Chapter 6:The Big Black Book"
Her heart is closed. Sealed like a blossom. It is cold, alone, and dormant. No one will ever see her hidden secrets, if she continues to act like…a blossom. But like all blossoms, they someday...bloom…
¤+Outside PS 118+¤
Helga stepped onto the school with a strong determination to be kind. She believes that some how she will be nice to Arnold, no matter what happens to her. While she thought about what to do next, she noticed her friend Phoebe sitting on the steps of PS 118, with a stack of books on her side. Puzzled, Helga went towards her friend. "Hey Pheebs," she said with a small smile.
Phoebe grabbed her books and held them with both hand. "Hello Helga, Are you ready for your first lessons?" she inquired.
Helga placed her hands on her hip and stated, "Hello! This is Helga G. Pataki you're taking to! Of course I'm ready! I was born ready!"
Somewhat pleased with her enthusiasm, Phoebe said, "Excellent, now Helga, I wrote a list of what you need to change in your attitude in this book." Phoebe handed Helga a notebook from on top of the stack. Helga opened the black covered book.
"What the heck!" Helga said shocked. It was filled, cover to cover, with notations about how to fix her attitude. Ideas such as 'How to control anger' and 'How to be kind to others' crammed the note book from one end of the book to the other."Crimany, Phoebe! This is more than just a list!"
"Well, I did spend a lot of time writing in that book, last night, to help you to overcome your attitude problem." As they conversed, Phoebe and Helga started to walk up the steps to PS 118, and Helga continued to read through it with a quick skim.
"Whoa, Pheebs, this is great!" she said with a hint of hope glitter in her eyes, "All this might help me be nice!" The two of them went inside the school and made their way towards the 4th grade class.
Phoebe smiled and said, "Thank you, Helga."
"Hey, don't mention it. Alright, it says here 'to control my excessive angriness I must-"
"'You must breath deeply and ignore the source that is bothering you."
The pigtailed girl raised a side of her hairy unibrow and said, "Breath deeply? I don't have asthma, Phoebe!"
"I know, but breathing deeply and counting to 10 will help you control your anger; it will allow you to meditate about the situation your in."
She shrugged and said, "Whatever." Rounding a corner, Helga stopped and said, "Hold on a sec, Pheebs, I need a drink of water." Phoebe nodded and Helga walked to the nearest water fountain. Since Helga did not have breakfast today, she guzzled down the water she was drinking.
While she was drinking, one of the boys from her class, named Harold, noticed her drinking. He poked one of his friends on the side with his elbow, laughing,
"AHAHAHAA! Look at, Heeeellllga, AHAHAA! She's lapping up that water like a mutt! AHAHAHAAHA!" As the boy continued laughing, his friends looked at each other and walked away from the boy. They've long since discovered the consequences that messing with Helga is like covering yourself with meat and walking in the everglades…you're going to get attacked.
Hearing this, Helga stopped drinking from the water fountain and formed a fist which she held on her side. Rage was building in her and the desire to destroy filled her heart. Phoebe saw what was happening and assured, "Helga, this is a wonderful time to perfect and control your anger. Remember…breath.."
"I'm already breathing! What I'm not doing is pounding the stuffing out of pink boy!" As Helga angrily walked towards the chuckling Harold, Phoebe followed behind her with worry. Helga hovered over Harold, who was hugging his belly from laughing, and said, "What are you laughing at, Blimpbo!"
Horror filled Harold instantly. He looked up and saw the girl he was laughing at. He weakly replied, "Uhhhh, nothing…"
"It doesn't look like nothing. You were laughing at me, huh, Lardo!"
Looking for a way to escape the wrath of Helga, he hesitantly said,"Uh-Uh-Nooooooo! I was laughing at-"
Already a circle of kids have formed around Helga and Harold. Helga cut him off by saying, "Me! Hey Harold, have you met my friend," she cracked her knuckles and held up her right fist, " Ol' Betsy."
Harold turned white with fear and said, "Uh, I-I don't remember."
Smiling wickedly, she replied, "Well, I think its time you met…Face to face" Helga threw back her fist and Harold screamed. Ol' Betsy was an inch away when….
Helga opened her eyes. Her present placement confused her…wasn't she going to punch Harold? Then she realized…It was just a dream. She was breathing deeply and her anger was slowly fading away. She glanced over towards Harold and saw that he was standing behind Phoebe, still chuckling to himself. Confusion filled her mind and she said, "Phoebe…what happen?"
Her friend was smiling in delight and answered, "I believe you just past your first test."
