Aw, it ends sweetly- and sadly.

Awww...that was so sweet and... a little sad. I wish Arnold could get his parents back! I WANT THE JUNGLE MOVIE! (:

This is so cute and sad love it :)

Poor Arnold. ):

Thank you for this bit of sympathy, I can't wait to read more of your work.

Wow. Just wow.

Yet another great fic where you reference NBC.

I always thought that with parents like Helga's, it can be good sometimes because they don't always notice if she is out of the house too late (like when she got stuck hanging around Arnold's house trying to steal her locket back). And of course, when she'd find out the date of his birth, she loves him so much she'll never forget it.

I can see her wanting to do something like what she does, with secretly leaving a gift for him and then watching him from afar as he opens it. Good thing he has his fire escape and skylight so she can easily peek at him.

Yes, the only wish Arnold will make is to have his parents back with him so they could be a whole family again. Not knowing the truth about why they aren't with him just makes it more heartbreaking. Helga doesn't know the truth either, and since Arnold almost never brings it up in public, it makes her confused and more sad for him. :( And just how much more sad can it be to think that they left two days before his birthday? (Yes, I am still holding that belief.)

And just like you say, Arnold is great and helping others and giving advice, and he's basically the perfect boy. But it's like no one could guess that he has problems of his own, and by having lost parents, that's the most personal problem he has, and pretty much no one he knows can relate to him that way. It's intersting how that makes him stand out from his friends.

But Helga's monologue is great; she can secretly give him the sympathy and love he needs and deserves. His lament about his parents and wnating to have a full family again is an eye-opener to her, but that doesn't make her turn her back on him; if anything, it makes her stand by him in silence and love him even more.

wow..this is an amazing story...grabs tissues... i feel so sad for arnold. How i love helga grabbing her locket and professing her undying love for him :D

Excellent work here; very original idea about making Helga hear a monologue from Arnold.

Keep the good writing.

This was a very sweet story!

Excellent.

Excellent! I enjoyed reading this. In all honesty, I've only seen "A Nightmare Before Christmas" one time and that was at the movie theater when I was a little kid. Lame, I know. But either way, I still loved this story. Helga is just too sweet(though she hides it) as always. I bet giving Arnold a gift on his birthday must have been the FIRST thing that crossed her mind to do.

And wow, I can totally see how his lament over his absent parents really touched Helga's heart for many reasons.

1. The only boy she loves is in pain

2. She had no clue what the deal was with his mother and father. And you're right, Helga finally sees that Arnold is a human being with inevitable problems. Arnold is just one of those people who dedicate his life to helping others and cheering them up(and doing a damn good job too) so much that he nearly forgets his own problems or even how to help HIMSELF for that matter.

Hmmm. I wonder if Helga's deeper connection to him involves a strong sense of empathy? Granted, Helga sees her parents everyday but they might as well be distant. If only Helga had more courage, she could have extended a comforting hand to Arnold(even if it's just as friends) and I'm 100% sure he wouldn't reject her. That was a fantastic read for the morning. Excellent job!