Another chapter of the tale of mystery.
FAMILY SECRETS
A HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE FANFIC
Chapter 3
Howl was on edge after I received that letter. He didn't tell me what was going on, but I wasn't a fool. The letter had affected him almost as much as it had affected me. He disappeared and didn't take Arthur with him. While that could be normal it wasn't. He loved taking our son out flying. To suddenly stop doing it worried me. Just as how long he was gone and how little he told me about where he was going. I normally didn't ask as where he went but I was worried. Sadly, every time he rebuffed me. He wouldn't tell me what was going on. It only increased my worries.
I tried to focus on caring for Arthur. He was only a few months old. He needed a lot of care still. I could tell that my son really missed his father. He was crankier than normal and had a hard time going to sleep. He wanted his daddy. Who was out most of the time. I couldn't blame him. I wanted Howl home too. I was worried about the letter. If it was a trap then I needed my husband nearby. Something could really be wrong!
I couldn't stop thinking about it. What did that letter mean? I was desperate that I even asked Calcifer about it. He didn't say much of anything useful of course. Only that I should figure it out for myself. Some use he was. If I could figure it out for myself I would have! It didn't make any sense! It was almost as if it was a spell.
That's when I understood: It was a spell. Howl must have recognized it immediately. Otherwise, why would he be behaving like this? He was worried and on alert. He was either guarding the house or trying to track down the one who sent the letter. I wasn't sure which one. Either way I was on my own for now.
Once I had gotten Arthur to take a nap I set down to study it. I'm not as good at magic as Howl is, but I figured that I might be able to figure something. Maybe I could at least to get an idea of what the spell meant. I re-read the letter again. I was hoping this time I would get a better understanding of it. It said:
My dearest Sophie,
Please forgive your old father. I cannot be there with you now when you need me the most. I must leave you in the hands of my flaky son-in-law to protect you. Do not worry though: He is a good man. Even if he is horrible. I am sure that he will protect you and my colicky grandson. Rely on him. He will help you.
I'm afraid that I did not write this letter just to ask for forgiveness. I wrote it to ask for a favor. I need you to do something. Something very dangerous and possibly extremely stupid. I assure you though that it is important. Or else I would not ask. Please, hear your father's last words.
Go where the tulips grow. Pick a flower made of gold. Wash it in the emerald sea. In morning just at dawn. You will see, my child. You will see. A new reality. But, please, please. Do not wait. Do not wait. Go now. Go now. For heaven's door - waits - for no one.
I know that my words are strange and peculiar, please heed them. To delay means certain death. I know that you have the strength to do this. I've known that since you first learned to speak. Learn the power of words and stay safe my child.
Your father,
Thomas
Looking at again didn't help much. It was just as odd as the first time. One thing I did notice was that the part that really mattered was the strange words towards the end. If there was a spell here then that would be it. The rest was father just apologizing. Something that he did frequently. I guess I take after him in that regard. Howl says that I apologize way too often. That I'm too much of a push over. Maybe that's true. I don't know. At least I don't lie as much as he does. It's almost a habit with him. He even lies to me frequently. That's worse than apologizing too much. At least in my book. I'm afraid that our son will pick up his father's habit.
"Stop Sophie." I whispered to myself, "That's not helping."
I forced myself to refocus on the letter. If I just looked at the one paragraph then it became clear: It was either a spell or a curse. I could not tell which one. If it was really from my father sent it then it was a spell designed to help me. If he wasn't then it was most likely a curse. Which would explain why Howl is acting like he is. He's worried. And with good reason: This could easily be a threat to our family. It's hard to say. I needed more information.
The letter didn't make any sense. Tulips grow in a lot of places. It's one of the favorite flowers to grow around here. Where they grow is completely arbitrary. They aren't even native to this area! Does it mean to go where they grow naturally? Provably not. Spells and curses are rarely that straight forward. It provably means somewhere specific. Somewhere unusual. Only I had no idea where that was. It could be anywhere! Even that place that Howl made for me.
That got me thinking. I went to the door and turned the dial. Then I stepped out into the field of flowers. It was exactly as I remembered it: Breathtaking and gorgeous. It reminded me of how much Howl loves me. He made this just for me. So many flowers: So many varieties. That's when I saw it, tulips. They were only a few of them, but they were there. I wondered if this was what the letter referred to.
I picked one and stared at it for a while. It was a bright yellow color that reminded me of Howl. He liked to change his hair color all the time, but his favorite was always blonde. It was the color of his hair when I first met him. Personally, I preferred his natural color, but if I had to choose a color to represent Howl then it would be yellow. He was like the morning son, bright, warm and so full of life. One could even say that he was golden. Like this tulip.
That's when I understood: This tulip had a golden sheen to it. It could even be considered gold. Plus, it was created using magic. More importantly, it represented Howl's love for me. That was the most powerful magic of them all. Love. Like the love of a father for his daughter. It could be enough to move Mountains and change fate. Maybe this flower was the key! Maybe this is what it meant!
I ran back inside the castle. I threw myself into the couch then reread the letter one more time. It was possible that this was what my father was talking about. That I needed to pick this flower and wash it in an emerald sea. Wherever that was. I doubted that it was that literal, but it was start. I had an idea what I was supposed to do. That is assuming that it wasn't a curse after all.
Next Chapter coming up!