Chapter 3: Running Into the Sunset Arms
Henry and June simply gazed at the old man. They didn't know what to do. June simply handed him the envelope, and he started to read it. "Oh, OK! We have some little celebrities in the house, huh?" He then added, "Just remember, you don't have any advantages, other then you being kids, so-" That was when he noticed just how much money was enclosed. "Boy howdy!" he exclaimed, "This will cover at LEAST half a year! Step right up, lads!" Before setting foot in, he reminded them, " Keep this in your minds: 1) I go by the name of Ol' Steely Phil, but call me Grandpa. 2) If things get hairy, just call my grandson. He saved the whole town! He's at school now, but introduces yourselves when you meet him at 3:00. And 3)," Grandpa's stomach then rumbled. "Don't eat the berries, phew!" he cried as he zoomed toward the bathroom. Henry and June stepped in the boarding house, and took one look inside. Their looks were blank. They didn't really know what to think, until Henry asked June, "Do you really think we can survive here for half a year?" June then shook Henry frantically, answering, "What, are you nuts? This is HEAVEN!" While June went off to explore the rest of the boarding house, Henry decided he was a little hungry.
He walked into the kitchen, only to find an old lady karate-chopping a watermelon brutally. Henry felt a chill down his spine, 'Aren't old ladies supposed to chop food, not chop people?' he thought. He decided to overcome this 'fear' now, and walked up to her. "Excuse me?" he asked. She then turned around, and replied, "Well, aren't you the cutest boy I've ever seen!", as she pinched his cheeks. "Me and my friend June just moved in, do you think you can show me the ropes around here?" "No problem sonny," the lady assured. "Just call me Grandma, OK?" She then patted Henry on the back, and the two of them went upstairs.
Soon, Henry met up with June again, who was already in Room #23 with Ernie Potts. They had been in discussion about construction, mainly cranes. Once he discovered that the conversation was going towards him, he swiftly grabbed June out of the room, and shook his hand. "Sorry Sir, everything will be explained soon!" He told Mr. Potts.
They then went off to meet Mr. Hyunn, who was babbling on and on about how the laundry room was practically overflowing with lint. "Welcome here, young ones. Everything will be OK," he assured the two of them. "Just don't expect me to pick up your LINT!" June elbowed Henry and snickered, "Well, YOUR mom we can live without." "Very funny, June..." Henry shot back as they walked continuously.
Mr. Simmons's Classroom Period 7: Study Hall 2:56 PM
The class was eager to run out of the school faster than a slingshot. Harold was snacking down on his 'secret stash' of meat he got from Mr. Green's, but then it flung out of his hand, as Curly then threw it at the blackboard. "Free the animals!" he exclaimed manically as he ran around the room. "Who cares?" Harold objected. "I was HUNGRY!"
Mr. Simmons was already on the ground. He fainted once Brainy was eerily breathing behind him. Gerald mentioned this to Arnold, "Man! You'd think its summer vacation already! I mean look!" He pointed to the drab windows, smothered with sausages. (PAUSE) Well, it's normal for us. We survived a flood last year, right?" Arnold replied. "True," Gerald responded. "But what's with you being nice to Helga?" "She's not that bad once you get to know her, and I know that this coming from ME of all people." "So Rhonda's cootie catcher was right!" Gerald laughed. "You're real funny, Gerald. You're a comedian. Say, you want to come over to my house?" Arnold offered. "Nah, Timberly found my Game Boy and she's trying to jam our computer mouse into it."
"Why would she do that?" Arnold wondered? "She wanted to go to the Mushroom Kingdom. Same thing happened with our toasters," Gerald pointed out. "Good luck with that. Try to hide it in your room," Arnold suggested. "Nice one man!" Gerald happily began. "See ya later; I'll try that at home." Arnold and Gerald did their trademark thumb-wagging before the bell rang; Gerald and the rest of the class were on their way.
Suddenly, Helga appeared behind Arnold. "Look," Helga began. "I just want to say thanks for everything today, Arnold." "It's nothing," Arnold told her as he walked out of the door. "But why?" Helga started to explain. "In the past year, I've constantly teased you, mocked you, and gazed at you from afar. Why would you-" Arnold then came back to give Helga a hug before completing his sentence. "You're my friend, and although those things haven't been going along in the past, I know that you're a really nice person to hang around with." Arnold then gave Helga a thumbs-up before walking out of the door. "What a guy," Helga sighed as she went home.
As Arnold went home, he heard some peculiar things from the boarding house. There was a lot of noise. "Call me crazy, but I think I hear an alien and a caveman," Arnold muttered to himself as he observed the window. He opened the door, only to have two kids he hadn't seen before, approximately his age, greet him. "So, you're the famous Arnold." June grinned.