A.N. I was very pleased with all the reviews for the past chapter, especially since I posted it such a short while ago. Just like in my other stories, when people review, I soon start a new one, so here you go, happy reading, and leave reviews!

"Sophie!," Markl ran in the door with a bunch of flowers behind his back. Howl, still on the steps, poked one eye out to watch.

"Hello, Markl! Did you and Turnip Head have a good time?," she asked in her kind way.

"Yes, and I have a present for you!" Sophie grinned at him, with a feeling that she knew what it was.

"Oh my! A present! How lovely," she told him. Markl pulled the flowers from behind his back. And Sophie gasped sincerely, now. There were daisies, roses, daffodils, and other beautiful flowers she couldn't even identify.

"But wait, this isn't all of it," Markl told her. He concentrated on the top of the bouquet, and slowly, they began to shimmer.

"Clever boy," Howl commented under his breath, he knew that look, and the spell.

Suddenly, out of the top of the flowers, a little head poked out, and after it, came a tiny yellow canary.

"See, Sophie? This is for you!," Markl held the whole bundle, bird and all, up to her.

"Why, if this isn't the sweetest thing," Sophie took the flowers from him. "Where shall I put them?"

"How about, over here!," Markl pulled a vase out of the china cabinet, and placed it in the middle of the table. "And you can let the bird fly around, he'll never run away!"

"You are so clever, Markl. Howl has been teaching you well," Sophie commented. She placed the flowers inn the vase, and the bird landed on her shoulder.

"Markl, what's up?," Howl came downstairs at that moment.

"Master Howl! Look what I did!" The boy pointed at the flowers and the bird.

"A summoning charm? Well done," Howl told him, clapping a couple times.

"Yes, it was very nice of him, wasn't it Howl?," Sophie asked, ruffling the boys red hair.

"I think you're ready to learn the next step of summoning," Howl told him. Markl turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Master Howl, I've actually, well, I've already learned it," Markl kicked at the ground. Howl grinned.

"That's good. Let's see," the wizard stepped back. "If you can do it, then would you mind summoning, let's see, oh, I know! Two mice, an armchair, and an eraser," Howl nodded. Markl looked at him like he was wack, and then realized he'd already known that.

"Okay," Markl closed his eyes, took a couple breaths, and pointed at the floor. There appeared, two mice, an armchair, and an eraser.

"Did I do it?," Markl looked at the things. "I did it! I did it!"

"Good job, now send them back," Howl commanded.

"Wait, no! I could use a nice chair in my bedroom, and the mice won't cause any trouble, but I'm not to sure what to do with an eraser," Sophie told him.

"If you want it you can have it, have it, but now Markl needs to summon something else, so I can see if he is able to send it back," Howl said seriously.

"Oh, no. Don't make him, I'll get a chair some other time," Sophie said, looking down into the pot of soup with embaressment.

"Good decision," Howl said, in an unidentifiable tone, but Sophie had an inkling of an idea that Howl was agitated.

Sophie knew better than to say anything, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Markl!," Howl said suddenly, and in a rather loud voice. Markl jumped to listen.

"Yes, Master Howl?"

"What do you mean? Send them back, come on!," Howl commanded, waving his hands around.

"Right!," the apprentice concentrated on the things, and slowly, they began to fade away. Then, before Sophie's eyes, they were gone. They hadn't moved, hadn't ran off to hide, they were simply gone.

"Good, but it took you a long time. You have a long way to go," Howl said, in an unpleasant way. Sophie watched Markl look at his feet, ashamed and disappointed. Sophie had had enough.

"Howl! I'm shocked at your behavior, lately! What is the matter with you?," Sophie set down her spoon and wrung her hands in her apron. "Markl did a splendid job, especially since he taught it to himself! Now I don't know much about magic, but I do know, that for such a young boy-," Sophie was stopped short by Markl mumbling;

"I'm nine."

"Stay out of this! Can't you see I'm defending you?," Sophie told him.

"Defending him from who? From me? The guy who saved him from being eaten by the wolves when his parents abandoned him," Howl exclaimed. "And I would appreciate it if you not tell him what to do!"

"You were just criticizing a job well done! I doubt you could do that well at that age!"

"You two, really, stop fighting, it's not-," it was Calcifer's turn to be cut off.

"Stay out of this!," Howl and Sophie yelled at him in union.

"I know what's best! If he's not criticized, then how will he know when he's in need of improvement?," Howl yelled at her, and Sophie stepped back. All this time, Markl had bee looking back and forth between the two, tears slowly welling up in his eyes. He knotted his hands in the end of his shirt.

"This is all my fault! Just like with Mamma and Papa! It's all my fault that you two hate each other!," he cried, tears running down his face. He ran to the door, and turned the dial to red, running out as fast as he could.

"Markl! Wait! Come back!," Howl called after him, running to the door. Before he left, he turned and looked at Sophie, accusingly. She held back the tears until she saw the door close behind him.

Then, she sat down on the floor, knees to her chest, and cried.

A.N.2 Yes, I know it was very long! But it should make you people happy for a while, so I hope you liked it! I think I like this chapter better than the first, myself. Reviews are welcome!