July 17: Whispers in the dark

It's late at night and Arnold is having an internal struggle.

You can't help everybody. You couldn't help your parents.

What do you know? I'm only nine, I still have time to help them. I can help anyone.

You can't help Helga. She doesn't want your help. She hates your guts.

Helga doesn't hate me, she told me herself that she doesn't hate me.

Hahaha, you think what she said on the FTI building was true. She took it back the first chance she got.

She needed an out and it was in the heat of the moment. I still have time to help her and to figure out if I like her too.

Why don't you just admit that you can't help everyone. Admit that you can't have someone hate you. Admit that you're insecure about yourself.

I'm not insecure. I know who I am.

Denial is the first step to recovery. You think you know yourself. You don't know who your parents are, all you know is what your grandparents have told you about them.

That's all I need to know. They were good people and they helped lots of people too.

We both know your grandpa exaggerates a lot.

He read it to me out loud. It's right here in the journal.

But did you read it yourself. He could have made some of it up as you listen to him.

...

Silent now aren't we. Let me point out one other thing. With the exception of your Grandpa and Gerald, Helga is the only other person you let help you with your own problems. Why is that? I thought you didn't have problems, let alone you like liking Helga herself.

She doesn't help me with my problems and I don't like like her either. She just happens to always be there when something happens.

Yeah but she does it so she can make fun and then she turns around and gives you some advice. Helga is soooo wishy washy. She doesn't know whether to hate you or if to like like you, well which is it?

...

Silent again, hmmmm, makes you really think doesn't it.

Shut up, you're not helping me stay positive about things in my life.

Phft, I'm positive. I'm here to get you to think about certain situations in your life. Plus, I'm just your thoughts that you may never voice to anyone but to yourself.

With that last thought Arnold sighed to himself. He hated when his pessimisc side won arguments late at nite. That just meant more thinking about things that shouldn't be thought of in the first place. It was going to be a long night.


I had fun with this one and have an adventure.