I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS STORE MY SERIES OF ONE-SHOTS.
THIS ONE WAS REQUESTED BY lollixlolli
Potion Gone Awry
It was a bright sunny day in Hillwood. What better way to enjoy it than with a pleasant afternoon of baseball…
"Hey Arnold! Move it football head! You're up!"
Arnold shook his head, after realizing a quick glance at the pretty redhead at center field had once again made him drift away from reality.
"Huh? Oh sorry Helga."
The blonde boy stepped up to bat, where he listened to the blonde girl behind him grunt at his audacity to hold up the game.
After taking his position, Arnold was ready to swing. He was no longer the one to hold up practice however.
"Hey look everyone...It's AWWNOLD! You couldn't hit this ball if you're little wussy life depended on it! Hahaha!" the husky boy at the pitcher's mound mocked him.
Finding herself a new suspect to point her annoyance at, Helga stood to remove her catcher's mask and scowled "Just throw the bowl ya big tub of lard!"
"Alright, alright…" Harold whined, as he got into position to throw the ball. After watching it fly towards him, Arnold hit the first pitch that came his way.
Helga watched her beloved make it safely to first base, as she remained at home plate. Watching with an aching heart each time her beloved glanced again at Lila with an eager look in his eyes.
Walk
Not far from the field, two other kids were busy with another matter. "Where are you going to perform, now that you finished studying your magic books Collin?"
Collin had been hoping to be a magician since he was three years old. Ever since the day his dad took him to a magic show to celebrate his birthday. The moment Collin watched the star of the show shrink his lovely assistant, Collin made it his goal to become a magician.
After taking a moment to consider his friend's question, the baffled boy replied "I don't really know, Bruce. My dream was always to learn magic. I never stopped to think about where to perform, as long as I knew how."
Bruce watched his friend eyeing the box of items he had collected to try his magic book's shrinking potion with; lantadyme herbs, potato cacti, and water. While Collin couldn't be more excited about it, Bruce was skeptical about the idea of anyone (or anything for that matter) being capable of shrinking.
Gerald Field
"You're out!" Helga shouted, proudly shoving the ball in Sid's face. After an hour of practice had gone by, the kids decided to call it a day. As Gerald was leaving his position, he looked over to see his friend still standing frozen at shortstop. The easygoing boy walked over to his friend, already knowing what must be on his mind.
"Hey Arnold! Let's get going man."
The distracted boy then shook his head to see his friend standing beside him with his hands on his waist.
"Oh sorry Gerald. I was just thinking about Lila."
"No kidding."
While Gerald was standing there, listening to Arnold go on about how hard it was knowing she didn't feel the same way about him, another person hadn't left her position.
Helga continued standing at home plate with an annoyed expression across her face, knowing what her beloved must be thinking about. As she watched him leave the field with his best friend, she didn't happen to notice someone approaching her.
"Hello Helga."
The startled girl turned to see her best friend standing beside her. "Phoebe! Sheesh!"
"Forgive me for startling you Helga. Are you ready to work on our English assignment?"
Hearing this made her think yet again of the boy with the corn flowered hair. Every time they were assigned a writing assignment for English, Helga couldn't help but use it as a way to express her feelings for Arnold.
Madam Blanch's Love Potions
While Collin continued to wander the streets with Bruce, he wasn't sure if he'd ever figure out a place to start his dream job. That is, until he heard his friend say "Look at this store."
Collin turned his head to see they were standing in front of a place called "Madam Blanch's Love Potions."
A smile formed on his face, thinking this could be the perfect place to start his dream job. Bruce watched his friend head for the door and asked "What are you doing?"
"Going inside?" Collin shrugged his shoulders.
Bruce gave a perplexed look, not expecting his friend to actually be interested in going inside. They were love potions, not magic tricks.
Collin entered the store, anxious to see what awaited him. Bruce looked at the heart shaped bottles and potions sitting on the shelves, doubting there was a chance anything in there actually worked.
"Madam Blanch?" Collin called out, until the boys saw a curtain being pulled back.
"What can I do for you?" asked the owner of the store.
Collin didn't hesitate to approach her and ask "I was wondering if I could work here? I've been studying magic for quite a few years."
Madam Blanch didn't take anything about her job seriously, as long as she was paid ten dollars for everything. Nothing she sold was real, so it wasn't as if she needed someone who really knew a thing or two about magic.
"Okay kid, when can you start?"
Walk
"Have you given any thought as to what you would like your topic to be on?" Phoebe was curious to know.
She watched her friend profusely kick a can down the sidewalk, not seeming interested in her question. Whenever Helga was willing to imply something was bothering her, Phoebe knew what the cause of the problem must be.
After a moment of silence, the young Asian girl said "I take it you're unrequited love has made a more than unwelcome appearance."
Helga stopped her walk to glance over at her friend. As she turned to face Phoebe, she sighed "It just hurts. It's bad enough knowing he'll never feel the same way about me. I don't need someone like little miss perfect around, reminding me why. Reminding me Arnold will never like me because I'm not pretty, funny, sweet or possess any of that other feminine garbage guys can't seem to get enough of."
Phoebe's heart began to ache, as she stood there feeling empathetic. Although she didn't possess the same troubles with getting a boy to notice her, she was able to relate to Helga's feelings.
When she was promoted to the sixth grade, it was because no one in the class matched her knowledge. Then when she made the decision to leave, no one in the sixth grade took her seriously. Her intelligence was taken advantage of, as opposed to being well respected, which made her feel like an outcast.
The caring girl hugged her friend, and said "Don't worry Helga. Things have a way of working out."
While Helga stood there with her friend's arms wrapped around her, she looked across the street to see a familiar shop.
Remembering the day she had been ripped off by the fake potion selling lady, Helga had no interest in returning. That is, until she noticed something hanging in the window.
Madam Blanch's Love Potions
"Okay kid, here's the deal. Everything is pretty much made with Grape juice, Chamomile, and a little Ginseng for flavoring."
The magic yearning boy's eyes lit with hope as he asked "We still get to perform tricks though right?"
The gypsy laughed at the naive boy and said "Kid, nothing here is real. This store is no more than a place for people who are desperate to fix whatever crazy problem they maybe going through. That's why I charge ten bucks for everything."
The disappointed boy watched his new manager disappear behind the curtain, while he took a seat at her crystal ball table. Sitting there with his head in his hand, he sorrowfully eyed his box of (what he was sure to be) magical supplies.
Outside the store
Helga crossed the street to see what was hanging in the window of the store. There she read a sign in the window that said "New employment."
The lonely girl rolled her eyes at the idea of anyone being able to pull off a task worthy of bringing her and Arnold together. Just as she was turning away from the sign, she heard a couple of voices approaching.
The nervous girl snuck around the corner of the store, as she listened to them say…
"Would you just forget about her man!"
"What if we're meant to be together Gerald? I just haven't figured out what I need to do to get her to like me - like me." Arnold said hopefully.
"Uh huh? So tell me, what's your next plan of action? Dressing up like your crazy cousin to grab her attention?" Gerald asked wittily.
"Gerald…"
Helga lurked from behind the store, gritting her teeth at the conversation. The more she heard of it, the more desperate she became to fix the problem. If she couldn't change who she was, she didn't need someone around making her look bad because of it.
The determined girl then approached the door of the store when she saw the owner leaving. "Kid, we're out of grape juice. I'll be back soon."
Madam Blanch's Love Potions
Collin sat at the table, still disappointed with the idea of not being able to perform any tricks. The most magic he could expect to be performing would be manipulating someone into believing what they were buying was real. Then again, isn't that how all magic tricks work?
The sad boy pushed aside his box just as he heard someone entering the store. He looked up to see a girl in a pink dress with a frown on her face.
"Oh uhh what can I do for you?" Collin stood to ask his customer.
Helga marched up to the new employee, pointed a finger in his face and said "Listen pal. I know the kind of tricks that crazy lady plays around here, so give it to me straight. Can you make me a real potion, or will it be one I have the right to report you for false advertising for?"
Collin stood speechless. Here he was with the chance to test his skills. The only problem was, it was an actual customer asking for it. Once Madam Blanch returned however, he knew there wouldn't be another opportunity like this.
"Umm sure. What is it you need?"
Helga let out a deep breath. Dropping her arms at her sides, she stared at the floor and said "Heck, I don't know. I'm just sick of seeing this do gooder girl in my class hog all the attention from the one I lo...I mean, I'm just sick of her. Can you help me or what?"
Collin put a finger to his chin. Glancing down at the box, it sounded like this would be a good chance to test his shrinking trick. It didn't seem right doing it to someone he had never met before however.
Looking back up at his customer, the boy saw Helga with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.
"I'll be right back." he insisted, while carefully rushing to the back of the store with his box.
"Perfect." Helga scoffed.
Fifteen Minutes Later
Helga stood impatiently waiting for Collin to return with the potion. Staring out the window, she leaned against the table, tapping her fingers anxiously. With a frown on her face, she then noticed a familiar face.
"Lila!" Helga smirked. After angrily saying the redhead's name out of habit, Helga's eyes lit with anticipation. If Collin would just hurry up, she could use the potion.
Not having heard him enter through the curtain, Helga screamed with her arms in the air "Criminy! Where the heck is he?!"
The potion slipped out of it's maker's hand. As he was about to scream for Helga to help him, some of the potion fell into his mouth. The rest spilled onto the floor. Helga turned to see something had spilled all over the floor, but didn't know where it came from. All she noticed was her shoes were now wet.
"Gross!" the blonde girl said, as she took them off. Helga continued to stand there, annoyed with the idea that no one was helping her.
Outside the Store
Lila was passing the store just in time to see Arnold. "Oh Hello Arnold. What brings you here?"
"Well, we're out of milk so I told my grandpa I'd run to The Corner Store." Arnold explained.
"That was just ever so sweet of you!" the redheaded girl told him.
"Thanks. Do you uhhh...want to come with me?" Arnold asked hesitantly.
Lila smiled pleasantly at the invite and said "I'm certain I'd love to just ever so much."
"Great!"
Madam Blanch's Love Potions
Although she couldn't hear their conversation, just the sight of seeing them talking together was enough to fill Helga's mind with rage. As the envious girl watched her beloved walk away with his crush, she angrily lifted her foot to stomp on the nearest thing she could find. What looked to be a bug twitching on the floor was her seller crying out for help.
Helga angrily smashed him, while stomping out of the store with her sopping wet shoes.
Outside the store
Standing there, watching her loved one walk away, Helga sighed at the ground with her shoes at her sides. She then heard a voice call from behind.
"Are you alright Helga? Your excursion took longer than anticipated." Phoebe couldn't help but point out.
"Yeah Pheebs I'm okay."
The intelligent girl placed a hand on her friend's back, knowing what she must have gone in there for. As they began heading for Phoebe's to do their assignments, she looked at her aggrieved friend and said "You know Helga, sometimes it's the challenges we face in life that are what make our destinations worth while."
Helga stopped to face her friend. Cocking her brow at the statement, she asked "What's that in English?"
"You've gone through quite a bit in your life just to hang onto the hope of one day being with Arnold. Continuing to make it through the hard times will make it all the more sweet when you finally are with him."
Helga smiled not just at her friend's encouraging words, but at the belief Phoebe had that it was possible things would one day end as she hoped they would.
"Thanks Pheebs."
THE END
THANKS FOR READING!
PLEASE REVIEW!
THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE :)