Evanescent
Prologue
Sparkling wine inside of a diamond glass. Her eyes skimmed him, his eyes skimmed her. His raven hair fallen about his shoulders, her hair about hers. Her lips pursed in a light smile as his eyes closed, listening to the cooing of doves on the sill of the window. The crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the laughing of children, the gentle humming of a motherly woman. All separated, down on another floor.
His arm extended, his hand taking a hold of a lock of her hair. Leaning forward across the table, his lips pressed against the silky strands. She giggled, her hand over her mouth as her cheeks flushed. She was just as in love with him now as she was when she had first kissed him, 15 years ago.
"Howl?" She took a sip of her wine. He continued to play with her hair, his head rested on his right hand. His love for her even more than it was 15 years back.
"Yes my love?" She smiled at him, her cheeks turning red, her heart fluttering like a butterfly. His smile deepened.
"I would like to ask you how you would feel about a baby." She replied. He looked at her taken aback a couple minutes, but then smiled.
"A baby would be a wonderful thing eventually. Why do you ask my love?" She looked down at her glass of wine and sighed. She wasn't sure if she should tell him, but the taste of wine on her lips left a sour taste in her mouth. This was their dinner for their 15 year anniversary, the first glass of wine she'd had for a year, and barely any of it was gone.
"I'm…I, I think I'm pregnant." She whispered. His jaw dropped, his eyes opened wide. The romantic music scratched to a stop, the candles blowing out, the lights flicking on. She looked around confused, then at Howl. He looked like someone had called him the ugliest thing in the world. "Howl?" He shook his head.
"But how? How do you know that you're pregnant?" He asked, his heart racing. She shook her head lightly, a hand on her belly.
"I don't know for a fact, that's why I said I think. But I have good signs." She looked off out the window at the sun and flowers. He shook his head again, his forehead resting in his palm.
"Maybe those signs are flukes? I mean, I've been using magic so that you wouldn't get pregnant." She shot him a shocked look. Standing, she knocked her chair over, her wine splashing all over the white table cloth, as well as his white blouse.
"You did what!? How could you? How could you use magic on me without me knowing! Without telling me?!" She cried out, tears coming to her eyes. He looked down at the wet red stain on his shirt and chuckled nervously, like he usually did when he was being a coward.
"It wasn't a big deal. I didn't think you were ready for a child."
"it wasn't a big deal? Howl, how could you do it! How can you let yourself think it's ok for you to make my decisions for me?" A tear trickled down her cheek. He looked at her hurt but said nothing. Turning she ran for the door, leaving her stunned lover to feel guilty at the table that held one of their last dinners.
************
The moon rose up from behind the horizon, disappearing behind the clouds every few minutes. It was cold, his breath visible in the cold summer air, death present in the room. He held her hand, the sound of her gasping filling the room. Markl standing at the doorway, his hands in fists. He was older now, though not as old as he should have been due to Howl's and his own magic. He looked about 16 now, tall and thin. He wore pants like Howl's now, and a white shirt with the mark of an apprentice on it.
The Witch of the Waste was next to him in a tiny rocker next to the window as Howls sat in despair on the bed side, his hands clutching Sophie's to his heart. She gasped like a fish out of water. 6 months since the dinner, and a larger belly later. Here she was, her skin pale, her cheeks sunk in. Already she looked so old, so haggard, as if she were falling apart. Her flesh cold, her fingers waxy feeling. Howl couldn't think of anything to say to her, the constant feeling of the tears burning away behind his eyes as he watched her eyes film over, her hand on her belly. He didn't know what was wrong with her, he didn't know what was causing it.
"Howl…" She wheezed, her eyes staring at the ceiling.
"yes…my love?" his voice was shaking terribly, trying to fight back the tears. She smiled at him, her gasping and pants stopping for a few seconds.
"I…love…you." She wheezed. At the end of that sentence, her mouth hung open, her eyes rolling back in her head. His heart shattered, leaning forward on the bed, his eyes open wide.
"Sophie? Sophie!" He cried out. Markl gasped behind Howl as his master broke down, crying out repeatedly for Sophie to open her eyes. Tears gushed down his cheeks, dribbling off of his chin like a steady dripping stream from a rain gutter. His blue eyes sparkling from the salt tears. A tear escaped down Markl's face, but he turned his head, the thought of crying when you were a man seeming pathetic to him, and refused to let anyone see him cry.
"Now now, it'll be alright." The Witch of the Waste crooned, her hand on Howl's shoulder. Howl whirled around and looked at her with a pleading, depressed expression. A look that screamed how the hell is it alright? She's dead. but all she did was smile and shake her head. "It'll be alright." Minutes roll by of silence, save for a few sniffles and agonized cries. Howl didn't look back, just promised in a deep, threatening sounding voice.
"Markl," the younger boy stared at him surprised, waiting for Howl to continue. "Never again." Was all he said.
"Never again?" He was confused.
"Never again will I love another woman." He looked at him over his shoulder. "I don't want anyone else in here. Even if it's the king himself, no one is to come in here. I don't want anyone in here." He stood up and walked past the dumbfounded apprentice to the door. "Calcifer! I want you to bring the castle to the Wastes, hide it amongst the fog." He hollered down the stairs.
"What's going on Howl?" He questioned back.
"We're hiding amongst the fog so no one can find us." He muttered.
"So you're just going to run away?" Markl questioned.
"I am. Without Sophie, I don't have the strength to face the world. My courage is gone, gone with her, the one and only woman I'll ever love." He left the room and headed down the hall to his bedroom. "No one will ever see us. Never, again."