Autor's notes:

I'm so sorry it's been so long since my last update! But unfortunately, my job is just killing me, and also I suffered the worst cold in quite a few years, which totally drained me. I'll try to keep up and post more regularly but I also need to be some chapters ahead on my writing to ensure that the details are plausible enough.

With this chapter, we're returning to the present! And just a bit of warning, things will be going pretty downhill from here... maybe that's all I should say for now. ;-)

Your comments (and possible corrections of grammar, spelling etc) mean a LOT to me, and I can't tell you how happy I am that you seem to appreciate the story so much!

Love, always /BoMD

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Sophie wrapped her scarf a little tighter around her neck as a gust of the moist evening breeze swept through her hair. The visit at her mum's and sisters' house had been delightful, and she'd once again marveled over the fact that the rebuilding was progressing so nicely. They were all very grateful toward Howl and the assistance he'd provided them. As usual, the only real nuisance had been their constant requests for details regarding her marriage (including the mandatory "are you pregnant yet?"-interrogation). Anyway, she'd been staying far longer than she originally intended, and now she had to hurry home before it was totally dark. She didn't even want to think about the perils that might be lurking in the shadows.

With the last moments of daylight, she finally reached the front door. The windows facing the street were dimly lit, and from what she could see, there was no movement in the kitchen. She pushed down the handle, the door slid open, and she entered. An almost unnatural silence was greeting her as she paused on the bottom of the front door steps.

As her eyes got accustomed to the dusk, she became aware of that the room was in a state of grave disorder. No, disaster was probably a better word. There were books and what looked liked various jars originating from the magic potion cabinet scattered all over the floor. Some of the paintings were hanging at an angle, and two of the flower vases that were usually standing on a shelf had been knocked over, the flowers now a disarrayed mess underneath.

What on Earth was this? Had there been a magical duel of some sort?

Calcifer was apparently out, since his hearth was dark and empty, but she was relieved to hear a rustle of paper from the direction of the kitchen table, like someone was turning a page of an old book. "Hello?" Sophie called into the darkness, trying to find her way across the room.

"Sophie!" Howl leapt up from his chair, still holding a book in his hand."I'm sorry, m'love, I didn't hear you! I must've…" He glanced at the book, shrugging apologetically.

Sophie was somewhat surprised to find that even his hair was somewhat disarrayed, and the wide necked shirt he was wearing had several stains of dust. As he embraced her, she breathed in his scent… this time it was his scent, not too much intermingled with the bath oils and aftershaves he usually dosed himself with. But his kiss left a somewhat… stale taste in her mouth, as if he was dehydrated. She eyed the kitchen counter. There were no stained plates, no leftovers… Suddenly, she felt very tired.

"What is it, why do you look so concerned?" Howl interrupted her thoughts.

"Well… what happened here?" Sophie was gesturing at the mess.

"Oh!" Howl took a quick look around, as if he hadn't been aware of the state of the kitchen until now. "I was teaching Markl some new spells–thought he was ready for the levitation spell, and would you imagine, he made it on his first attempt! That's far better than I did… of course he was bumping around a little but… ah, I'm sure he'll be delighted to show you first thing in the morning!"

Howl's eyes were glittering with an almost childish enthusiasm, but Sophie felt a nagging worry spreading in the pit of her stomach. "He's asleep then?"

"Yes, in fact, he went to bed rather early… complaining about a headache… but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, he probably just overtaxed himself with all the excitement…"

"And how about dinner?" Sophie demanded.

With a yelp, Howl covered his mouth, his eyes wide opened in fear, as he instinctively backed away from her. At the very same moment, in the back of her mind, Sophie registered a faint "swoosh" from the chimney and the room got a little brighter. Calcifer had chosen the very right moment to return, she noted with an additional sting of annoyance. He'd never miss a potential argument.

"Err… Sophie, look, he wasn't really hungry, he wasn't feeling well, and I–"

"Howl…" Calcifer spoke up. "Tell her the truth now. You forgot."

"Calcifer!" Howl yelled. "You keep out of this, understood?"

Sophie said nothing but gave the fire demon an angry glance before turning back to her husband.

"Very well," Calcifer muttered under his breath. "But he is not the only one in need of dinner around here…."

"YES!" Howl shouted. "I admit it! I forgot! And I'm sorry!"

Sophie shrugged and sighed in frustration as she was walking up to the food cabinet, opening the doors. "We need to wake him," she stated. "He can't go without food until tomorrow, or he's gonna feel even worse in the morning…"

She grabbed two plates and put them on the table. Calcifer was apparently just about to give another theatrical sigh, predicting what she was about to ask him, but obviously realizing this was not a good time, he swallowed it, reaching for the pot himself and placing it on top of his head.

Howl sank down heavily on a chair, supporting his head on his elbows, covering his face with his hands. "I just can't do anything right, can I?" he muttered.

"Well… it's…" Sophie's voice was trailing off, as she suddenly felt so exhausted she could barely muster up the energy to speak. "Who's going to clean up this mess?" She sighed. "And Howl… I… I just thought I could trust you on this one… True, he should've remembered himself, but he's only eight… and surely he was so excited by his progress…" She sighed anew, shaking her head. "How are we ever supposed to have children of our own if I can't even trust you to remember Markl's needs?"

At her words, Howl suddenly leapt up from the table, the chair almost tipping over behind him as he stood. With his head lowered, his raven hair hanging down over his face, he flew toward the door, summoning his coat in mid air with a flicker of his hand. Without a word, he swept it around himself, turning the handle to black. The door opened with a swoosh, and closed behind him with a load bang.

Sophie sank down on the chair Howl just left.

"Let him sulk," Calcifer suggested from underneath the pot. "He's more upset with himself than with anyone else. I'm sure he'll be back before you know it. And no–please spare me the question. You were not too hard on him."

"Well, I guess…" With another sigh, Sophie rose from the table, grabbing a candle and lighting it on Calcifer's outstretched hand before walking up the stairs. At the top of the staircase, she was pausing for a few moments, taking a couple deep breaths before continuing to Markl's room. She opened the door, and in the dim light of the candle, she could see Markl's silhouette, curled up on the bed in a near fetal position, hugging his blanket in his sleep. Heen was snoring from his feet, sprawled across the foot end of the bed.

"Markl, dear…" She knelt by the bed, gently stroking his cheek. He stirred, whimpering slightly, but he didn't wake up. "Markl…" she repeated in a soft voice. "I'm sorry, dear boy, but I think you'd better wake up for a bit… there, now…"

The boy opened his eyes only slightly, furrowing his brow. "Mm…. Sophie… you're home…"

Sophie nodded. "Yes… I'm home. And someone told me that you've been practicing a bit of flying tonight?"

At this, Markl sat up with a start, suddenly wide awake with a big smile on his face. "Oh yes, Sophie, I did! It's very simple, really, and master Howl says I'm doing great, wanna see?"

Before she had even opened her mouth, he flickered his arm, and promptly flew up from bed, blankets and all.

"Oh, Markl, you're terrific indeed!" Sophie started, genuinely impressed. She was just about to figure out how she could possibly turn the subject into food as he suddenly gasped, holding his head in his hands while making a pained face. Promptly, he bounced back on the bed. "Soophie…" he whimpered. "I feel strange…"

"Yes, and no wonder." Sophie smiled. "I think the great wizards forgot about something important tonight, didn't they?"

She got a puzzled look in return. "What?"

"Aren't you hungry, boy?" She managed a small laugh. "The dinner I prepared for you was still in the cupboard."

Pondering her words for a few seconds, he nodded. "Yes… M'head hurts… but I think I am hungry after all…"

"That's good. Why don't you come downstairs with me then? Calcifer has it all prepared." Sophie gave an encouraging nod, and Markl rose from bed, his feet finding his slippers on the floor. Heen woke up from his slumber, looking dazed and confused for a moment, but shaking his head, he clumsily rolled over, his undersized legs wiggling frantically. Underestimating the effort needed, he fell to the floor with a thud, looking anticipatively at Markl. Most likely, he'd been neglected as well, Sophie mused to herself as they headed for the staircase.

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Markl was finishing his late dinner with a ravenous appetite. For a bit, he seemed to have forgotten what Sophie had taught him about table manners, but just a quick glance from her as he was gulping too loud was all it took for him to remember. Calcifer was uncharacteristically silent… not because he was sleeping, rather the opposite; in fact, he was looking rather tense, his fiery teeth tightly clenched as if he was on his guard… ready to jump at every sound. This left a nagging worry in the pit of Sophie's stomach. And then, just as Markl was finished, the question she was dreading finally came. "Sophie… where is Howl?"

His hazel eyes were wide open and seemingly innocent, but there was a concerned crease in his brow. Even Heen paused in mid motion where he was licking his plate on the floor.

"He just went out for a bit," Sophie answered, a bit too quickly, and as expected, Markl wasn't satisfied.

"He's not in trouble, is he?"

Calcifer snorted, and under different circumstances, Sophie would probably have been laughing as well. "Don't worry, dear. He'll be back soon. Now… Great Wizard Markl… why won't you show me just what you've learned today!"

The boy's face lit up. "It's very simple, look!" Once again, he made a sweeping motion with his arm, but this time, he took off with such a start that he hit his head on the roof. Sophie bit her lip, but he was still smiling, wobbling a little but apparently getting steadier by the minute.

"Wow. You're a talent indeed!" Sophie praised, but for some reason, the lump in her stomach was steadily growing. Where is he?

"It's so much fun, really! You should try it yourself some day!"

At this, Sophie gave a genuine laugh. "No, I definitely shouldn't. I'm not a witch, Markl…"

"But anyone can learn! And Master Howl' says you're a natural…"

"Markl, I–" Sophie started, but was interrupted by Calcifer. "Yeah, and soon we'll have a house where everyone is bouncing around the walls all around the clock… will you please spare me the pleasure?"

"I'm not supposed to fly yet really… this is just levitating… or at least, it was supposed to be," he added guiltily after becoming aware of Calcifer and Sophie eying the disastrous state of the room.

"It's all right, Markl," Sophie assured him. "However… I think we should all go to bed now… and that's walk, mind you…"

Markl sighed, but softly sank from the roof. As he stood on the floor, he suddenly seemed to become aware of just how much energy he'd spent, and his legs almost buckled. He gasped with surprise, and Sophie grabbed him from behind, steading him. "Are you all right?" She gave a concerned frown.

Calcifer, however, didn't seem to worry, but gave him a warning look. "It will drain your energy, boy, and keep that in mind, you'll hardly remember while caught up in the flying… until it might be too late… of which your master should be aware of himself, but I'm pretty certain he forgot to even mention it…"

"I don't remember…" Markl's voice was trailing off hesitantly.

Sophie snorted, knowing exactly what Calcifer meant, but still hoping he would change the subject. "Well, off to bed with you now," she shooed. "And don't forget to brush your teeth."

Eventually, both dog and boy had made it up the staircase, and Sophie could hear Markl's bathroom door slam. Suddenly, another wave of worry hit her full force. She had to support herself, holding onto the sink for a moment. After a few deep breaths, she composed herself and turned to the table, gathering the dirty dishes. Even Howl's untouched plate was placed in the sink. After rubbing the dishes furiously, using so much hot water that it almost made her skin crack, she proceeded with the cleaning of the kitchen and the living room. Despite the fact she was tired beyond the point of exhaustion, her body just kept moving by itself, driven by the force of her worry.

Calcifer observed the scene, but for once, he was quiet, an almost compassionate expression on his face.

Eventually, the room was as clean as it ever had been, and everything was put back into place. Sophie sank down on a chair by the table, finally succumbing to the tears.

Suddenly she became aware of a warm presence hovering beside her. "Sophie…" Calcifer's voice was merely a soft hiss. "Save your energy… and go to bed instead. There's nothing to be done at the moment… and this is not your fault…"

Sophie nodded, her eyes closed, the tears silently running down her cheeks. "Perhaps you're right. He's left in anger before. But this time… I've just got a very bad feeling about it, I can't explain it…"

"Go have a soak in the bath for a bit," the fire demon suggested. "And then go to bed. You're exhausted and you can't think clearly. I'm sure he'll be back before morning, and I promise, I won't stand in your way when you're scolding him."

Sophie gave a snort, but slowly rose from the table. "Thank you so much, Calcifer." She placed a small kiss on his cheek, and as usual, he turned a shade of pink for a moment, giggling softly. "I… uh… the water will be ready in a moment," he stuttered, returning to the hearth with a whooshing sound. "Good night, Sophie."

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To be continued...