Skyedive - Chapter 32, Her Prison, Her Fate
In today’s episode we read the chapter 32 – Her Prison, Her Fate – in which Farfalla finds herself in a predicament that forces her to ask for help from someone she thought she’d never see again.
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FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Chapter 32 of The Skylark Bell, Skyedive. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In last week’s episode Farfalla tricked Ash into following her into the forest as part of her plan to gain revenge on Mayor Sandpiper.
In today’s episode we read the chapter 32 – Her Prison, Her Fate – in which Farfalla finds herself in a predicament that forces her to ask for help from someone she thought she’d never see again.
Today’s podcast partner is Cannelle Music. Full disclosure, Cannelle is my stagename. I write and record all the music you hear in the The Skylark Bell, most of which is available on major streaming platforms on the album Songs from The Skylark Bell. I also record other unrelated music which you can find on streaming services and bandcamp. Just check the show notes for links to my website and related social media accounts.
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
I only meant to keep him with me for a few days, initially. Just long enough to give his father a scare and make him think about what he did to me, and probably to others before me. I wanted to ensure he wouldn’t do it to anyone else.
As much as I have tried to harden my heart, my mother’s instinct has resurfaced, and I am finding joy in having Ash around. I bring him all the best things I can find. Toys, chocolate… He loves Ru, they take long walks through the forest.
I eventually stopped fooling myself into thinking I would ever bring him back.
We spend our days together, learning and laughing. I’ve taught him to read and write, to make elixirs and salves, to coax plants into growing, to commune with nature. I’ve taught him geography, told him stories of my time at Meadow Lane. I’ve told him about trains and automobiles, to his great delight.
We have raced through the forest by moonlight. We’ve gone swimming in the ocean with the sea creatures and sea birds for company. We’ve danced in the fields beneath a stormy sky letting the rain soak through our clothes and spinning wildly as water whips off our wild hair.
Not once has he asked for his parents. In fact, he never speaks of them at all. I was surprised by this initially, as his father did seem to care for him a great deal that day by the cliff. But I have come to understand, the rare times we’ve broached the subject, that the kindness his father showed him that day was all for show. Behind closed doors, their relationship was very different.
I told myself I had saved him from a terrible fate.
I didn’t know his terrible fate was me.
~~~~~~
Farfalla’s face is washed with worry as she leans over the boy, his body seeming even smaller than usual as he shivers under the blankets she has piled on top of him. His face is porcelain white, and beads of sweat are accumulating on his brow. She wipes some salve onto his forehead with her fingers and tries to get him to drink some of the elixir she made using herbs and oils just as Cailleach taught her all those years ago. She lifts the boy’s head and puts the cup to his lips, but he is too weak to drink.
“Ash, darling, I need you to fight. I need you to be strong,” she whispers. The boy moans softly and his head lulls to the side. The situation is dire. Without some kind of intervention, the boy won’t survive the night. Farfalla scoops him up in her arms and carefully navigates the path between the trees to the arch. A moment later, a breeze picks up, and Farfalla starts singing the song of the Oak Tree as she rocks the boy back and forth in her arms. She feels the familiar dizzying feeling of her mind and body separating and closes her eyes. She feels the boy stir slightly in her arms as the sound fades away.
“Coigreach!” Farfalla’s eyes spring open. She sees a young girl pointing at her, eyes wide. Coigreach. Farfalla recalls the word from her time with the tribe. It means Stranger.
“Help!” she says, nodding toward the pale boy in her arms, “Cuideachadh!” she adds, remembering the word for help in their language. The girl turns and runs toward a tent at the back of the encampment. Farfalla recognizes it instantly and walks purposefully toward the structure. A young woman with jet-black hair steps out of the tent just as Farfalla is about to burst through the opening. She is much younger than the last time Farfalla saw her, but still recognizable. Cailleach. Farfalla thrusts the boy’s pale, limp body toward the woman and the woman takes him in her arms without hesitation, then disappears into her tent. Farfalla is about to follow her when she feels hands on her shoulders pulling her back. She turns to see a tall man, his gaze fixated on her, his eyes filled with distrust. “Cormag!” she says, smiling. How amazing to see him so young, decades before he would become the leader of the tribe. At this, the man takes a step back, his brow furrowed. Farfalla seizes the moment and scurries into the tent.
Inside, young Cailleach is tending to Ash, her expert hands applying salve to his chest while her assistant swirls a bowl of burning sage around the room. Farfalla sits quietly in the corner, letting the woman do her work. Farfalla may have grown more powerful than her teacher, but even at this young age, Cailleach is wiser and more knowledgeable when it comes to healing. The woman turns to Farfalla and speaks. It takes Farfalla a moment to translate: Now we wait.
The hours flow at a glacial pace. Farfalla never leaves Ash’s side, constantly staring at his small pale face which shows no sign of improvement. At long last Cailleach returns, runs a hand along his cheek, and shakes her head. There is nothing more she can do. Farfalla weeps. She lets the wave of grief wash through her and eventually lays flat on the dirt floor, void of emotion, void of energy, void of hope. She finally gives in to sleep, holding Ash’s tiny hand in her own.
Farfalla wakens as the early morning light filters into the tent. She sits up and checks on Ash. He is breathing short, shallow breaths now. His time is running out. Farfalla feels the swell of hopelessness and grief rising from the pit of her stomach when a thought occurs to her. A horrible though. A brilliant thought.
She scoops the boy back up in her arms and rushes out of the tent to The Ancient Oak. “I know you can hear me,” she hears the words echo in her head. “Ash is going to die, I need you to help us,” the swirling echo of her voice is almost unbearable, but she feels a shift in the breeze that gives her the strength to continue. Farfalla starts humming the familiar tune. She can feel heat emanating from the Skylark Bell in the pocket of her gown. The notes rise and fall through the air, surrounding them like an invisible cloak.
Finally, the world goes silent and Farfalla is left standing in the clearing, her arms heaving from the strain of holding Ash tightly against her chest.
“Welcome back.” The voice startles Farfalla and causes her to spin on her heels. To her great relief she sees Cailleach standing just a few paces away, her long grey hair tumbling down her shoulders. It takes Farfalla a moment to reconcile this woman with the younger version of her she was with only a few hours ago.
“Cailleach, I need your help,” she begins.
“The boy’s time has simply come.” Cailleach cuts her off.
“You owe me,” Farfalla swallows her anger, but the words still come out forcefully and her eyes narrow to slits.
Cailleach remains silent a moment, assessing the situation. “Fair enough,” she sighs, “which tree shall we use?”
Farfalla feels the stress fall from her shoulders. She looks around the clearing and spots a tree a few paces away. Its tall straight trunk and bright leaves give promise of a long life. “This one,” she says to Cailleach, nodding in the tree’s direction.
“Very well,” replies the old woman. “You know what to do.”
Farfalla gently lays Ash on the ground, noting that his lips are losing their colour. There isn’t much time. She turns to the tree and shouts “Fall!”. With a thundering crack the tree tips and comes crashing into the clearing. Farfalla rushes to the jagged stump jutting out of the ground. The trunk of the Ancient Oak had been smooth when it was her turn, but there is no time to smooth this one down. “Pick up the boy and take my hand,” says Cailleach. Farfalla hesitates for only a moment, then does as she is told. In a flash, she feels the earth move under her feet. She instinctively closes her eyes and tightens her grip on Ash. “Put him down, quickly,” comes Cailleach’s voice. Farfalla opens her eyes and sees the tree’s trunk has been smoothed down. The tree itself is neatly stacked in pieces nearby. It’s like they’ve travelled a few hours into the future and all the necessary work has been done. Farfalla wonders about the inner workings of what just occurred, but there is no time to waste. She carefully places Ash on the stump and takes a few steps back. Cailleach’s lips start moving. Farfalla can very faintly hear a few words, but the secret spell isn’t meant for her, so she gives Cailleach the space to do what is necessary to save Ash. Or, at the very least, the essence of Ash.
At long last Cailleach goes silent. The air remains perfectly still, not a breeze nor a bird. Then it begins. The tree begins to grow around Ash’s small body. A process that should take years, decades, centuries even, occurring in the blink of an eye. It is quite the sight to see, especially after having lived through the experience from the inside. Finally, the tree has regained its full height and canopy.
“Hullo,” comes a small voice from behind Farfalla. She spins around and her heart soars at the sight of Ash’s large blue eyes, sparkling like his illness had never happened. “I feel funny,” he says.
“Yes, my darling, I know,” she replies, pulling him close. “Let me take you home, and you will feel much better,” she adds.
Farfalla feels a hand clutch her arm, the strength of the grip sending searing pain all the way to her shoulder. “In a few years two people will come upon you in the forest. They will have been sent there at my command. They are to be his guardians. You will show them kindness and respect and let them do the task I have assigned to them,” says Cailleach, her tone leaving no room for discussion. “We are even now. Don’t ever come back here again.”
Farfalla nods, then walks hand in hand with Ash to the Ancient Oak; her prison, her fate… and asks it to send them home.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for Chapter 33 – The Vanishings – In which Farfalla begins to live up to the stories about Dealan-dè
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.
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