Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven Howl Goes to the Magical Country to Find the Spell

The nothingness turned out to be only a foot thick.On the other side, on a drizzling and overcast night, a concrete path leads to a garden gate.Hal and Mike were already waiting at the gate.Behind the gate is a flat and solid road with houses lined up on both sides.Sophie shivered a little in the light drizzle. She looked back at the road and found that the castle had turned into a yellow brick building with large windows.Like the rest of the house, it was boxy and new, with a corrugated glass front door.There seemed to be no one around the house, probably because of the drizzle.But the real reason, Sophie felt, was that, despite all the houses, this was the fringe of town.

"Wait until you investigate thoroughly." Hal called out.His gray-red coat clings to a bead of water.He dangles an odd set of keys, mostly flat yellow ones that look to match the house.As Sophie walked by, he said, "We've got to dress to match the place." His clothes blurred, as if the light rain around him had suddenly turned to fog.When everything cleared up, the coat was still the gray-red color before, but the style had changed drastically.The dangling sleeves were gone, and the whole garment was baggy.It's just broken and broken. Mike's jacket became a waist-length padded coat.He raised his foot, which was a canvas shoe, and stared at the blue thing tightly wrapped around his leg. "I can't even bend my knees," he said.

"You'll get used to it," said Hal. "Come on, Sophie." Sophie didn't expect Howl to lead them back, towards the yellow house.She saw the enigmatic writing on the back of his loose top: Welsh Rugby.Mike followed Hal, striding stiffly because of the straps on his legs.Sophie looked down at herself, showing twice as much slender legs as before on the concave and convex shoes.Nothing else changed. Howl unlocked the corrugated glass door with one of the keys.A wooden sign hangs from a chain by the door.Sophie read, Rift Valley.Hal pushed her into a neat and splendid hall.There seemed to be someone in the house.There was a loud sound from behind the nearest door.When Howl opened the door, Sophie realized that the sound came from a magic painting moving in front of a large square box.

"Hawell!" called the woman who sat there knitting. She put down what she was doing and seemed a little upset.Before she had time to get up, a little girl who was looking at the magic painting seriously with her cheeks on her hands jumped up and rushed towards Hal. "Uncle Harwell!" she cried, jumping on top of Hal and hooking her legs around him. "Mary!" Hal yelled back. "How are you, sweetheart? Are you listening?" Then he and the little girl chatted quickly and loudly in a foreign language.Sophie was curious to know which language they were speaking.Sounds similar to Calcifer's Silly Frying Pan Song, but it's hard to be sure.Occasionally, in bursts of foreign languages, Hal interjected like a ventriloquist, "This is my niece Mary, and my sister Megan Parry. Megan, this is Mike Fisher and Sophie— --Uh---"

"Hite." Sophie hurriedly added.Megan shook hands with both of them coldly and disgustedly.She was older than Hal, but she was similar, with the same long, angular face, but with blue, anxious eyes and dark hair. "Stop it, Mary!" Her voice cut off their foreign language. "Hawell, are you staying long?" "Just to take a look," Hal replied, putting Mary back on the ground. "Garys hasn't come back yet." Megan said pointedly. "What a coincidence! We can't stay any longer," Hal said, with a mild, false smile. "I just wanted to introduce you to my friends. And I wanted to ask you a question that might sound stupid. Neil Did you happen to drop a page of your English homework recently?"

"Strange, you're talking about that!" Megan exclaimed. "He was looking everywhere last Thursday! He got a new English teacher, and she's very strict, not just spelling. Everyone's scared of her." Damn, don't be late for homework. No harm to Neil, slacker! So on Thursday, he rummaged through boxes and boxes until he found an old piece of paper with something strange written on it—" "Ah," Hal demanded, "what did he do with that paper?" "I asked him to give it to Miss Angorian." Megan said, "at least let her see that he has worked hard."

"Did he hand it in?" Hal asked. "I don't know. Better ask Neil. He's upstairs in the vestibule, working with his machine," said Megan, "but he can't get a useful word out of his mouth." "Come on," Hal said to Mike and Sophie, who were contemplating the brilliant brown-orange tones of the room.He took Mary by the hand and led them out of the room and up the stairs.There was also a pink and green carpet on the stairs.Hal led them upstairs through a pink and green passageway, into a room with a yellow and blue carpet, and the whole process was silent.But Sophie doubted that even if the marching band came, the two boys squatting at the big table by the window tinkering with various magical boxes would not look up.The most conspicuous magic box has a piece of glass on the front, just like the one downstairs, but instead of portraits, it displays text and diagrams.Each box grew on long, floppy white stems that seemed to grow from across the room.

"Neil!" Hal called out. "Don't come here," said a boy, "he'll die." Since this was a matter of life and death, Sophie and Mike backed toward the door.But Hal was very calm about the danger to his nephew, strode to the wall, and tore the box from the root.The image on the box disappeared.Sophie didn't think Martha knew what the two boys had said.The second boy circled around and shouted, "Mary! You'll get your way!" "It's not me this time. Really!" cried Mary, too. Neil turned around a little and glared at Hal accusingly. "How are you, Neil?" Hal said cheerfully.

"Who is he?" another boy asked. "My good-for-nothing uncle," said Neil.He glared at Hal.He was dark-skinned, with bushy eyebrows and piercing eyes. "What do you want? Put the plug back in." "What a welcome!" said Hal. "I'll ask you something, and I'll cut in when you answer." Neil sighed. "Uncle Harwell, I'm busy with this computer game." "New?" Hal asked. The two boys were a little unhappy. "No, it's the one I got for Christmas," Neil said. "You should know they don't waste time and money on things that don't work. I won't have a new one until my birthday."

"That's easy," Hal said. "If you've already played it, it's all right to stop, and I'll bribe you for a new—" "Really?" the two boys asked eagerly, and Neil added, "Can you give me one that no one else has?" "Okay. But take a look at this first, and tell me what it is." Hal said, taking out the flashing gray paper and handing it to Neil. The two boys looked over.Neal said, "Here's a poem." It was like, "It's a dead mouse." "It's an assignment Miss Angorian gave last week," said another boy. "I remember 'wind' and 'finned.' It's about submarines."

Sophie and Mike were a little taken aback by the new theory, wondering how they hadn't thought of it.Neil exclaimed, "Hey! Here's my long-lost homework. Where did you find it? Could it be yours that ridiculous piece of paper? Miss Angorian said it was interesting - count me lucky - —and she took it home." "Thank you," Hal said. "Where does she live?" "A flat above Mrs. Phillips' tea room. Cardiff Road," said Neal. "When will you get me the new game?" "Wait until you remember the other half of the line," Hal said. "That's not fair!" Neil said. "I can't remember a word of it now. You're playing with people's feelings—!" He paused and Hal laughed, fumbling in his wide pocket. Touched and handed him a flat package. "Thank you!" Neil thanked him sincerely, and immediately turned around to fiddle with his magic box.Grinning, Howl planted a bundle of roots back into the wall, motioning Mike and Sophie to leave the room.The two boys started a series of sly movements, and Mary also leaned forward, sucking her thumb and watching enthusiastically. Hal hurried back up the pink and green carpeted stairs, but Mike and Sophie lingered in the doorway, trying to see what was going on.Neil read aloud in the room, "You are in a magic castle with four doors. Each door leads to a different space. The castle is constantly moving in the first space, and you may encounter danger at any time..." Sophie wondered if this sounded familiar, and staggered towards the stairs.She saw Mike standing in the middle of the road, very embarrassed.Howl was arguing with his sister under the stairs. "What do you mean, you sold all my books?" she heard Hal say, "I need one of them in particular. You have no right to sell my books." "Don't keep interrupting!" Megan responded in a low, vicious voice. "Listen! I told you I'm not your warehouse here. You've got me and Gareth down, walking around in that kind of clothes, never wearing proper clothes, even a modicum of respectability, and hanging out with the best of the best, And bring them into this room! Are you trying to drag me in too? You've got such a good education, but you don't get a decent job, and you just hang around, wasting good time in college, wasting other people's work. Sacrifice, waste of money..." Meghan and Lady Fairfax were on par.Her voice was getting higher and higher.Sophie began to understand how Howl had gotten into the habit of running away.Megan is the kind of person who wants to make you want to sneak out the nearest door.Unfortunately, Hal was blocked at the top of the stairs, and Sophie and Mike were blocked behind him. "...I have never done anything seriously, never done a job that I can be proud of, and only shamed Garris and me, and came here to spoil Mary lawlessly." Megan gritted her teeth and vented. Sophie pushed Mike aside and stomped downstairs, as dignified as she could be. "Come on, Hal," she said sternly, "we must be on our way. We spend here, the money is gone, and your servants are probably stealing gold plates. It's a pleasure to see you. ’ she said to Megan as she walked down the stairs, ‘but we’re pressed for time. Hal’s a busy man.’ Megan choked, staring at Sophie.Sophie nodded solemnly, and pushed Mike towards the corrugated glass door.Sophie saw Mike blushing because Hal turned around and asked Meghan, "Is my old car still in the garage, or did you sell it too?" "Only you have the key," Megan snapped. It seems that this is the best way to say goodbye.The front door slammed shut, and Hal led them down the dark, flat road to a square white building at the end.Hal didn't say a word to Meghan."I think that tough English teacher has that book," he said, opening a door to the house. Sophie wished she could forget about the next scene.They rode in a horseless carriage that went terribly fast and smelled and roared and wobbled, and it hurtled down through some steep sections of road that Sophie had never seen--so steep that she wondered why the house It won't just slide down and pile up in a pile.She closed her eyes, clutching at the shards that had come off the seat, hoping it would be over. Fortunately, it was all over soon.They came to a smoother road, crowded with houses on either side, next to a large window with tightly drawn white curtains, and a notice on it said: TEA CLOSED.But despite what the notice said, Miss Angorian opened the door when Howl pressed the button of the little door by the window.They all stared at her.The fierce elementary school teacher in front of him was surprisingly young, slender and beautiful.Her blue-black hair cascaded down to frame her olive-brown, heart-shaped face with large, deep eyes.The only thing related to ferocity is the way those big eyes look at people, direct and intelligent, as if they can see through people at a glance. "I guess you're Harwell Jenken," Miss Angorian said to Hal.Her voice was deep and sweet, but there was a certain sense of humor in it. Hal was taken aback for a moment, then smiled again.Saying goodbye to Letty and Mrs Fairfax's sweet dreams, Sophie thought.Miss Angorian was just the kind of person Hal was sure to fall in love with at first sight.Not only Hal, but also Mike stared at her admiringly.Although the surrounding houses appeared to be deserted, Sophie was convinced that they were full of people, all of whom knew Hal and Miss Angorian, and were watching the developments with interest.She could feel those invisible eyes.The same is true for Qiping Town. "You must be Miss Angorian," Hal said. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I made a stupid mistake last week and took my nephew's English homework away as if it were a very important piece of paper. I Guess Neil brought it to you." "He has been given to me," said Miss Angorian. "Come in and get it." When Hal, Mike, and Sophie filed in and up the stairs to Miss Angorian's modest little bedroom, Sophie was sure that everyone in the house had their invisible eyes widened and their invisible necks stretched out. Miss Angorian asked Sophie thoughtfully, "Would you like to sit down?" Sophie was still in shock because of the horseless carriage.There were two chairs in the room, and she readily sat down in one of them.Not particularly comfortable.Miss Angorian's room was furnished not for comfort, but for study.In addition to many strange things in the room, Sophie could understand the books all over the wall, the pile of papers on the table, and the piles of folders on the floor.She sat watching Mike stare timidly at Miss Angorian while Hal tried to charm himself. "How did you know who I am?" Hal asked, his tone seductive. "You seem to be bringing a lot of gossip to this town," said Miss Angorian, busy rummaging among the papers on the table. "What did those tongue-biters say?" Hal asked.He leaned affectionately against the end of the table, trying to attract Miss Angorian. "Like you come and go without a trace," said Miss Angorian. "Is there any more?" Hal followed Miss Angorian's every move, and his expression told Sophie that if Miss Angorian also fell in love with Hal at first sight, then it would be the best opportunity for Letty. But Miss Angorian was not of that sort.She said, "There are many more, nothing good to say." Looking at Mike and Sophie again, the eyes seemed to say these words were very offensive, making Mike flushed.She handed Hal a piece of yellowed, raw-edged paper. "This is it." She said seriously, "Do you know what it is?" "Of course," Hal said. "Then please tell me," said Miss Angorian. Hal took the paper.He tried to take the opportunity to take Miss Angorian's hand, but unexpectedly fought a little.Miss Angorian was victorious, and withdrew her hand behind her back.Hal smiled intoxicatingly and handed the paper to Mike. "You tell her," he said. When Mike saw it, his flushed face almost glowed. "That's the spell I'm looking for! Ah, I can do this—a magnifying spell, isn't it?" "I thought so too," said Miss Angorian reproachfully. "I wonder what you'd do with it." "Miss Angorian," said Hal, "if you've heard rumors about me, you should know that my doctoral dissertation was about charms and spells. You seem to be suspecting me of black magic! I assure you , I've never cast a spell in my life." Hearing this brazen lie, Sophie couldn't help but snort. "I swear to God," Hal added, frowning at Sophie angrily. "This spell is for research purposes only. It's ancient and rare. That's why I want it back." "You've got it back," said Miss Angorian briskly. "In exchange, can you give me my homework before you leave? It costs money to make copies." Howl happily pulled out the gray scroll and placed it within reach of her. "This poem," he said, "has stumped me. What a fool!—but I can't remember the rest. Walter Raleigh's poem, isn't it?" Miss Angorian glanced at him contemptuously, "Of course not. It's John Donne's, a very famous one. I have a book here that includes this one, if you need to review it." "Thanks then," Hal said.Miss Angorian walked to her wall of books, and judging by the way his eyes followed her, Sophie understood the real reason Howl had come to this strange place where his family was.But Hal would kill two birds with one stone. "Miss Angorian," he argued, following her curves as she reached for the book, "would you be honored to dine with me tonight?" Miss Angorian turned back, more stern than before, with a large book in her arms. "I won't," she said. "Mr. Jenken, I don't know how much you know about me, but you must have heard that I was engaged to Ben Sullivan—" "Never heard of him," Hal said. "My fiancé," said Miss Angorian, "he disappeared some years ago. Would you like me to read the poem?" "Please," Hal said without remorse, "you have such a beautiful voice." "Then I'll start with the second paragraph," said Miss Angorian, "since you've got the first paragraph." She read it very well, not only in a melodious voice, but also in such a fine rhythm that the second The second stanza echoed the first, which seemed to Sophie to be completely out of rhyme. Hal's face was extremely pale.Sophie saw that sweat was streaming down his face. "Thanks," he said. "That's all right. I won't bother you later. Even good women get unfaithful in the last line, don't they? I remember. What a fool I was. John Dunn, of course. Miss Angorian put down her book and looked at him.He forced a smile. "We've got to go. As for dinner, surely you won't change your mind?" "No," said Miss Angorian. "How are you, Mr. Jenken?" "Fantastically good," said Hal, urging Mike and Sophie downstairs into the dreaded carriage.Judging from the speed at which Howl stuffed them into the carriage and set off immediately, those invisible spectators must have thought that Miss Angorian was chasing them with a saber. "What's going on?" Mike asked.The carriage roared all the way up the hill, and Sophie clung desperately to the chair.Hal pretended not to hear.So Mike waited until Hal locked the carport and asked again. "Oh, it's all right." Hal pretended to be relaxed, and led the way back to the yellow house marked Tear Valley. "The Hell Witch's spell has caught up, that's all. It's bound to come sooner or later." He seemed to be thinking about it as he opened the garden gate. "Ten thousand," Sophie heard him mutter. "That's around Midsummer." "What happened to Midsummer's Day?" asked Sophie. "I'll be ten thousand days old then," said Hal. "At that time, Mrs. Nose," he said as he swaggered into the garden of the Rift Valley, "it will be the day when I return to the Witch of the Wasteland." Sophie and Mike couldn't help but stop, staring at Hal's back, It says Welsh Rugby mysteriously. "If I avoid the mermaid," they heard him say to himself, "don't touch the datura root—" Mike yelled, "Do we have to go back to that house?" Sophie yelled, "What would a witch do?" "I can't even think about it," Hal said. "You don't have to go in, Mike." He opened the corrugated glass door.Inside is the familiar castle room.In the twilight, the flames of Calcifer's eyes reflected the walls a faint blue-green.Howl rolled up his long sleeves and added a log to Calcifer. "She's coming, old blueface," he said. "I know," Calcifer said. "I feel it."