Chapter Nine
The next morning, Helga woke up early, feeling very hungry. She walked out of her room, down the stairs, and took a left into the dining room where Miriam was making a smoothie and Bob was reading the paper and - WHUMP! "Hey, what's the deal? Oh….right. I'm in the mansion. Silly me." She said the last two words with the least amount of emotion she could, and woke up from her stupor. She had thought she was still inside her old house, and had run into the wall next to one of the servants' bedrooms. Before she could walk away, the door to the bedroom opened, and out walked the man who had delivered her the note, when it all began.
"Helga? Was it you who...er…walked into my wall?"
"Yeah, er, Mr. - "
"Barkley. Morris Barkley."
"Mr. Barkley - "
"Please call me Murray. Everyone else does."
"Alright, Murray, but I was just going to go get some breakfast, and - "
"Is there something wrong?"
"NO! That is…nothing is wrong. Not a thing. Nope." Helga blurted that out rather quickly, and Murray looked at her suspiciously.
"Hmm. It's kind of hard for a person who's emotionally stable to walk into a wall at running speed."
"I wasn't running!"
"Oh, yes you were. To make that kind of a noise, you'd need to be walking rather briskly."
"Oooh, THAT'S NOT THE POINT! Excuse me, Murray, but I'm pretty hungry, and - "
"Master Robert's a bit testy, wouldn't you say?"
"Robert…oh, Bob. What does that have to do with anything?"
"I'd say it has to do with a lot. I do the late watch, you know."
Helga stopped trying to walk away as the meaning of his comment dawned on her. "You were spying on us?"
"It wasn't spying, Helga. It was hard NOT to hear you."
Helga stared at him. What was his angle? What was he getting at? Her questions were answered when he continued speaking.
"You know, there IS a back entrance to the house…and I'm always around. If a certain little girl who I happen to like asked me, I may be able to, er…open it, at certain hours of the day? Or, as the case may be, hours of the night?" Helga stared at him incredulously.
"You'd do that for me?"
"Of course. What's the fun of knowing all the entrances and exits of a mansion when you can't use them, eh?" Helga gave him an approving look. Then she held out her hand and cocked a sly smile.
"Maybe this mansion isn't so bad after all, eh?" Helga started to walk away.
"Say, you still haven't told me exactly what's wrong."
Helga turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. "You know? You have a bad habit of interrupting people when they're trying to do something. Well, I'm not really sure what's wrong. I woke up, and thought I was still in my old house. I sort of, well, imagined I was going to the dining room to fix up a couple of waffles, and…" she pointed to the wall, "That's where the dining room door is. - was."
Murray put a hand on her shoulder. Helga stared at it. "It'll be okay. You'll get used to it." And with that, he went back into his room, and shut the door. Helga shook her head, and walked to the dining room.
Meanwhile, Arnold was waking up as well. The boarding house was far from quiet, and Arnold could hardly sleep any more with the noise. As he walked past the bathroom, he saw what the noise was, and rolled his eyes at it.
"Hey, ya bum, it's MY turn to take a shower!"
"No, it isn't! My turn!"
"Ehehe, that's right, keep fighting, I'll just go take a shower…"
"HEY!"
Ernie and Mr. Hyunh dragged Oscar into one of their bedrooms and tossed him out the window. Arnold still shook his head and walked down to the kitchen.
"Arr, Starbuck. Where ye been?" Grandma walked in, wearing a big, gaudy pirate suit. She continued, "Arr, I've got to catch the white whale! Man the harpoons!" She made what could be interpreted as a harpoon noise, and a big stack of pancakes landed on Arnold's plate. He stared at them for a second, and then started eating. At that point Grandpa walked in.
"Hey, short man, what's cookin'?" Arnold sighed.
"Nothing, Grandpa."
"You look kinda down in the dumps, there! What's wrong?"
Arnold gave him a meaningful look, and Grandpa's face fell.
"Look, short man, you've got to stop dwelling on it! Your parents are gone, and you'll probably never see them again, and you're just going to have to accept that! Worrying and festering and moping and brooding will get you nowhere, and for that matter, will not get them back. Now I want you to put you chin up, and be glad for what you've got!" Arnold looked up at him, and then to Pirate Pookie, and then smiled.
"You're right Grandpa. I gotta go to school. Thanks." He gave Grandpa a hug. When Arnold had left, Grandpa laughed.
"Heh, heh, heh…I knew that'd work. Blunt truth, that's all. Pookie, get that pirate suit off…the hooks are starting to bother me."
*__*
U
-I. Krag
The next morning, Helga woke up early, feeling very hungry. She walked out of her room, down the stairs, and took a left into the dining room where Miriam was making a smoothie and Bob was reading the paper and - WHUMP! "Hey, what's the deal? Oh….right. I'm in the mansion. Silly me." She said the last two words with the least amount of emotion she could, and woke up from her stupor. She had thought she was still inside her old house, and had run into the wall next to one of the servants' bedrooms. Before she could walk away, the door to the bedroom opened, and out walked the man who had delivered her the note, when it all began.
"Helga? Was it you who...er…walked into my wall?"
"Yeah, er, Mr. - "
"Barkley. Morris Barkley."
"Mr. Barkley - "
"Please call me Murray. Everyone else does."
"Alright, Murray, but I was just going to go get some breakfast, and - "
"Is there something wrong?"
"NO! That is…nothing is wrong. Not a thing. Nope." Helga blurted that out rather quickly, and Murray looked at her suspiciously.
"Hmm. It's kind of hard for a person who's emotionally stable to walk into a wall at running speed."
"I wasn't running!"
"Oh, yes you were. To make that kind of a noise, you'd need to be walking rather briskly."
"Oooh, THAT'S NOT THE POINT! Excuse me, Murray, but I'm pretty hungry, and - "
"Master Robert's a bit testy, wouldn't you say?"
"Robert…oh, Bob. What does that have to do with anything?"
"I'd say it has to do with a lot. I do the late watch, you know."
Helga stopped trying to walk away as the meaning of his comment dawned on her. "You were spying on us?"
"It wasn't spying, Helga. It was hard NOT to hear you."
Helga stared at him. What was his angle? What was he getting at? Her questions were answered when he continued speaking.
"You know, there IS a back entrance to the house…and I'm always around. If a certain little girl who I happen to like asked me, I may be able to, er…open it, at certain hours of the day? Or, as the case may be, hours of the night?" Helga stared at him incredulously.
"You'd do that for me?"
"Of course. What's the fun of knowing all the entrances and exits of a mansion when you can't use them, eh?" Helga gave him an approving look. Then she held out her hand and cocked a sly smile.
"Maybe this mansion isn't so bad after all, eh?" Helga started to walk away.
"Say, you still haven't told me exactly what's wrong."
Helga turned around and narrowed her eyes at him. "You know? You have a bad habit of interrupting people when they're trying to do something. Well, I'm not really sure what's wrong. I woke up, and thought I was still in my old house. I sort of, well, imagined I was going to the dining room to fix up a couple of waffles, and…" she pointed to the wall, "That's where the dining room door is. - was."
Murray put a hand on her shoulder. Helga stared at it. "It'll be okay. You'll get used to it." And with that, he went back into his room, and shut the door. Helga shook her head, and walked to the dining room.
Meanwhile, Arnold was waking up as well. The boarding house was far from quiet, and Arnold could hardly sleep any more with the noise. As he walked past the bathroom, he saw what the noise was, and rolled his eyes at it.
"Hey, ya bum, it's MY turn to take a shower!"
"No, it isn't! My turn!"
"Ehehe, that's right, keep fighting, I'll just go take a shower…"
"HEY!"
Ernie and Mr. Hyunh dragged Oscar into one of their bedrooms and tossed him out the window. Arnold still shook his head and walked down to the kitchen.
"Arr, Starbuck. Where ye been?" Grandma walked in, wearing a big, gaudy pirate suit. She continued, "Arr, I've got to catch the white whale! Man the harpoons!" She made what could be interpreted as a harpoon noise, and a big stack of pancakes landed on Arnold's plate. He stared at them for a second, and then started eating. At that point Grandpa walked in.
"Hey, short man, what's cookin'?" Arnold sighed.
"Nothing, Grandpa."
"You look kinda down in the dumps, there! What's wrong?"
Arnold gave him a meaningful look, and Grandpa's face fell.
"Look, short man, you've got to stop dwelling on it! Your parents are gone, and you'll probably never see them again, and you're just going to have to accept that! Worrying and festering and moping and brooding will get you nowhere, and for that matter, will not get them back. Now I want you to put you chin up, and be glad for what you've got!" Arnold looked up at him, and then to Pirate Pookie, and then smiled.
"You're right Grandpa. I gotta go to school. Thanks." He gave Grandpa a hug. When Arnold had left, Grandpa laughed.
"Heh, heh, heh…I knew that'd work. Blunt truth, that's all. Pookie, get that pirate suit off…the hooks are starting to bother me."
*__*
U
-I. Krag