I don't own Hey Arnold. I don't own Furbys, nor any other items mentioned in this here story... On account of I'm just a fifteen year old, please don't sue me! Oh, and dis is a pre-confession story... Heh!
Helga groaned and stirred a little. When she finally opened her eyes, blurriness caused her to miss what was in front of her, until her sight cleared some. As soon as it did, her eyes widened, and she let out one of her loud, long screams. Since she was still half asleep, the two blue eyes in front of her that were framed by long, white eyelashes seemed ten times scarier than usual. Gasping for air, she finally remembered that... this was Olga's Furby! "Augh!" She yelled, throwing the stupid toy across the room in anger, trying to hit the door with it.
"Baby sis?" Olga opened the door in time to grab her toy before it smashed against the wooden panel. "Oh, Fur-tifa!" She gasped, cradling it in her arms like it was a baby.
"Fur-tifa... Freaking thing with an insane name," Helga grumbled, stomping past her sister. "What a way to be woke up..." Grumbling, she walked into the bathroom. When she came back out, she was dressed in her usual pink dress and white shirt. Olga had come home just a few days ago, because of Christmas vacation. Already, it was driving Helga crazy! Lila would come every day to spend time with Olga because of the big sis/lil sis program, and the stress on Helga was doubled. Her goody-goody sister, and her goody-goody nemesis under the roof at the same time. It caused her to spend most of the afternoon and some evenings at Phoebe's. Luckily, the Japanese girl easily obliged; in fact, she enjoyed having Helga over.
"I'm going to Phoebe's!" Helga yelled, after eating a bowl of cereal.
"Again? But, Baby sis! I thought we could spend the day together..." Olga protested feebly. "Lila won't be coming over today..."
Helga sighed and, scratching the back of her neck, glanced out of the window. Snow fluttered down to the ground unendingly, and the wind whistled against the windows coldly. Looked like a blizzard would start at any time. Sighing again, she released her defenses slightly, defeated. "Ok, ok, I'll stay. Wouldn't want to get caught in this, anyway."
Smiling, Olga clasped her sister's hands. "Good! We can finally bond! I've missed you so much, Baby sis!"
Big Bob stomped in then, his head covered in thick snow. "Stupid weather. I tell you, the stupid snow is up to my knees already... Oh, good morning, Olga," He grumbled, ignoring Helga, of course.
"Good morning, Daddy," She replied in her sweeter-than-sugar voice, seeming not to notice that Bob forgot Helga.
"What are you going to do, today?" He inquired, brushing the snow off of his hair.
"I'm going to spend some time with Helga today, Daddy!" Olga said excitedly.
"Oh, good, yeah, spend some time with the girl..." He mumbled.
Helga fumed inwardly. If Olga wasn't there, Bob called her Olga, and if Olga was there, he'd call her 'The Girl'.
Olga watched sadly as Helga stomped upstairs, and winced at the sound of Helga slamming her door. "Oh, Daddy," She thought. She loved her sister, but she loved her daddy too, and she loved avoiding troublesome things, and the father-daughter relationship between these two definitely was a troublesome thing and she knew right off that if someone suggested that they needed to work on their relationship, both would respond a little too hastily, "We don't need to! We get along fine!" They were so alike in this, Olga could tell. And that's why they fought so much, she figured. She had more of her mom in her. She felt she needed to help people, and had no problem with showing her emotions unlike Helga and Big Bob. "Helga?" She ran upstairs, and knocked on the door to her sister's room.
"Yes?" Helga still sounded mad, but Olga could tell her voice was also shaky.
"Can I come in?"
"Fine."
When Olga entered the room, Helga was sitting on the floor by her bed, hugging her knees up to her chest, staring at the floor. "What are you doing down there, Baby sis?" She inquired.
"Nothing," Helga mumbled, and, standing up, walked over to the window to look out at the snow that was still coming down rapidly.
"It's pretty, hmm?" Olga smiled, joining her.
"Uh-huh..."
Olga sighed. This surprised her; she expected something like, "What's so pretty about iced up water drops?" from her, or some other sarcastic reply. "Sissy, do you want to go outside for awhile, and play in the snow?"
"No," Helga answered bluntly, her eyes locked on the snow covered ground.
"How about I make us a couple of cups of hot chocolate, and we go into my room, away from Daddy, and talk?"
Helga finally dragged her eyes away from the window, and stared at Olga. "Well... Ok."
"That's the spirit!" Olga exclaimed, beaming. "Here, you take Fur-tifa, and wait in my room, and I'll come back up with the cocoa."
"Ok." Helga impatiently took the Furby and carried it into Olga's room, then threw it on the bed.
"Yahhhh!" It exclaimed, suddenly waking up. "Me sleep good!"
She jumped, and stared at it, wide-eyed. "What in the name of criminey?" She gasped, picking it up, and holding it upside down.
"Me scared," It chirped suddenly. "Me no like!"
"Uh, oh?" She held it up right, and stared at it. It was kinda cute, actually, she decided, staring at it. It had red fur, with a white stomach, and black feet, and a Santa's hat with "Furby" written on it adorned its head. A tag on its side said it was a special limited edition, a Christmas Furby, with some Christmas Furby-style story. It was odd; the longer Helga stared at this thing, the cuter it seemed to her.
"Fur-tifa!" It exclaimed suddenly, then continued. "My name is Fur-tifa!"
Helga smiled briefly, then wondered. She had heard that if you said something to this thing enough times, it would eventually repeat it, and then it would be a part of its vocabulary for ever. Now how in the world did it do that? She was so busy contemplating this, she didn't hear Olga return with two cups of the cocoa until the older girl spoke.
"Baby sis, here is your hot chocolate!" She smiled and handed the white cup to her younger sister.
"Mmm," She mumbled, after drinking some of it, wiping the brown liquid off of her upper lip.
"Good?" Olga asked, her eyes shining.
"Yup."
"I'm glad you like it. Now, what do you say we talk a little?" She inquired, placing her hot chocolate on a cozy, so it wouldn't destroy the fine wood that her dresser was created from.
"Well... Ok," Helga agreed, slightly uncomfortably. She held the warm cup in her hands, trying to control her uncertainty. She had never talked, one on one, much with Olga, and when she did, it was so uncomfortable, neither sister knew exactly what to say.
"How is school?"
"Fine. How's... college?"
"It's fine, too. Hmm. Do you still play, uh..." Olga paused, trying to recall different names of Helga's classmates, "with Phoebe?"
"Yup. We're still best friends."
Curse this uncomfortableness between them! Olga wasn't sure where the problem was in their relationship. She tried to be a good big sister...
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
By the next day, luckily, the snow had stopped, but the Patakis were still stuck in the house because the snow thickly covered the door, and it was iced over as well. To say the least, it was driving Helga crazy! To be stuck in a house where the sound of piano notes being struck echoed through the house, along with Miriam and Big Bob's "ooh"s and "ahh"s, where every night they had some special meal cooked by, of course, Olga. She couldn't get out, and no one could get in. And on top of it all, on the second day of being cooped up in the house, the phone and electricity were out because of the heavy snowfall as well. Now they all were stuck in a freezing, powerless house, with nothing to do except listen to Olga play the piano repetitively and wait for the snow around the door to melt.
The third night of this, Helga retreated to her frosty room, tired of it all. She laid down on her chilly bed and relaxed. "Criminey, who would've thought that this would happen?" She grumbled in an annoyed tone. She didn't notice that the Furby was on her bedside table, its blue eyes shining mysteriously. "Ah, Arnold, my love. The ice outside my door is nothing compared to the ice around my heart; alas, we must be forced apart by a simple thing called snow? Ah," She sighed and pulled out the golden locket, staring at the picture of Arnold. "My love, how long must I wait to see your football head once more, hear your ever helpful voice?"
On the fourth night, she escaped into her room yet again, oblivious to the Furby that still sat, listening in. "Dear, sweet Arnold, are you as lonely as I am, on these freezing nights of snow filled bitterness? My love, how long will this last?"
And on and on it went, her uttering words such as these repeatedly, night after night to an audience of one.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
Finally, a week later, the temperature rose, and the snow began to melt, hitting the icey sidewalk with loud splashing sounds. "Yes!!!" Helga exclaimed, jumping out of her bed, as sunlight streamed unashamedly through her window, as if to say, "Sorry for the wait." After she got dressed in a warm pink sweater and long pants, Helga slipped into her coat and ran downstairs. "I'm going outside, Miriam!"
"Oh, ok..." Miriam's sleepy voice drifted from the kitchen.
Helga rolled her eyes and exited from the house. "Finally!" She exclaimed, scooping some snow up in her hand, and throwing it at Eugene, who, as soon as it hit, fell to the ground.
"I'm ok!..."
She rolled her eyes and continued on to Phoebe's. When she arrived, Phoebe's father was shoveling the sidewalk, but as soon as he saw her, he paused and greeted her.
"Hello, Helga. Are you here to see Phoebe?"
"Yup."
"Well, she's in the house," He commented, motioning to the front door, and then resumed shoveling.
"Ok." She entered the house. Since Phoebe and her had been best friends for years, Helga never knocked, and Phoebe never complained. "Hey, Pheebs!"
"Helga?" Phoebe walked through the semi-dark hallway to her friend, and smiled. Yup, the electricity was still down, and so was the phone. But now that the snow was melting, workers would soon be able to fix it. "I thought this snow would never start to melt!" The young Japanese girl commented.
"Yeah, me too. Well, you wanna go outside?"
"Yes."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
A few blocks away, Olga was walking along, with Fur-tifa snugly packed in her purse. A fierce wind blasted over her, causing her hair to sweep over her eyes, making it hard to see. "Uh?" She didn't notice the pile of snow in front of her, and fell forward, and didn't notice when Fur-tifa fell out of her purse and landed in soft snow, sinking out of sight. "Ah, Arnold, my love," It squealed a few minutes later. If the slushy snow around it screwed it up, it sure didn't sound like it. Olga was so shocked at the fall, not to mention the handsome man that helped her stand, she didn't even hear Fur-tifa. As she walked off again, Arnold exited the Sunset Arms boarding house, and smiled. He liked Christmas vacation. Not only did he get two weeks off, but he'd also get a lot of presents in a few days.
"Ahhh!" Fur-tifa exclaimed suddenly, and a look of fear passed over Arnold's face.
"What was that!?" He thought.
"My name is Fur-tifa!"
"Hmmm..." He followed the sound of the voice, and thought it sounded like it was under a pile of snow, so he started to dig through the slushy stuff. When he reached the Furby, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, boy!" A stupid Furby scared him. He started to chuckle. How stupid. "Well, the least I can do is find who it belongs to and give it back to her/him." He sighed and rubbed the snow off of Fur-tifa's fur, then carried it into the boarding house.
"Fur-tifa!" It exclaimed as soon as he reached the door.
"Ahhhh! Alien invader!" Gertie exclaimed as soon as she saw Fur-tifa.
"Grandma..." Arnold sighed again.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
Helga smiled slightly, walking slowly back home. It had been a fun afternoon. She had missed Phoebe. I mean, they were best friends; of course, she'd miss Phoebe. As she slushed her pink snow boots through the wet, now blackish snow, she thought about returning home. A dull feeling passed over her at the thought of it, being in that still nonelectric house. "Criminey, how long will it take for them to fix it!?" She grumbled, staring at technicians climbing on poles with wires that were weighed down with snow. At different places in the wires, it was ripped in half. She paused and stood in the icy sidewalk, watching the people trying to fix the problem, until the cold pushed her to continue walking home.
"Oh, baby sis! It's awful!" Olga sobbed. "I've lost Fur-tifa!"
Helga inwardly sighed. Her sister, nineteen years old, crying over some ridiculous toy?! Her attention was diverted by Big Bob stampeding into the kitchen.
"OLGA!" He bellowed. "Stop that crying! It's pathetic! If it's about that stupid toy, I'll get you another one! Just stop crying!"
"Now, B., calm down. It's just that the nonelectric thing is causing us all to be irritable. And, well! The blender won't work either, so I can't make my smoothies!" Strain was showing on Miriam's face, too.
Helga groaned. "I have GOT to get out of here!" She thought desperately. "Uhm, Olga... I'll help you look for Fur-tifa..."
"Really, baby sis? Oh, you're the best!" Olga exclaimed, suddenly grasping Helga's hands.
"Yeah, well... C'mon." She was so desperate to get out of the house, she would have done just about anything.
"Oh, this is so nice of you, Helga... Let's retrace my steps. Let's see... I had Fur-tifa in my purse. I walked down here," Motioning to the sidewalk, "and I turned this corner," Turning the corner, "then I walked here, and passed this buildings..." and on and on, she told of each thing she did as she walked, motioning as they retraced her steps. "Ooh! And I fell here!" She pointed to the slushy snow, that had her hand prints still in it. "I suppose Fur-tifa could have fallen out of my purse about here..."
"Ok, let's search through the snow..." Helga suggested grimly, falling to her knees, instantly soaking her pants and seams of her pink coat.
"Ok..." Olga agreed reluctantly, carefully sitting down on a patch of dry sidewalk, half-heartedly looking through the muddy, slushy snow. After almost an hour passed, Olga sighed and stood up. "Forget it, baby sis... I don't think-- that she's here anymore. Maybe someone found her."
By now, Helga was looking a little dirty... Ok, she was looking very dirty! Mud covered her hair, and slushy ice was all over her gloves and coat, and also covered her pants. However, she enjoyed it. It wasn't very often that she got to dig in the snow, nor that she'd actually wanna. It was a nice change from sitting around in the house. "Ok, Olga. Well, of course, Bob'll get you another Furby," She commented drily.
"Oh, I know, but it won't be the same as Fur-tifa. Oh, but thank you for searching, anyway, baby sis!"
"Yeah, yeah," Helga mumbled, brushing at her pant legs, trying to stall from going home.
After they left, the door to the boarding house opened, and Arnold walked out, holding the Furby in his opened palm.
"Fur-tifa! My love!" It exclaimed before he even sat down on the stairs.
"My love? Who in the world would teach their Furby to say that?" He pondered.
"Pataki!" It squeaked then, as if in answer.
"Pataki? Helga?" He groaned. "Oh, man." But, no... It didn't seem like something Helga would own.
Phil walked up behind his grandson, breaking his thought. "Hey, Shortman!"
"Hi, Grandpa..."
Phil squinted at Arnold, as though he thought he had been keeping a secret from him. "How long have you had a Furby?"
"I don't! I think it belongs to one of the Patakis."
"Oh, well, you know it wouldn't be Bob's." Grandpa said the name with some contempt.
"Yeah, and it can't be Helga's... I doubt it'd be her mom's... Maybe it's her sister's?" Arnold suggested, thinking out loud.
"Could be. Ooh. Eh, Shortman, I gotta go. Ooh. Pookie made raspberry omelettes for breakfast..." With this, Phil ran to the door.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
Helga laid in her room, shivering although her coat was still wrapped securely around her. "W-why can't they g-get the electricity fixed!?" She grumbled, slamming her fist against the bed. "It-it's so cold."
"Helga?" Miriam called. "I made sandwiches... Come down if you want one."
"Ooh, cold food, how charming," Helga moaned, but went downstairs anyhow.
"There you are," Olga said, her eyes shining. "Guess what? The electricians say they should have everything fixed in an hour or shorter. Isn't that nice of them?"
Helga nodded weakly and clutched at her sandwich. "Great..." Well, at least she'd be warm soon... "Ok, Helga, ol' girl, just hang on. You can make it," She thought dully, taking a couple bites out of her cheese and mayonnaise sandwich. She just couldn't do anything to warm up, and anything that could warm her up, well, she was too cold to do. After she finished the sandwich, she stumbled into the living room and collapsed into the chilly cushions of the couch.
"Are you ok?" Olga asked.
"Mm-hmm."
Olga looked down, and sat down next to her sister, feeling the cold vibrate from Helga's body. "Aw, baby sis is freezing!" She cooed, wrapping her arms around Helga, whose teeth were chattering too fiercely to struggle against her, or to tell her to stop.
She simply nodded and enjoyed the rare moment between them. Since no one was watching, Helga didn't mind. I mean, they were alone in the room and all.
Olga smiled a few minutes later, and looked down at her little sissy sleeping in her arms. "She looks kinda sweet, and cute..." Olga looked up at the calendar, slightly visable in the dark room. "Two days till Christmas. I hope she likes what I got her..." Although Olga didn't know Helga too well, and had her problems with her younger sissy, she did love her.
"Mmm... Arnold..." Helga mumbled in her sleep, and Olga's eyes widened slightly, and then relaxed as their owner smiled.
"Must be a friend from school," She decided.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
When Helga woke up, the feeling of warm air hit her, and she groaned as light hit her eyes, and caused them to close.
"Baby sis is awake!" Olga exclaimed in a cheerful tone. "Look, the electricity is back! The electricians kept their promises."
"Good," She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Ahh, good ol' heat," She thought, stripping off her coat.
"Now we just need to find Fur-tifa, and everything will be back to normal!"
"Oh, yeah, Fur-tifa..."
"Would you go searching with me again tomorrow for her, baby sis, please?" Olga stared at her with pleading eyes.
"Maybe," Helga grumbled, and walked up the stairs. Snatching up the phone, she was glad to hear the dial tone. After dialing a very familiar number, she spoke into the reciever. "Hey, Pheebs. Come on over." After hanging up just moments after the request... er... ok, command, she laid down on her bed and looked at the ceiling.
"Helga!" Olga called about ten minutes later. "Your little friend, Phoebe, is here!"
"Come on up, Pheebs!" She yelled back.
"Hello, Helga, what's going on?"
"Well, Phoebe, I was just thinking. My sister lost her Furby in front of a certain boarding house occupied by a certain person, and the way my luck goes..."
Phoebe nodded. "So you think... HE may have her Furby? Those things can repeat things they hear..." Her eyes widened. "Helga, tell me you said nothing in front of it..."
Helga shrugged. "I'm not certain, Phoebe. It's possible."
"Oh, no! Ice cream..." Inwardly, Phoebe groaned.
Helga chuckled drily. "I know! But what can we do? I don't want to sneak into his room again. The last time..." She paused at the look on Phoebe's face.
"You sneaked in--!!!!" She slapped her hand over her face and sighed, trying to quiet down. "You did not tell me that," She resumed in a tone barely above a whisper.
"Well, now you know." Helga rolled her eyes. "Anyway. Do you have any ideas?"
"No-o-o-o... Unless you tell Olga that you think that he has it, and she goes to get it, and..."
Helga thought that over. "We-e-ell, I suppose it'd work. It's better than what I've thought of. But I have to wait till tomorrow... And then who knows what he'll hear?"
"Ah, don't worry about it; as long as he doesn't play with it, wake it up, then it won't tell him anything. Well, I have to go now. I definitely have to get my homework done."
"Ok. I'll walk ya," Helga decided.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
The next day, Helga jumped out of bed, ready to get her sister's Furby out of the arms of her beloved. After dressing, she ran downstairs and ran out of the front door without talking to anyone. As she ran, her plan unfolded in her mind. As she turned the corner, her thoughts were shaken when she bumped into someone. "Ugh..." She groaned and shook her head.
"Sorry, Helga." She stared up into Arnold's green eyes, and then shook herself mentally.
"Watch where you're going, Football head!" Her eyes lighted on the Christmas Furby in his hands. "Oh, where'd ya get the Furby from, Hair boy?" She questioned with a smirk.
"I found it on the sidewalk. I'm looking for its owner. Oh, hey..." He was about to ask her if she thought that the Furby belonged to Olga, but she walked off. "Oh, boy. Now I still have to go to the..."
"Patakis!" Fur-tifa interrupted him.
"Mm-hmm..." He paused. "Uh oh, did I just answer the Furby? Oh criminey...! Oh geez. Now I'm quoting Helga..." He thought despairingly.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
"Helga, ol' girl, you are too smart," She patted herself on the back. "So, Football head has the Furby... I don't want him to hear anything... And it'd be too much trouble to sneak into his room and snatch it... But I can get my sister to go on her own... Heh-heh. It is grand... I almost have to do nothing to see this plan to completion... But I might as well be around when it happens." She sped home, and approached her mom. "Hey, Miriam, where is Olga?"
"Uhm?" She glanced up. "Oh, Helga, you're home... Well, she went out to look for her Furby..." She finished her smoothie, and then looked into the depths of the empty glass.
"Ok..." Helga left as Miriam returned to the blender to make another... smoothie. "Hmmm. Well..." Helga bumped into Olga as Olga was entering the house, and Helga was exiting.
"Hello, baby sis!"
"Hi, Olga... Oh, uh, Olga?" Helga absent-mindedly stopped her sister before she could run upstairs.
"Yes?" Patiently, Olga paused and stood in front of her younger sister.
"Well, I know where your Furby is."
"Oh, really? Helga, you're the best!"
"Yes, well. Go to the Sunset Arms boarding house, ok? One of the people who lives there has it."
"Thank you, oh! Fur-tifa, I'm coming!" Olga exclaimed, quite excited and hyper now, running out of the house.
"Time to follow..." Helga chuckled to herself, following her sister. It was fairly easy to follow Olga, since she was so hurried to get to Fur-tifa, she didn't bother looking behind her. However, Helga followed at a fairly good distance. She didn't have to worry about losing the older Pataki girl; she knew just where Olga was going, of course. If any of her fellow classmates that she passed really cared, they would have wondered, but Stinky, Sid, Harold and Sheena all seemed oblivious to fact that the two girls were going the same way.
Olga stared up at the boarding house upon arrival, and then, taking a deep breath, walked boldly up to the door and knocked.
Helga watched from the building on the edge of the street, breathless almost at how well Phoebe's plan was going. She sighed as soon as the door opened, and her love with the Football-shaped head stood there. "Oh, my love... Why can't I just run and admit to you that I am the one that wants to be standing there at that door, ready and willing to tell you all of my secrets? Ahhh..." She swooned, but her romantic moment was shattered by the sound of hoarse breathing behind her. Immediately, the smitten look on her face changed to one of spite, and her fist shot up to hit the familiar wheezer that stood behind her. As soon as she heard him fall to the ground, she walked away, closer to where Olga and Arnold stood, talking.
"... That is my Furby. I lost her just yesterday when I was walking around here, I tripped and she fell into the snow. My sister and I," Helga groaned, "searched for her, but didn't find her, so thank you so much for taking good care of her!" Olga smiled, holding Fur-tifa in her hands.
"That's ok. Glad I could help," He answered, and here Helga quavered a little at the sound of his voice.
"Bye!" Olga exclaimed, leaving Arnold's front steps.
"That's Helga PATAKI's sister?" Arnold scoffed and reentered his house.
Helga sighed dreamily. "Ah, my love..."
-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-
The next day, it was Christmas. Of course, Olga got quite a few things from Big Bob and Miriam, but Helga got nothing; Olga noticed this, but didn't say anything. Helga showed no disappointment; she was used to it. At least four Christmases passed when she didn't get anything. Miriam would forget... and Big Bob didn't care. She knew how it went. Although she was acting like everything was normal, inside, it hurt, she couldn't deny. Of course it hurt; how could it not?
Later on, after lunch, Olga and Helga sat in the living room, drinking hot chocolate. It was comfortable, as was the silence between them, for once. Fur-tifa sat on the chair, sleeping. "Oh, baby sis!" Olga exclaimed suddenly. "I know! Wait here! I can't believe I forgot!"
"Why not? Everyone does..." She thought bitterly. "Ok," She betrayed her emotions with this comment, and watched as her sister ran upstairs.
When Olga returned, an amazingly wrapped box was nestled in her hands.
It was a really odd shape, Helga remembered thinking as she took it.
"Open it!"
"Ok..." Helga's fingers explored the shiny, sleek pink wrapping with purple specks. A light blue ribbon was curled around from top to bottom of the package, and a small bow, obviously tied with Olga's hands, was glued to the top of the box. When she was ready to open it, she slid the ribbon off, and carefully ripped at the wrapping; she knew her sister would want to keep the paper, so she decided to go easy on it. When she was finished, she looked at the box, her face emotionless. "Wow... Olga... Uh... Thanks." She managed a smile.
It was a Furby!
Needless to say, after Helga was able to go outside that night, she had to scream loud and long because of this...
Helga groaned and stirred a little. When she finally opened her eyes, blurriness caused her to miss what was in front of her, until her sight cleared some. As soon as it did, her eyes widened, and she let out one of her loud, long screams. Since she was still half asleep, the two blue eyes in front of her that were framed by long, white eyelashes seemed ten times scarier than usual. Gasping for air, she finally remembered that... this was Olga's Furby! "Augh!" She yelled, throwing the stupid toy across the room in anger, trying to hit the door with it.
"Baby sis?" Olga opened the door in time to grab her toy before it smashed against the wooden panel. "Oh, Fur-tifa!" She gasped, cradling it in her arms like it was a baby.
"Fur-tifa... Freaking thing with an insane name," Helga grumbled, stomping past her sister. "What a way to be woke up..." Grumbling, she walked into the bathroom. When she came back out, she was dressed in her usual pink dress and white shirt. Olga had come home just a few days ago, because of Christmas vacation. Already, it was driving Helga crazy! Lila would come every day to spend time with Olga because of the big sis/lil sis program, and the stress on Helga was doubled. Her goody-goody sister, and her goody-goody nemesis under the roof at the same time. It caused her to spend most of the afternoon and some evenings at Phoebe's. Luckily, the Japanese girl easily obliged; in fact, she enjoyed having Helga over.
"I'm going to Phoebe's!" Helga yelled, after eating a bowl of cereal.
"Again? But, Baby sis! I thought we could spend the day together..." Olga protested feebly. "Lila won't be coming over today..."
Helga sighed and, scratching the back of her neck, glanced out of the window. Snow fluttered down to the ground unendingly, and the wind whistled against the windows coldly. Looked like a blizzard would start at any time. Sighing again, she released her defenses slightly, defeated. "Ok, ok, I'll stay. Wouldn't want to get caught in this, anyway."
Smiling, Olga clasped her sister's hands. "Good! We can finally bond! I've missed you so much, Baby sis!"
Big Bob stomped in then, his head covered in thick snow. "Stupid weather. I tell you, the stupid snow is up to my knees already... Oh, good morning, Olga," He grumbled, ignoring Helga, of course.
"Good morning, Daddy," She replied in her sweeter-than-sugar voice, seeming not to notice that Bob forgot Helga.
"What are you going to do, today?" He inquired, brushing the snow off of his hair.
"I'm going to spend some time with Helga today, Daddy!" Olga said excitedly.
"Oh, good, yeah, spend some time with the girl..." He mumbled.
Helga fumed inwardly. If Olga wasn't there, Bob called her Olga, and if Olga was there, he'd call her 'The Girl'.
Olga watched sadly as Helga stomped upstairs, and winced at the sound of Helga slamming her door. "Oh, Daddy," She thought. She loved her sister, but she loved her daddy too, and she loved avoiding troublesome things, and the father-daughter relationship between these two definitely was a troublesome thing and she knew right off that if someone suggested that they needed to work on their relationship, both would respond a little too hastily, "We don't need to! We get along fine!" They were so alike in this, Olga could tell. And that's why they fought so much, she figured. She had more of her mom in her. She felt she needed to help people, and had no problem with showing her emotions unlike Helga and Big Bob. "Helga?" She ran upstairs, and knocked on the door to her sister's room.
"Yes?" Helga still sounded mad, but Olga could tell her voice was also shaky.
"Can I come in?"
"Fine."
When Olga entered the room, Helga was sitting on the floor by her bed, hugging her knees up to her chest, staring at the floor. "What are you doing down there, Baby sis?" She inquired.
"Nothing," Helga mumbled, and, standing up, walked over to the window to look out at the snow that was still coming down rapidly.
"It's pretty, hmm?" Olga smiled, joining her.
"Uh-huh..."
Olga sighed. This surprised her; she expected something like, "What's so pretty about iced up water drops?" from her, or some other sarcastic reply. "Sissy, do you want to go outside for awhile, and play in the snow?"
"No," Helga answered bluntly, her eyes locked on the snow covered ground.
"How about I make us a couple of cups of hot chocolate, and we go into my room, away from Daddy, and talk?"
Helga finally dragged her eyes away from the window, and stared at Olga. "Well... Ok."
"That's the spirit!" Olga exclaimed, beaming. "Here, you take Fur-tifa, and wait in my room, and I'll come back up with the cocoa."
"Ok." Helga impatiently took the Furby and carried it into Olga's room, then threw it on the bed.
"Yahhhh!" It exclaimed, suddenly waking up. "Me sleep good!"
She jumped, and stared at it, wide-eyed. "What in the name of criminey?" She gasped, picking it up, and holding it upside down.
"Me scared," It chirped suddenly. "Me no like!"
"Uh, oh?" She held it up right, and stared at it. It was kinda cute, actually, she decided, staring at it. It had red fur, with a white stomach, and black feet, and a Santa's hat with "Furby" written on it adorned its head. A tag on its side said it was a special limited edition, a Christmas Furby, with some Christmas Furby-style story. It was odd; the longer Helga stared at this thing, the cuter it seemed to her.
"Fur-tifa!" It exclaimed suddenly, then continued. "My name is Fur-tifa!"
Helga smiled briefly, then wondered. She had heard that if you said something to this thing enough times, it would eventually repeat it, and then it would be a part of its vocabulary for ever. Now how in the world did it do that? She was so busy contemplating this, she didn't hear Olga return with two cups of the cocoa until the older girl spoke.
"Baby sis, here is your hot chocolate!" She smiled and handed the white cup to her younger sister.
"Mmm," She mumbled, after drinking some of it, wiping the brown liquid off of her upper lip.
"Good?" Olga asked, her eyes shining.
"Yup."
"I'm glad you like it. Now, what do you say we talk a little?" She inquired, placing her hot chocolate on a cozy, so it wouldn't destroy the fine wood that her dresser was created from.
"Well... Ok," Helga agreed, slightly uncomfortably. She held the warm cup in her hands, trying to control her uncertainty. She had never talked, one on one, much with Olga, and when she did, it was so uncomfortable, neither sister knew exactly what to say.
"How is school?"
"Fine. How's... college?"
"It's fine, too. Hmm. Do you still play, uh..." Olga paused, trying to recall different names of Helga's classmates, "with Phoebe?"
"Yup. We're still best friends."
Curse this uncomfortableness between them! Olga wasn't sure where the problem was in their relationship. She tried to be a good big sister...
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
By the next day, luckily, the snow had stopped, but the Patakis were still stuck in the house because the snow thickly covered the door, and it was iced over as well. To say the least, it was driving Helga crazy! To be stuck in a house where the sound of piano notes being struck echoed through the house, along with Miriam and Big Bob's "ooh"s and "ahh"s, where every night they had some special meal cooked by, of course, Olga. She couldn't get out, and no one could get in. And on top of it all, on the second day of being cooped up in the house, the phone and electricity were out because of the heavy snowfall as well. Now they all were stuck in a freezing, powerless house, with nothing to do except listen to Olga play the piano repetitively and wait for the snow around the door to melt.
The third night of this, Helga retreated to her frosty room, tired of it all. She laid down on her chilly bed and relaxed. "Criminey, who would've thought that this would happen?" She grumbled in an annoyed tone. She didn't notice that the Furby was on her bedside table, its blue eyes shining mysteriously. "Ah, Arnold, my love. The ice outside my door is nothing compared to the ice around my heart; alas, we must be forced apart by a simple thing called snow? Ah," She sighed and pulled out the golden locket, staring at the picture of Arnold. "My love, how long must I wait to see your football head once more, hear your ever helpful voice?"
On the fourth night, she escaped into her room yet again, oblivious to the Furby that still sat, listening in. "Dear, sweet Arnold, are you as lonely as I am, on these freezing nights of snow filled bitterness? My love, how long will this last?"
And on and on it went, her uttering words such as these repeatedly, night after night to an audience of one.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
Finally, a week later, the temperature rose, and the snow began to melt, hitting the icey sidewalk with loud splashing sounds. "Yes!!!" Helga exclaimed, jumping out of her bed, as sunlight streamed unashamedly through her window, as if to say, "Sorry for the wait." After she got dressed in a warm pink sweater and long pants, Helga slipped into her coat and ran downstairs. "I'm going outside, Miriam!"
"Oh, ok..." Miriam's sleepy voice drifted from the kitchen.
Helga rolled her eyes and exited from the house. "Finally!" She exclaimed, scooping some snow up in her hand, and throwing it at Eugene, who, as soon as it hit, fell to the ground.
"I'm ok!..."
She rolled her eyes and continued on to Phoebe's. When she arrived, Phoebe's father was shoveling the sidewalk, but as soon as he saw her, he paused and greeted her.
"Hello, Helga. Are you here to see Phoebe?"
"Yup."
"Well, she's in the house," He commented, motioning to the front door, and then resumed shoveling.
"Ok." She entered the house. Since Phoebe and her had been best friends for years, Helga never knocked, and Phoebe never complained. "Hey, Pheebs!"
"Helga?" Phoebe walked through the semi-dark hallway to her friend, and smiled. Yup, the electricity was still down, and so was the phone. But now that the snow was melting, workers would soon be able to fix it. "I thought this snow would never start to melt!" The young Japanese girl commented.
"Yeah, me too. Well, you wanna go outside?"
"Yes."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
A few blocks away, Olga was walking along, with Fur-tifa snugly packed in her purse. A fierce wind blasted over her, causing her hair to sweep over her eyes, making it hard to see. "Uh?" She didn't notice the pile of snow in front of her, and fell forward, and didn't notice when Fur-tifa fell out of her purse and landed in soft snow, sinking out of sight. "Ah, Arnold, my love," It squealed a few minutes later. If the slushy snow around it screwed it up, it sure didn't sound like it. Olga was so shocked at the fall, not to mention the handsome man that helped her stand, she didn't even hear Fur-tifa. As she walked off again, Arnold exited the Sunset Arms boarding house, and smiled. He liked Christmas vacation. Not only did he get two weeks off, but he'd also get a lot of presents in a few days.
"Ahhh!" Fur-tifa exclaimed suddenly, and a look of fear passed over Arnold's face.
"What was that!?" He thought.
"My name is Fur-tifa!"
"Hmmm..." He followed the sound of the voice, and thought it sounded like it was under a pile of snow, so he started to dig through the slushy stuff. When he reached the Furby, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, boy!" A stupid Furby scared him. He started to chuckle. How stupid. "Well, the least I can do is find who it belongs to and give it back to her/him." He sighed and rubbed the snow off of Fur-tifa's fur, then carried it into the boarding house.
"Fur-tifa!" It exclaimed as soon as he reached the door.
"Ahhhh! Alien invader!" Gertie exclaimed as soon as she saw Fur-tifa.
"Grandma..." Arnold sighed again.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
Helga smiled slightly, walking slowly back home. It had been a fun afternoon. She had missed Phoebe. I mean, they were best friends; of course, she'd miss Phoebe. As she slushed her pink snow boots through the wet, now blackish snow, she thought about returning home. A dull feeling passed over her at the thought of it, being in that still nonelectric house. "Criminey, how long will it take for them to fix it!?" She grumbled, staring at technicians climbing on poles with wires that were weighed down with snow. At different places in the wires, it was ripped in half. She paused and stood in the icy sidewalk, watching the people trying to fix the problem, until the cold pushed her to continue walking home.
"Oh, baby sis! It's awful!" Olga sobbed. "I've lost Fur-tifa!"
Helga inwardly sighed. Her sister, nineteen years old, crying over some ridiculous toy?! Her attention was diverted by Big Bob stampeding into the kitchen.
"OLGA!" He bellowed. "Stop that crying! It's pathetic! If it's about that stupid toy, I'll get you another one! Just stop crying!"
"Now, B., calm down. It's just that the nonelectric thing is causing us all to be irritable. And, well! The blender won't work either, so I can't make my smoothies!" Strain was showing on Miriam's face, too.
Helga groaned. "I have GOT to get out of here!" She thought desperately. "Uhm, Olga... I'll help you look for Fur-tifa..."
"Really, baby sis? Oh, you're the best!" Olga exclaimed, suddenly grasping Helga's hands.
"Yeah, well... C'mon." She was so desperate to get out of the house, she would have done just about anything.
"Oh, this is so nice of you, Helga... Let's retrace my steps. Let's see... I had Fur-tifa in my purse. I walked down here," Motioning to the sidewalk, "and I turned this corner," Turning the corner, "then I walked here, and passed this buildings..." and on and on, she told of each thing she did as she walked, motioning as they retraced her steps. "Ooh! And I fell here!" She pointed to the slushy snow, that had her hand prints still in it. "I suppose Fur-tifa could have fallen out of my purse about here..."
"Ok, let's search through the snow..." Helga suggested grimly, falling to her knees, instantly soaking her pants and seams of her pink coat.
"Ok..." Olga agreed reluctantly, carefully sitting down on a patch of dry sidewalk, half-heartedly looking through the muddy, slushy snow. After almost an hour passed, Olga sighed and stood up. "Forget it, baby sis... I don't think-- that she's here anymore. Maybe someone found her."
By now, Helga was looking a little dirty... Ok, she was looking very dirty! Mud covered her hair, and slushy ice was all over her gloves and coat, and also covered her pants. However, she enjoyed it. It wasn't very often that she got to dig in the snow, nor that she'd actually wanna. It was a nice change from sitting around in the house. "Ok, Olga. Well, of course, Bob'll get you another Furby," She commented drily.
"Oh, I know, but it won't be the same as Fur-tifa. Oh, but thank you for searching, anyway, baby sis!"
"Yeah, yeah," Helga mumbled, brushing at her pant legs, trying to stall from going home.
After they left, the door to the boarding house opened, and Arnold walked out, holding the Furby in his opened palm.
"Fur-tifa! My love!" It exclaimed before he even sat down on the stairs.
"My love? Who in the world would teach their Furby to say that?" He pondered.
"Pataki!" It squeaked then, as if in answer.
"Pataki? Helga?" He groaned. "Oh, man." But, no... It didn't seem like something Helga would own.
Phil walked up behind his grandson, breaking his thought. "Hey, Shortman!"
"Hi, Grandpa..."
Phil squinted at Arnold, as though he thought he had been keeping a secret from him. "How long have you had a Furby?"
"I don't! I think it belongs to one of the Patakis."
"Oh, well, you know it wouldn't be Bob's." Grandpa said the name with some contempt.
"Yeah, and it can't be Helga's... I doubt it'd be her mom's... Maybe it's her sister's?" Arnold suggested, thinking out loud.
"Could be. Ooh. Eh, Shortman, I gotta go. Ooh. Pookie made raspberry omelettes for breakfast..." With this, Phil ran to the door.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
Helga laid in her room, shivering although her coat was still wrapped securely around her. "W-why can't they g-get the electricity fixed!?" She grumbled, slamming her fist against the bed. "It-it's so cold."
"Helga?" Miriam called. "I made sandwiches... Come down if you want one."
"Ooh, cold food, how charming," Helga moaned, but went downstairs anyhow.
"There you are," Olga said, her eyes shining. "Guess what? The electricians say they should have everything fixed in an hour or shorter. Isn't that nice of them?"
Helga nodded weakly and clutched at her sandwich. "Great..." Well, at least she'd be warm soon... "Ok, Helga, ol' girl, just hang on. You can make it," She thought dully, taking a couple bites out of her cheese and mayonnaise sandwich. She just couldn't do anything to warm up, and anything that could warm her up, well, she was too cold to do. After she finished the sandwich, she stumbled into the living room and collapsed into the chilly cushions of the couch.
"Are you ok?" Olga asked.
"Mm-hmm."
Olga looked down, and sat down next to her sister, feeling the cold vibrate from Helga's body. "Aw, baby sis is freezing!" She cooed, wrapping her arms around Helga, whose teeth were chattering too fiercely to struggle against her, or to tell her to stop.
She simply nodded and enjoyed the rare moment between them. Since no one was watching, Helga didn't mind. I mean, they were alone in the room and all.
Olga smiled a few minutes later, and looked down at her little sissy sleeping in her arms. "She looks kinda sweet, and cute..." Olga looked up at the calendar, slightly visable in the dark room. "Two days till Christmas. I hope she likes what I got her..." Although Olga didn't know Helga too well, and had her problems with her younger sissy, she did love her.
"Mmm... Arnold..." Helga mumbled in her sleep, and Olga's eyes widened slightly, and then relaxed as their owner smiled.
"Must be a friend from school," She decided.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
When Helga woke up, the feeling of warm air hit her, and she groaned as light hit her eyes, and caused them to close.
"Baby sis is awake!" Olga exclaimed in a cheerful tone. "Look, the electricity is back! The electricians kept their promises."
"Good," She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Ahh, good ol' heat," She thought, stripping off her coat.
"Now we just need to find Fur-tifa, and everything will be back to normal!"
"Oh, yeah, Fur-tifa..."
"Would you go searching with me again tomorrow for her, baby sis, please?" Olga stared at her with pleading eyes.
"Maybe," Helga grumbled, and walked up the stairs. Snatching up the phone, she was glad to hear the dial tone. After dialing a very familiar number, she spoke into the reciever. "Hey, Pheebs. Come on over." After hanging up just moments after the request... er... ok, command, she laid down on her bed and looked at the ceiling.
"Helga!" Olga called about ten minutes later. "Your little friend, Phoebe, is here!"
"Come on up, Pheebs!" She yelled back.
"Hello, Helga, what's going on?"
"Well, Phoebe, I was just thinking. My sister lost her Furby in front of a certain boarding house occupied by a certain person, and the way my luck goes..."
Phoebe nodded. "So you think... HE may have her Furby? Those things can repeat things they hear..." Her eyes widened. "Helga, tell me you said nothing in front of it..."
Helga shrugged. "I'm not certain, Phoebe. It's possible."
"Oh, no! Ice cream..." Inwardly, Phoebe groaned.
Helga chuckled drily. "I know! But what can we do? I don't want to sneak into his room again. The last time..." She paused at the look on Phoebe's face.
"You sneaked in--!!!!" She slapped her hand over her face and sighed, trying to quiet down. "You did not tell me that," She resumed in a tone barely above a whisper.
"Well, now you know." Helga rolled her eyes. "Anyway. Do you have any ideas?"
"No-o-o-o... Unless you tell Olga that you think that he has it, and she goes to get it, and..."
Helga thought that over. "We-e-ell, I suppose it'd work. It's better than what I've thought of. But I have to wait till tomorrow... And then who knows what he'll hear?"
"Ah, don't worry about it; as long as he doesn't play with it, wake it up, then it won't tell him anything. Well, I have to go now. I definitely have to get my homework done."
"Ok. I'll walk ya," Helga decided.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
The next day, Helga jumped out of bed, ready to get her sister's Furby out of the arms of her beloved. After dressing, she ran downstairs and ran out of the front door without talking to anyone. As she ran, her plan unfolded in her mind. As she turned the corner, her thoughts were shaken when she bumped into someone. "Ugh..." She groaned and shook her head.
"Sorry, Helga." She stared up into Arnold's green eyes, and then shook herself mentally.
"Watch where you're going, Football head!" Her eyes lighted on the Christmas Furby in his hands. "Oh, where'd ya get the Furby from, Hair boy?" She questioned with a smirk.
"I found it on the sidewalk. I'm looking for its owner. Oh, hey..." He was about to ask her if she thought that the Furby belonged to Olga, but she walked off. "Oh, boy. Now I still have to go to the..."
"Patakis!" Fur-tifa interrupted him.
"Mm-hmm..." He paused. "Uh oh, did I just answer the Furby? Oh criminey...! Oh geez. Now I'm quoting Helga..." He thought despairingly.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_--_-_-_-_-_
"Helga, ol' girl, you are too smart," She patted herself on the back. "So, Football head has the Furby... I don't want him to hear anything... And it'd be too much trouble to sneak into his room and snatch it... But I can get my sister to go on her own... Heh-heh. It is grand... I almost have to do nothing to see this plan to completion... But I might as well be around when it happens." She sped home, and approached her mom. "Hey, Miriam, where is Olga?"
"Uhm?" She glanced up. "Oh, Helga, you're home... Well, she went out to look for her Furby..." She finished her smoothie, and then looked into the depths of the empty glass.
"Ok..." Helga left as Miriam returned to the blender to make another... smoothie. "Hmmm. Well..." Helga bumped into Olga as Olga was entering the house, and Helga was exiting.
"Hello, baby sis!"
"Hi, Olga... Oh, uh, Olga?" Helga absent-mindedly stopped her sister before she could run upstairs.
"Yes?" Patiently, Olga paused and stood in front of her younger sister.
"Well, I know where your Furby is."
"Oh, really? Helga, you're the best!"
"Yes, well. Go to the Sunset Arms boarding house, ok? One of the people who lives there has it."
"Thank you, oh! Fur-tifa, I'm coming!" Olga exclaimed, quite excited and hyper now, running out of the house.
"Time to follow..." Helga chuckled to herself, following her sister. It was fairly easy to follow Olga, since she was so hurried to get to Fur-tifa, she didn't bother looking behind her. However, Helga followed at a fairly good distance. She didn't have to worry about losing the older Pataki girl; she knew just where Olga was going, of course. If any of her fellow classmates that she passed really cared, they would have wondered, but Stinky, Sid, Harold and Sheena all seemed oblivious to fact that the two girls were going the same way.
Olga stared up at the boarding house upon arrival, and then, taking a deep breath, walked boldly up to the door and knocked.
Helga watched from the building on the edge of the street, breathless almost at how well Phoebe's plan was going. She sighed as soon as the door opened, and her love with the Football-shaped head stood there. "Oh, my love... Why can't I just run and admit to you that I am the one that wants to be standing there at that door, ready and willing to tell you all of my secrets? Ahhh..." She swooned, but her romantic moment was shattered by the sound of hoarse breathing behind her. Immediately, the smitten look on her face changed to one of spite, and her fist shot up to hit the familiar wheezer that stood behind her. As soon as she heard him fall to the ground, she walked away, closer to where Olga and Arnold stood, talking.
"... That is my Furby. I lost her just yesterday when I was walking around here, I tripped and she fell into the snow. My sister and I," Helga groaned, "searched for her, but didn't find her, so thank you so much for taking good care of her!" Olga smiled, holding Fur-tifa in her hands.
"That's ok. Glad I could help," He answered, and here Helga quavered a little at the sound of his voice.
"Bye!" Olga exclaimed, leaving Arnold's front steps.
"That's Helga PATAKI's sister?" Arnold scoffed and reentered his house.
Helga sighed dreamily. "Ah, my love..."
-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-
The next day, it was Christmas. Of course, Olga got quite a few things from Big Bob and Miriam, but Helga got nothing; Olga noticed this, but didn't say anything. Helga showed no disappointment; she was used to it. At least four Christmases passed when she didn't get anything. Miriam would forget... and Big Bob didn't care. She knew how it went. Although she was acting like everything was normal, inside, it hurt, she couldn't deny. Of course it hurt; how could it not?
Later on, after lunch, Olga and Helga sat in the living room, drinking hot chocolate. It was comfortable, as was the silence between them, for once. Fur-tifa sat on the chair, sleeping. "Oh, baby sis!" Olga exclaimed suddenly. "I know! Wait here! I can't believe I forgot!"
"Why not? Everyone does..." She thought bitterly. "Ok," She betrayed her emotions with this comment, and watched as her sister ran upstairs.
When Olga returned, an amazingly wrapped box was nestled in her hands.
It was a really odd shape, Helga remembered thinking as she took it.
"Open it!"
"Ok..." Helga's fingers explored the shiny, sleek pink wrapping with purple specks. A light blue ribbon was curled around from top to bottom of the package, and a small bow, obviously tied with Olga's hands, was glued to the top of the box. When she was ready to open it, she slid the ribbon off, and carefully ripped at the wrapping; she knew her sister would want to keep the paper, so she decided to go easy on it. When she was finished, she looked at the box, her face emotionless. "Wow... Olga... Uh... Thanks." She managed a smile.
It was a Furby!
Needless to say, after Helga was able to go outside that night, she had to scream loud and long because of this...