Chapter 2: Peace Sister
Saturday morning started typically with the traditional baseball game.
Harold: Oh look, it's Heelllllllllllllggggaaaa.... You ready to swing heellllgggaaa, or does your one eyebrow swing for you.
Helga: Shutup and pitch pinky, haven't you ever realized you have one eyebrow too...
Harold: Oh, that's it now I'm mad!
Harold threw the ball a little lopsided and it hit Helga in the shoulder.
Harold: Ah, ah, that wasn't on purpose I swear!
Helga: Just start running...
At around ten o'clock the game ended. Everyone was leaving when Rhonda squealed.
Rhonda: Eeeewww!!! A rat! Get it away from me!!!
Curly: I'll save you my sweet!
Curly pounced and the rat, but it ran between his legs and into some garbage.
Curly: Get back here you, we're not finished!
Curly jumped into the garbage, and immediately jumped out again, covered with rats!
Curly: Aaaahhh!!! Where did they all come from!?!
Arnold was walking with Nadine to her house, not knowing that Helga was silently trailing them. Her house was colored green with huge purple flowers painted in. When Nadine rang the doorbell, it played the melody from the Beatles "Strawberry Fields." It was opened by an odd white, blonde haired man. He was wearing a rainbow colored robe, his head was covered by a barrette, and his glasses were a deep shade of purple.
Hippie Guy: Oh, if it isn't little Romeo!
Arnold: Romeo?
Hippie Guy: From the school play right? You're performance was excellent, and your Juliet was excellent, so thus, the play was excellent!
Nadine: Heh, Arnold this is my dad.
Arnold: Why hello Mister .....
Artemis: You can call me Artemis child.
Arnold: Ok... Artemis.
Nadine(whispering): That's not his real name, but just go along.
Artemis: Now!! How may I service you?
Nadine: Actually, we were gonna go downstairs to look at my bugs...
Artemis: Sure, sure, you're mother's working in the garden...
Artemis gave Nadine some kind of look, and Nadine smiled back at him.
Nadine: Come on Arnold.
Arnold was lead quickly to the basement, but he did catch a glimpse of the living room. It was difficult for him to take it in all at once. The walls were painted like a rainbow, and the ceiling was painted blue with a sun. There were bean bags surrounding the tv, no chairs at all. Lava lamps gave off their mysterious glow, Arnold didn't see any other form of lighting. The basement was filled with glass tanks. Some bugs Arnold could see instantly, like the huge tarantula he had seen once before when Nadine and Rhonda were fighting. Other tanks seemed like they were empty, till he got a closer look and saw tiny camouflaged bugs. Nadine lead him over to one tank.
Nadine: See this? Its a monarch butterfly cocoon. If the conditions in the cage are set correctly, which I'm sure they are, the monarch should come out anytime soon.
Arnold: Hey, what's this over here. Its all fuzzy.
Nadine: Oh that's Washoo, some fuzzy caterpillar I have yet to identify.
She reached her hand in and let Washoo crawl onto her hand.
Nadine: You wanna hold him?
Arnold: Uhh... I guess so.
Nadine: You wanna hold any others?
A few minutes later Nadine was laughing at Arnold, who was covered with bugs. He actually didn't feel afraid, he felt he was safe with Nadine around.
Jamaican Voice: What's going on in here.
Nadine: Oh, hello mother, this is Arnold.
Nadine's mother had somewhat dark skin, Arnold thought she was probably one quarter black. She was dressed in a tie-die shirt and ripped up jeans.
Nadine's mother: Oh hello Romeo. Artemis took a quick liking to you cause of your acting abilities. Have you met him?
Nadine: Yes he has.
Roja: Ahh.. yes. My name is Roja, welcome to our home.
Arnold: Nice to meet you.
Nadine: How's the garden?
Roja: Beautiful as ever.
Nadine: Can Arnold take a look at it?
Roja: Hmmm... Ok, I guess.
As soon as Nadine opened the door to the garden, a sweet and pleasant aroma filled the room. Arnold entered and found himself in a very humid dome, covered in beautiful greenery.
Arnold: Wow... How is this possible inside?
Nadine: Its those lights, don't look directly at them though! They'll blind you, they generate the heat, and my dad paid to have a sprinkler system installed down here.
Arnold: Why isn't it outside?
Nadine: Umm.. Have you seen our backyard? Its very small, and mom likes to keep vegetables back there, and my dad loves plants, so he built it all by himself.
Arnold: Woah, that's amazing.
Nadine: You think this is something, come over here, I have something to show you.
She lead him to a corner of the room that was surrounded by palm trees. Nadine shoved aside some leaves to reveal a small patch of grass enclosed by the palms. In the center was a large purple flower.
Nadine: This is my part of the garden, I'm growing a Hipicombus in the middle. Isn't it beautiful?
Arnold: Yeah it is.
Arnold spent a few more hours at her house, had some tea with her father, and looked at her mother's beautiful paintings. It was getting late though, and soon Arnold had to leave to catch up with Gerald for some skating. They were standing outside, saying their goodbyes.
Arnold: See you in school Nadine.
Nadine: Yeah, see you then, um Arnold.
Arnold: Yes?
Nadine: Would you maybe like to see a movie with me and Rhonda sometime?
Arnold: Sure, next Friday.
Nadine: Cool, cya Arnold!
As Arnold walked away, Helga fell out of the tree she was perched in.
Helga: Criminey! What is this now? Is Nadine gonna be another one of Arnold's little crushes? Hmmm, but she asked him to the movies, maybe she likes him?
Helga made her way home, still contemplating the dilemma.
Helga: I guess I'll just keep an eye on them in school and go to the movies with Phoebe on the same day. Please let this be nothing.
As she passed by an alley, she saw a slight movement in the rubble. Curious, she moved closer and saw about six coming right at her. She screamed and ran, but she accidentally dropped her. She reached down to get it, but one of the rats snatched it away.
Helga: NOOO!!!!
She chased after it, but it disappeared down into a sewer hole.
Helga: Oh no! Uhhh... This is horrible...
She walked home moping and even getting close to crying.
Big Gino and his cronies were seated around a huge draining hole near a construction sight. Gino looked at his watch 9:30, only half an hour of curfew left!
Gino: Where the heck is this bozzo, he said quarter after nine!
Raspy Voice: I was just waiting to see how long you'd stay.
Gino: Hey where are you, show yourself!!
Voice: I don't think so, you wouldn't want to look at me boy!
Gino was scared now.
Gino: All right all right!! I have what you wanted, where's my money?
Voice: Look under your shoe.
Gino: Heh, heh, nice trick, right boys.
Boys: Yeah, heh heh.
Voice: Alright, now put them down right where you are, and turn around a leave. Don't look back.
Gino put down the darkened goggles and did what he was told. But he couldn't help it and turned around just in time, to see a large figure hunched over where he was standing. It hissed at them, and they ran as fast as they could back to their homes, not stopping till they were safely under their beds.
Saturday morning started typically with the traditional baseball game.
Harold: Oh look, it's Heelllllllllllllggggaaaa.... You ready to swing heellllgggaaa, or does your one eyebrow swing for you.
Helga: Shutup and pitch pinky, haven't you ever realized you have one eyebrow too...
Harold: Oh, that's it now I'm mad!
Harold threw the ball a little lopsided and it hit Helga in the shoulder.
Harold: Ah, ah, that wasn't on purpose I swear!
Helga: Just start running...
At around ten o'clock the game ended. Everyone was leaving when Rhonda squealed.
Rhonda: Eeeewww!!! A rat! Get it away from me!!!
Curly: I'll save you my sweet!
Curly pounced and the rat, but it ran between his legs and into some garbage.
Curly: Get back here you, we're not finished!
Curly jumped into the garbage, and immediately jumped out again, covered with rats!
Curly: Aaaahhh!!! Where did they all come from!?!
Arnold was walking with Nadine to her house, not knowing that Helga was silently trailing them. Her house was colored green with huge purple flowers painted in. When Nadine rang the doorbell, it played the melody from the Beatles "Strawberry Fields." It was opened by an odd white, blonde haired man. He was wearing a rainbow colored robe, his head was covered by a barrette, and his glasses were a deep shade of purple.
Hippie Guy: Oh, if it isn't little Romeo!
Arnold: Romeo?
Hippie Guy: From the school play right? You're performance was excellent, and your Juliet was excellent, so thus, the play was excellent!
Nadine: Heh, Arnold this is my dad.
Arnold: Why hello Mister .....
Artemis: You can call me Artemis child.
Arnold: Ok... Artemis.
Nadine(whispering): That's not his real name, but just go along.
Artemis: Now!! How may I service you?
Nadine: Actually, we were gonna go downstairs to look at my bugs...
Artemis: Sure, sure, you're mother's working in the garden...
Artemis gave Nadine some kind of look, and Nadine smiled back at him.
Nadine: Come on Arnold.
Arnold was lead quickly to the basement, but he did catch a glimpse of the living room. It was difficult for him to take it in all at once. The walls were painted like a rainbow, and the ceiling was painted blue with a sun. There were bean bags surrounding the tv, no chairs at all. Lava lamps gave off their mysterious glow, Arnold didn't see any other form of lighting. The basement was filled with glass tanks. Some bugs Arnold could see instantly, like the huge tarantula he had seen once before when Nadine and Rhonda were fighting. Other tanks seemed like they were empty, till he got a closer look and saw tiny camouflaged bugs. Nadine lead him over to one tank.
Nadine: See this? Its a monarch butterfly cocoon. If the conditions in the cage are set correctly, which I'm sure they are, the monarch should come out anytime soon.
Arnold: Hey, what's this over here. Its all fuzzy.
Nadine: Oh that's Washoo, some fuzzy caterpillar I have yet to identify.
She reached her hand in and let Washoo crawl onto her hand.
Nadine: You wanna hold him?
Arnold: Uhh... I guess so.
Nadine: You wanna hold any others?
A few minutes later Nadine was laughing at Arnold, who was covered with bugs. He actually didn't feel afraid, he felt he was safe with Nadine around.
Jamaican Voice: What's going on in here.
Nadine: Oh, hello mother, this is Arnold.
Nadine's mother had somewhat dark skin, Arnold thought she was probably one quarter black. She was dressed in a tie-die shirt and ripped up jeans.
Nadine's mother: Oh hello Romeo. Artemis took a quick liking to you cause of your acting abilities. Have you met him?
Nadine: Yes he has.
Roja: Ahh.. yes. My name is Roja, welcome to our home.
Arnold: Nice to meet you.
Nadine: How's the garden?
Roja: Beautiful as ever.
Nadine: Can Arnold take a look at it?
Roja: Hmmm... Ok, I guess.
As soon as Nadine opened the door to the garden, a sweet and pleasant aroma filled the room. Arnold entered and found himself in a very humid dome, covered in beautiful greenery.
Arnold: Wow... How is this possible inside?
Nadine: Its those lights, don't look directly at them though! They'll blind you, they generate the heat, and my dad paid to have a sprinkler system installed down here.
Arnold: Why isn't it outside?
Nadine: Umm.. Have you seen our backyard? Its very small, and mom likes to keep vegetables back there, and my dad loves plants, so he built it all by himself.
Arnold: Woah, that's amazing.
Nadine: You think this is something, come over here, I have something to show you.
She lead him to a corner of the room that was surrounded by palm trees. Nadine shoved aside some leaves to reveal a small patch of grass enclosed by the palms. In the center was a large purple flower.
Nadine: This is my part of the garden, I'm growing a Hipicombus in the middle. Isn't it beautiful?
Arnold: Yeah it is.
Arnold spent a few more hours at her house, had some tea with her father, and looked at her mother's beautiful paintings. It was getting late though, and soon Arnold had to leave to catch up with Gerald for some skating. They were standing outside, saying their goodbyes.
Arnold: See you in school Nadine.
Nadine: Yeah, see you then, um Arnold.
Arnold: Yes?
Nadine: Would you maybe like to see a movie with me and Rhonda sometime?
Arnold: Sure, next Friday.
Nadine: Cool, cya Arnold!
As Arnold walked away, Helga fell out of the tree she was perched in.
Helga: Criminey! What is this now? Is Nadine gonna be another one of Arnold's little crushes? Hmmm, but she asked him to the movies, maybe she likes him?
Helga made her way home, still contemplating the dilemma.
Helga: I guess I'll just keep an eye on them in school and go to the movies with Phoebe on the same day. Please let this be nothing.
As she passed by an alley, she saw a slight movement in the rubble. Curious, she moved closer and saw about six coming right at her. She screamed and ran, but she accidentally dropped her. She reached down to get it, but one of the rats snatched it away.
Helga: NOOO!!!!
She chased after it, but it disappeared down into a sewer hole.
Helga: Oh no! Uhhh... This is horrible...
She walked home moping and even getting close to crying.
Big Gino and his cronies were seated around a huge draining hole near a construction sight. Gino looked at his watch 9:30, only half an hour of curfew left!
Gino: Where the heck is this bozzo, he said quarter after nine!
Raspy Voice: I was just waiting to see how long you'd stay.
Gino: Hey where are you, show yourself!!
Voice: I don't think so, you wouldn't want to look at me boy!
Gino was scared now.
Gino: All right all right!! I have what you wanted, where's my money?
Voice: Look under your shoe.
Gino: Heh, heh, nice trick, right boys.
Boys: Yeah, heh heh.
Voice: Alright, now put them down right where you are, and turn around a leave. Don't look back.
Gino put down the darkened goggles and did what he was told. But he couldn't help it and turned around just in time, to see a large figure hunched over where he was standing. It hissed at them, and they ran as fast as they could back to their homes, not stopping till they were safely under their beds.