Six years had passed since that fateful day of Grim's enslavement. Grim had witnessed his two masters mature into young adults. From his perspective, human puberty was nothing more than a turbulent melodramatic era between childhood and adulthood. He could not help but be amused by the histrionics of weak-minded adolescents.
Billy became a decent-looking young man. He was quite tall, thin, and virile. His russet shaggy hair ever remained beneath a red baseball hat. The bulbous nose seemed untouched by time as well. The only aspect that had been changed was his new found flirtatious behavior toward women. His mind be easily swayed by an attractive girl regardless of her disposition or social rank.
And Mandy blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She was slightly short, had a well-proportioned figure, and a hypnotic gaze. Her golden hair had been diligently trimmed to chin-length and restrained from her eyes by black barrettes. Her logical and morbid disposition had been in tact and it became a deterrent to any boy who desired to flirt with her. There had been occasional moments where she socialized with "goths", yet had been intolerant to "emos" in high school.
It had been a beautiful day in April and Grim received a chill that crawled deep down into his marrow. He looked about in Billy's room carefully, suspecting a hidden spy monitoring him. "Come out! I know you're here!" Grim demanded, poised with his scythe. He bent over to peek beneath Billy's bed. "You can run, but you can't hide." His bones rattled with fear to hear a child-like voice sing in an eeirely teasing way. "La la la la la la la laaaa laaaa laaaa..." The knee bones knocked together as his hands gripped the scythe tighter and shrieked to hear the voice giggling. "Wait a minute...I'm the Grim Reaper! It's ridiculous to be scared of ghost!" he exclaimed.
"Whatcha doin', Grim?" Billy asked casually while entering the room. He had been dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans with torn up socks. "Nothing!" Grim quickly replied, attempting to appear composed. "Ya sure? I heard some screechin'." Billy said with a wistful smile. "I was...uh...banishing demon dust bunnies! Yeah! That's it! They are vicious this time of year!" Grim lied. He leaned down again to yell beneath the bed, "And stay out you floppy eared pests!"
"I'm sleeping with the vacuum cleaner tonight!" Billy said while shuddering. "Just don't get your third leg stuck in it again! I can't just conjure you a new one every time!" Grim exclaimed, being disgusted. "Oh oh oh make the next one like a fire hose!" Billy said excitedly. "You mortals and your sex organs, I'll never understand what makes it so damn special." Grim grumbled. "The principal said I have special needs. Don't deny my needs, Grim!" Billy demanded. "I have denied too much already." Grim muttered, and imagined Billy dismembered for the ten billionth time.
"Hey Grim!" Mandy's voice shouted from outside the window. Grim walked to Billy's window to peer down at Mandy who stood on the manicured lawn. She had been dressed in a pink tanktop featuring a skull and bones, hip huggers, and black slippers. "I need you to take me to Star-mart." she commanded. "What for?" Grim asked. "None of your business just get me there." she replied, firmly. "Very well." Grim said and made his way to the ground floor. As soon as he stepped out on the doorway; he said, "One vortex to Star-mart coming up." He swung his scythe to tear a hole into the space-time continuum, a green swirling vortex to greet them from the hole. They casually strolled into the vortex and it sealed behind them.
The two of them exited through another vortex to step out before the entrance to Star-mart. The establishment being famous for its pleasing cost of wares and spacious interior. Grim followed Mandy inside the bustling and noisy building. He averted his attention from the obnoxious children who threw temper tantrums at being denied toys or candies by their mothers. The only issue that had been slighlty difficult to ignore had been the elderly people that had hid behind aisles at the sight of Grim.
Mandy's destination had finally defeated his determined discipline...the feminine hygiene aisle. "You made me go through time and space just to get tampons?!" Grim exclaimed, appalled by the concept. "Yes, I needed them." she said simply. Mandy claimed SpongeBobbis, a box of tampons that featured a cartoon feminine sponge creature that had pink skin, wearing a white dress and bow on her head. "Again with the sex organs and their disgusting functions.." Grim muttered.
He then felt tugs upon his robe and looked down to see a baby doll wearing a pink dress open its mouth and a recorded voice that said, "Mama mama!" He lifted the doll into his hands and rubbed his jaw bone while tilting his head. "It is cute, but how did it get over here?" he said. "It is probably one of the mobile models. Dolls get upgraded along with cell phones every year." Mandy suggested. "True, but it grabbed me. That's not normal." he countered. The doll began to do that familiarly haunting giggle and urinated upon his sandaled feet that smelled of apple juice.
Grim dropped the doll both in fright and disgust, brandishing his scythe. "You stay away from me!" he shouted. "Maybe it's supposed to do that, Grim." Mandy said, being annoyed with arms crossed. The doll giggled louder in a sinister manner and it said, "There is a person with a high head today who will be laying low tomorrow." Soon after the doll spoke, it fell upon its back and closed its eyes. Grim's anxiety increased and watched Mandy lift the doll from the floor. She held the doll in her left hand as the right one lifted its dress and open the tiny compartment in its back. Her own eyes widened to observe the compartment to be absent of batteries and displayed the vacant chamber to Grim. "If there is a ghost around, wouldn't it be easy for you to catch it?" Mandy asked. He replied sheepishly, "Yes, but...I am...not very good at the apprehending of the disembodied. I will have to consult..." He paused while releasing another shudder, "My mother..."
