An Unexpected Adventure of Which Results Were Quite Splendid- By Sophie. ((As seen in Howl's Moving Castle))

“This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit 

     Oh dear me has it been a while! I have such good news! We killed the Witch of the Waste, found Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman, and got Calcifer out of his contract! When the witch died, the curse she had on Howl and the spell she had on me disappeared, so we don’t have anything to worry about anymore. Calcifer is still around, though he is no longer stuck confined by the fireplace and just floats around of his own free will. My sisters Martha and Lettie successfully switched places, having wanted the others job. Martha, going from a witch’s apprentice to working in the bakery, and Lettie going from working at the bakery to being a witch’s apprentice! Fanny’s got a new suitor and house, I run a flower shop in Market Chipping thats part of Howl’s castle, and everything is positively splendid. I’m going to stay here with Howl and Michael from now on. Howl and I make quite the pair, and I’ve proved myself rather good with magic. I have a feeling that things will be going rather well for me from now on, and though Howl will make things hectic, everything will work out in the end. I have finally found my place.

     Well hasn’t it been a while since I wrote in this. A lot has happened lately. The Wizard Howl is quite a sorry excuse for a wizard if I’ve ever met one. Apparently he doesn’t eat the hearts of young girls. He had just asked Michael to blacken his name in Market Chipping and thats what he had come up with. He even wants me to blacken his name to The King so he won’t have to try and find his brother Justin! They had a quarrel and Prince Justin stormed off, then disappeared. The Wizard Suliman went to the Waste to search for him because he thought the Witch may have caught him, but he never came back. Since Howl’s been cursed by The Witch, he wants nothing to do with this, or it’ll catch up with him. I would feel sorry for him, but it’s his own fault he’s in such a bind! He’s having me pretend I’m his Mother, not that I don’t seem old enough, but he should know better than to have other people solve his problems, and do it him self. Or, better yet, not get into trouble like this in the first place!

     Luckily for me that evil wizard Howl had set his castle relatively close to Market Chipping. I figured since he only eats the hearts of young girls, which I am no longer, and it was getting dark rather quickly, that I could make an attempt to let myself in. I told it to stop, upon which it was rather obedient, but was rather stubborn about letting me in. All three main doors had barriers keeping me from them, and I had to chase the small back door down because it kept trying to move away from me. Eventually I got in. I met Howl’s apprentice named Michael, who couldn’t be much older than my sister Martha. He let me stay without any objection, kind boy. I also met Calcifer, the fireplace. Apparently he makes the castle move and scares people off if he needs too. He told me that if I stayed he could try and figure out how to break the spell if I in turn tried to break the contract he had with The Wizard Howl. In order to do that, I am making it my duty to clean up this mess of a place. Honestly, you would think that a Wizard would know to keep a tidier home. It’s utterly shameful.

     So this has been a rather eventful day, not really something to be expected. Well, not for someone who is the eldest of their siblings anyway. They’re always supposed to be the least successful, though I do suppose this does count as not successful. Cursed to be a dastardly looking old woman on May Day by the Witch of the Waste, and for what? I have no idea!  She simply walked into the hat shop and asked to see them. Surely she must have known that none of them wouldn’t be fitting for a woman of her class, I make hats for the common women of Market Chipping! However, I showed her all of the hats. I took my Step Mother Fanny’s advice, showing her the worst ones first, then the nicer ones; though I knew they would not suite her. Indeed she did not like any of them. Then she told me I was wasting her time, though she’s the one who came in in the first place! Not only that though, she said something about not liking my “Competition or attitude” and that I tried to set myself up against her. Do I have any idea what she was talking about? No. I haven’t the slightest clue. I do know however, that I am now an old woman and no one will know me. She even made it so I can’t tell anyone I’m under a spell! Have decided that I cannot stay here. Fanny will have to do her own work with this place for now until I can find someway to break this dastardly spell.