Skyedive - Chapter 29, Embers to Ash
In today’s episode we read the chapter 29 – Embers to Ash – In which we discover the secret behind both The Ancient Oak, and Dealan-dè.
This week's podcast partner is Horror Roulette: https://horrorroulette.com/
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FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Things with Wings Productions presents: Chapter 29 of The Skylark Bell, Skyedive. I am your host, Melissa Oliveri.
In last week’s episode Farfalla bid goodbye to the people of the camp and began to pick up the pieces of The Ancient Oak.
In today’s episode we read the chapter 29 – Embers to Ash – In which we discover the secret behind both The Ancient Oak, and Dealan-dè.
Today’s podcast partner is fellow Boopod Network member Horror Roulette. This podcast takes a unique approach in that topics are chosen by spinning a wheel of random words. You won’t find a more unique format or set of topics than this one! Be sure to check the show notes for a link to the Horror Roulette podcast.
Now, it’s time to settle in… grab a blanket, and a warm drink… and let’s get started.
I have called upon Ru to gather the herd.
They are like counterparts to the tribe that was here. Like Cailleach, there is a wise old female that the other deer look to for guidance. Then there is a tall proud male that they turn to for leadership, safety, planning - just like the tribe looked up to Cormag. The rest of the herd works together, each individual having a role to play. Then there is Ru; always walking on the outskirts, different than the rest of the herd, but still accepted within their ranks. Despite being younger than the two leaders, he is equally powerful, perhaps even more powerful, in his own right. Ru is like me.
I used vines and bits of rope left behind by the soldiers to attach the arch to the deer, then I instructed them to pull. I am grateful for their help, there is no way I could have lifted this magnificent work of art myself. Once the arch was set in place, I released the deer and shared with them the berries I picked that morning. Ru stayed behind when the others left, clinging to my side like he was afraid I would disappear. If I am honest with myself, I am also afraid I will disappear. But I think I have better control now. I think I can choose where, and when, I go.
Ru and I spent the afternoon together wandering the woods. He told me how sad he is that the tribespeople are gone. We shared our heartache and our memories. I told him the archway will help keep all of them and their teachings alive for all time. I think he smiled then, in his way. Finally, we parted ways at the edge of the forest, and I walked back to the clearing.
I dug deep holes at either side of the arch to anchor it to the ground. It only occurred to me after I was finished that perhaps I could have commanded the ground to make space for the arch, so instead I commanded the ground to cling to the arch for all time. There is no way to know for certain whether it worked, but I figured it was worth a try.
The arch is a thing of beauty, hovering over the stump from which the Ancient Oak once towered. I have collected several acorns that scattered to the ground when the Oak fell. I will plant them in the clearing, so the forest can fill in once again. Perhaps I will keep one, as a memento. As I collected the acorns I found other artefacts, remnants of the encampment; metal cups, spoons, tools, and jewelry. I tied them to thin leather strips and hung them from the top of the arch. I also collected the feathers from Cormag and Caileach’s headdresses and hung those from the arch as well, which reminded me of the dreamcatcher that Isadora Finch gave me as a birthday gift, three lifetimes ago. Lastly, I threaded flowers throughout the arch, and made it look a bit like the Skye Lark Belle’s crown from my youth, back when I didn’t realize what I was wishing for.
Now the arch stands at the ready.
The question is, am I ready?
~~~~~~
Farfalla stands to admire her handywork. The arch is a thing of beauty, gracefully lifting over the tree stump, whose surface she painstakingly smoothed down to make it even with the ground around it. She has marked the place where she planted the pocketful of acorns she collected then planted each with a twig on which she threaded a leaf, like a little flag indicating where, someday, a majestic oak would rise.
Finally, it is time to take a break. She decides to walk down to the beach to clean herself up and scrub her gown, ridding herself of the streaks of soot and dirt on her arms and legs. Beneath the layers of dirt her arms are wrought with scrapes and scratches from the branches she used to make the arch. The cool water is soothing and Farfalla takes her time bathing in it. Once reasonably clean, she steps out of the sea and lays the gown on a sunny patch of grass in the sun, then she lays next to it while they both dry off. She lets her thoughts drift to the monumental task she just accomplished. Her arch is not simply a decoration, it is a gateway. The Ancient Oak told her the arch would be infused with its wisdom, its power, its magic. That the arch could be used to travel not only to a different time, but to a different place. A specific place. But the Ancient Oak did not have time to elaborate, so she doesn’t know where that place is.
Farfalla is just slipping her gown back over her head when she hears the sound of stones being thrown into the water a little farther up the beach. She walks across the sand to the stony part of the shore. “Hullo,” says a little voice. Farfalla stands in shock. It is the small boy with the large blue eyes, the one from the cliffside, the son of the mayor. Ash. “I told you I would see you again,” he says, a hint of pride in his voice.
“How…?” begins Farfalla, unable to create a cohesive thought.
“I’m not sure how, exactly,” says the boy, skipping another rock across the surface of the sea. A tall slim man dressed all in black comes into view at the top of the grassy hill that overlooks the rocky beach, a woman with wild red hair pinned atop her head at his side. “It’s time for me to go,” says the boy, turning to run up the grassy hill.
“Wait!” shouts Farfalla, taking a few steps in his direction, but the boy, man, and woman quickly disappear behind the crest of the hill. Confused and a little thrown, Farfalla makes her way back to the forest.
As she nears the clearing Farfalla hears a faint pulsing sound. She can feel warmth emanating from the bell in her pocket as she gets closer to the arch. She hesitantly steps onto the stump and looks up at the arch stretching above her head. A breeze picks up, and the faint beginnings of the Song of the Oak Tree reach her ears. Farfalla can’t tell which direction the sound is coming from; she is surrounded by it. The bell grows hot in her hands, and she drops it with a small shout. The wind picks up and swings the trinkets hanging above her head, so they clash into one another, creating a cacophonous symphony.
Farfalla feels panic quickly rising in her chest. She tries to step off the stump, but she can’t. It is like invisible hands are holding onto her feet. She looks down and sees the stump has begun to regrow around her. Now in full-fledged terror Farfalla begins to move her body, trying desperately to free herself, but the trunk only keeps growing taller and taller, surrounding her. Within seconds it has reached her waist. “Stop!” she shouts, her voice cracking in fear, “What are you doing?! You didn’t tell me this would happ-”. Farfalla’s words are cut off as the trunk grows around her head. Farfalla feels her mind separate from her body, the same sensation she had when she and Cailleach stepped under the arch and found themselves back at the encampment. Without explanation, she suddenly finds herself standing next to the Ancient Oak, its trunk and branches restored to their former glory, reaching high above the canopy of the surrounding trees.
“What just happened?” asks Farfalla. The words echo both inside and outside her mind. Farfalla needn’t wait for an answer, as she looks at the tree, she can also see herself from the inside of the tree. She is in both places at once. “How can this be, I don’t understand!” Again, the swirling echo all around and inside her. Farfalla suddenly feels faint and drops to the ground.
“Dealan-dè,” the familiar voice comes from behind Farfalla’s back. She turns and sees Caileach standing a few paces away, smiling at her.
“Cailleach?! But you… you… I saw you! You turned to dust! How can this be?” asks Farfalla, the words once again bouncing across the inside of her head and the trees around the clearing.
“I told you, someone would come to us who could ensure our teachings would never be lost. That someone was you, my dear. The voice of the Ancient Oak, it was your voice. You gave yourself the instructions to climb the tree, to use the bell to escape the soldiers, to build the arch. You are Dealan-dè, the powerful one, the wise one, the eternal one,” says Cailleach.
“If I am inside the tree, then how am I here?” asks Farfalla, trying to sort everything out.
“You are not really here, only part of your consciousness is here. Without a physical body to carry around, you have the capacity to travel anywhere, any time. It is a tremendous honour to hold such power!” says Cailleach.
“But I didn’t ask for this! I didn’t ask for any of this! All I wanted was to go home to my daughter!” cries Farfalla, reeling at the impossibility of it all.
“It was the only way to ensure our tribe, our culture, our teachings, would not be lost,” replies Cailleach, laying a hand on Farfalla’s shoulder.
“So, you did this,” says Farfalla, suddenly feeling rage rising in her chest. They had used her! Cailleach, Cormag, Corbin, all of them! They had used her, trapped her inside this tree forever, sentenced her to burn and be cut up and shaped into an arch, to have her consciousness separated from her body for all eternity! “YOU did this!” she says again, rising to her feet, stepping close to Cailleach, rage twisting her face.
“I had forgotten how angry you were the first time,” says Cailleach, unfazed.
“The first time? What do you mean?” asks Farfalla.
“Remember the Ouroboros. The endless loop. Every lifetime you remember a little more. Every lifetime you are a little more resigned to your fate. But this is your first time, and you are angry,” replies the old woman. “I warned you not to harden your heart, I was hoping to spare you the first few cycles, the ones where you cause great harm, the ones where you seek revenge. No matter, it will all find its way in time,” she says, turning to walk away.
“Don’t you walk away from me! I need you to fix this! Get me out of this tree!” says Farfalla, as desperation quickly replaces the anger she is feeling. She puts her hands up to her ears, the echoing sound from inside and outside her body is dizzying and she’s not sure how much longer she can handle it.
“I suggest you travel to a time when the tree is no longer standing, it will eliminate that dreadful echo in your head,” says Cailleach, disappearing into the shadows of the forest and leaving Farfalla alone with the tree… with herself.
Thank you so much for listening. Join me next week for Chapter 30 – Back to the Cliffside – in which Farfalla returhns to a pivotal point in her life.
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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