Chapter 46

Perfect Scenery

Arnold smiled, happy that they had at last reached some kind of agreement.

"What are you so happy about? Don't forget, we're still stuck on a deserted island with some murderous 'thing'."

"I still think it's an animal."

"Great, then we're being stalked be a murderous animal."

"Animals don't stalk people."

"Then what the heck's been following me?!"

Arnold sighed. He could tell this was getting nowhere. "Look, if you're so scared, why don't we sleep in a tree? Then whatever's been following you couldn't get us."

"Oh, gee, Arnoldo, that's just brilliant, except for just one little thing. Couldn't it just climb the stinkin' tree?!"

"Yeah, but at least it'd be harder for them."

Helga was about to throw some other insult at him, but she suddenly stopped herself.

"Arnold and Helga sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," sang a little voice in the back of her head.

"Awe, what the heck?" she thought to herself. "What have I got to lose?"

"Well, maybe you're right, Arnold," she said out loud. "Maybe we should sleep in a tree. You know, for um…safety and stuff."

"Okay. Now we have to find a tree."

"I don't care which one. Just make it really high."

"Like a palm tree?"

"Yeah, we're gonna spend the night miraculously floating in the air next to a palm tree," she said sarcastically.

"Huh?"

"Palm trees don't have branches!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, then, let's just go in some regular tree, like an oak or something."

"No, I'm gonna find something good."

"After all," she thought, "if this is gonna be romantic, it should have perfect scenery."

She looked around.

"Eureka! Arnold, I found it!" She grabbed him by the arm and led him over to the tree.

It looked like some sort of a tropical weeping willow. Its long silky leaves hung down like a curtain around the tree, making a sort of room inside. The leaves were intertwined with little pink flowers.

Arnold looked at it with amazement. "Wow. That is good."

"Told ya. Now we just have to…" She looked at the tree. She hadn't noticed how high it was.

"Get up there," Arnold finished for her.

The trunk was too wide to climb, and the branches were too high to jump to.

"Now would be a really good time for some of your brilliant advice, Arnold!"

"Well…maybe we could just climb up a vine."

"What if it doesn't hold?"

"I think it will," he said, but he looked at it doubtfully. "Ladies first."

"Yeah, right. I'm not gonna be the first and then find out that the vine isn't strong enough. You go first."

"If I die, it's your fault."

"I'm quivering with fear," she said sarcastically.

Arnold grabbed onto the vine and started to climb. He was almost to the top, when the vine snapped! He grabbed onto a branch and hung on for dear life.

"Don't let go, Arnold!" Helga shouted. "Get on the branch!"

He struggled to pull himself onto the branch and finally managed to do so. "I'm okay," he called down to her.

"You sound like Eugene," Helga joked, but inside her heard was beating a million miles an hour. He could have died!

"Calm down, Helga, he's okay," she thought to herself.

"Do you think you can jump up?" Arnold asked.

"Are you nuts?! I can't jump that high!"

"Try to jump up and grab my hand so I can pull you up."

"I already told you, I can't jump that high!"

"Just try." He held his hand down for her.

Helga jumped and missed.

"Told ya."

"Try again. Unless you want the stalker to get you."

She took a running leap and jumped. This time she grabbed his hand.

"What are you waiting for, hair boy? Pull me up before I fall!"

Arnold grabbed onto her other hand and pulled her up into his lap.

"Good job, Arnold, you almost dropped…me…" She trailed off, realizing with wonder how close they were.

"Helga…"

Her heart skipped a beat. The way he said her name was so…different. So full of love.

She shifted her gaze upward and looked into his eyes.

"Yes, Arnold…" she breathed, leaning closer.

"Could you get off me?"

"What?! Oh…sorry," she said, her voice filled with disappointment, which he failed to notice.

"I can't believe I was so stupid!" she thought, as she climbed off him and onto the branch. "I've got to control my imagination! I can't believe I really thought he said my name in a 'certain' way. Criminy, I'm losing my mind! I'm a basket case!"

She turned to look at Arnold. He was staring off into space and seemed to be lost in thought. She made sure he wasn't looking and then reached into her pocket and pulled out her poetry book. She opened it up.

"Wow! The ink hardly faded at all, even after going underwater!" she thought. She took out her purple pen. "'Waterproof'," she read on the side. "Well, that explains a lot." She leaned against the trunk of the tree and began to write.