Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Sophie discovers a series of strange things

When Sophie woke up, the sun was shining on her.Because Sophie remembered that the castle didn't have a single window, her first thought was that she fell asleep while making her hat and ran away from home in her dream.The fire in front of her eyes had been extinguished into red charcoal and white charcoal ash, which made her even more sure that she was still dreaming of a fire demon.But as soon as she left, she felt that something was not a dream.There were harsh crunching sounds all over her body. "Ouch!" she cried, "my whole body hurts!" The scream was soft and hoarse.She raised her knuckle-protruding hands to her face, feeling the wrinkles.Moreover, she found that she had been in a panic all day yesterday.What the Wasteland Witch did made her really angry, very angry, terribly angry. "Floating into the store will make people old!" she shouted, "Hmph, let's see how I return it to you!"

She sprang to her feet in rage, bones crackling, and she limped toward the unexpected window.It's above the workbench.To her surprise, there was a port town outside the window.She saw an unpaved, sloping street lined with small ramshackle houses and masts stretched high above the roofs.Over the mast, she caught a glimpse of the sea.She had never seen such a sight before. "Where am I?" Sophie asked the skull on the stage. "I didn't expect you to answer, buddy." She added quickly, remembering that it was a wizard's castle, and turned to look around the room. It was a small room with heavy black beams on the ceiling.It looked surprisingly dirty in broad daylight.The stone slabs on the ground were stained and greasy, the charcoal ash inside the furnace enclosure was piled up, and the cobwebs were hanging on the beams in a dusty manner.The skull was covered with dust.Sophie wiped off the dust intentionally or unintentionally, while looking at the sink next to the workbench.Seeing the pinkish-gray slime in the sink, and the white slime dripping from the pump above, Sophie shivered.Hal obviously didn't care what squalor his servants lived in.

The rest of the castle appears to be behind four black doors around the room.Sophie went to the wall behind the workbench and opened the nearest door.Behind the door is a bathroom.Such luxurious bathrooms are usually seen in palaces: built-in toilets, shower enclosures, bathtubs with crab-shaped bases, and wall-to-wall mirrors.But it was dirtier than the room just now.Sophie was intimidated by the toilet, fainted by the color of the bathtub, intimidated by the green grass growing in the shower.It is not easy to see her own withered figure, because the mirror is covered with something unknown, mottled and messy.These unknown things come from the large cabinet over the bathtub.They come in jars, boxes, test tubes, and hundreds of tattered brown parcels and paper bags.The largest jars have names.The crooked font reads "dry points".Sophie wasn't sure if she should write "powder".She picked up a small box casually."Skin" was scrawled on it, and she quickly put it back.Another jar also had "eyes" scrawled on it.One test tube was labeled "For Corrosion".

"Looks like it might be useful," murmured Sophie, looking tremblingly at the sink.She turned on the blue-green faucet—it was probably copper—and the water flowed into the pool, washing away some old stains.Sophie washed her hands and face without touching the sink, but she dared not use the "drying agent".She wiped off the water with her skirt and marched to the next black door. Behind this door was a wobbly wooden staircase. Sophie heard someone walking on the other end, and immediately closed the door.Looks like it's only possible to get to an attic or something.She staggered to the next door.At this point she was able to move freely.As she had discovered yesterday, she was a healthy old woman.

The third door opens to a small backyard with high brick walls.There was a large bundle of firewood in the yard, and a great pile of scrap iron, wheels, buckets, sheet metal, wires, and the like, piled up almost to the top of the wall.Sophie closed the door suspiciously, because those things didn't fit the castle at all.The castle cannot be seen from above the brick wall.Beyond the walls is the sky.Sophie could only think of this place as the corner where she was blocked by the invisible wall last night. She opened the fourth door to find only a broom closet, with two fine but dusty velvet cloaks hanging over the brooms.Sophie closed the door softly again.The only door left was in the wall with the window, and it was the door she had come in last night.She walked over and opened it carefully.

She stood for a while, watching the mountains move, watching the heather slide by the door, feeling the wind in her thinning hair, listening to the rumbling and creaking of the great black stone as the castle moved.Then she closed the door and went to the window.Over there is the scene of the port town again.Not an illusion.On the opposite side a woman opened the door and swept the floor into the street.Behind the house, a gray cloth sail was briskly hoisting up the mast, startling a flock of seagulls, who then circled the shimmering sea. "I don't understand," Sophie said to the skull.The fire was dying out, so she added more firewood and raked out some ashes.

Green flames ignited in the firewood, small and curled up, and then burst into a long blue face. "Good morning." Fire Demon said, "Don't forget our deal." Everything is not a dream.Sophie didn't like to cry, but she sat there for a long time, staring at the blurry and flickering fire demon, and didn't notice the noise Mike made when he got up. When she found out, he was already standing beside him, looking embarrassed and a little annoyed . "You're still here," he said. "Is there a problem?" Sophie sniffed. "I'm old," she said.

But isn't this the same as what the witch cursed and the fire demon guessed.Mike said lightly, "We're all going to be old. Breakfast?" Sophie discovered what a strong man she was.She had eaten nothing but bread and cheese at noon the day before, and she was starving. "Okay!" she replied.Mike went to the closet, and Sophie jumped up to see if there was something to eat. "It's just bread and cheese, I'm afraid," said Mike quite firmly. "But there's a basket full of eggs!" said Sophie. "Isn't that bacon? How about some hot tea? Where's the kettle?"

"No." Mike said. "Only Hal can cook." "I can cook," said Sophie. "Get that pan off and I'll show you." Despite Mike's attempts to stop her, she reached for the large black cauldron hanging on the adjacent wall. "You don't understand," Mike said. "That's Calcifer, the Fireman. He won't bow to anyone but Hal." Sophie turned to look at the fire demon.He swayed at her slyly. "I refuse to be exploited," he said. "You mean," Sophie said to Mike, "you can't even boil a pot of hot drinks unless Hal's here?" Mike nodded awkwardly. "Then you'll be exploited!" said Sophie. "Bring it here." She wrenched the pot from Mike's resisting hand, threw the bacon into it, inserted a long-handled wooden spoon into the egg basket, and carried a bunch of things to the fireplace. "Okay, Calcifer," she said, "let's stop messing around. Keep your heads down."

"You can't force me!" Fire Demon crackled loudly. "Ha, let's see if I can!" Sophie roared hoarsely, with the kind of ferocity often used to stop the slapstick sister. "If you don't obey, I'll splash you with water. Or I'll grab the tongs and remove the wood," she added, crunching on her knees by the hearth.Then he whispered again, "Either I can go back on our deal, or tell Hal, okay?" "Oh, what a scourge!" spat Calcifer. "Why did you let her in, Mike?" He lowered his blue face sullenly until all that was left was a ring of curly green flames dancing on the logs.

"Thank you." Sophie said, pressing a heavy pot on the green fire ring to ensure that Calcifer would not rise suddenly. "I hope your bacon burns!" Calcifer whimpered under the pan. Sophie smashed the bacon into the pot.The pot is already hot.The bacon was sizzling, and she had to wrap her hands in her skirt to hold the handle.The door opened, but she ignored the hiss. "Don't be a fool," she told Calcifer, "don't move, I'm going to beat the eggs." "Ah, hello, Hal," Mike said helplessly. Hearing this, Sophie turned around abruptly.She froze.The tall young man who had just entered the door, wearing a gorgeous silver and blue suit, was leaning his guitar against the corner, and at this moment he also froze.He brushed back his beautiful hair and looked at her curiously with crystal clear green eyes.The slender face was sharp-edged and full of confusion. "Who the hell are you?" Hal asked. "Where have we met?" "I'm a total stranger," Sophie insisted.After all, Hal has only met her once and called her a mouse, so it's mostly true.She felt that she should thank her lucky stars for letting her escape, but in fact her stronger thought was: God!Hal is just a kid in his twenties, but so evil!It's a big difference when you're old, she thought, turning the bacon over.She would rather die than let this all-dressed boy know that she was the girl he had pitied on May Day.It has nothing to do with heart or soul.Can't let Hal know. "She said her name was Sophie," Mike said. "She was here last night." "How did she get Calcifer to obey?" Hal asked. "She bullied me!" said Calcifer over the sizzling pot, his voice whimpering. "Very few can," Hal said thoughtfully.He plucked the guitar in the corner and walked over to the fireplace.He pushed Sophie aside hard, the smell of hyacinth mingling with the smell of bacon. "Calcifer doesn't like anyone cooking on top of him but me," he said, kneeling down and wrapping his hand in one of his sleeves to reach the pot. "Give me two more slices of bacon, six more eggs, and tell me why you're here, please." Sophie stared at the blue earrings dangling from Howl's ears as she handed him the eggs one by one. "Why did I come, young man?" The answer was self-evident after she had seen the castle. "Because I'm your new cleaning lady, of course." "Are you really?" Hal asked, breaking the egg with one hand and throwing the shell into the woodpile, where Calcifer devoured it. "Who said you were?" "I said so," replied Sophie, adding with mock seriousness, "I can sweep the dust off the place, though I can't sweep away your wickedness, young man." "Hal's not a bad heart," Mike said. "No, I'm bad." Howl retorted him, "You forget I'm playing tricks on you, Mike." He raised his chin and motioned for Sophie, "Since you want to show your skills so badly, good lady , get some knives and forks, and clear the table." There are high stools under the workbench.Mike pulled the stool out; he pushed the contents of the counter aside to make room for the cutlery from the side drawer.Sophie went to help him.Of course she didn't expect Howl to welcome her, but so far he hadn't promised her that she could stay after breakfast.Since Mike didn't look like he needed help, Sophie shuffled slowly and put her crutches slowly, with deliberate delicacy, into the broom cupboard.Finding that this move went unnoticed by Hal, she said, "You can try me out for a month if you want." Wizard Howl said only "Dish, Mike," and stood up to hold the steaming pot.With a roar of relief, Calcifer shot high up the chimney, burning. Sophie tried again, trying to make the wizard show his attitude. "If I spend the next month cleaning here," she said, "I want to get to know the rest of the castle. I'll just find this room and the bathroom." To her surprise, Mike and the wizard burst out laughing. Sophie didn't understand what they were laughing about until the breakfast was almost over.It was hard for Hal to show his attitude.He didn't seem to like answering questions at all.Sophie gave up and turned to ask Mike. "Tell her," Hal said, "so she can stop pestering her." "There's no other part of the castle," Mike said, "that's what you see, and the two bedrooms upstairs." "What?" Sophie exclaimed. Hal and Mike laughed again. "Howl and Calcifer created the castle," Mike explained, "and Calcifer keeps it moving. The interior is really just Howl's old house in Port Shelter, the only real part." "But Port Sanctuary is miles away by the sea!" said Sophie. "That's wicked! What do you mean, having this big, ugly castle running up and down the hills, scaring the whole of Chipping to death? ?” Hal shrugged. "What an outspoken old lady! I've come to a stage in my magical career where I need to show my power and my wickedness. I can't get the king's attention. I offended a very powerful person last year and I have to avoid it." open them." This way of avoiding people was funny, but Sophie expected that wizards and ordinary people had different standards.She soon discovers other oddities about the castle.They had finished eating and Mike was stacking the plates in the slimy counter sink when there was a loud, hollow knock on the door. Calcifer stood up, "Kingsbury's door!" Hal, who was going to the bathroom, turned to the door.Above the door was a square wooden handle, set on the lintel, crudely painted on all sides.The downward side was now marked green, but Hal turned the handle so that the red side was downward and opened the door. Outside the door stood a man in a white wig and a wide-brimmed hat.He was dressed in red, purple and gold, and held a ribbon-decorated staff like a baby Maypole.He bowed.The fragrance of cloves and oranges wafts into the room. "His Royal Highness sends greetings and sends you two thousand pairs of seven-leaf boots," said the man. Sophie caught a glimpse of the street behind him where the carriage was lined with luxurious houses, richly decorated with statues, and towers, spiers, and cupolas, a spectacle she had never imagined.The man presented the long, clinking silk purse, and Hal took it, bowed in return, and closed the door, which she regretted was so short.Hal turned the square handle back so that the green side was down again, and put the long wallet in his pocket.Sophie saw Mike staring at the wallet with eager, worried eyes. Hal went straight to the bathroom, yelled, "I need hot water, Calcifer!" and stayed for a long, long time. Sophie couldn't suppress her curiosity. "Who's that at the door?" she asked Mike, "or where is that?" "That door leads into Kingsbury," said Mike, "where the King lives. I think that man is the Chancellor's clerk. And," he said to Calcifer worriedly, "I wish he hadn't That money goes to Hal." "Will Howl let me stay here?" Sophie asked. "Even if he does, don't push him to take a stand," Mike replied. "He hates being pushed."