Memorable Echoes of the Heart.
By ryokofan21
Disclaimer: All characters you are about to read about were created by Craig Bartlett. This story is purely fan made. I do not own Hey Arnold.
A bit of background on this story:
First off, this story introduces three new characters and I will introduce them properly when they make their first appearances. Okay, this story takes place 26 years after the events of my first story. In that time a lot has happened. Phil was taken by the family curse just like he said he would in 2007 at the age of ninety-one, Gertie joined him three years later. She lived long enough to see her grandson get married. Arnold and Helga both graduated from College in 2009, and were promptly married a year later. When Arnold's grandmother died, she left the house and all her possessions to her family. Miles and Stella decided it was best that Arnold and Helga get the house and the two of them retired to their home in San Lorenzo. And as for Arnold and Helga…well now that's what this story is about isn't it.
Chapter 1
The Dark Spot on an Enduring Heart
There are few constants in this world. Constants that affect everything and everyone. They are inescapable, unavoidable, and always around us. There are three that are prevalent above all else. Each one affected by the other two.
The first is Time. The ongoing force that slowly erodes the mountains, erasing monuments to our past, continual, and yet we barely acknowledge it or give it a second thought. Aging our world day by day, our home growing ever more fragile as we grow stronger and progress marches on. In the grand scheme of things, we haven't been here long. And only time will tell how long we will continue to be here.
The second is Change. The very fundamental factor of Nature. Expanding the canyons and gorges, raising the mountains only to have them brought down by time and the elements. Change in the creatures that inhabit the planet and to ourselves. Our world is not the same as it was in its younger days. It was much more jagged and rough long ago then it is now. The land that was once together, has drifted apart. Oceans spanning between them, creating vast distances amongst the people. Volcanoes erupt with all their might, spewing lava, ash, and smoke into the air. At the same time choking the air, and cleansing the world through natural fire. Making way for new life and new beings to occupy the world. Time and Change have seen us grow from the primeval forms, to the foundations of civilization, up to the vast and ever expanding cities that we have built in our short time on this planet.
The last and most prevailing constant…is Darkness, eternal, ever present, and inevitable. The very root of the existence of the universe. Something we all try to ignore but it always makes its way into our minds, bringing out our most painful memories. Of all the constants, this one is the most relative to our story.
Our main man encounters this darkness almost on a nightly basis, in the form of a recurring nightmare. Causing a restless dreamer to stir in his sleep. No matter how many times he has the same nightmare; it's always alien to him. He never remembers how it begins, but he always remembers it at the same point. He finds himself among a dry and barren land. The ground beneath his feet is dry and parched, like that of a desert that hasn't seen rain in some time. What little vegetation is there, is much like the ground. Dry and dead. Only three trees are immediately visible to him. Two are close by to him; the last is far off in the distance. The one tree that is closest to him is just like the environment around. Dead, no leaves, no sign of life. Slowly he walks up to it to find that the exterior is black and powdery, just like charcoal. This tree has been burned, but no sign of fire anywhere else. The sky above him is extremely cloudy, casting an intense grey shadow upon the land. Absolutely no color or sunlight is in sight anywhere.
He takes notice of the second tree and walks over to it. This one, like the first, is dead. But this one has been broken at the center of the trunk. The break is not clean, just the opposite. It looks like something very large with a lot of force has broken this tree. Again, he reaches up to touch the bark. But before he makes contact, a loud clap of thunder roars in the clouds above him. Along with the sound of thunder in the world around him, there is a storm building in his mind as well. Normally that sound of thunder would have just surprised him. But this time the thunder flashes a bright light in his mind sending a shock of pain throughout his body. Grasping his head in his hands he falls to his knees on the parched ground. This pain is like shards of glass in his head, thorns in his sides, and the pulse of electricity up his spine. Flashes again go off in his mind; again another clap of thunder sends him reeling in pain to the ground as he falls to his elbows and knees. This sudden feeling of pain has left him keeled over as he catches his breath. Once more, the loudest clap of thunder sends the greatest feeling of pain throughout his body; the pain is even stronger than the sound of the thunder. As the thunder rolls away, the pain subsides, allowing him to evaluate the situation. Unbeknownst to him however, things are only going to get worse.
He props himself up with his hands as the last of the pain fades away. Slowly he starts to wonder why the sound of thunder causes him such pain. Just as he catches his breath, lightning slowly starts to strike the ground around him. Again, he keels over in pain as he grasps his head and almost forcefully hits the ground with his forehead. Each bolt of lightning on the ground, another one strikes in his minds. Each strike causes flashes of incomplete memories in his head. Glimpses of his past, views of events he is all too familiar with. But he knows where this will lead, knowledge of that causes tears to well up in his eyes.
The first memory is one that he often retreats to whenever he's alone. It fades in from the darkness in his mind; the image is muddled but he knows full well what it is. The sounds are very clear to him. Sounds of a woman moaning and groaning in pure sexual ecstasy. On their bed for the evening, she is joined at the hip by this man. Her white dress and his black suit draped over a nearby chair. Finally the long awaited day had arrived. The day when two lovers would forever be joined together. The day when the woman was no longer a girlfriend or fiancée, but has instead become a wife. Though the man is doubled over in pain, he can still clearly feel her soft and incredibly hot skin on his fingertips. He can still feel her breath on the base of his neck. The ghostly feeling of her fingers on his bare back can still be felt on top of his incredible pain. Her breathing gets faster and faster, her heart races, matching the beat of her husband. His pace quickens, again her breathing, heart rate, and moaning gets faster and faster. She digs her fingernails into his back as she can't hold it in anymore. Her soft and seductive moans turn into an unfiltered and unchained scream of intense pleasure as they both cease to be two individuals, and become one body and soul as they climax together. The moment that both of them have so patiently waited for, has been worth it. The man collapses onto his wife as she embraces him in her usual loving manner. Gently she runs her fingers through his hair as he caresses her incredibly sensitive body. They share another powerful and sensual kiss, just one of many kisses they will share as husband and wife. The marriage consummated, this memory fades back into the darkness.
The man slowly opens his eyes to see the ground below him. He only catches a brief glimpse of it before another bolt of lightning blinds him. This same bolt brings another memory to the forefront of his mind. Again its fades into light from the darkness.
This time the memory is much clearer. Again the same woman is screaming, but its screams of pain. But it's not a completely painful situation. It's a hospital room, the man and woman are accompanied by a doctor and a few nurses. The computerized rhythmic beeping of heart monitors can be heard in the background. Her screams get louder and closer together as time goes by as her pain increases as well. The man tries his best to help her, but she is adamant for him to leave her alone. Though he is persistent, all he can do is hold her hand and support her for the next few minutes. He has always known how strong she is, but today her pain has increased her strength tenfold. She's almost breaking his hand, but he knows that it will be over soon. Though she may be in pain, it's a rather joyous occasion. One final time she grips his hand with all her strength and then some. One final scream of pain, and a push on her part, and then the room goes silent. The only sounds that can be heard is the sound of an exhausted woman breathing heavily as she slowly recovers her strength, and also…the cries of a new life that has been brought into the world. Both the man and woman smile with unrestrained joy as they have just become brand new parents. At that moment the two of them couldn't have been any happier. Their first child has been born. The woman takes her newborn baby in her arms as she pulls her husband in and kisses him, thanking him for supporting her. Both of them gaze at their newborn, they can't wait to watch their child grow up. This is one of the most joyous occasions in their life. The happy couple have now become a happy family. Like the first memory, this memory fades back into the darkness as well.
Again the man opens his eyes to the ground beneath him, lightning is still striking the ground all around him, but he knows what he is about to see. He has this same dream time and time again. He begs for mercy, to avoid the pain that he is about to encounter.
"No, please. I can't take it, don't make me relive that."
This pain is much worse than anything he has just felt. The physical pain in his back and sides dissipates, and the glass shards in his head now spread to his heart. He feels not only this intense physical pain, but the worst kind of pain imaginable as well, pain of the heart.
"Please, not that again."
Again the man begs for some relief, even if it is only temporary. Because he knows what is next, tears are streaming down his face. Finally, the expected lightning strike hits the ground just a few feet in front of him, blinding him once more. For the final time, all he sees is darkness.
Off in the distance there is a bright light, some vague sounds can be heard as well. The light grows brighter, the sounds become clearer. He finds himself in another hospital, specifically the emergency room. Nurses and doctors are shuffling about tending to the wounded and sick. Unlike the first two, he is watching this one as if he is an outsider. He watches as his past self bursts through the doors, soaking wet from the thunderstorm that had been pouring down since early that afternoon. He feels an immense feeling of pain as he watches himself go from nurse to nurse trying to find someone, someone very dear to him. But no one has any answers. The place has a distinct smell of blood and floor wax. Since he is watching himself, he can clearly hear his own thoughts as he moves through the emergency room.
*Please let her be okay.*
He watches as his past self grabs a nearby doctor, "Where is she? Is she okay?"
Again the doctor has no answers. Just as he burst through another set of doors, a bright white light envelopes him as he returns to the dead land around him. The lightning and thunder has since stopped, but the pain he feels in his heart and head has lingered and grown worse. It threatens to consume him. His tears fall to the ground as he can't take it anymore. Again, more thunder starts to slowly build around him. All he finds himself able to do is one thing. To the emptiness of the dead wasteland around him he screams only one word as another clap of thunder rolls over him.
"HELGA!"
Bzzzt…Bzzzt…Bzzzt.
"Huh."
The sound of his alarm and the sudden end of his dream startle him as he suddenly sat up in his bed. Shaking off the last remnants of his sleep he slammed down his hand on the snooze button of the alarm clock on his nightstand. Still sitting up he rests his arms on his knees, his thoughts turn to the nightmare he just woke up from. Much like certain dreams from his youth, this one has become an all too familiar and unwelcome nightly occurrence. So clearly he can still see the dry and dead ground beneath him that he can't help but stare at his hands for a minute. Taking a deep breath he shuts his eyes to recover his bearings. His room once again silent he takes in the sights of the master bedroom.
The once beige carpet has since darkened over time, and now it has a few shades of grey mixed in the fibers. The dark brown bead board on the walls has aged as well, from its initial and very noticeable shade of brown to an even darker tone. The doorway is directly ahead of him in the center of the wall. The ceiling fan just above him is dead still, an unnecessary item for this time of year. He turns his head to gaze out of the window to his right. The sky is cloudy and the air looks physically cold. As he moves to get out of bed he sets his feet down on the rug by his bedside. Though he has a rug on top of a carpeted floor, it is still incredibly cold to the touch as it sends a chill up his spine. There on the edge of his bed, he looks out the window once more. The snow is starting to fall, traffic is slow, and there aren't many people on the streets.
Arnold Pataki, now 44 years old looks over at his clock. He may be in his forties, but Arnold's hair is still that same lustrous gold it's always been. The big difference, are his eyes. There are dark bags under them; he hasn't slept well over the last few years of his life. Other than that he is still as physically fit as he's always been. Much like himself, Arnold has traded the potato powered alarm clock for a more grown up one, its black rectangle with an illuminated background that displays the time, date, and day of the week. Arnold grows incredibly sad at the digital readout on his clock.
Sunday, November 3, 2031 9:00 A.M.
Seeing this, he has only one thought on his mind.
*It'll be ten years tomorrow.*
As soon as he thinks that he turns. Slowly he sees the rest of his room. The door to the bathroom is cracked open, the lights are off but he can see the morning light reflecting in the mirror. Finally his gaze brings him to the spot next to him on the bed. The covers on the other half of the bed are still nicely made, the pillow is untouched. He reaches over to touch the empty sheets; they're just as cold as his rug on the floor. He leans back up and can't help but feel incredibly sad looking at the empty space on his bed. He turns back to face the window when he suddenly realizes that something else is missing. Very quickly he reaches his hand around the base of his neck.
"Where is it?"
Arnold quickly turned and yanked off the covers looking for something. It's something very important to him. He looks everywhere under the covers, rips off the sheets, even under the mattress. Suddenly as he passed his hand under his pillow, he stops. His grasp is tightly secured around what he has lost. Slowly he pulls his hand out and opens it. There in the palm of his hand, with the chain hanging down, is a necklace. But this is not just any necklace. This necklace is a gold chain, with a gold heart charm. Its got red, white, and pink diamonds embedded in it. On the back is an inscription, it reads, 'Yours Eternally'. He stares solemnly at the necklace for a minute; it brings him to the verge of tears. Taking a deep breath he places the necklace back around his neck, securing it so it won't fall off again. Taking the gold heart between his fingers he turns back to his nightstand. Behind the alarm clock is a single picture. It's of a newly married couple, one of the two happiest days of his life. Much like the necklace, this picture nearly brings him to tears. Suddenly, his concentration is broken by someone calling up to him.
"Dad, come on down Dad breakfast is ready."
"I'll be right there."
Sluggishly Arnold gets up off the bed to properly begin his day. He quickly throws on a t-shirt and pair of shorts. Just as he reaches the door he grabs his bath robe off of the hook just to the side of the door. As he puts it on he notices something that has been there for a long time. Just under where his robe was, is a little blue hat. But what he really notices at the base of the hook is tied a little pink bow. Again another onset of incredible sadness overtakes him. He reaches up and takes it between his fingers. The fabric is surprisingly warm, but nevertheless it still saddens him. Just as he leaves his room he says one thing in a very hushed tone.
"I love you baby."
Arnold shuts the door and makes his way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. The house hasn't changed one bit over the years. The halls of the old boarding house that were once bustling with activity have since become all but silent. All of the old boarders that once lived here when he was a kid have either passed on or moved on. Of course throughout the years they would have plenty of boarders, none of them would stay very long with the exception of a few. The smell of something good cooking grows stronger the closer he gets to the kitchen. Walking through the doorway he finds only one person in the room. Still dressed in pajamas and busy at the stove is Arnold's only child. Out of the corner of her eye she sees her Father walk in.
"Morning Dad."
"Morning Helen." Arnold said with a yawn as he kisses his daughter on the head.
Helen Josephine Pataki. Born on September 26, 2015, at 12:15 in the afternoon. At 16 years old, she is Arnold and Helga's only child, and a sophomore at P.H.S. 209. The same school her parents went to. Just like her Mother, Helen has stark blond hair and sapphire blue eyes. She has only the best traits from both of her parents. She has Helga's natural physical strength, athletic ability, and womanly grace. And just like Helga, she is largely regarded as a tomboy, but she can be very feminine when she needs to be. She has Arnold's gentle and friendly disposition. Liked by all, and loved by one other than her family. Standing at 5' 10" she comes up to her Father's shoulder. And just like Helga, Helen is incredibly fit. In fact the only difference between she and Helga is that her face is slightly more slender than Helga's. Other than that she is a spitting image of her Mother. And just like her mother, she always wears her hair in a ponytail. Helen's middle name comes from Helga's paternal grandfather. Her first name was mutually decided on by Arnold and Helga. They thought it was perfect for the little light of their life. The only bad habit she received was from Helga. On the extremely rare occasion, Helen can have Helga's temper. But in her entire life, it has only happened twice. The first was the show and tell incident in the second grade, and the other was when she got in a fight in the sixth grade which resulted in a long talk with Arnold. Other than the rare occurrence when Helen's temper would flare up, she is liked by everybody. She does well in school and plays for the school baseball team. She has a calm life in the boarding house, but this time of year always brings back the worst memories for both her and Arnold alike.
"What's for breakfast kiddo?"
"Eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, and toast."
"Wow, you've been busy."
"Yeah, I just felt like getting up early this morning."
Helen fixes a plate for herself after she loads up her Father and they both sit down at the table.
"So you got any plans today?"
"Not really, I think Lily and I were just planning to hang out today."
"What about Tommy? Isn't he usually with you two as well?"
"Yeah but his Dad's been harping on him about his grades. It's not that he's dumb or anything he just has a problem studying."
"I know Helen. He's a good kid. How long have you known him now?"
"I've known him since preschool Dad."
"Preschool, wow so he's one of your oldest friends isn't he."
"Yeah he is."
"How's he doing?"
"He's doing good; he just needs some help in school."
"Is he still on the basketball team?"
"Yeah, they've been doing pretty good this season. It looks like we might go all the way to the finals this year."
"That sounds great."
"Yeah it is. Winning the championship would be a really big triumph for us."
"Well I hope you guys win it all."
"Me too Dad, but Tommy might not play in the upcoming game."
"Because of his grades?"
"Yeah, his Dad has really been hard on him lately."
"Well I hope things turn around for him. He's a good kid."
"Yeah he is a good guy Dad, and a really good friend."
A few minutes go by while the two of them eat.
"Listen I know you want to hang out with your friends today, but I was wondering if you could help me clean up the attic before you go."
"Sure Dad, when?"
"The sooner we get started the sooner we can finish."
"Sounds good Dad, I'll go change soon as I finish eating."
"I appreciate it Helen."
Again neither of them say anything as they continue eating. Helen finishes just before Arnold as she gets up and takes her plate to the sink. Just as she walks away from the counter she turns to her father.
"I'll go get dressed and meet you in the attic."
"Alright Helen, thanks for breakfast honey."
Helen walks over and hugs her Father's neck.
"You're welcome Dad."
"I'll be up shortly."
Arnold finishes his food alone in the kitchen and places his dishes in the sink as well. As he turns he notices all of the pictures of his family on the far wall. It's no longer pictures of just Arnold's family, but many pictures of his in-laws as well. Pictures of both his and Helga's parents with their newborn grandbaby. Both sets of new Grandparents can't contain their joy as they hold the little bundle of joy that is Helen. But the one that makes Arnold smile the most, is another picture of he and his wife on their wedding day. It's a picture of Helga wrapped in Arnold's arms as they share a kiss on a balcony at their reception. He walks over and takes this picture off the wall and slightly laughs at it.
"That day was amazing."
Arnold places the picture back on the wall and repeats the same hushed phrase he said when he woke up.
"I love you baby."
He looks at the picture one final time before he walks back upstairs to dress appropriately for the work ahead of him. Helen is busy getting things ready when Arnold arrives to get started.
"You ready?"
"Sure Dad."
And with a crack of his knuckles, Arnold and Helen begin to diligently clean up the attic. Like most families, they've accumulated mounds and mounds of stuff. Memorabilia from many, many years of traveling and life in general. Father and Daughter had been working for nearly two hours when Helen suddenly notices an incredibly dusty box. She can see that there is some writing on it, but it's obscured by the dust.
*What's this?*
Slowly she reaches up and wipes away the dust. Once the writing is clear, Helen becomes overcome with sadness as she reads the writing.
"Dad." Helen said as she turned to her Father.
"Hmm." Arnold turns to see what she wants.
He looks at her, and then his attention is drawn to the box. In big black writing is clearly written, 'Helga's Stuff'. Arnold looks at his daughter and he is overcome with that same sense of sadness that she feels. He stopped was he was currently doing and grabs an old milk crate. All he can do is let out a sigh as he knows nothing else will get done today. But he's okay with that.
"Alright, bring it over." Arnold said as he sat down on the crate.
Helen grabs the box and slides it over to Arnold. The box in question is a normal size cardboard box, but of all the boxes in their attic, this one is the most important one. Arnold opens the box as Helen sits down right next to it. Very carefully they both start going through the items that are inside. First come Helga's degrees from Wellington College, then pictures of her roommates in college. Then come the pictures of Arnold and Helga when they visited each other during college. Some are of them at Wellington; others are of them in San Lorenzo. Helen then removes a picture from the box and can't help but laugh.
"What's with the suit Dad?"
She hands her Father the picture and he is surprised to see it.
"That's the suit I wore to our senior prom. I thought I looked pretty good in it." Arnold said laughing as well.
He hands it back to Helen, and her tone of voice changes.
"Mom looks very pretty in that dress."
"Yeah she does, she was absolutely beautiful that night."
"Of course she was always beautiful, but that night was something special."
"Did you guys have fun?"
"We had a blast; you know your Mother and I were crowned the Prom King and Queen."
"Really?"
"You bet little lady. Mom was so excited she almost knocked me over when she heard our names announced." Arnold said laughing.
Silence falls upon them once again as they continue to look through the pictures in the box. The further down they go, the farther back in time the pictures went. Finally Helen pulls out a picture she's never seen before.
"Is this in San Lorenzo Dad?"
Helen hands her father the picture and Arnold has a smile on his face from ear to ear.
"Yep, this is at your Grandma and Grandpa's house in the jungle."
The picture is the two of them sitting on the top step of Miles and Stella's home in San Lorenzo.
"This was our first trip to San Lorenzo as a couple."
"You two look very happy together."
"We were, we were absolutely made for each other Helen. Mom was my soul mate."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"When did you realize that Dad?"
"It was our freshman year in high school; I just couldn't get her out of my head."
"And when I finally told her, she gave the love back to me. That was one of the happiest days of my life."
Arnold sets the picture aside and continues to look through the box. He sees Helen pull out a book.
"What's this?"
Helen flips through pages and reads the contents. Each turn of a page leaves her laughing slightly more than before.
"What is this Dad?"
"Let me see it."
Arnold receives the book from his Daughter and flips through its pages. He suddenly realizes what he's holding.
"Do you know what this is Helen?"
"No."
"This, is one of Mom's poetry books. One of her many books solely dedicated to me."
"To you?"
"Yeah, I don't know if she ever told you this, but Mom was head over heels in love with me since the day we first met."
"Really, I never heard that before. When did you two first meet?"
"We were in preschool when we first met."
"Wow."
"Wow is right. Her entire life she had feelings for only one person...and that was me."
"It really sounds like you two were meant for each other."
"We were, your Mother was the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on."
Arnold sets aside the book with the earlier picture and is dumbfounded by what Helen pulls out next.
"Hey this is kinda cool."
In her hands is an old black wool cap.
"I can't believe she kept that."
"What is it Dad?"
"That is the cap your Mother wore when she grew out of her pink bow."
"She wore that thing every day, even in the middle of the hottest summers."
"The summer, really?"
"Yup, and she always looked great in it. No matter what the weather was she was always wearing it, with a few exceptions of course."
"Like what?"
"Oh days like Valentine's Day, or our Anniversary, or the prom."
"Wow, this was Moms."
"Can I keep it Dad?"
"Sure Helen, she would want you to have it."
Arnold looks back into the box and is frozen in place. Slowly he pulls out another picture. This picture is both incredibly beautiful and sad at the same time.
"What's wrong Dad?"
Arnold shows her the picture and Helen understands immediately.
"Oh, that day."
"Yeah."
In his hands is a picture that was taken at Helga's parent's house on her final Mother's day. In it is Arnold, Helga, and a five year old Helen is being held by her loving parents. Helen breaks the silence.
"You know, I'm starting to have trouble remembering what she was like."
"She was…the most amazing woman I've ever known. The day you were born she almost changed completely."
"How so?"
"Well, when we were younger, your Mom would constantly bully me. She always called me names and made fun of me. I mean it was nonstop with her. But when I fell in love with her, none of that mattered."
"How did she change?"
"When you were born, her motherly instincts and behavior took over. She was always looking after you. She was terrified if you weren't in her immediate field of vision."
"Of course it didn't help that you were and still are a very active child. You were always climbing on the furniture, hiding in the laundry baskets, and somehow making your way down to the basement." Arnold said laughing.
"Dad."
"Sorry kiddo." He said knowing he embarrassed her.
"I had always known that Helga would be a wonderful Mother, but when you came along…she even surprised me."
"Really."
"Yeah."
Arnold's tone of voice changes from happily remembering the old days, to a more serious one.
"Helen, you must remember that your Mother loved you with all her heart and soul. She would have done anything for you, and so will I."
"I know Dad, but I only have a few clear memories of her."
"Well then you need to hang on to those memories."
"I'll try Dad."
"Remember Helen, she loved you with all her heart."
"I know."
"Hey Dad."
"Yes Helen?"
"Can I take some of this stuff?"
"Sure baby, you take whatever you want."
"Thanks."
Arnold turns his attention back to the picture of Helga's final Mother's Day.
"I think were done for the day sweetheart."
"You sure Dad?"
"Yeah, you go on and enjoy the rest of your day."
"Okay, do you mind if I just take the box?"
"Not at all, like I said, you take whatever you want."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I think I'm just gonna reminisce a little more up here." Arnold said as he looks up at her.
"Go and enjoy yourself."
Helen gets up and walks over to hug her Father.
"Thanks Dad, I love you."
"You're welcome sweetie, I love you too."
Helen picks up the box and starts down the attic steps.
"I'm gonna go call Lily, bye Dad."
"See you later Helen."
Arnold said still looking at the picture in his hand. Alone once again, Arnold's mind takes him back to that warm May Sunday. He goes back once again…to Helga's final Mother's Day.
