The Skylark Bell - Chapter 10, The Old Trunk

In today’s episode Magpie and Lucas explore the contents of the old trunk in the secret attic, and learn something about Scarlet that will send chills down your spine!

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

Find The Skylark Bell online: www.theyskylarkbell.com

Instagram: @theskylarkbell

Twitter: @melissaoliveri

Patreon: www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

TRANSCRIPT:

Things with Wings Productions, with the support of Whimsical Productions and Collected Sounds presents: Episode 9 of The Skylark Bell.  I am your host Melissa Oliveri.  

In our last episode, Magpie and Lucas were exploring the secret attic that Magpie had accidentally discovered a few days prior. They were about to open one of the many large trunks stored in the vast, dusty space… a trunk that Scarlet the cat seemed to think they should open first.

In today’s episode we continue our adventure with Chapter 9 – The Trunk – Where Magpie and Lucas learn something about Scarlet that will send chills down your spine!

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

 “One, two, three!” he says Lucas as, together, they gently lift the heavy trunk lid.  The hinges squeak loudly and a thick cloud of dust lifts in the air, surrounding them.  They sit still, waiting for it to settle before peering into the trunk…

Inside are neatly folded stacks of old-fashioned, yellowing garments – things people would have worn a hundred years ago:  a crinoline skirt, an apron, a wool scarf with matching gloves.  Lucas and Magpie carefully pull out each garment one by one. Something is tugging at Magpie’s memory, but she has so much on her mind she can’t figure out what it is.  At the bottom of the trunk is a long, flat wooden box; they lift it out and notice it is engraved with the name ‘Charlotte Carnifex’.  At last they have discovered the identity of the mysterious ‘C. C.’!  Inside the box, they find a treasure trove of personal items: a worn wooden pipe; a pocket watch, a silver spoon with something engraved on it turned black and illegible; a silver locket which Magpie attempts to pry open to no avail; a small pouch with seashells someone probably collected on vacation; and an ornate hair comb with an emerald hummingbird adorning the top.

“Look inside the lid, there’s something tucked in there,” says Magpie, reaching for a small, folded piece of paper which she opens gingerly. “It looks like a page ripped out of a diary,”  she says before reading out loud:

12^th of February, 1925

 It has been a difficult winter.  Many of the townspeople have vacated the area, and moved further     south, and I’ve overheard Edward say we must leave as well.  I make this last trip to the attic to bring a few precious pieces belonging to our family.  Edward has told me he will seal the entrance to the stairway to ensure our most precious possessions are secured should an ill-intentioned person pillage the vacant farms in our absence.  

My one regret is that my best friend, my sweet cat Cerise, has been missing for several days.  I fear   she was trapped out in the cold, unable to find shelter, and is now lost to me forever.  Never has there been a more wonderful pet, brought here from overseas by Edward as a wedding gift.  I leave with this letter a photograph of her with my son, James.  I hope that, by some miracle, they will be reunited come spring.

My greatest wish is that we will return, and once again make this house, and this land, our home.  If we fail, and you, a stranger, are reading this, know that this house was once filled with joy, laughter and song.  It was surrounded by flowers, birds and wildlife.  It is a wonderful place to be.  Be grateful that you have an opportunity to experience it.

 Farewell,

Charlotte Carnifex

“I don’t s