Helga looked at Arnold from a distance. He was slouched down in his chair
looking sad and rejected. She wanted to talk to him, to tell him she didn't
mean the hurtful things she had said.
"You broke our contract Helga," Mary said.
"No I didn't. I don't love him anymore," Helga said.
"You ignored what you were supposed to do. Instead of doing what you were
supposed to do, you extracted revenge. That isn't the path of an angel.
Justice, yes, guidance, definitely. But not revenge. We leave that for The
Fallen*" Mary told her.
"I couldn't help it. She killed me, she killed Patrick and she was going to
get away with it. I couldn't let that happen," Helga cried.
"When Arnold is alone, talk to him, Helga. You were sent to watch and guide
him. And love him,"
"I thought that was a sin?" Helga asked through her tears.
"No, lust is a sin, not love. What you had, still have, is love. It's just
a more matured form. Sometimes you love someone so much that you don't even
think about it," Mary explained.
"Ok. I will never be alive again will I?" she asked.
"Not in his current lifetime. But in his next," Mary said mysteriously.
Then she vanished.
"Arnold?" Helga asked. Arnold looked up from his book. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it. I was just so angry at Olga and wanted to hurt her. I guess I got kinda carried away huh?" she said adding a little nervous laugh. "Yeah, I guess you did," he said putting his book down. "So did you really love Patrick?" "Yes. I did. Not like I love you. It was different with him, you know?" she asked sitting next to him. "It would never have lasted. I wish I could turn back time," Helga siged. "What would you do differently?" he asked. "I would have waited and written poetry in bed with you," she told him smiling. "I wouldn't have done that," he said to her. "How come?" "I would have ruined the poems," he joked. Helga picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "Your terrible!" she yelled throwing herself on him, play-punching and finghting on the bed. She didn't know what happened but it all disappeared. She opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. "Helga?" she heard a voice ask. She looked and saw Mary. "You've been given a second chance, don't mess it up," she warned her. "I wont," Helga said, though she didn't know what she was agreeing to not messing up. "Ok, dear," Mary said and vanished. Helga woke up again. She could smell pancakes drifting up through the house. She was hungry! She felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks! "Happy thanksgiving baby-sister!" she heard Olga's voice cry. She turned and saw her sister standing there smiling with her arm around another guy. Suddenly it all fell into place. Patrick, her death, Arnold. ARNOLD! "I have to call someone," she said and went to the telephone. Punching in Gerald's number she waited for him to pick up. "Hello?" a groggy voice said. "Hap Thanks G, what's Arnolds phone number?" she asked. "Helga?" he asked. "No. Mary Poppins. Of course me! Now what's the number?" she asked again picking up a pen. Gerald rattled off the numbers and Helga wrote them down. "Thanks, and say happy thanksgiving to Phoebes for will ya?" as she was dropping the phone she heard him ask how she knew Phoebe was there. She didn't answer. She punched in the number Gerald had given her, even though it was out of state and waited. "Hello?" a dull uninteresting voice answered. "Hi, I want to speak with Arnold, please" she said. "Hold on a moment. ARNOLD! ONE OF YOUR GIRLFRIENDS IS ON THE PHONE!" she heard the person yell. "He's on his way," then it was quiet for a moment. Then came some bickering and a little laughter. "Hello?" a bright cherry voice answered. Helga's breath caught as she heard his voice, and for a moment she couldn't speak. "Hello?" "Oh sorry, Arnold, I was busy watching something," she said. It was dead quiet for a moment. "Helga?" he breathed. "Yeah," "Oh my god, I had the weirdest dream about you last night! I dreamt that you were dead and your sister killed you and you were having it off with some guy-" "Patrick" "Yeah, him. Are you ok?" he asked urgently. "A little dazed seeing as how I had the same dream, but other than that fine," she told him. "Oh good. Listen I'm coming there to spend time with Gerald over the festive season. What to hook up?" he asked. "Sure, maybe we can finish our little fight on your bed . . . " "I hope so," he said laughing. "See you soon, I'll call" "I'll wait," "Happy Thanksgiving," "You to Helga," And they hung up. Helga turned and looked at Olga and her husband Patrick. "Who were you talking to Helga?" "Arnold," "Your little boyfriend, huh kid?" Patrick joked. "Yes, my little boyfriend, hope you don't think your going to be in the family forever," Helga told him and walked off into the lounge leaving Olga and Patrick staring after her. "I don't think your sister likes me very much," Patrick said to Olga. "She'll warm up to you," Olga told him. 'Humph, fat chance,' Helga thought walking away, 'Why have him when I can have Arnold?' she thought to herself, and felt that gooffy expression come in over her face, but she didn't even try to wipe it off . . . . . . . .
"Arnold?" Helga asked. Arnold looked up from his book. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it. I was just so angry at Olga and wanted to hurt her. I guess I got kinda carried away huh?" she said adding a little nervous laugh. "Yeah, I guess you did," he said putting his book down. "So did you really love Patrick?" "Yes. I did. Not like I love you. It was different with him, you know?" she asked sitting next to him. "It would never have lasted. I wish I could turn back time," Helga siged. "What would you do differently?" he asked. "I would have waited and written poetry in bed with you," she told him smiling. "I wouldn't have done that," he said to her. "How come?" "I would have ruined the poems," he joked. Helga picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "Your terrible!" she yelled throwing herself on him, play-punching and finghting on the bed. She didn't know what happened but it all disappeared. She opened her eyes and found herself staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. "Helga?" she heard a voice ask. She looked and saw Mary. "You've been given a second chance, don't mess it up," she warned her. "I wont," Helga said, though she didn't know what she was agreeing to not messing up. "Ok, dear," Mary said and vanished. Helga woke up again. She could smell pancakes drifting up through the house. She was hungry! She felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks! "Happy thanksgiving baby-sister!" she heard Olga's voice cry. She turned and saw her sister standing there smiling with her arm around another guy. Suddenly it all fell into place. Patrick, her death, Arnold. ARNOLD! "I have to call someone," she said and went to the telephone. Punching in Gerald's number she waited for him to pick up. "Hello?" a groggy voice said. "Hap Thanks G, what's Arnolds phone number?" she asked. "Helga?" he asked. "No. Mary Poppins. Of course me! Now what's the number?" she asked again picking up a pen. Gerald rattled off the numbers and Helga wrote them down. "Thanks, and say happy thanksgiving to Phoebes for will ya?" as she was dropping the phone she heard him ask how she knew Phoebe was there. She didn't answer. She punched in the number Gerald had given her, even though it was out of state and waited. "Hello?" a dull uninteresting voice answered. "Hi, I want to speak with Arnold, please" she said. "Hold on a moment. ARNOLD! ONE OF YOUR GIRLFRIENDS IS ON THE PHONE!" she heard the person yell. "He's on his way," then it was quiet for a moment. Then came some bickering and a little laughter. "Hello?" a bright cherry voice answered. Helga's breath caught as she heard his voice, and for a moment she couldn't speak. "Hello?" "Oh sorry, Arnold, I was busy watching something," she said. It was dead quiet for a moment. "Helga?" he breathed. "Yeah," "Oh my god, I had the weirdest dream about you last night! I dreamt that you were dead and your sister killed you and you were having it off with some guy-" "Patrick" "Yeah, him. Are you ok?" he asked urgently. "A little dazed seeing as how I had the same dream, but other than that fine," she told him. "Oh good. Listen I'm coming there to spend time with Gerald over the festive season. What to hook up?" he asked. "Sure, maybe we can finish our little fight on your bed . . . " "I hope so," he said laughing. "See you soon, I'll call" "I'll wait," "Happy Thanksgiving," "You to Helga," And they hung up. Helga turned and looked at Olga and her husband Patrick. "Who were you talking to Helga?" "Arnold," "Your little boyfriend, huh kid?" Patrick joked. "Yes, my little boyfriend, hope you don't think your going to be in the family forever," Helga told him and walked off into the lounge leaving Olga and Patrick staring after her. "I don't think your sister likes me very much," Patrick said to Olga. "She'll warm up to you," Olga told him. 'Humph, fat chance,' Helga thought walking away, 'Why have him when I can have Arnold?' she thought to herself, and felt that gooffy expression come in over her face, but she didn't even try to wipe it off . . . . . . . .