpie. “We don’t like it when the rain messes up our hair!”  Lucas lets out a loud laugh.  Magpie is a bit of a tomboy, with wild reddish hair waving in all different directions.  There’s no way she’d let her hair get in the way of going out and exploring!  They banter back and forth as they amble down the road, but their chatter quiets swiftly when they realise they’re nearing the dirt path that leads to Meadow Lane.“That place gives me the creeps,” mutters Lucas, staring at the dull grey structure in the distance.  It’s the first time he’s broached the subject, mostly dodging it over the last few days.“Why?  Because it’s abandoned?” she asks, hopeful that he won’t change the subject again.“No, that doesn’t scare me.  It’s… the history… “  he begins, hesitant to go on, “you’re going to think I’m crazy.  That we’re all  crazy!” “Try me,” she says, thinking nothing could seem any crazier than her visions. He takes a deep breath before continuing, “Apparently, there is no sound on Meadow Lane,” he says, stopping to wait for her reaction. Magpie looks puzzled.  “What do you mean ‘no sound’, like no people making noise?  I don’t get it,” she says.“No, no, not like that,” he says, “I mean NO sound.  Not a footstep as you walk up the lane, nothing if you speak, or cough, or clap.  Not a creak on the wooden steps, not a noise if you stomp your feet on the porch, not a bird chirping or an animal calling.  Not…  One…  Sound… Ever!” he ends, emphatically.“Is it true?” asks Magpie, thoroughly intrigued, confused and a little scared.“Well, nobody dares to find out because the older folks in town say people who stay on the property more than a few minutes never utter another word!  On windy days, the grass around the house doesn’t even move, and there are never any birds or animals there… it’s really creepy,” he answers, running a hand through his wavy, jet-black hair with a visible shudder.“How can that be?  What happened there?” asks Magpie, a small tremor running through her body too.“No one can explain it, it’s the strangest thing.  Some say it was cursed by a young woman who lived there, after her fiance died… but those are just rumours, I dunno,” he says, his voice trailing off.They’ve come to a complete stop in front of Meadow Lane.  There is something frightening about it, but Magpie also feels strangely drawn to it, almost like she belongs there.  She subconsciously starts taking a step onto the dirt path, and an image immediately begins to form in her mind. She can see a silhouette.  No, two silhouettes!  It’s all very hazy.  She can see a series of trees lined up behind the house, and a large animal, maybe a horse, running in the field, a flock of birds overhead… Her vision is just beginning to take shape when suddenly she feels Lucas grab her arm, startling her back to reality.“Let’s get going, we don’t want to miss sunset at the river,” he says, pulling her back toward the road.  She steps back reluctantly, still dazed from the vision.  Who were those silhouettes in the distance?  Why does she feel such an urge to visit the old farm?  Magpie and Lucas continue walking toward the bridge in silence. Magpie secretly makes up her mind to explore the house on Meadow Lane before summer is over!~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Magpie can hear water rushing nearby as she and Lucas trample through a large field. The grass surrounding them almost reaches the top of their heads as they make their way toward the river.  They come to a clearing and Magpie sees Pine River winding toward town.  An old crumbling mill sits on the riverbank, its water wheel dipping into the cool, rushing water .  A small wooden bridge, it’s worn boards faded from years of sun, connects the flour mill to the wheat fields she and Lucas have just walked through.  The bridge is a great vantage point from which to watch the sun cast fiery orange and yellow rays against the back of escaping rainclouds. Magpie and Lucas stand next to each other, leaning on the bridge’s wood rail.  “Phew, just made it!” says Lucas, his face glowing in the light.“It’s perfect, I’m so glad you brought me here.  Thanks Lucas.”  Magpie glances sideways at him, admiring the way his hair falls into perfect waves around his face.  Catching herself staring, she self-consciously turns away, her blushing cheeks camouflaged by the glow of the sun.  “It looks just like someone took a paintbrush to the sky,” she says, drinking in the colours as they shift into hazy pink and purple hues.  “I wonder how many people before us have stood in this exact spot watching the sunset,” she adds, dreamily.  Magpie heaves a deep sigh.  The intense beauty lasts only a few minutes, and she wishes she could bottle up the feeling she gets while watching it:  Absolute peace.  The colours are now fading and the first stars begin to twinkle faintly overhead as the moon prepares for its shift.  “I guess we should be going,” she says, regretfully.“You’re right,” he agrees, grabbing a flashlight out of his backpack.  They make their way back to the road, surrounded by the sound of their footsteps on the gravel and the ever-increasing chorus of crickets. They reach the bottom of Lucas’ driveway first.  “It’s pretty dark, I should walk you home,” he says, taking a few steps further.“You’re such a gentelman,” she teases, “you’d think I was a damsel in distress or something!”  Lucas looks like he might be blushing but she can’t really tell in the dark.  “I’m fine,” she continues, “I love walking in the dark, and it’s only a little further.  I’ll flash the porch light to let you know I’m home, ok?”“Alright,” he answers hesitantly.  “Here, take my flashlight,”  he adds, shoving it toward her.  She grabs it, thanks him, and continues down the road.Magpie has only taken a few steps up her driveway when, out of nowhere, a thick fog rises rapidly around her.  The fog is so dense she can barely see the lights of her house up ahead.  She gets an inexplicable urge to turn and face the road when she is hit with a vision. She hears the echo of trotting hooves and sees two sorrel mares pulling an old cart down the road with a young couple seated at the front. The back of the cart is filled with chairs, a large table, buckets, tools and old wooden trunks.  The man, holding the reigns tightly in his gloved hands, sits next to a very pregnant woman wearing a bonnet.  The pair are wearing period clothing and are smiling happily.  The man lifts his arm to point toward something behind Magpie, and the woman instantly turns to look.  Magpie turns to see what it is he is pointing at, but the vision fades away.Magpie is left with only a shard of moon to light the vast fields around her house.  She shakes off the eerie feeling brought on by the vision and hurries up the driveway. Walking into the house, she is so distracted it takes her a moment to realise the phone is ringing. “Hello?” she answers.“Magpie!  I was getting worried!  You forgot to flash the porch light.”  She can  hear the concern in Lucas’ voice, but what is he so worried about?  She just  walked in the door!  Magpie glances at the clock and her heart skips a beat when she sees it has been nearly twenty minutes since she left Lucas at the bottom of his driveway.“I’m so sorry, Lucas!  I… got distracted by the... um… fireflies!” she spits out, wincing at her terrible excuse.“Fireflies?” he questions.  She can tell he is smiling at the end of the line and her face turns red.  “Goodnight Magpie, sleep well,” he says softly.“Goodnight Lucas,” she replies before gently placing the phone back in its cradle.Hopefully sleep will come, but after what just happened Magpie has her doubts…Thank you so much for listening.  Join me next week as we continue our adventure by reading Chapter 6 of Meadow Lane and the Skylark Bell, where Magpie makes an accidental discovery inside her own house, and has another vision related to Meadow Lane, will she finally be able to put the pieces together? Don’t forget to subscribe, if you want to find out!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

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