Picture Stories #9 Tree House

By: 1000th Ghost

Write a short fic about ten random pictures. Put your iPod photos on shuffle, and write a story to whatever picture comes up. Sounds easy? It should. Except you also have to write the story in the span of 4 minutes.

He had heard her crying before he had known it was her. But someone was crying up inside Mighty Pete's tree house, and therefore he, being Arnold, naturally had to comfort whoever it was.

But it turned out to be Helga, who was not who he was expecting and not who he was prepared to deal with.

He sat down next to her anyway (curse his helpful nature!) and placed an arm tentatively around her shoulders.

"Why are you crying?"

"Why do you think?"

She hadn't responded with sarcasm or cruelty. It was just a sad, pitiful, accepting statement.

She loved him, and he didn't love her back. That was enough of a reason to cry.