In Which Ben Sullivan Finds Another World: Part II

A Howl’s Moving Castle Fanfic

Trigger warning: emotional manipulation

Ben stepped into the alley outside his apartment building and let the portal close behind him. It felt . . . strange to be back in Wales.

He had stayed in Ingary several weeks, practicing simple transportation spells into the market, the fields, and once, into the inn Justin had snuck away to. Justin had fallen off his chair in surprise, and Ben hadn’t been able to stop laughing for a full minute. Once Mrs. Pentstemmon was satisfied, she taught him the spell to other worlds and instructed him on how to find his own.

Ben had spent the day before giving his goodbyes to Justin, Mrs. Pentstemmon, her elderly butler, and several of the other servants he was friendly with. Today he performed the spell and was shocked to discover he had done it correctly on the first try.

He rounded the corner of the building and opened the door, then ran up the stairs and nearly crashed into Mrs. Davies, the owner’s wife, as she came down.

“Goodness!” She looked at him and arched an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re back. I was beginning to wonder if you’d left for good without bother to pay for the month or gather your things.”

Ben swallowed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean–that is, I would have come back sooner if I could–”

She held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t let it happen again.”

He nodded so hard it felt like his head would fall off. “Yes, ma’am.” He skirted past her and ran to his door, fumbling for the keys. He got the door unlocked and headed for the telephone to let his parents know he was alright, and wondered nervously how many messages he had . . .

Zero.

The light on the answering machine read zero, and something in his chest tightened.

He picked up the phone and dialed his parents' number.

“Hello?” his mother asked. “Who’s this?”

“Mam, it’s me, Ben.”

“Ben? Is something wrong?”

He clenched the phone tighter and felt cold all over. “N–no. Nothing’s wrong. I–I wanted to apologize for not calling in a while.”

“Oh, well, that’s alright. No need to panic over it.”

He swallowed. “I–I just didn’t want to worry you.”

“Of course not,” she said briskly. “And, actually, it’s a good thing you called today. I’ve been meaning to remind you that it’s not too late to transfer to another school, but the applications have to go out–”

“Mam! That’s not why I called. I’m not going back to school. I already told you.”

She sighed. “I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn about this. It’s just a few years. You can put up with that much, and Alys–”

He pulled the phone away from his ear and tried to breathe slowly to drown out her voice. he couldn’t do this.

Eventually he calmed down a bit, and he put the phone back to his ear. “Mam? I’m sorry, I have to go. Someone’s at the door. I’ll talk to you later. I–I love you.” He hung up, too afraid to hear her reply.

He leaned against the wall, taking a few more steadying breaths, then went back downstairs to check his mail and ask if anyone had come looking for him.

Nothing.

No one had even noticed he was gone.

He didn’t leave his apartment again that night, or the next morning. He had no doubt his job had been given to someone else, so where would he go?

Eventually hunger and lack of any good food except rice and stale crackers drove him out, and he found a small restaurant to eat at. He marveled at how lonely he could feel, though surrounded by people, then he stumbled home and slept.

He made up his mind the next day.

He settled the account for his apartment and informed the landlord that he would be gone in a couple days. Then he packed up some necessities, the clothes he thought most likely to fit in, and anything else he knew he would miss. He offered the rest to his grateful neighbors, and then, with great anxiety, he called his parents.

“I’ve found a job,” he told them. That wasn’t true, but he hoped it would be soon enough. “It’s a good job, but I’ll have to move away. Far away. And–and I probably won’t be able to call you often.”

“Really, Ben,” his mother sighed. “Why don’t you just go back to school, and then you won’t have to worry about moving so far away!”

“I’m not going back to school. I like this job. I want this job.”

“But what about Alys?”

A lump rose in his throat. “What about her? She broke up with me, remember?”

“Only because she was worried about you leaving school. If you’ll just–”

“No. I am moving. You can’t say anything to convince me otherwise.”

“So you’ll leave your friends then? Your family? All because you can’t stand a couple more years of school?”

He clenched his jaw, willing back tears. Did he have friends here? Maybe he was being rash, maybe he was judging too quickly, but not one person bothered to wonder where he was in the nearly two months he’d been gone. He couldn’t stand to stay.

“I’ll call,” he promised. He’d find some way to do that. And if he regretted his decision later on, well, he knew how to come home now. He could do it whenever he wanted. “Goodbye.”

He hung up, wiped away the couple tears that had slipped out, then performed the spell that would send him back to Ingary.

To his surprise, he landed right back in Mrs. Pentstemmon’s sitting room.

She looked up from her tea, startled. “Why Ben, are you alright?”

“Can I be your apprentice?” He felt rude ignoring her question, but he was sure if he tried to answer, he would start crying and he didn’t want that. “You’re–your actual apprentice?” Not just for a couple months? I–I know I’m not a good student, but I’ll work hard, and I’ll figure it out, and I can do whatever you need me to do if you’ll just let me stay here and–"

She held up her hand, and he broke off. “I would love to teach you, but are you quite certain? A true apprenticeship would take several years, and that would be quite the commitment. What about your family?”

He opened his mouth, though he had no answer, and quickly shut it again. A table sat beside him, and he grabbed it, leaning probably heavier than he should. “My family,” he tried again, thought the words came out choked, and he shut his mouth again, shaking his head.

Mrs. Pentstemmon’s face grew slightly softer, and she rang a bell sitting beside her. The butler came in, and she gestured to Ben’s bag. “That that back to his room.”

If the butler was surprised to see him, he didn’t show it, just nodded and smiled before taking the bag. Ben felt a sudden urge to hug them both, but felt they wouldn’t appreciate it.

“And you,” she continued, looking at Ben, “sit down. I’ll have the maids bring in another place setting.”

Justin showed up the next day, bursting into Ben’s room, once again without bothering to knock. “I thought you were leaving!” He grimaced sympathetically. “Did the spell not work?”

Ben sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Why are you here so early?”

“It’s not that early,” Justin protested, hopping onto the bed beside him. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“I did go, and then I came back.”

He didn’t want to explain further than that, but Justin wasn’t going to let it alone. “Why? I thought you wanted to go home.” Ben flinched, but didn’t answer, and Justin poked his arm.

“What did your brother do?” Ben asked finally, staring down at his quilt. “When you left the first time?”

“What?”

“When you argued and then left. Did he–was he upset?”

Justin snorted. “Uh, yeah. I left, but he thought I was just going for a walk. I did go for a walk, but then decided to stay the night at an inn. I woke up the next day and found guards searching for me everywhere.” Ben could feel the other boy’s eyes on him. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Nobody noticed I was gone.”

Justin shot up, indignant. “What?” But you were gone two months!"

Ben could only shrug, and Justin sat back, considering.

“Don’t–don’t get me wrong,” Justin began, “but have you ever left home before? Honestly, I don’t think my brother even notices I’m gone anymore, so maybe–” he broke off as Ben shook his head. “But what about your friends?”

Ben laughed bitterly. “What friends? My friends from school all went different directions and–” he shook his head. “I don’t remember how long it’s been since I talked to them. I was always so busy with school and spending time with Alys’s friends and I–I just didn’t notice.”

Justin frowned. “Who’s Alys?”

“My–not my girlfriend. We–we broke up recently. I don’t think her friends ever really liked me anyway. I just–I didn’t want to live there anymore. I’m happier here.” Ben picked at a loose thread on the blanket, not wanting to see the pity on his friend’s face.

“I’d notice,” Justin said quietly.

“What?”

“I’d notice if you were gone, and I’d look for you too.”

Ben looked up and saw a small smile creeping across Justin’s face. “And I’d send guards out to look too, and when we found you, I’d hold a parade with you at the center.” Ben shuddered at the thought, and Justin’s smile grew triumphant. “So don’t get any ideas about disappearing. At least, not without telling me first.”

Ben narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare throw a parade like that, because if you did, I’d turn you into a frog, and you’d have to find a princess to kiss you and turn you back.”

Justin wrinkled his nose, and the two boys continued exchanging threats until the butler came to usher them to breakfast.

The End

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