Fallen Stars [Howl's Moving Castle Fanfiction]

Chapter Three - Beyond Memories

Chapter three - Beyond memories

The sun was starting to set, but in the mountains it's slower. There's nothing in the way of the light here, which it is in the city. There, the sun will go down pretty fast because of the clouded and crowded view. Up here, you can see the whole landscape. No city or house in sight. Completly empty from whatever neighborhood that could have been. There's no people in sight, beside the sheeps walking around. The thing with the field in the mountains though, is that it has a big pin point.

When the darkness sets in, it'll get pitch black outside, with no light at all. 

And being lost in the mountains in that hour isn't the best to be.

"So... Mr. Fireball, you come here often?" I sat down by a spot between the all the different kinds of flowers around the field. They were pretty, but that didn't matter so much for me at the moment. I was lost, and it was beginning to get dark. I had no place to find shelter either, so it's only for me to keep going or sit down to rest. Right now, I just felt like taking everything in and breathe. I picked up a flower and raised an eyebrow. The floating fireball in front of me made no sound, but silently accompanied me.

There's one thing I know for sure, I'm no longer around the corner to my house.

 I shut my eyes, because what is the possibilty this actually happened? This must be a dream of some sort, I mean why would this happen to me? The logic of me just appearing out here from a mysterious mist with a floating fireball couldn't be less believeable. I may know what this field was, at least it recembled one of my old memories, but that doesn't explain it all. What am I doing here? Curse me for not staying inside when I was supposed to!

 I felt the darkness close in to me as I fell back into the field of flowers. Who would notice me out here? Who was there to be afraid of? I could fall asleep without any fear, actually it was more calming than at home here. 

With those thoughts, I drifted away to my dreams. 

However, just as I felt comfortable enough to dream away, something started to nag my shoulder. My shoulder felt a sudden hot feeling and started to itch. I opened my eyes quickly and shifted my gaze to my shoulder, then noticing something. It was the floating fireball, not floating anymore. It was now laying down upon my shoulder, getting cuddling with it. I raised both of my eyebrows in shock. How come my shoulder isn't burning...? It did feel quite warm, but not on the burning hot way. Magic, huh? Does fireballs also need to sleep?

I tilted my head with a little smile. Well, so many things just happened so... why not?

Now of to sleep!

But that didn't happen though, because a new thing just needed to interrupt my sleep again. This town it was the ground, that gave away a massive shake and small sounds after. I shot up in a sitting position and looked around while feeling startled. "Earthquake?" 

 I felt another heavy shake and I flew up from the ground a small centimeter. Another loud sound came as well a giant wind blew over the field. With the little light coming from the moon, I saw a big siluette of a shadow towering over me from behind. I froze.  Slowly, I glanced around my shoulder. 

Now I remember why I know this place. 

The huge thing behind me made me remember just at first sight. Well, partly. I at least remember the moment in bits, but the main part of it was still cloudy. 

In my old memory, there was this huge field with a blowing wind but a clear night sky. There was still light, but no sorce of the sun. In the replacement from the rays of the sun or the moon, the light from the stars on the sky lightened up the vision. However, for my utter vision and for anything beside it, everything was cloudy. I only saw siluettes and mere faces and shapes. But, I did see the big shadow behind me and where it came from.  

It was the giant building or castle-like house with legs. It was what I've heard from my parents and my friends to be rumors. It was the Moving Castle up in the mountains. It seems like now they've put wings on the castle now too. 

I don't remember time and day or how, I only remember the sky, the field and the castle. Whatever reason I had to be out in the mountains by myself was a mystery. I know now that this field was definietly the same field from all those years ago. The memory with the stars falling onto the field. 

I glanced around and stood up. The fireball noted that and floated up beside me. "Seems like I didn't need to find a shelter, it found me instead." I mumbled to myself and the fireball. "Right, Mr Fireball?" 

I started walking through the flowers and grass, and as I did the fireball behind me started to sparkle wildly. "What happened, Mr. Fireball?" I asked, but as usual no answer came. I dismissed it and kept walking and walking until I came up on the start of the rowdy mountains.

The castle that landed in the beginning of the field and the end of the mountains, seemed to be just as I remembered. Sure, I was never inside from what I remember, but the outside still had the same style. A smile tugged at my lips and I started to rush up to it. Maybe they can help me find my way back?

At the entrance of the castle, I slowed down. There was a few stairs in front of the front door, which should be more than easy to walk up on. I, on the other hand, took more time to walk up to them than walking through the messy and slippery field. Normally I'd never be nervous or shy, but it's not normal for me to intrude in a moving castle in the mountains either. I took a deep breath as I was at the last step. I stared at the knob, which many would have counted as a glare. 

Mr. Fireball, because I'm naming him that now, seemed to sparkle even more now. "Should I, Mr. Fireball?" Without any answer, Mr. Fireball surprised me with flying in front of me and flaming up the doorknob with light. Did it think that I couldn't see it? Or maybe it thought I was so slow with going inside...

I bit my lip and sighed. "Here goes nothing..." I twisted the doorknob and opened the door without any problems. Didn't they have any lock on the castle? Heh, they probably didn't need one because people probably wouldn't intrude on others houses up here. 

"Hello? Is anybody at home?" I shouted as I walked a few small steps inside. No answer came, so I took my chance to walk inside the house. If no one said I couldn't, why not? I needed help after all. But I didn't like walking around like a thief of some sort, which I did with my small and sneaky steps. 

Once I came in to the first room, I noticed that it was the kitchen. The fire was still burning on the stove and there was some plates and food standing on the table in the corner of the room. Since it was dark outside and no one seemed to be here, I wonder why they left the food and fire here? You'll never know about wizards nowadays...

I sat down on one of the chairs and took a deep breath. I knew for a fact that at least somebody was here, how else would anybody have landed this castle on the ground? But since I tried my best, I suppose, now it's the owners time to find me instead.

I placed my face in my hands as I leaned on the table. Didn't the food, or rather the pastry beside, look alike something? Didn't it look like the ones we'd sell in the bakery? I raised my shoulders and shook my head. "Nah, surely just my imagination."

A sudden brief wind met my neck and hair. Small sounds of feet were heard from the stairs until they stopped abrupt. I shifted my attention to behind me, only to see one of the pastry flying in the air and freeze at my eye-level. I turned my head to the stairs.

"It's you?" 

I tilted my head at the boy standing in the stairs. "Do I know you?