A Safe Place in a Moving Castle

 

In a quest to find out what is wrong with my heart, I now I have a Holter thingy attached to my body. A tiny machine that records my heart’s activity for 24 hours. It is uncomfortable, with wires and stuff and I have to idea how I am going to sleep, but I have to be calm today. No problems, no annoying people, no news, no social media.

I will probably burrow into my books, watch some episodes of The Big Bang Theory and think happy thoughts. Easier said than done, I suppose.

So, if I want to escape reality and the idea of a machine glued to my skin, I have to go somewhere else. In my mind. To a place where I feel safe, to a place I visit almost every night when I listen to audiobooks.

And given that one of my favorite books of all time is Howl’s Moving Castle, I think a trip and visit would be in order. It would do me good.

I’ll start in Market Chipping, along the same road I have walked with Sophie Hatter many, many times in the past. The trail is not easy, the ascent is steep and the wind strong, but when I see the castle puffing smoke through its turrets, I know I am close.

And then there are Sophie and Michael and of course, Calcifer, the fire demon. Howl is away in one of her missions as the Royal Wizard. We all know the story.

Michael will fuss over us, preparing the tea. Calcifer will bend his head to let us put the kettle on and then we’ll drink our and have some cake that Martha has sent from Cesari’s, where she is now a full-time baker.

After that we’ll just sit in the old, battered, cozy chairs near the hearth, listening to Calcifer consuming the logs. Michael will get up, feed Calcifer another log and then ask me about my life. Sophie will tell us about theirs and I’ll see the happiness in her eyes. And my heart will rejoice for her.

Howl will return at some point and we’ll all have dinner, bread and cheese. Howl would regale us with stories about the King and Princess Valeria, his daughter.

It is late evening now. I can see the stars in all the castle’s windows, no matter whether they look out upon Wales or Kingsbury. A deep pace descends upon me and the world is right again.

Later, I will go to sleep in Sophie’s garden at the edge of the Waste. In the morning I’ll return home and rip the blasted machine off my body.