Author's Note:
I feel like I start every note off with an apology. But, I have to say it–I am truly sorry. I don't get to update as much as I'd like. I find it very difficult to balance my school life, social life, and just my life in general. Anyway, thank you all for staying with this story. You have no idea how much it means to me. Your comments keep me going so make sure to keep them coming :D Lots of love to all you loyal readers! Enjoy!
Oh just one more thing: I regret to inform that this is more of a filler chapter, but I promise Howl will make an appearance in the next one! :) So stay tuned!
"Quit pulling so hard, Turnip Head!" Markl grounded out as he tried to hold on to the clothesline.
Chuckling, I grabbed the boy's waist and dragged him back.
"Whatever you do, don't let go of the rope." I said to the apprentice as he steeled his grip and nodded in comprehension.
Sophie then began to hang the clothing onto the line and before we knew it, the laundry was done.
"Wow, that was one of the fastest laundry days of my life." I said, thoroughly impressed by how well we all worked.
"Can we take a break now?" Markl pleaded, wide brown eyes staring into my amber ones.
"Yes, Markl, we can take a break now." I complied as I ruffled his orange hair.
"Let's have afternoon tea out here," Sophie suggested, "I'd like to enjoy more of the scenery."
"Alright, why not." I agreed, "Markl, come inside and help me move some chairs out here."
"Ok!" The boy chirped and sped off into the castle.
"Sophie, I'm going to need you to stay out here for a bit," I said apologetically, "Someone has to make sure that Turnip Head doesn't get too carried away with laundry."
At this, we both turned to look at the scarecrow who was still happily bounding about with the clothesline.
"Good call," Sophie laughed, "Maybe I could find out more about his curse."
"That's the spirit." I praised, then left to go help Markl with the furniture.
Once inside the castle, I saw that the young boy had already cleared off a small table and was currently struggling to drag it across the floor.
"Here, let me help you with that." I said then proceeded to grab one side of the table.
"What's all the ruckus about?" Calcifer complained from his hearth.
"Sophie thought that it'd be nice if we had afternoon tea outside." Markl answered as we carried the table towards the door.
"Oh right, that reminds me, Cal, could you boil some hot water for the tea?" I asked sweetly.
"No!" the demon shouted, "Boil your own water!"
"I'll deal with him later." I whispered to Markl who nodded in understanding. We both knew who would win.
After setting up the chairs and table, I went inside to go battle with the flame.
"So Cal, about that water." I started, while grabbing the kettle and filling it with the clear liquid.
"Give it up Gwen, I'm tired. I'm not heating that blasted kettle." The fire grumbled.
"Oh, come on, you were doing such a great job this morning." I chided softly.
"Yeah, well that was this morning. I'm not doing it again." Calcifer stated stubbornly.
"Oh, that's a pity," I said, voice dripping with fake disappointment, "I thought that maybe if you boiled this one tiny little kettle for me, I would tell you that I found out how to break this curse between you and Howl."
The fire paused.
"You're bluffing." He accused, fixing me with an untrusting look.
"Oh well," I continued with my act, "I guess you'll just have to wait until Sophie figures out what to do. Who knows how long that'd take? A couple of days, maybe? Months, if you're lucky? Years even?"
"You're definitely joking." The fire said, although I detected a trace of uncertainty in his tone.
"Am I?" I challenged.
The fire stopped to look at me.
Bad move.
Without warning, I shoved the kettle onto the fire before he even had time to react.
"Hmm, I guess I was." I laughed
"That was a dirty trick, Gwen!" The flame whined.
"Sorry Cal," I said, smiling shyly at the flame, "You said it before, if you want to outsmart a demon, you've got to be as cunning as one."
Calcifer scoffed angrily.
"I have to admit, you're getting pretty good." The fire complimented with some reluctance.
"You know," I said slowly, "Not all of it was a lie…"
At this, Calcifer perked up and looked at me.
"Wait you mean you actually figured out how to break the curse?" The fire exclaimed in surprise.
"Not exactly," I admitted, "It's more like I found another piece of the puzzle."
The fire demon was about to say more but was interrupted by Markl who came rushing into the house.
"Gwen, do you need any help?" the eager boy questioned.
"Um, yeah, could you get the plates?" I asked politely.
"Sure." The apprentice replied then walked towards the cupboards.
"We'll talk more later." I whispered to the fire, then left to go get the ham and bread.
Once the kettle boiled, we brought everything out and joined Sophie by the water.
"I think he likes doing the laundry." Markl said as we watched Turnip Head hop towards the lake.
"Looks like he'll have it dry in no time." The grandma agreed as she poured everyone a cup of tea.
"I bet he's some kind of demon." The young boy continued on, reaching for the bread, "Calcifer doesn't seem to mind him at all."
"You're right. He probably is a demon." Sophie said absentmindedly.
"But demons are usually devious creatures," I argued, "I don't think Turnip falls into that category."
"Well, he did lead me here, so maybe he's the good kind." The old lady explained.
"Maybe." I agreed.
Not many words were exchanged after that. Everyone sort of just seemed to drift off into their own worlds while admiring the scenery at the same time.
Surprisingly, for once, I wasn't plagued with thoughts of Howl's curse or the war that was raging on. Instead, this venue seemed to bring out all the happy memories that I had.
I found myself thinking about my parents, something I haven't done in a long time. I remembered all the good times that we had. We laughed around the dinner table; we sang Christmas carols every year; we played games together when there was nothing else to do. I recalled that mom used to tell me bedtime stories when I was a lot younger. I remembered how my dad used to chase away the nightmares in the middle of the night.
It's been 12 years since I've seen or heard from them. I'd be lying if I said I never missed them. No matter how hard you try, you can never really forget about your parents. How can you? They were the ones who raised you since you were a tiny baby; the ones who watched you grow; the ones who picked you up when you fell down.
I used to hope that they'd come looking for me someday. That they would realize they were wrong and that I was still their daughter. They would hug me and tell me that they were sorry. I'd forgive them of course, and then we'd all go back home to live our life like nothing ever happened. I gave up that fantasy after my fifth year with Howl.
It was around that time that we found Markl. Or rather, he found us. He was an orphaned boy sleeping on our doorsteps. There was no way I was going to let Howl say no to him. So, in the end, the wizard made Markl his apprentice and well he's been one ever since.
So there you have it, me and my makeshift family. It was definitely one of the oddest relationships ever but it worked. And, to tell you the truth, I honestly wouldn't have had it any other way. I mean, we've had so many amazing memories. We helped each other grow in ways we could've never imagined. These people here were my life. Without them, who knows what would've happened to me.
I could only hope that my parents are leading a great life somewhere in this world as well. I've accepted the fact that I would probably never hear from them. So, wherever they are, I hope they've found everything they were looking for. After all, I know I did.
It wasn't until the sun began to set that I realized how much time had passed. Staring out onto the horizon, I saw that storm clouds were rapidly assembling.
"Uh, guys?" I said nervously, "I think we'd better get the laundry. It looks like it's going to rain."
"Huh?" Markl asked as if snapping out of some reverie, then realizing what I had just said, he jumped up and replied, "Oh right, I'm on it."
Within seconds, he was bounding towards Turnip Head, the laundry basket firmly gripped in his hands.
Looking over at Sophie, I was mildly surprised to find that she had dozed off.
Smiling to myself, I quietly collected the dirty dishes and stalked towards the castle, leaving the old woman a few extra minutes to herself.
After we brought everything inside, I began folding the laundry.
"Markl, could you go call Sophie in please? It's getting dark out. I wouldn't want her catching a cold." I asked the apprentice kindly.
"Yeah, for sure." The boy replied, then left to go get the grandma.
Once all the clothes were folded, I walked tiredly towards the couch and flopped down onto the soft, red cushions.
"I'm beat." I groaned as I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest.
"Welcome to my world." Calcifer piped up from the fire place.
"Oh come on, I have it way worse than you. I actually have to move." I complained to the flame.
"Well, you're not the one moving a giant castle every day." Cal shot back.
"That's true." I agreed. I was way too exhausted to argue with him.
The sound of the front door opening was heard, signalling the return of Markl and Sophie.
"What do you guys want for dinner?" I called from the sofa.
"I'm not hungry yet." The boy said, sheepishly.
"How about you Sophie?" I questioned the old lady.
"I'm still alright." She echoed the boy's response.
"Ok, then, how about this. There's still some bread left from this afternoon, so if you guys get hungry, just make yourself a quick sandwich or something." I proposed.
"Yeah, alright." Sophie answered, just as Markl said, "Sounds good."
Secretly grateful that I didn't have to make more food, I hopped off of my seat and went to go wash the dishes.
It was around 8 in the evening when Sophie approached me.
"Um, Gwen?" the old lady called hesitantly.
"Yeah, what's up?" I encouraged.
"I was just wondering," she started shyly, "Where am I supposed to sleep?"
"Oh," I said, taken aback by her question, then added sheepishly, "You know, I haven't really thought about that."
I took a moment to ponder over the matter.
"I guess you could just sleep down here," I said finally, "We don't really have any spare bedrooms… or beds for that matter… so you can just use the couch."
Walking over to the sofa, I plucked off a couple of throw pillows and dumped them onto the dining table. The green blanket that I gave her on her first night was folded neatly and draped over the left armrest.
"Right, so let's see, bed, blankets, what else am I missing?" I thought aloud, "Oh, right, a pillow."
I rushed behind the green curtains situated beneath the stairs and began rummaging around for the white fluffy object.
"I know there was one in here," I muttered to myself as I searched through the boxes, "Ah! Here it is."
Fluffing the pillow out to get rid of the dust, I walked out into the living room and placed the item on the sofa.
"There! All done!" I said, thoroughly proud of my handy work.
"Thanks, Gwen." The grandma gushed then frowned, "But, there's no way I'm going to sleep with Calcifer staring at me all night."
At this the fire flared up and yelled, "Hey, I do not stare. Besides, who would want to look at you?"
"Cal." I warned, the venom in my voice causing him to shrink back a bit.
"It's true, though." The demon protested in a weak voice.
"That's enough out of you." I snapped, silencing the fire once and for all.
Then turning towards Sophie I said kindly, "Don't worry about him. We'll just move the couch so that it's behind those green curtains."
"Alright." The grandma agreed.
I quickly cleared some space under the stairs and then Sophie and I pushed the sofa so that it was snuggled nicely in the tiny space.
"Okay," I said brightly, "That should do it."
"It's perfect," Sophie replied, satisfaction radiating off every pore in her body.
"I'm just going to go upstairs so that you can enjoy this space for yourself." I said as I watched the grandma stifle a yawn.
"That'd be great Gwen." The grandma responded tiredly.
Grabbing the throw pillows off the dining table, I called a good night over my shoulders and made my way up the stairs.
I had no idea just how wrong I was – no idea, that this night was going to be far from good.
