**Hello Everyone. I am new here to , and want to say I'm glad to be here. First I would like to tell you all that this is my first Hey Arnold fan fiction, I'm not the best writer in the world and I am not trying to be. If you have constructive criticism please put it in the review, because I would love to read them. Second as if you already didn't point out from the title yes this story is a replica of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" Hopefully to you all I remained faithful to not only Charles Dickens but Craig Bartlett as well. :)**
Disclaimer: I do not own any dialogue, or characters. This story was only written for the pure enjoyment of others and hopes it will bring you into the Christmas Spirit.
A Pataki Christmas Carol.
Chapter 1:
"Alright! Alright! As much as you all don't want to be here tonight, we are on a serious deadline! Christmas is tomorrow and I don't have time for any of your shenanigans!" Helga's voice rang over the auditorium as the all the rest of her classmates stood on the edge of the stage watching the scowling girl eye them one by one.
"Come on Helga! We've been at this for hours. I'm exhausted!" yelled Harold coming from behind the curtain trying to take off his beard that had seemed to be stuck to his face.
"What did you put on this beard man? Super glue?" said Sid as he helped Harold pull off the beard.
"Seriously Helga, Its Christmas Eve. I already spent half of my winter vacation in this stuffy auditorium. I'm going to Aspen the day after tomorrow and I still have to pack and sort my designer collection of shoes and handbags. Let alone get my beauty sleep" Rhonda smiled as she felt a slight praise in all the other kids agreeing with her.
"Well Princess, I guess you're going to be sleeping here tonight, because until we get this ending of the play perfect and up to MY STANDARDS no one is going anywhere!" Moans came from the classmates as they turned around to get back to their positions on stage.
Now in their sophomore year of high school, the school was performing their annual Christmas play "A Christmas Carol." and none other than Helga Pataki was the assistant director. She sat there in the seats watching her classmates get ready to do the last scene over for the 50th time.
'What a bunch of lazy buffoons, of course they don't understand that I would also rather be spending my time elsewhere then sitting here in the unventilated auditorium watching them day after day like I'm babysitting a bunch of five year olds. '
"Helga, it's going on 7:30. My parents keep calling me and wondering why I'm not home yet. I gravely think we should call it a night." Phoebe looked at Helga with a concern look on her face.
"Of course Phoebe, you always care about the well-being of our classmates."
"And you don't?"
"Look Phoebe. I am the assistant director. The teacher left me in charge of making sure these talentless and poor excuses for actors and actresses put on a play that would give the audience a feeling of Christmas spirit and from the looks of it, the Christmas tree is going up in flames."
"Eugene LOOK OUT!" yelled Sheena.
The sound of a crashing set went tumbling down as the students screamed and ran with terror off the stage. "I'm okay." called Eugene coming from under the set as the other students helped him up.
"Oh great now look what you've done. First! You all complain that I keep you here to late even though some of you don't remember your lines, or your stage cues, or even remember to stay in character. Then you destroy my wonderful set, and if you haven't noticed Christmas is tomorrow which means tomorrow will be a full house, and I refuse to let this play be a disaster because you all don't know how to cooperate."
"But Helga, it's not like we're Oscar winnin' actors or somethin' we're just puttin' on a play for our families for Christmas. It shouldn't matter if some of us don't remember our stage cues or lines. What matters is that we put on a play that not only brings in the Christmas spirit, but can bring us all together in this time of peace and joyfulness."
"Wow Stinky that was such a touching speech, but it still doesn't fix my demolished set, and for crying out loud this is Charles Dickens not The Beverly Hillbillies. And another thing Stinko-"
"Helga, please! You're being absurd" As Helga was ready to begin her drawn out list of how Stinky's country persona spat all over the words of Charles Dickens. She felt a strong grip around her arm. The small Phoebe Heyerdahl was holding her back. She looked back at her friend and saw a sincere worry look in her eyes. "Please Helga. Don't do this on Christmas Eve. Let everyone go home to their families. "Helga let out a huge sigh and snatched her arm out of Phoebe's grip. She was surprised at how easy it was as for a few seconds ago when it felt as if Phoebe was holding on for her dear life.
"Alright, you bunch of whiners. All of you just go home." The students cheered with excitement as if the sound of that statement meant that summer was here and they had three months vacation away from school.
"Oh you think that's great huh? You practically destroyed my entire set. I want you all here at 9 am tomorrow morning to rebuild it. And don't think I won't be taking roll. If you're not here at 9 am sharp, I better not see your smiling face nowhere near these school grounds until the clock tower chimes 12:00 am the next day."
"But Helga, tomorrow is Christ-"
"Yes. And I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning. You can go home now to your precious families." Helga turned her back on the other students. If she heard one more peep from someone about how they would rather be home then fixing her set, oh you'd better bet Ol' Betsy would have something to say about that.
"Talk about an Ebenezer Scrooge" said Sid.
"No. She's worse than he ever was. I still can't believe she's making come here at 9 a.m." Gerald replied.
"On Christmas no doubt! I wonder how she spends her Christmas."
"If she's anything like Ebenezer Scrooge probably alone." said Rhonda jumping in the conversation.
"Guys, seriously? Stop talking about her this way. She maybe is going a little overboard with this-"
Out of all the kids in their grade Arnold was the one person that all of them truly considered a loyal friend. Even though the other classmates knew Helga treated him like dirt, his classmates, especially Gerald couldn't help but understand why he always defended her.
"A little? A little? Arnold, do you remember who you're talking about? This is Helga… G... Pataki… we are talking about. The one that called you football head, Arnoldo, bluntly insulted you and made fun of you for half of your childhood. We are talking about the same person right?"
"Well Gerald, maybe you don't really know her."
"Know her? I don't want the chance to get to know her. I don't want to be friends with someone who is just a bi-"
"Gerald, she can probably hear you. Even though she maybe acting like a-"
"An Ebenezer Scrooge." interrupted Sid.
"But it still doesn't give you the right to say things about her behind her back. Helga has feelings just like the rest of us. All she's trying to do is put on play that all our families will enjoy. We could cooperate a little better in rehearsal, and at least try to understand what she's going through." Arnold looked across the lot of annoyed faces looking back at him. He came across one that seemed to be changing their expression slowly. Arnold put on a smile to know that his best friend saw where he was coming from.
"Alright I guess we could've cooperated a little better in rehearsal, but it still doesn't give her the right to yell and insult all of us. But me being the better person I will apologize to her…tomorrow at rehearsal."
"Gerald?"
"Look man I got plans to chill with my family tonight, and I think you do too. You coming, or what?"
"Uh, I forgot I left something in the auditorium. Don't wait up for me though. I'll see you tomorrow. "
"Ok see ya later, and Merry Christmas man."
"Merry Christmas."
Helga immediately stopped scoping up her papers, and furiously putting them in her backpack, when she heard the comments from Gerald and Sid. It made her sad, but then a thought crossed her mind. 'How dare they belittle me that way comparing me to Ebenezer Scrooge...'
"So what if they can't spend Christmas all day with their families? I can barely get mine to notice me all year let alone Christmas. It's the same thing every year. Olga comes home parading around the house like she's Mary Sunshine, ordering me to do this, and to do that. Big bob sits in front of the TV drinking egg nog and eating Christmas cookies till he passes out, and Miriam goes around singing Christmas carols off key while making smoothies. What a wonderful Christmas I have every single year. .." She looked around and saw that the kids had left the auditorium. For the first time all day, she finally had a minute alone where she could take out her locket, and express her feelings to the one person she loved most in this world.
"Oh Arnold the greatest gift I could ever have for Christmas is you. You're the only thing that can truly make me happy in this world. I wonder what you're doing this year, now that you finally have your mother and father, and all of you are having dinner those eccentric boarders of yours. Probably having the most wonderful Christmas I could only dream of."
"Helga?"
"ARNOLD!" Helga jumped and quickly put her locket into her pocket. Her papers scattered everywhere onto the floor. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SNEAKING UP ON ME? Now all my work is scattered all over the floor. Thanks a lot football head. "
"I'm sorry Helga." He knelt down to help Helga pick up her work "I was wondering if I could ask you something. "
"Oh sure just let me waste more of my valuable time. What do you want to ask me bucko?" Helga sat in her chair with a stern look on her face, anxiously waiting for him to ask his question so she can finally gather her work and leave.
"Well Helga. I know you said we all had to be here by 9 tomorrow and everything, but, you see, my family and I are going to Hillwood Orphanage tomorrow morning to give presents to the kids, and have a Christmas party for them, and…"
"And?"
"Well. I won't be able to make it tomorrow."
"Well then I guess I won't be seeing you tomorrow night then. I told you if you are not here tomorrow morning, you are out of the play. No if's ands or buts, got it?
"But Helga we've all worked hard on this play just as much as you and we deserve to have Christmas with our families."
"Why does everyone make such a big deal over this stupid holiday? Everyone so happy, and merry and coming together aye? Please! It's all just a joke."
"Helga Come on. What Sid and Gerald were saying meant nothing to…"
"Arnold, why can't you see the big picture here? I sit in the auditorium day in and day out babysitting all of you losers when I could be doing a lot of other meaningful things. I don't ask for much from all of you. All I ask is that you all rebuild my set that you destroyed."
"From what I remember you, didn't build anything. All you did was sit on your butt and yell at everyone."
"Listen to me, and listen well. If you're not here at 9a.m. sharp-"Helga pointed her index finger a few feet from his nose. Even though Arnold was taller than her, she refuse to let those few inches intimidate her.
"Then I guess I won't be in the play tomorrow." Helga's eyes widened at him finishing her sentence. She felt a lump in her throat at the thought of not seeing the one thing she loved on Christmas Day.
"Well that's fine with me. It'd be the best day of my entire life that's for sure." It only took her a millisecond to realize the words that had been spilling out of her mouth. She quickly turned and began putting her papers back into her bag.
"Wow. You can't honestly be that heartless. Many Christmas's ago I remember a Helga Pataki that was still a little rough around the edges, but no matter how hard she tried to hide it she still had feelings. What happened to her?"
"She's never existed."
"Well that's not what I remem-"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU REMEMBER! Will you please just go and leave me alone!"
She watched as Arnold slowly took a few step backwards holding his hand up which indicated to her that he wasn't trying to start an argument.
"I'm sorry, for getting in your business. I should go."
"Bye."Helga turned and began stuffing the rest of her papers in her bag.
"Merry Christmas, Helga."
Her heart stopped as the sound of the words slowly came to her ears, and echoed through the auditorium. A tear slowly made its way out, however, she quickly wiped it away to hide at any given chance that Arnold may have had sensed she was crying. She turned back around and saw that he had completely vanished from her site. All that was left of his trace was a little envelope that was addressed to Hillwood Orphanage.
She had finally made it home that night walking through the cold icy streets of people singing Christmas carols, and saying Merry Christmas to one another. As she was about to unlock her door a chime from the clock tower went off stating it was 8 o clock. She dropped her keys in the snow as it startled her.
"Oh. It's just the clock tower. "She picked up her keys and started to unlock her door when she noticed something. It had appeared that a ghostly face of an older woman and replaced the key hole on her door. She looked at it closely as she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. 'Man I really need to get some shut eye.' She leaned in closer and saw the lady's face was still there. She reached out her hand as if maybe her touch would make it fade away.
"BOO!" they lady eye's opened.
"AHHHHH!" Helga slipped back on her stoop, and fell into a pile of snow. She looked back up and saw that the ghostly face had disappeared.
"Baby sister are you ok?" cried Olga as she opened the door. "Look at you silly making snow angels outside when you should be having Christmas dinner with your family. And also I need you to help me prepare for Christmas dinner tomorrow." Helga walked inside and dusted the snow of her clothes.
"Ok everyone Helga's here now so we can finally have Christmas Eve dinner."
"Finally, now we can eat."
"Wait daddy we haven't said grace yet. Ok now everyone bow your heads and close your eyes. Close your eyes Helga. God thank you for bringing us all together tonight, bless the hands that prepared this feast, and lets all hope Helga's classmates perform beautifully in the play they all worked so hard on. "
Helga gave a little chuckle at the thought of her classmates destroying the entire set. Oh how she was going to make them pay for it tomorrow.
"Helga what's so funny Hun?" said Miriam.
"Oh nothing. Just the entire play is going to be a complete disaster tomorrow because, every feels that it's so important to be together with your families for Christmas. Everyone wants to be lazy and throw stuff together. Be happy and merry and speak about the true meaning of Christmas. Please! Christmas is for losers and saps.
"Helga!" cried Olga and Miriam.
"Well it's true. Everyone in this family thinks that they all live in the Christmas spirit. Well the last seven Christmas's haven't been so merry, that's for sure. Big Bob sits and watches TV all day, Miriam is singing Christmas carols around the house like a drunken hobo, and Olga prances around and orders me to do stuff for our oh-so-wonderful Christmas dinner.
"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, HEY! Excuse me little lady. I don't care what or how you feel about Christmas you going to sit here and enjoy like the rest of us." Big bob leaned across the table sticking his spoonful on potato salad in Helga's face.
"You know what Helga, you remind me of your great aunt Gertrude Pataki. Didn't she feel that way about Christmas too B?"
"Oh yeah. Great Aunt Gertrude Pataki hated everything about Christmas. She was a very lonely woman too. She never came to any of our holiday get-togethers. She thought Christmas was a load of uh…Humbug, that's what she called it. Like that Scoorge dude in the story. "
"Scrooge, daddy. But yes Helga you a little Ebenezer Scrooge this evening." Olga smiled.
"That's it I'm excusing myself from this merry cheerful scene and going to bed."Helga pushed her chair out from underneath her and ran upstairs.
"That's exactly what I was going to suggest you do. You better not come out of that room until I see some holiday cheer from you little lady!" The sound of a door slam echoed and made the walls vibrate throughout the house. The only thing you could hear was the last four lyrics to "The Christmas Song" heard through the living room TV. In silence, the three family member s looked at each other and at the empty chair across the table. Each one of them grabbed the others hand and prayed hoping the tomorrow would be a better day.
"I hate this stupid holiday and everyone stupid enough to rejoice in it. At least great Aunt Gertrude and I had the right thing in mind. Everyone else is just too busy prancing around and saying how wonderful everything is. Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward Men they all say. Nothing but a bunch of falsehood and garbage if you ask me, and Arnold. Don't even get me started on him. Who does he think he is? Dr Bliss? What does he know about my past Christmas's and what not? Sure I might've been happier back then but, I was blind and I couldn't see the real picture. That once this holiday is over, everyone will go back to their normal lives and forget about you… "As Helga continued to rant she took out the envelope that she was supposed to give Arnold the next day at their 9 am rehearsal.
She opened the letter and saw that it was $50,000 check given to orphanage with an attached letter.
Someone once told me, "The most beautiful gift can come in the plainest box" Well in this case an envelope. Here's a check for fifty-thousand dollars that my family and I raised for you, in hopes that you remain in business for many years to come and that you will remain a loving family for a child in need of it.
Merry Christmas,
Arnold P. Shortman
Helga tossed the envelope aside, and stared in the distance outside her window. She could clearly see Hillwood Orphanage from where she was sitting. She wondered to herself out off all these years she looked out in that direction, why had she never noticed it before? A chime from the clock tower went off and startled her.
"STUPID CLOCK TOWER!" She walked to her bed hearing footsteps coming down the hall. The only thing that was different about these particular footsteps was it seemed that at every single step there was a clanging noise, like chains dragging across a wooden floor.
"Olga?" Another footstep, and then a clang noise.
"Mom?" The same thing happened repeatedly. Helga then jumped in her bed with the covers over her.
"Dad?" The footsteps had stopped in front of her door. She grabbed her baseball bat ready to swing at the person proceeding behind it.
"Olga I'm not kidding CUT IT OUT! I'm serious." Just then a chain went flying through the door and clanged on to her bedside, than another and another. Helga held on to the bat as strong as she could just in case if she completely freaked, she wouldn't drop it. A ghost-like woman came through the door and slowly appeared in her room. Helga had vanished under her covers, shivering still clinging on to her bat.
"Whoever you are, I have a bat and I will swing at anyone. I'm not afraid of you."
"Hmm could've fooled me." said the ghostly woman. Helga slowly let her head appear from under the covers and gazed over at the ghost-like woman. She recognized exactly where she had seen her face.
"You…You…You were on my key hole earlier. Who are you, what do you want from me?"
"Hahaha. Oh you children these days always think someone is out to get you. Didn't mean to scare you back there, but you were asking for it."
"I will ask you one more time. Who are you, and what do you want?"
"Oh I'm sorry where are my manners? I am your great Aunt Gertrude."
"Aunt Gertrude?"
"Great, to be exact!"
"But your dead"
"Yes you don't think I know I'm dead? I just walked right through your door child, and not to mention I'm floating two feet above the ground." One of Aunt Gertrude chains came swinging and knocked over Helga's lamp shade. "Oops! Sorry my dear."
Helga pushed the covers away from her as she realized that Aunt Gertrude Ghosts wasn't going to do any harm to her. However those chains she had wrapped around her body may cause some damage with Big Bob not getting his sleep.
'Wait a minute. This is exactly like the play "A Christmas Carol." Instead Jacob Marley….is Aunt Gertrude. I know I must be dreaming because there is no way possible that a spirit could be walking the earth. And no way in hell I am an Ebenezer Scrooge'
Just then another chain wrapped around Helga's ankle and dragged her across the floor. The Ghost of Aunt Gertrude bent down close to Helga's face and whispered, "You don't believe in me."
"No I don't. You're not real. You just a figment of my imagination. It's also obvious that I have been working way too hard on this play-"Another chain wrapped around Helga's body threw her across the room.
"Ow! Ok. OK! I believe in you just stop those unruly chains from yanking me everywhere. Can't you do anything about them? You should probably take them off because they're making way too much to noise and might wake my da-"
"These chains, my dear, cannot be removed. These chains are the ones I formed in life."
"What do you mean formed in life?"
"The chains of greed, chains of selfishness, and most importantly chains of hatred."
"That's a lot of chains."
"Do you know the weight and length of the chains you bear? It is as heavy and as long this. You were just like me when I was younger. Always thinking of myself and never thinking of anyone else. Always wanted what was best for me and no one else…"
"Sounds like an awesome life to me…"
"That's A TERRIBLE LIFE, A LONELY LIFE! Every day that passes by, I wish I could've been a better person when I was alive. I always thought about myself, never cared for anyone but myself. I was mean and greedy and I always got what I wanted when I wanted, and in the end you know what I got from it? These chains that hang from me. These are a reminder of what I had offered to the world when I was alive. I offered nothing but the sorrow to the ones that I loved most in life. "
"Why are you here?"
"I am here to warn you. I am giving you a chance of escaping my terrible fate. Be bound by chains just like mine longing to break free, but never will."
"What do you mean …I never will? This can't possibly be my fate!"
"I'm sad to regret that if you don't change your future, you will indeed be what you see before you. You my dear, have the chance to make it right. You will be haunted by three spirits, the spirit of Christmas past, the spirit of Christmas present, and the spirit of Christmas yet to come. Now listen to me carefully. If you are lucky, they help you change your life completely. Expect the first haunting when the clock tower chimes 1. Expect the second on the next night within the same hour. Expect the third on the proceeding night on the last stroke of 12."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute! This is all just too creepy. There are no such thing a spirits, and they do not walk the earth. All I want is for you to leave me alone so I can get my rest because, I have to get up early tomorrow morning making sure I avoid my Mary Sunshine of a sister from helping her prepare dinner." The ghost of Aunt Gertrude rose up Helga's window with the wave of her hand. She pointed out her finger as Helga slowly began to walk over; she gazed upon other spirits flying across the town bound in chains.
"Now I know I must be dreaming."
"These spirits try to interfere for good in human affairs, but they have lost the power forever. That is the curse we bear. "Aunt Gertrude flew out of her window leaving Helga in complete darkness with nothing but the high moon shining light through her window. Helga looked at the clock tower and saw it said 9:30. She shut her window and snatched the curtains closed. Walked over to her bed, and went to sleep.