Author's Note: It really has been a while... Sigh. This fan fiction is not based on the animated movie but the book, which does not belong to me, but to Diana Wynne Jones. I do not own any portion of this magnificent story. However, I do own this fanfic.
Let me know if you cried because I did.
The Unimaginable Ending
It had all started on May Day. The dream begun. Howell Jenkins...Sophie Hatter...
The dream was about to end. The day was May Day. And it was the End...
Howell Jenkins scribbled away on a drappy, tearing piece of parchment with his feathered quill. Calcifer burned quietly at the hearth, silent for once. He knew better to complain when Howl was so focused on a new spell for Sophie. His fifth, one each day since the illness was diagnosed...
Michael Fisher had gone and married Martha Hatter and they were the most happiest couple in Market Chipping. The new apprentice was staying at their place. Howl's concentration was completely on curing Sophie.
Today was May Day and parades and celebration rung and wound itself throughout the land. The streets were filled with people. Pets and children yipped and yapped. Gossip, plans and parties were of talk. Everyone was happy.
The stool clanked over to the ground. Howl's head turned to the direction of his Sophie's voice. "Howl...Howl..." she moaned feebly. Howl made his way to Sophie's bedside in the other room.
"Sophie, how are you feeling? The spell is nearly finished so please wait a little longer," he said quietly. His voice dared not raise itself, in fear that it might break his sick wife.
Sophie's right hand rapidly flew for the blue-silver sleeve that was lazily draped around Howl's shoulders. His eyes trailed down towards the hand.
Sophie seemed to say the forbidden words of the house, the words Howl didn't want to believe. "The spell isn't going to work," she said. "I'm going to die."
Howl flinched at the words. "No, you aren't," his voice wavered unsteadily. Sophie stared at the hurt in his face and almost reconsidered letting him get back to work on the spell that would not work. But Howl also looked tired and hungry like a wounded puppy and she would definetly not let him suffer anymore.
"Listen to me." She tugged at his sleeve to come closer. He came.
"Sophie, you foo--"
"I only have a few minutes so listen and don't interrupt." Howl besides himself could see this as a fact. The town's people were uninterested in talking about such an epidemic on a holiday such as May Day but it had sweeped the country.
It was a peculiar illness in which the soul of the person seemed to be leaving the body. Howl could see an invisible, blurred Sophie just floating out of her left side. He was born to strange sights--but this was too much...
"I've given myself a few minutes--that's all I can muster," murmured Sophie. Sophie had been keeping herself alive ever since the illness had hit her over a week ago. But she had already weakened to the point where she could only give herself a few days. This was surely her final ticking minutes.
"Howl," she drew in a breath, "I'm dying today. And what I want you to do is to wish Michael a happy twenty-fourth birthday and wish the best for Martha and Lettie and Wizard Suliman for me... And to thank Calcifer for continuing to move the castle all these wonderful years... And let Morgan off lightly if you can, once he comes back from Wales...And you, Howl..." She paused and took another deep breath. Howl seemed to hold his.
"Howl, you will live happily. Do anything you can to be happy. You will eat properly, and clean yourself and sleep well. If you can, you may court another lady."--Howl squeezed her hand at this--"Take care of Morgan, and everybody while I'm gone--"
"Sophie! I'll get you a fire demon to make a contract with...!" It seemed such a silly thing to say!
"No, Howl!" Sophie felt her heart take. "I love you, Howl. More than anything in the world..." The tears began to spill from the both of them.
"Me too, Sophie! I love you!" And all Howl could do was squeeze the cold hand in that warm bed.
Michael walked with Martha along with Lettie and Wizard Suliman to the moving castle until they saw something very peculiar. A sparkling star that spewed red licking flames around was flying towards them.
"Calcifer!" Michael exclaimed.
"Howl's mad! Madder than ever before!" Everybody stood there, dumbfounded. Then they all sprinted up the hill where the moving castle had parked itself. As the group neared they could see all the shudders and doors flapping, shutting and closing. A mad wind was brewing around the castle. The only door that lay still was the front door--the door that lead to many places.
Calcifer returned inside through the chimney to open the door for Michael and company. They burst through the door. Michael yelled: "HOWL!"
Black spirits roved the walls, more than the time when Howl had his hair tinted ginger by accident. A wind howled and papers flew off the desk. An instant mess.
A blue jacket with silver insets flew from the other room and landed on the floor. "Howl!" Everybody bellowed simultaneously. The wind stopped. Lettie straightened her dress and Martha fixed her hair. Michael took a cautious forward as well as Suliman.
A faint crying could be heard.
Howl gripped Sophie's hand so much it shook. And the tears didn't stop. He bent his head down onto the pillow, his mud-coloured hair amesh with the still-warm sheets. Will the blanket soak his all of his tears?
Footsteps emerged from the doorway.
"Happy Birthday Michael...We hope the best for all of you...Thanks, Calcifer...for moving the castle..." His breath shuddered.
"But I will not eat properly. I will not sleep and I will not clean up after myself. I will never court another lady ever again and..."
Everybody cried and wailed.
"And I will not be happy..."