Written Story of Howl's Moving Castle
Chapter 1
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Howl's Moving Castle and Studio Ghibli (unfortunately).
Author's Note: Before I begin this first chapter I would just like to explain to the viewers how this story will work. Each chapter will equal about 5-8 minutes of the movie, and I shall try my hardest in replicating the dialogue and imagery of the movie. So I might have made a small mistake in writing the exact same dialogue ect. , just let me know in the reviews so that I don't forget the next chapter, and trust me there will be plenty of room for mistakes, so… sorry! Without further ado, begin reading!
The tall mountainous region makes the wastes a harsh place for anyone to live, and it is high enough for the clouds to meet with the horizon. A strange moving shape moves in this wasteland. One would say the strange looking automobile is a garbage heap put together by dark magic, while others would call a masterpiece in disguise. However the village people know it as Howl's Moving Castle, owned by the mysterious and legendary Howl and his fire demon. His castle takes an appearance of a deformed living creature, with four unique legs and a vicious head. No one quite knows how it moves the way it does. The castle makes whistle, clunking and clinking noises as it clumsily walks around, with the odd puff of smoke wafting through its soot ridden chimneys. It passes but a few sheep farms along its way and that is all, leaving everybody around it left wondering exactly happens inside this strange moving contraption.
*Howl's Moving Castle*
A small town on the outskirts of the wastes is constantly being bombarded by trains that run on steam and coal. This always left the winter air polluted with smog. On either side of the train line there is an amazing amount of differently coloured building all bunched up together, causing a rainbow-like effect. One of these cleverly painted buildings is a hat shop painted in ruby red. A small window on this building, looking out onto the dusty railway line, seems uninteresting and average at first. But if one should just a look a little closer, yes just a little closer, they would be sure to see a young woman by the name of Sophie carefully pinning flowers onto a hat for the store. She has a dark brown head of hair neatly platted, random pieces of her fringe spring out of place, as she sews. Her mint green dress overflows beside her and drapes down beyond her stool. Inside her work shop is an array of beautiful hats each unique in colour and design. Cascades of flowers and feathers are hung up on the wall. The golden dusk light was setting in slowly as the day came to an end, letting the golden sun pierce through the small window, shining through even the darkest corners of the room.
Sophie looked intently into her hat, as someone knocked on her workshop door. The door swung open and an older lady stepped forward with a stripy blue and white dress, one of much more style than Sophie's. Her hair is pinned up into her hat. She looks up at Sophie and asks "Sophie? We've just closed the shop, you've done enough, why don't you come with us this time?"
Sophie takes a second and replies "No I should probably finish this, you go and have fun!"
"Alright, suit yourself. Let's go girls!" She shouts out the door.
The other hatter girls get ready to go.
Suddenly one of the girls notices something out the window
"Look, its howl's moving castle!"
They all rush to the window to see but a glance of the magnificent structure moving about the wastes. They all scream and giggle in delight, for its Howl himself that most young ladies are inquisitive about. Sophie raised her head to see out of her small window and could see beyond the hills a clumsy moving figure roaming around the clouds. Although slowly the mist consumed it completely until it could not be seen. Flight pilots patrolling the area flew past on their weird flying contraptions. Sophie went back to work as she heard the gossiping of the hatter girls fawning over Howl and his castle. They laughed over jokes and fled out the door, not paying too much attention to Sophie.
"Alright let's go girls!" ordered the older lady still content and the mere sighting of Howl's Moving Castle.
Sophie was still working happily on her hat as a steam train whipped past her window. Just outside she could see her happy co-workers linked arm in arm walking over the bridge that a steam train just went by. She sighed and continued to cut and sew. She finally finished and placed the hat onto the manikin head and had already started to look for a new hat to work on. She sighed as she placed a new hat down still staring out the window, just waiting and thinking that maybe the castle may return. She turned around on her stool and stood up swiftly her brown boots making a hollow sound on the wooden floor. She wiped the dust off her apron and took it off. Sophie then reached for her old, unspectacular hat and placed it firmly on her head. As she walked out the door to the courtyard a parade of planes created shadows on the pavement. Above her were planes carrying a red and yellow striped flag with a symbol on it. She walked cautiously into another room, not caring too much about the strange and unexpected planes zooming past her. Sophie went to the mirror and made strange faces pulling down her hat (as we all do!). But looked grumpily and angry at herself in the mirror. She thought to herself "How could I ever be beautiful, I don't know why I even thought that for a second!"
And with that she stomped out of the door into the outside world, not knowing exactly what would happen next…
*Howl's Moving Castle*
The never ending parade of flags and flying automobiles continued, as she locked the door. Just above it there was a sign with the word HATTERS on it and a hat behind, it whined and creaked with age. She walked directly down the stairs and across the road, which, for the time, was heavy with tractors trams and cars. Sophie ran as she spotted the tram coming towards her and quickly jumped on holding the sides as support. Her hair flowed beside her in the haunted evening breeze. The tram was packed with people. The dark blue tram rocked in the wind, as it ran along the line. Sophie looked ahead and saw the parade of planes go over head. "There must be a festival on today or even a parade. I wonder…" She thought this to herself, gazing into the clear blue sky dotted with clouds. The tram went over a large bridge with army truck after army truck going underneath. The individual sounds of brass instruments in the marching bands echoed throughout the village. People were shouting, screaming and whistling in excitement. Thousands of people we're throwing confetti and streamers everywhere holding up their flags with national pride. Gentlemen waved their top hats in the crowd and ladies smiled from ear to ear. An army of men wearing blue and red uniforms walked tall with their rifles in one hand, and heaving backpacks on their shoulders. Each one had a stern face and eyes that could not be seen under their hats. The cavalry, on horse backs followed the parade each holding a brightly coloured flag.
Sophie hopped off the tram and walked in the opposite direction as the floods of people coming to see the parade. Many guards surrounded the area and rows of backpacks and rifles were also in the colourful alley way she was passing. Many soldiers were around the village, so Sophie was extremely vigilant of her surroundings. As soon as Sophie saw a guard she scuttled away, as he nodded at her politely. She walked down the stairs and saw on the adjacent side of her, the parade, and a lonely man weeping silently on the foot of the stairs. She looked around and then stared at a small piece of paper and kept moving, uncertainly, forward. Sophie slowly walked down another alley way. The sound of the parade fading and the chirps of birds singing in the breeze. She stared at her piece of paper, not noticing the soldier in front of her, leaning against the wall. She nearly bumped into his brass buttons, but mumbled and stood back a bit, trying to balance herself. She looked up at an average looking man with light brown hair smiling and gazing at her fixedly.
He looked down at her and spoke, "Hey, looks like a little mouse lost its way,"
Sophie was quick to reply, "Oh, no. I'm not lost,"
"This little mouse looks thirsty, maybe we should take her for a cup of tea."
Just as he was stating that, another soldier came from behind him this time her had a big bushy dark brown moustache and his dark hair was peeping out from underneath his hat.
Sophie did not look up this time and as she spoke softly the dark haired soldier bent down to see her, "No, thanks my sister's expecting me."
The dark haired man kept staring at her, as she tried to look away from the both, she seemed scared as she darted her eyes to and thro.
"She's pretty cute, for a mouse!" The dark haired man snorted.
"How old are you anyway. You live around here?"
Sophie thought to herself for a second "How dare these men stop me I need to get to my sister, but how?"
She looked up at them in and a spiteful emotion washed onto her face.
"Leave me alone!" She yelled in her forceful, yet tiny, voice.
The light haired man turned to the other soldier and remarked, "you see, you're moustache scare all the girls."
The dark haired soldier peered at her more, "So, I think she is even cuter when she's scared."
Just as he finished his sentence Sophie could feel a hand go around her shoulder it was soft and gentle, and wasn't too frightening. She could barely see his white hand around her shoulder. It was covered in rings of gold and silver. She did not dare to turn around, and after that split second of fear, she no longer felt afraid instead she felt safe and secure.
Author's Note: Yes unfortunately I have to stop it there, which it is roughly 4 and a half minutes of the movie. I know it is finishes on a cliff hanger but most of you guys probably have watched the movie so you, unfortunately, know what's going to happen next! Anyway hope you guys enjoyed it and continue reading. From: The Princess of Fallen Stars