Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Witnessing the Termination of the Contract

Everyone chased after the scarecrow.Sophie, clutching her cane, chased the other way, through the broom cupboard and into the shop. "It's my fault!" she muttered. "I'm such a genius for doing wrong! I could have kept Miss Angorian in the house. If only I had been kinder to her, poor fellow! Hal Although you will forgive me many things, this time you will not forgive me so quickly!" When she arrived at the flower shop, she took out the seven-leaf boots from the window, and dumped the hibiscus, roses and water on the floor.She opened the shop door and dragged her wet boots out into the crowded street. "Excuse me," she said to the layers of shoes and dangling sleeves that stood in the way.She looked up at the sun, which was inconspicuous against the cloudy sky. "Let me see. Southeast. That way. Excuse me, excuse me," she said, clearing a small space for her boots among the festive crowd.She lowered her boots in the direction of the target.Then she stepped in and started walking.

Whoosh—whoosh, whoosh—whoosh, whoosh—whoosh, whoosh—whoosh, whoosh—whoosh.Whoosh—whoosh, whoosh—whoosh.The speed is so fast, the two boots are faster than one, and the scenery is more blurred, which makes people afraid to show their atmosphere.Sophie caught a glimpse between her moving legs: the great house at the end of the valley shining among the trees, with Fanny's carriage at the door; the ferns on the hillside; into a wider valley; this wider and wider valley is so wide that there is no limit, and the distance is blue, and there are towers in the distance, which may be Kingsbury; into a mountain range; the slope under her feet was so steep that even with the help of crutches she struggled to walk, and her steps staggered to a deep canyon filled with blue mist, the top of the tree was far below, she took a step hard, otherwise Just fell into the abyss.

She landed on the soft yellow sand.She stuck her cane into the sand and looked around carefully.A few miles behind her right shoulder, a damp white mist obscured the mountains she had just crossed, looming.Beneath the mist was a clump of dark green.Sophie nodded.Although she couldn't see the Moving Castle from this distance, she was sure that the flowers were blooming under the mist.She took another cautious step.Whoosh.It was unseasonably hot.Now there are khaki-colored sands everywhere, glistening in the scorching sun.The rocks were scattered in a haphazard manner.The only living things are scattered and scorched gray bushes.The mountains look like clouds rising from the horizon.

"If this is wasteland," said Sophie, sweat rolling down her wrinkled face, "then I sympathize with witches living in such places." She took another step.The blowing wind did not cool her down.The rocks and shrubs were still there, but the sand was grayer, and the mountains seemed to sink from the sky.Sophie squinted at a gray mass ahead, where she thought she could see something taller than a rock.She took another step. It's hot as an oven.But a quarter of a mile away stood a strangely shaped mound, rising slightly from the rock-strewn land.Fantastic towers of distorted shape, holding up a slightly tilted main tower, like gnarled and old fingers.Sophie took off her boots.The weather was too hot, and it would be cumbersome to bring anything, so she only took a cane, and strenuously walked forward to see what happened.

It seemed to be made of the yellow-gray gravel of the wasteland.At first Sophie wondered if this was the nest of some strange species of ants.But when she got closer, she realized that it seemed to be made of thousands of grainy yellow flowerpots glued together into a candle-like pile.She grinned.The moving castle often made her feel like she was inside a chimney.The building in front of me was really a pile of chimney pipes.It must be the masterpiece of some fire demon. As Sophie climbed, gasping for breath, she was sure it was the Witch's Fortress.Two little orange figures came out of the darkness at the base of the fort and stood waiting for her.She recognized the Witch's two attendants.Despite the heat and panting, she tried to speak to them as nicely as possible, to show that she hadn't come to quarrel. "Good afternoon," she said.

They gave her a long face.One of them bowed and held out a hand, pointing to the grotesque dark archway between the crooked chimney-pipes.Sophie shrugged and followed him inside.Another waiter walked behind her.As soon as she walked in, the entrance disappeared.Sophie shrugged again.She'll have to deal with that when she gets back. She straightened her lace shawl, straightened her dragging skirt, and continued walking.It's a bit like walking through a castle gate with the doorknob's black mark down.For a while there was nothingness around, and then there was a dim light.The light source comes from yellow-green flames burning all around. These fires are looming, produce no heat, and only produce very weak light.When Sophie looked at them, the flames were not where she could see them, but must be on the edge.But that's magic.Sophie shrugged again, and followed the waiter through the thin columns of chimney pipes and past the rest of the fort.

Finally, the waiter led her to what looked like the center of the cave.But maybe it's just a space somewhere between the pillars.Sophie was puzzled.The fort was so vast, she suspected it was a deception of appearances, like a castle.The witch stood there waiting.It was hard to say how Sophie knew—but who else could it be.The witch was tall and thin, with pale hair in a braid that fell over one thin shoulder.She is wearing a white dress.Sophie walked straight up to her, waving her cane, and the witch backed away. "Don't threaten me!" said the witch, her voice was tired and fragile.

"Hand over Miss Angorian, and I'll let you go." Sophie said, "I'll take her away with me." The witch took a few steps back and gestured with both hands.The two waiters immediately melted into two balls of viscous orange matter, which rose into the air and flew towards Sophie. "Disgusting! Go away!" Sophie yelled, beating them with her cane.The orange stuff doesn't seem to care about the crutches.They dodge it, weave around, and target Sophie from behind her.She was just thinking she had the upper hand when she found herself glued to a chimney-post by them.She tried to break free, but the sticky orange substance wrapped around her ankle and pulled her hair so painfully.

"I'd rather be green slime!" said Sophie. "I hope these two aren't real boys." "It's just radiation," said the Witch. "Let me go," said Sophie. "No," said the Witch.She turned away, seemingly losing all interest in Sophie. As always, Sophie began to fear that she had screwed things up again.The sticky stuff seems to be getting harder and more elastic.When she tried to escape, it snapped her back onto the terracotta pillar. "Where is Miss Angorian?" "You'll find her," said the Witch. "We'll wait for Howl."

"He won't come," said Sophie. "He has good judgment. Your spells won't work either." "It will work," the witch said with a slight smile. "You fell into our trick to come here. Hal has to be honest." She gestured again, this time towards the dark flame, a throne-like Something rolled out from between the two pillars and stopped in front of the witch.On it sat a man in a green uniform and shiny boots.Sophie thought he was asleep at first, with his head on the side so he couldn't see.But the witch made another gesture.The man immediately sat up straight.He has no head on his shoulders at all.Sophie realized she was looking at what was left of Prince Justin's body.

"If I were Fanny," said Sophie, "I'd have fainted. Take his head back! He's so frightening!" "I disposed of both heads a month ago," said the witch. "When I sold Wizard Suliman's guitar, I sold his skull. Prince Justin's head was wandering somewhere with the rest of it. This The body is the perfect combination of Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman. It's waiting for Hal's head to make us perfect people. When we have Hal's head, Ingrid will have a new king and I will be queen to rule the country." "You're crazy!" said Sophie. "You have no right to treat people like jigsaw puzzles! And I don't think Howl's head will take orders from you for even one thing. It'll find a way to get away." "Howl will obey us," said the witch, with a sly, secret smile on her face. "We'll keep his fire demon under control." Sophie realized she was really scared.She knew she was in big trouble. "Where's Miss Angorian?" she asked, waving her stick. The witch didn't like Sophie wielding a cane.She steps back. "I'm tired," she said, "you people keep sabotaging my plans. First Wizard Suliman doesn't come near the Badlands, so I had to threaten Princess Valaria so that the King would order him to come here. Then he came , but started planting trees. Then the king refused to let Prince Justin follow Suliman for several months, and when he finally chased him out, the fool went somewhere to the north for some reason, and I had to use some means to get him. Howl caused me more trouble. He got away once. I had to cast a spell to trap him in, and when I was ready to cast the spell, you broke into what was left of Suliman's head and got me out of it. More trouble. Now I brought you here, and you are still waving your crutches and protesting. For this moment, I have spent a lot of effort, and I have no time to talk to you." She turned and walked into the darkness. Sophie stared at the long white shadow moving in the dim firelight.Her age has caught up with her!she thinks.She is crazy!I've got to let go of this thing anyway, and save Miss Angorian!Thinking that the orange substance shunned her crutch like a witch, Sophie swung the cane over her shoulder, stirring it back and forth on the goo that was clinging to the post. "Go away!" she said. "Let me go!" Her hair hurt from being pulled, but the sticky orange stuff started flying sideways.Sophie stirred the cane more vigorously. Just as she was freeing her head and shoulders free, there was a dull boom.The pale flame flickered, and the pillar behind Sophie shook.Then, with a crash like a thousand tea sets falling from upstairs, one wall of the fort burst open.Dazzling light passed through a long, rough opening through which a man jumped.Sophie turned her head eagerly, hoping it was Howl.But the black silhouette has only one leg.Another scarecrow. With a roar, the witch rushed towards it, pale braids flying, bony arms outstretched.The scarecrow jumped towards her.There was another bang, and the two were sucked into a cloud of magic, like the cloud over Port Haven when Howl and the Witch fought.Clouds rushed left and right, and the dusty air was filled with screams and booms.Sophie's hair creaked.The cloud was only a few feet away from her, rushing between the ceramic pillars.And the breach in the wall is also nearby.As Sophie thought, the fortress was actually not that big.Every time the cloud moved to a blinding white gap, she could see it clearly, and saw two thin figures fighting in it.Staring at the cloud, she swung her cane backwards. Sophie's legs came loose as the cloud screamed again and moved toward the light.She saw another person jump in through the gap.This one has flapping black sleeves.It's Hal.Sophie could make out his outline, watching the fight with his arms crossed.For a moment it seemed that he was going to keep the witch and the scarecrow entangled.Then Hal raised his arms and his sleeves fluttered.Through the boom of screams, Hal yelled a strange long word, followed by a burst of thunder.Both the scarecrow and the witch were stunned.The rumbling sound surrounded the pottery pillars, causing a series of echoes. When each round of echoes disappeared, part of the magic cloud also dissipated.It scattered into wisps and dissolved in hazy swirls.When it dissipated into the thinnest white mist, the tall figure with braids began to stagger.The witch seemed to be shrinking herself, getting thinner and whiter.Finally, the white mist cleared, and she fell into a pile with a snap.As a million soft echoes died away, Howl and the Scarecrow looked at each other thoughtfully across the pile of bones. Great!thought Sophie.Her legs broke free and she walked towards the headless man on the throne.It really terrified her. "No, friend," said Howl to the Scarecrow.The scarecrow had already jumped among the bones and moved it back and forth with one leg. "No, you won't find her heart here. Her fiend has taken it. I think the fiery has possessed her for a while. It's sad." When Sophie took off her apron and took the While grooming Prince Justin's headless shoulders, Hal said, "Here's the rest of what you're looking for, I think." He made his way to the throne, the Scarecrow hopping beside him. "What a classic!" he said to Sophie, "I've come all the way here, only to find you packing up without incident!" Sophie looked up at him.As she had feared, the glare from the broken wall outlined an unshaven and uncombed Hal.He still has red circles around his eyes and his black sleeves are torn in several places.The Hal in front of him was no different from the scarecrow.Oh my God!Sophie sighed.He must be deeply in love with Miss Angorian. "I came to rescue Miss Angorian," she explained. "I thought arranging your family to visit you would give you a break!" Hal said angrily, "but it didn't—" Then the Scarecrow jumped in front of Sophie. "I was sent by Wizard Suliman," he said vaguely. "When the witch took him, I was guarding his bush in the wasteland, keeping the birds away. He used all the magic available to him as much as possible." Transferred to me and ordered me to rescue him. But the witch divided him into several parts, different parts in different places. It was a difficult task. If you hadn't come and given me life, I would have failed. " It was answering Sophie's question before the two hurried away. "Then Prince Justin must have used the Finding Charm to find you when he ordered it," she said. "Why?" "Find me or his head," said the Scarecrow, "either, we are the best part of him." "So Percival is made up of Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin?" asked Sophie.She wasn't sure Letty would be happy with that fact. The scarecrow nodded to its angular turnip face. "Both parts tell me that the witch and her fire demon are no longer together, and I can defeat the witch alone." It said, "Thank you for giving me ten times the speed." Hal swung him aside. "Take that body back to the castle," he said. "I'll help you with this. Sophie and I have to get back to the castle before the Fire Demon finds a way to break through the defenses." He took Sophie's thin wrist. "Come on. Where's the Seven Mile Boots?" Sophie hesitated. "But Miss Angorian—" "Don't you understand?" said Howl, tugging at her. "Miss Angorian is the Fire Demon. If it enters the castle, Calcifer will be finished, and so will I!" Sophie put her hands over her mouth. "I knew I made a mess!" she said. "She's been here twice. But she—it's out." "Oh God!" Hal lamented, "did it touch anything?" "Guitar," Sophie admitted. "Then it's still in there," Hal said. "Go!" He pushed Sophie against the wall that had been blasted away. "Follow us closely," he called back to the Scarecrow. "I'll just have to fan! No time for boots," he said to Sophie, and the two of them crawled over the rough opening into the hot sun. "Just run. Keep running, or I can't move you." Sophie, leaning on a cane, staggered and tried to get off, staggering among the rocks.Hal ran beside her, pulling her.The wind had begun, whirring, then roaring, hot and gritty, the gray sand climbing around them in a storm, thumping against the earthen fortress.At this point they are no longer running, but gliding forward in a slow-motion jump.The rocky earth passed by swiftly below.Dust and sand rumbled around them, flying overhead and far behind them.The sound was loud and not at all uncomfortable, but the wasteland went away in the blink of an eye. "It's not Calcifer's fault!" cried Sophie. "I told him not to." "He wouldn't," Hal yelled back. "I know he wouldn't betray his fellow Fire Demons. He's always been my weakness." "I thought Wales was it!" Sophie screamed. "No! That's what I left on purpose!" Howl roared, "I know if she does something there, I have a chance to stop it. I have to give her a chance, don't I? The only one close to Prince Justin My only chance is to use the spell she cast on me to get close to her." "Then you are going to rescue the Prince!" cried Sophie. "Why did you pretend to run away? To deceive the Witch?" "No!" Hal screamed. "I'm a coward. The only way I'm going to do something so horrible is to tell myself I won't do it!" Oh my God!Sophie thought as she looked around at the swirling grains of sand.He is honest!And what is in front of me is the wind.The last part of the spell came true! The hot sand whipped her, and Howl hurt her too. "Keep running!" Howl yelled, "You're going to get hurt at the speed you're going!" Sophie gasped, and started to stride again.She could see the mountains clearly now, and a strip of green below them were bushes in bloom.Although the sand was still swirling in the air, the mountains seemed to grow larger, and the green belt rushing towards them was in a moment as high as a hedge. "My flanks are weak!" Howl cried. "I was counting on Suliman to be alive. When I found out that all he had was Percival, I freaked out and went out and got drunk. Then you I was fooled again, being played by the witch in the palm of my hand!" "I'm the boss!" Sophie screamed, "I'm doomed!" "Nonsense!" Hal yelled, "You just like to think wild!" Hal slowed down.They kicked up a thick cloud of dust all over them.Sophie only knew the bushes were close because she could hear the wind rustling among the leaves.They crashed into the bushes, still going so fast that Hal had to turn a corner to draw Sophie closer, skimming across the lake. "You're so kind," he added, with the splash of water and the slap of sand on lily pads, "I was expecting you to get jealous and keep that fiery demon from approaching the castle. " They slowed down and landed on the steamy shore.The bushes on both sides of the greenway turned back and forth as they passed, surging and undulating, and the petals of the birds were rolled towards the whirlwind behind them.The castle moved slowly toward them at the end of the avenue, smoke hanging in the air.Hal slowed down, knocked open the door just in time, and led Sophie and himself in. "Mike!" he yelled. "I didn't let the scarecrow in!" Mike said guiltily. Everything seems to be working fine.Sophie was surprised to find that she had only been gone for a short time.Someone had pulled her bed out of the stairs, and Percival was lying on it, still unconscious.Lettie, Martha, and Mike sat around.Sophie heard the voices of Mrs. Fairfax and Fanny overhead, mingled with ominous whipping and thumping, and it was clear that Howl's spider was going through hard times. Hal let go of Sophie and ran straight for the guitar.Before he could touch it, it burst open with a long, sweet sound.The strings fluttered.Shards of wood were thrown at Howl.He had to back away, covering his face with a ragged sleeve. Miss Angorian suddenly stood by the fire, smiling.Hal is right.She must have been hiding in the guitar all this time, waiting for her moment. "Your witch is dead," Howl told her. "That's awful!" said Miss Angorian, with indifference. "Now I can make a human being myself, and a much better human being. The spell is done. Now I can take your heart." ’” She reached into the fireplace and dug Calcifer out.Calcifer flickered on her clenched fist, terrified. "Don't move," Miss Angorian warned. No one dared to move.Hal is most like a wooden man. "Help!" Calcifer made a faint cry for help. "No one can save you," Miss Angorian said, "You're going to help me manipulate my new humans. I'll show you. Just hold on tighter." She clutched Calcifer's hand desperately Squeeze, the knuckles are squeezed into light yellow. Hal and Calcifer both cried out.Calcifer writhed painfully from side to side.Howl's face turned livid, and he fell to the ground like a tree, lying unconscious like Percival.Sophie thought he had stopped breathing. Miss Angorian was startled.She stared at Hal. "Fake it," she said. "He's not pretending!" Calcifer yelled, struggling, twisting into a spiral. "His heart is actually very soft! Let go!" Sophie lifted the cane slowly and gently.This time she thought for a moment before acting. "The crutch," she whispered, "go hit Miss Angorian, and don't hurt anyone else." Then she took up the crutch, and with all her strength, hit Miss Angorian's clenched knuckles. go up. Miss Angorian let out a shrill hiss like a burning wet log, and put Calcifer down.Poor Calcifer rolled helplessly on the ground, flames blazing through the flagstones, roaring in hoarse voices of terror.Miss Angorian put her foot on him.Sophie quickly threw away her crutches and rushed to save Calcifer.To her surprise, the cane automatically hit Miss Angorian again, and again, and again.Of course it will!thought Sophie.She brought the cane to life by speaking.Mrs. Pentstemton had told her. Miss Angorian screamed and staggered.Sophie stood up with Calcifer in her arms, and found her crutches chasing Miss Angorian, smoking from her heat.Instead, Calcifer doesn't seem too hot.He was frightened into a sluggish blue.Sophie could feel Howl's heart, the black mass beating faintly between her fingers.It must be Howl's heart she was holding.He delivered it to Calcifer so that Calcifer could live, that was part of the contract.He must have sympathized with Calcifer, but for all that, what a foolish act! Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax hurried downstairs through the cupboard door, broom still in hand.Upon seeing them, Miss Angorian seemed convinced that she had failed.She ran to the door, pursued by Sophie's cane, still beating her. "Stop her!" cried Sophie. "Don't let her out! Hold every door!" Everyone obeyed the order and carried it out.Mrs. Fairfax ran to the broom cupboard and blocked it with her broom.Fanny stood on the stairs.Letty jumped up and guarded the door to the back yard, while Martha stood in the bathroom doorway.Mike rushed to the castle gate.Percival actually jumped out of bed and also rushed to the door.His face was pale and his eyes were closed, but he ran faster than Mike.He rushed in first and opened the door. As Calcifer was helpless, the castle was forced to stop moving.Seeing the bushes still outside in the mist, Miss Angorian rushed towards the gate with inhuman speed.Before she could rush there, she was blocked by the scarecrow, and she could vaguely see it carrying Prince Justin on its shoulders and wearing Sophie's lace shawl.It spread out two stick arms and blocked the door firmly.Miss Angorian had to back away. The cane with which she was whipped was now on fire.The metal ends glisten.Sophie realized it wouldn't last long.But Miss Angorian hated it so much that she grabbed Mike and pulled him over to block it.The crutches were commanded not to hurt Mike.It hovered in the air, and the flames burned endlessly.Martha rushed over, trying to pull Mike away.The crutches had to avoid her too.Sophie, as usual, froze things up again. There is no time left. "Calcifer," said Sophie, "I must break your contract. Will it kill you?" "Anyone else would," Calcifer said hoarsely, "that's why I told you to. I know you can bring things to life with your words. Look at what you did to scarecrows and skulls." "Then live another thousand years!" Sophie said with all her concentration, for fear that words alone would not be enough.She has been very worried about this.Holding Calcifer in her arms, she carefully pinched him from the black mass like a dead flower bud from a stalk.Calcifer spun loose, hovering over her shoulder like a blue teardrop. "I feel so light!" he said.Then he understood what happened. "I'm free!" he yelled.He spun straight into the chimney, out of sight. "I'm free!" Sophie heard a faint cry overhead as he leaped out of the hatter's chimney. Sophie walked towards Hal with the dying black lump in her hands, although she didn't hesitate, she was still very disturbed.She has to do this well, but she's not sure exactly how to do it. "Okay, that's it," she said, kneeling beside Howl, and carefully placed the black lump on his chest, on the left side where she sometimes felt uncomfortable, and pushed hard. . "Go in," she told it, "Go in and start throbbing!" She pushed and pushed.The heart began to dive, beating more and more vigorously at the same time.Sophie tried not to pay attention to the flames and scuffle at the door, and applied constant and steady pressure.Her hair keeps getting in the way.Strands of hair brushed her face, strands of reddish blond, but she tried not to disturb them.She pushed hard. The heart goes in.The moment it disappeared, Howl woke up.He groaned loudly and rolled over on his face. "Damn it!" he said, "I'm hungover!" "No, you hit your head on the ground," Sophie said. Hal pushed himself up on hands and knees. "I can't wait any longer," he said. "I have to save confused Sophie." "Here I am!" said Sophie, shaking his shoulders, "but Miss Angorian is too! Get up and finish her! Quick!" The whole cane was burning now.Martha's hair sizzled.It occurred to Miss Angorian that scarecrows could burn.She tried her best to guide the hovering cane to the door.Sophie thought, same old, I wasn't thinking enough! Hal took a glance and understood the situation.He stood up hastily.He stretched out a hand and read a sentence, before the words were finished, there was a rumbling thunder.Plaster flew from the ceiling.Everything trembled.But the cane disappeared, and Hal stepped back, holding something small, hard, black.It was like a lump of cinder, but the same shape as the one Sophie had just shoved into Howl's chest.Miss Angorian wept like a fire in water, and stretched out her arms entreatingly. "I'm afraid it won't work," Hal said. "Your hour is up. Look at this, you want a new heart too. You want to take my heart and let Calcifer die, don't you?" He held the black thing in both hands, and then closed his palms.The witch's old heart shattered into black sand, smoke, and finally nothing.Miss Angorian also disappeared.When Hal opened his empty palm, there was no sign of Miss Angorian at the door. Another thing happened.At the same time Miss Angorian disappeared, the Scarecrow ceased to exist.If Sophie had been paying attention, she would have seen two tall men standing in the doorway, smiling at each other.One with an angular face and ginger hair.The other one in a green uniform has relatively vague facial features, and a lace shawl is draped over his shoulders.But at that very moment Hal turned to Sophie. "Grey doesn't really suit you," he said. "That's what I thought the first time I saw you." "Calcifer has gone," said Sophie. "I must break your contract." Hal looked a little distressed, but he said, "We all wish you would. Neither of us would like the end of the Witch and Miss Angorian. Is your hair ginger?" "Golden red," said Sophie.Now Howl's heart was back in place, but she didn't see much change in Howl, except that his eyes were a little darker—more like eyes than glass beads. "Unlike some people," she said, "it's natural." "I've never understood why people put so much value on natural things," Hal said, and now Sophie knew he hadn't changed at all. If Sophie was distracted, she would see Prince Justin and Wizard Suliman happily shaking hands and embracing each other. "I'd better go back to my brother," said Prince Justin.He walked towards Fanny, who was the most hostess, and bowed deeply gracefully. "Excuse me, is Madam the mistress?" "Er—no," said Fanny, trying to hide the broom behind her back. "The mistress is Sophie." "Or very soon." Mrs. Fairfax smiled lovingly. Howl said to Sophie, "I keep wondering if you could be that sweet girl I met on May Day. Why were you so scared?" If Sophie had been paying attention, she would have seen Wizard Suliman approach Letty.Now that he was himself, he was clearly at least as strong-willed as Letty.When Suliman's rugged figure approached Letty, she seemed rather tense. "It seems that my memory of you is that of the prince, not my own at all," he said. "It doesn't matter at all." Letty said resolutely, "It's a misunderstanding." "But no!" Wizard Suliman argued, "At least you are willing to let me accept you as a student?" Hearing this, Leti blushed and didn't know how to answer. For Sophie, it was Letty's problem.She has her own problems.Hal said, "I think we should live happily ever after." And she thought he meant it.Sophie knew that living happily with Howl was more turbulent than any story, but she was determined to try. "It's going to be creepy," Hal added. "And you'll exploit me," Sophie said. "Then you'll cut all my clothes and teach me," Hal said. If Sophie or Howl had been paying attention, they might have noticed that Prince Justin, Wizard Suliman, and Lady Fairfax were all trying to talk to Howl, while Fanny, Martha, and Letty were all tugging at Sophie. Fee's sleeve, Mike tugged at Hal's coat. "That's the most terse language I've ever seen," said Mrs. Fairfax. "I wouldn't know what to do with that fellow. As I always say..." "Sophie," Letty said, "I need your opinion." "Wizard Howl," said Wizard Suliman, "I apologize to you, but I have often wanted to bite you. Under normal circumstances, I would not dream of biting a fellow man." "Sophie, I think this gentleman is a prince," said Fanny. "My lord," said Prince Justin, "I must thank you for saving me from the witch." "Sophie," said Martha, "your spell is broken! Do you hear that?" But Sophie and Howl held each other's hands and laughed and laughed and couldn't stop. "Leave me alone just now," said Hal, "I did it for the money." "Liar!" said Sophie. "Just as I said," Mike yelled, "that Calcifer's back!" Only then did Hal and Sophie catch their attention.They looked toward the fireplace, and sure enough, the familiar blue face was shining among the logs. "You don't need to do that," Hal said. "I don't mind if I can come and go as I please," said Calcifer. "Besides, it's raining out in Chipping." (End of the book)