Howl & Sophie (Howl's Moving Castle)

15

___________

'Hey...'

The distorted figure whispered, standing alone on a grassy field as the sky fell apart. As the world crumbled before their eyes.
It took a robotic step forwards, nearing a gaping, destructive void. The growing, screaming abyss by his feet only seemed to grow, rapidly drawing in the crumbling ground surrounding him.

'How long has it been?'

Shaking his head in disbelief, Howl stumbled towards him, his arm outstretched desperately in the dark.
"Don't do it!" He screamed, his voice scraping up his throat like sandpaper. The force of the wind pushing him back, Howl coughed as clouds of billowing smoke hurdled into his face. 'Wait!'

'Hm?' The figure turned around slowly, eerily, with movements easily comparable to a puppet's. 'I didn't think you'd care.' His face frozen with an insane grin, the figure chuckled. Howl stepped back in alarm - his eyes widening in shock.

"No-!" Howl cried in reply, furiously reaching forward to grab his hand. Frantically grasping at the air, his hand passed through theirs effortlessly, as if they were just a hologram. "Please, please, don't!"

The figure began to laugh, it's body convulsing in an fit of pure madness. Blackened, irregular shards of his body began to crumble, chunks of its flesh tearing from his body and tumbling into the abyss.

'It's a bit too late for that, isn't it?'

Frozen in horror, Howl stared as the remains of the skeletal figure extracted a pocket watch, glaring at the unchanging time displayed on its surface.

4:33am.

Both silver hands remained motionless, stuck in their positions for eternity on the pocket watch's glass surface.

Ah... so it's like that.

The time displayed, was none other than 4:33. It was a specific time etched in both of their hearts, permanently engraved in their memories like painful, lingering headaches. The start, and the end of their association with each other. The pain that Howl had tried so hard to forget.

"Why..?" Howl whispered, his eyes welling with tears. He was met with silence, yet again, as his only response.

Suddenly, the person before him cackled, leaning back over the void. It's eyes bloodshot, Howl was met with an emotionless, manic expression.

'I'd rather die than be with you again.'

________________

Howl awoke immediately in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of his room. Switching his lamp on, he put his head in his hands, trying to catch his breath. Pained sobs came out instead.

Ah... that dream again.

Choking, he let out the broken cry that had blocked his throat like a stubborn, cold stone.

"Howl?" A worried tone echoed from the far hallway, accompanied with hurried footsteps. "Are you okay?"

Wiping the tears on his cheeks with his sleeve, Howl remained silent, his eyes unfocused and blurry.
After another minute of silence, Sophie entered the room, worry blatant on her expression. She sat herself down on the foot of his bed, her hand reaching out to his shoulder.

"A bad dream?" She asked softly, sympathetically. Howl nodded, still bereft of the ability to speak. "Come here."

Gingerly, Howl leant his head on her shoulder, his body moving robotically and stiffly. He soon relaxed, however, letting Sophie cocoon him in a sympathetic embrace. The crackling of the fireplace by their feet filled the silence in the room, creating a familiar, beautiful warmth between them.

"I hope you feel okay," she said, after a while, hesitantly. "Just know I'm here for you, if you ever wanna talk- or anything like that..."

"Thank you," Howl interrupted, his voice cracking with clear anxiety. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with terror, and shame.

I'd rather die than be with you again.

"Ngh..." He breathed out, wincing. The words echoed through his head, navigating through a hollow, regretful tunnel of suppressed memories. The face he had tried so hard to shut out remained plastered in his line of sight, wearing the same, broken expression as it did before.

"Stay with me," Howl cried out in a hurry, reaching out to Sophie's sleeve. "Please, don't leave me."

"Don't leave me like he did."

"I'm won't go anywhere," Sophie reassured, tightening her hug. "For as long as you'll let me."

______________

[end- unless you want to read on;;]