Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Castle Book 1)

by Diana Wynne Jones

She read a great deal, and very soon realized how little chance she had of an interesting future.

He was a well-set-up young fellow of forty or so. “Gracious!” Sophie said to herself. “This morning I’d have seen him as an old man. How one’s point of view does alter!”

Much more important to Sophie, this fire had reached the glowing rosy stage, with little blue flames dancing on the logs, and placed beside it in the warmest position was a low chair with a cushion on it. Sophie pushed the boy aside and dived for that chair. “Ah! My fortune!”

“I hope your bacon burns,” Calcifer said, muffled under the pan.

“How did she make Calcifer bend down?” said Howl. “She bullied me!” Calcifer said in a piteous, muffled voice from under the sizzling pan.

It was odd. As a girl, Sophie would have shriveled with embarrassment at the way she was behaving. As an old woman, she did not mind what she did or said. She found that a great relief.