Howl's Moving Castle - Chronology

Chronology

• Sixteen years before the story starts, Sophie and Lettie's mother dies while they are two and one years old, respectively. Their father, Mr Hatter, marries a pretty blonde named Fanny, who gives birth to Martha.
• Howl writes a doctoral thesis on charms and spells in Wales; he also plays rugby for his university. Mrs Penstemmon takes him on as her last pupil. Wizard Suliman was her second-to-last pupil.
• Five years before the main story takes place, Howl catches Calcifer just after he has set up as Wizard Jenkins in Porthaven. He is twenty-two at the time.
• Three years before the main story takes place, Mrs Penstemmon retires.
• "The May Day before this story really starts": Sophie makes a rose outfit for Lettie.
• Following the Witch of the Waste's threats against Princess Valeria, the King sends Wizard Suliman to the Waste. Wizard Suliman starts to make flowers grow on the edge of the Waste in an attempt to weaken the Witch. The Witch catches him and he disappears.
• In winter, Howl buys Wizard Suliman's skull and guitar from the Witch of the Waste.
• At some point in the year before the story starts, Howl escapes the Witch of the Waste who sends a curse after him.
• Howl's moving castle appears on the hills near Market Chipping.
• Mr Hatter dies, leaving debts. After the funeral, the three girls leave school and the two youngest become apprentices: Martha to Mrs Fairfax, a witch living in Upper Folding, Lettie at Cesari's, a well-known bakery; 2 weeks later they switch. Sophie becomes Fanny's apprentice in the hat shop. Sophie spends a day in the work shed and one day visiting the clothier and silk merchant before being assigned to trimming hats due to her obvious knack for it.
• A couple of months before May Day, Prince Justin, the King's brother, leaves the palace to look for his friend Wizard Suliman. Thanks to finding spells pointing to the scarecrow and the skull, he comes to Market Chipping in disguise, then goes to Upper Folding and to Howl's castle. Then he is captured by the Witch of the Waste (probably as he was checking Wizard Suliman's flowers at the edge of the Waste) and decapitated. The Witch makes up a body out of parts of Suliman and Justin—she just needs Howl's head to make it perfect to rule Ingary with her. She uses the other body parts to make Gaston/Percival.
• Weeks pass by and spring is coming on. In April, the hat shop becomes so busy that Sophie has to work in the shop during the day and trim hats in the evening.
• A week before May Day, a customer announces that Jane Farrier has run off with the Count of Catterack who was sent by the King to look for Prince Justin. * Around this time, Howl also looks for Prince Justin, which is how he gets to meet Lettie in Upper Folding.
• On May Day (1 May), Sophie attracts a young man (Howl) on Market Square, but she dodges his advances and hurries away to see "Lettie" at Cesari's, subsequently discovering that Lettie and Martha have switched places. The castle shoots fireworks for Michael's 15th birthday.
• The following week, Sophie has some thinking time as Bessy, the shop assistant, has left to get married.
• Three days after May Day, Sophie asks Fanny for a wage. But Fanny does not mention a wage again either that evening or at any time later that week.
• (Approximately May 8) Alone in the shop, Sophie has an argument with a customer, who happens to be the Witch of the Waste. Then the Witch of the Waste, believing Sophie to be Lettie (who she is jealous of because Howl at the current time was infatuated with her) and trying to get information out of Gaston/Percival about Wales, casts a spell on Sophie. Sophie, who now looks like a 90-year-old woman, leaves the hat shop and heads for the hills. She talks life into a scarecrow. She frees a dog from a hedge whilst having lunch. (The dog-man runs off to Upper Folding, following Prince Justin's memory of Lettie.) Sophie walks until the sun is quite low, then sits on a stone, exhausted. The sun goes down and soon the night comes down. Sophie enters Howl's moving castle and meets Michael. She falls asleep. She wakes up in the middle of the night and meets Calcifer. They strike a bargain that should take Sophie about a month to resolve.
• (May 9 ) The next day, while Sophie is cooking breakfast on Calcifer, Howl comes back and meets Sophie as his new cleaning lady. Sophie starts cleaning the main room of the castle. After spending time in the bathroom, Howl goes out on the hills again (he goes to Upper Folding to court Lettie). He comes back late at night.
• (May 10-13th approximately) "In the days that followed, Sophie cleaned her way remorselessly through the castle.(...) Cleaning the bathroom took her days."
• (May 14-17th approximately) It is raining in Porthaven when Sophie attempts to tidy up the yard for the first time, so she whitewashes the walls and ceilings instead. It rains for 2 more days. Then, as it drizzles, Sophie attempts to clean Howl's bedroom and the yard but he does not let her do either, so she starts mending clothes.
• (May 17-20th approximately) "Howl did not go out that day, nor for the next few days." (He is ignoring Lettie to see if it will make her keener.) He prepares a transport spell for the King.
• (May 20) The following morning, Howl spends only an hour in the bathroom. Michael takes the spell to the Palace. Sophie starts mending the grey and scarlet suit. Howl goes for a walk on the hills (he is going to see Lettie and ask her about Sophie). Sophie opens the door black knob down (Michael's practice spell is replaced by Howl's nephew's homework). Michael comes back from his errand and tells Sophie about vociferous aunts. Howl comes back and goes into the bathroom. Sophie cooks lunch. Howl emerges from the bathroom, furious with Sophie because his hair is now pink and he blames her cleaning as the cause. He covers himself and the room with green slime. It takes an hour to wash the slime off him and another hour to convince him into dry clothes (the grey and scarlet suit Sophie has darned). Howl confesses he loves Lettie Hatter (he is teasing Sophie). Sophie, who thinks he means Martha, cannot go and warn her sister in the evening because of aches and pains.
• (May 21) Next morning, Howl goes to the Palace. Michael goes to Cesari's. The scarecrow prevents Sophie from leaving the castle. She asks Calcifer to move the castle faster. Michael comes back for supper, reassured that his Lettie (Martha) loves him. Howl comes back. He talks of moving the castle and asks Sophie to blacken his name to the King.
• (May 22) Next morning, Calcifer has recovered. Howl chases the scarecrow away. Sophie's fear of the scarecrow and her increased age causes her heart problems. Howl (unbeknownst to Sophie) combines his and Calcifer's powers to try to remove the curse on Sophie, but only succeeds in reducing her heart problems. Then he goes to Upper Folding (for the last time) to ask Lettie more questions about Sophie, soon followed by Sophie and Michael in seven-league boots. Lettie looks like herself (Mrs Fairfax is aware of the switch) and is trying to find out how Howl knows Sophie and what has happened to her (Fanny sent her a letter about Sophie's disappearance). Sophie and Michael return to the castle. Michael works on his spell while Sophie mends her stockings and cuts up Howl's blue suit. Sophie helps Michael with his spell for the rest of the day. After supper, they try to catch a shooting star in the Marshes. (We know the action takes place in May as Michael says it is not a good month to catch shooting stars.)
• Around this time, Michael (thanks to Martha) and even Calcifer tell Howl Sophie is under a spell, confirming Lettie's story.
• (May 23) The next day, Howl goes to the Palace. Michael goes to Cesari's. Sophie starts mending the blue suit. She sells a cayenne spell to the Count of Catterack. Michael comes back towards the end of the afternoon. Howl comes back with new clothes for Sophie. The King has asked him to look for Prince Justin, so Howl wants Sophie to blacken his name. Michael seeks help about his practice spell. Howl takes Michael and Sophie to his "private bolt hole" (Wales) to look for a book with the whole Song. As his sister Megan has sold Howl's books and Howl's nephew Neil gave the spell to his teacher, Miss Angorian, they go to the teacher's. Howl invites Miss Angorian for supper. As Miss Angorian reads the next verse of the Song, Howl and Calcifer feel the curse of the Witch of the Waste has caught up with them.
• (May 24) The next day, in the afternoon, Sophie, pretending to be Howl's mother, visits Mrs Penstemmon (86) (Howl wanted Mrs Penstemmon to lift Sophie's spell) and attempts to blacken Howl's name to the King. She meets the Witch of the Waste, who tells her about Wales.
• (May 25) Next morning, Howl goes to Wales early and comes back with a cold in the middle of the morning. Howl goes to bed, disrupting Michael's study. They have bacon sandwiches for lunch, then Michael goes to Market Chipping. The dog-man arrives: he was sent by Lettie, who has realised Sophie is under a curse and worries about her falling for Howl. Sophie goes to Howl's bedroom and sees Wales through the window. Michael comes back and tells Howl about the hat shop that is up for sale in Market Chipping (Martha told him about it). He takes the dog for a run that night.
• (May 26) The following day, Howl goes to Market Chipping and takes the hat shop. When he comes back to the castle, he goes to bed and disrupts Michael's study again. He gives the grey and scarlet suit to Sophie to clean ready for Mrs Penstemmon's funeral: she hacks it into 7 pieces. Sophie finishes mending the blue suit and Michael enlarges it. Sophie takes the blue suit to Howl's bedroom: the sun is low on Megan's garden.
• (May 27) Next morning, Michael takes the dog for a run. He and Sophie have breakfast. Howl appears in a gigantic blue suit. He gets the 7 pieces of grey and scarlet suit off Sophie. Then he spends 2 hours in the bathroom and comes out all dressed in black for Mrs Penstemmon's funeral. He will disguise himself as a red setter. Several hours pass. At lunchtime, a magic battle explodes between Howl and the Witch in Porthaven: they hear the mermaids singing (one of 3 things that need to happen for the Witch's curse to be fulfilled). Howl escapes and they all have lunch. As the witch knows about the Porthaven entrance, Howl decides to move Calcifer to the hat shop in Market Chipping. The move is accomplished in the evening. Howl goes to bed.
• (May 28) The next morning, Howl goes to Wales early. After breakfast, he guides Sophie to the shop and the field of flowers.
• (May 29) The next day they open the flower shop.
• They develop a routine: they pick flowers early in the morning (while Howl is in Wales courting Miss Angorian before school starts), then open the shop. Sophie starts experimenting. She makes sure to spend at least an hour with Calcifer. Business builds up towards Midsummer Day. Howl still wears black as he mourns Mrs Penstemmon.
• (June 19) One of the roots (mandrake) Sophie has planted sprouts 2 green leaves.
• (June 20) The next day, Midsummer Eve, the mandrake root has produced an offspring, essentially "getting with child" (the second of 3 things that need to happen for the Witch's curse to be fulfilled). The scarecrow reappears, in Market Chipping this time. Howl leaves (to Market Chipping, not Wales). Michael goes to Cesari's. The dog turns into a man then changes into a different dog. Miss Angorian enters the castle and touches the guitar. Sophie shouts to her flowers: "Be daffodils in June!" Howl finds her in the shop at the end of the afternoon. He lifts the dog-man's spell. In the evening, he uses Sophie to get information out of Percival (in particular, the fact that Sophie loves Howl) while she vents her frustration with weed-killer. The scarecrow appears again, near the mansion. Howl spends 2 hours in the bathroom, then goes to Wales for a Rugby Club Reunion.
• Midsummer Day (June 21): Howl is 10,000 days old (139 days after his 27th birthday, which places his birthday on 2 February) and must go back to the Witch of the Waste once the curse has been fulfilled. He comes back from Wales at dawn, drunk (to forget about his fear of the Witch). Whilst he sleeps it off, Sophie, Michael and Percival pick some flowers and make Midsummer garlands, then open the shop. At midday, as Sophie prepares to leave, Fanny enters the castle and recognises her. Then Michael brings Martha, and Lettie and Mrs Fairfax appear. (Howl has arranged for Sophie's family to visit to keep her out of harm's way.) Miss Angorian enters the castle too but shortly leaves to have a look at the flowers. Howl fights the Witch of the Waste in Wales as everyone observes from his bedroom window. Leaving him to it, Michael suggests visiting the mansion. But the scarecrow enters the castle from the field of flowers. He fuses with the skull (Wizard Suliman's). Sophie goes to the Witch of the Waste's castle in seven-league boots in an attempt to save Miss Angorian (because she thinks Howl loves Miss Angorian). The scarecrow hops to the castle in the Waste too and battles with the Witch. Howl, unshaven, gets rid of the Witch and takes Sophie back to his castle. To do so, he raises a wind and he is honest about his behaviour: this is the third of three things that need to happen for the Witch's curse to be fulfilled. Miss Angorian—who is in fact the Witch's fire demon and who has been hiding in the guitar—seizes Howl's heart in an attempt to control him. Sophie fights the fire demon off and frees Calcifer, who lifts her spell. She saves Howl by talking life back into his heart and pushing it back into his chest. Howl gets rid of the fire demon and restores Justin and Suliman to their normal shape. Suliman asks Lettie to become his pupil (if not more). Sophie realises that Howl loves her. They agree to live happily ever after together. Calcifer comes back, happy to stay as long as he can come and go.