* * *
"Gin!"
The man stared at the boy sitting across the table from him. He had made a killing in Vegas but for some reason this 6-year-old boy murdered him at Rummy. The thought made him smile.
Billy didn't like the man's smile. "You gonna pay up or not? We ARE playing for quarters here!"
The man reached in his pocket and pulled out a handful of quarters. "Here, I think this covers it."
The boy picked up the money off the table. "Hey thanks."
The man smiled at Billy. He had begun to remind him more and more of his real mother. "Hey, your parents are going to be home soon. I probably had better get going."
"Yeah, I guess. You will come back and visit me though again won't you? It's sooooooooooooo boring here. There's nothing to do."
"Of course. I wouldn't miss playing cards with my favorite buddy." The man said. He might not be able to guarantee he'd be back, but he'd sure try. Pushing away from the table, he stretched as he stood.
Billy noticed the man's left arm remained hanging stiffly at his side. Usually it appeared almost natural. He would never have been able to tell it was fake if the man hadn't taken it off once to show him.
"Remember what I said Billy: No more tests, ever." The man let himself out the front door and walked to his 1971 jet black GTO convertible. He sped away from the house as a minivan pulled up the street.
Billy quickly closed the door. He noticed the man's black leather jacket was still sitting at his place in the dining room. He grabbed it and tossed it in his room, slamming the door behind. Just then his mother walked in through the kitchen. For an added distraction, Billy threw himself at his mother and firmly attached himself to her legs.
"Honestly!" exclaimed Billy's mother. "The way some people drive down these streets! You'd think this was a freeway instead of a residential neighborhood!"
"Hi Mommy. How was your day? I bet something exciting happened." Billy questioned rubbing his nose against her pants leg.
"Actually, Billy, I've had a long day. But no, nothing exciting's happened yet. Just another long day at the lab…"
Just then the phone rang, cutting her off abruptly.
Breathlessly, she answered the work line. "Hello this is Janelle," she blurted as she practically ran with the cordless phone to the other room.
Janelle had to cover her ears so she could understand the shaking hysterical voice on the other end of the line. She could barely make out any words at all.
"What? Something about the lab? Slow down and breathe. I can't understand you!" she exclaimed impatiently.
"Blown up? Destroyed? Everything? All our work? Our papers, our files, our research, our backups? How the fuck did they get in? They knew about the fucking backups? Those fucking bastards. The damn shits had someone on the inside. Jesus. Fuck. How the fuck did this happen? Who? Who did this to us?"
As she took a breath to continue her rampage, she noticed an unblinking pair of bright brown eyes that were disconcertingly focused on her.
"Billy!" She yelled angrily.
"Billy…."
She took a deep breath and tried again.
"Billy, Mommy's on the phone. You know when it's a work call, you need to go play. Why don't you go outside."
"Mommy, I don't need to go to the lab anymore. It's all over."
He left his refuge under the table and headed for the back door.
"Sorry," Janelle hissed into the phone. "But Billy is at that stage. You know. And now with the lab destroyed, we need to find a new place for Billy…"
* * *
Billy banged the kitchen door behind him, and almost tripped over a package wedged against the step. After picking himself up and brushing himself off, he curiously inspected the wooden crate.
Squinting at the clearly printed black lines, Billy thought excitedly, "Hey! That's my name!"
He eagerly picked up the package and slipped into the house, making sure to stop the door from slamming. He raced down to the basement to open the package undisturbed.
* * *
Janelle was about to have a nervous breakdown. All her years of work, all her time and effort, all the time spent with Billy, all had been for nothing.
She hung up the phone a ball of nerves an hour later. How had he known about the lab and why in the world did he think there would be no more tests?
She threw some HotPockets in the microwave and called Billy for dinner. He didn't answer when she called outside though. Thinking about the trouble she would face from her superiors if she lost Billy, Janelle became more and more worried. She looked over at the basement door and noticed the crack of light shining under it onto the floor. She started to open the door, but found it locked from the inside. Suddenly the house shook and her good china crashed down from inside the china cabinet onto the hard wood floor. The lights flashed eerily. She somehow managed to break down the door and she raced down the stairs. She looked around frantically, but nothing was out of place. She made a quick check of the basement, and found no signs that Billy been down there lately. She collapsed onto the stairs, as her world spun wildly out of control.
* * *
Mulder finally escaped from Skinner back to his office. He couldn't wait to re-inspect the mystery item. But it wasn't there. Mulder searched everywhere. At first, he figured it was just misplaced in the hopeless clutter that was his office. However, as the hours went by and the item did not appear, Mulder began to become more and more worried. Finally he sank into his chair, contemplating this new mystery.
* * *
Fin
* * *
Billy and the Mystery Box
Billy bought a mystery box
$39.95 shipped in from Taiwan.
Standing in the grocery line,
Seen the ad in the Weekly World Press.
In bold letters it said "MYSTERY!
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Is it dead? Is it alive?"
The question marks,
They rolled right off the page.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
Talked his mother into it,
Told her it was a kid
Commin in from Taiwan.
Spent a lot of sleepless nights,
Waiting for the Box to arrive.
Well it finally came
In a great big crate.
COD, three days late.
He signed the papers,
Couldn't wait.
Smashed his thumb moving it
Into the basement.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
Billy missed his supper
And he didn't answer when
His momma called him.
"Yoo-hoo?"
The worry showed upon her face
As she read a book by Judith Crantz.
Walked over to the basement door.
The light shown underneath onto the floor.
She tried the handle in once more,
But it was locked from inside.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
The house it shook.
Somethin' crashed.
She dropped the book.
The lights all flashed.
Broke down the door.
Ran down the stairs.
But when she looked
The box was gone
and Billy wasn't there.
"Whoo."
The grass grows high in Billy's yard.
The house for sale.
His momma gone to Tulsa.
The wind it whips the paper by.
It's the want ads of the Weekly World Press.
In bold letters it said "MYSTERY!
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Is it dead? Is it alive?"
The question marks,
They rolled right off the page.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Gin!"
The man stared at the boy sitting across the table from him. He had made a killing in Vegas but for some reason this 6-year-old boy murdered him at Rummy. The thought made him smile.
Billy didn't like the man's smile. "You gonna pay up or not? We ARE playing for quarters here!"
The man reached in his pocket and pulled out a handful of quarters. "Here, I think this covers it."
The boy picked up the money off the table. "Hey thanks."
The man smiled at Billy. He had begun to remind him more and more of his real mother. "Hey, your parents are going to be home soon. I probably had better get going."
"Yeah, I guess. You will come back and visit me though again won't you? It's sooooooooooooo boring here. There's nothing to do."
"Of course. I wouldn't miss playing cards with my favorite buddy." The man said. He might not be able to guarantee he'd be back, but he'd sure try. Pushing away from the table, he stretched as he stood.
Billy noticed the man's left arm remained hanging stiffly at his side. Usually it appeared almost natural. He would never have been able to tell it was fake if the man hadn't taken it off once to show him.
"Remember what I said Billy: No more tests, ever." The man let himself out the front door and walked to his 1971 jet black GTO convertible. He sped away from the house as a minivan pulled up the street.
Billy quickly closed the door. He noticed the man's black leather jacket was still sitting at his place in the dining room. He grabbed it and tossed it in his room, slamming the door behind. Just then his mother walked in through the kitchen. For an added distraction, Billy threw himself at his mother and firmly attached himself to her legs.
"Honestly!" exclaimed Billy's mother. "The way some people drive down these streets! You'd think this was a freeway instead of a residential neighborhood!"
"Hi Mommy. How was your day? I bet something exciting happened." Billy questioned rubbing his nose against her pants leg.
"Actually, Billy, I've had a long day. But no, nothing exciting's happened yet. Just another long day at the lab…"
Just then the phone rang, cutting her off abruptly.
Breathlessly, she answered the work line. "Hello this is Janelle," she blurted as she practically ran with the cordless phone to the other room.
Janelle had to cover her ears so she could understand the shaking hysterical voice on the other end of the line. She could barely make out any words at all.
"What? Something about the lab? Slow down and breathe. I can't understand you!" she exclaimed impatiently.
"Blown up? Destroyed? Everything? All our work? Our papers, our files, our research, our backups? How the fuck did they get in? They knew about the fucking backups? Those fucking bastards. The damn shits had someone on the inside. Jesus. Fuck. How the fuck did this happen? Who? Who did this to us?"
As she took a breath to continue her rampage, she noticed an unblinking pair of bright brown eyes that were disconcertingly focused on her.
"Billy!" She yelled angrily.
"Billy…."
She took a deep breath and tried again.
"Billy, Mommy's on the phone. You know when it's a work call, you need to go play. Why don't you go outside."
"Mommy, I don't need to go to the lab anymore. It's all over."
He left his refuge under the table and headed for the back door.
"Sorry," Janelle hissed into the phone. "But Billy is at that stage. You know. And now with the lab destroyed, we need to find a new place for Billy…"
* * *
Billy banged the kitchen door behind him, and almost tripped over a package wedged against the step. After picking himself up and brushing himself off, he curiously inspected the wooden crate.
Squinting at the clearly printed black lines, Billy thought excitedly, "Hey! That's my name!"
He eagerly picked up the package and slipped into the house, making sure to stop the door from slamming. He raced down to the basement to open the package undisturbed.
* * *
Janelle was about to have a nervous breakdown. All her years of work, all her time and effort, all the time spent with Billy, all had been for nothing.
She hung up the phone a ball of nerves an hour later. How had he known about the lab and why in the world did he think there would be no more tests?
She threw some HotPockets in the microwave and called Billy for dinner. He didn't answer when she called outside though. Thinking about the trouble she would face from her superiors if she lost Billy, Janelle became more and more worried. She looked over at the basement door and noticed the crack of light shining under it onto the floor. She started to open the door, but found it locked from the inside. Suddenly the house shook and her good china crashed down from inside the china cabinet onto the hard wood floor. The lights flashed eerily. She somehow managed to break down the door and she raced down the stairs. She looked around frantically, but nothing was out of place. She made a quick check of the basement, and found no signs that Billy been down there lately. She collapsed onto the stairs, as her world spun wildly out of control.
* * *
Mulder finally escaped from Skinner back to his office. He couldn't wait to re-inspect the mystery item. But it wasn't there. Mulder searched everywhere. At first, he figured it was just misplaced in the hopeless clutter that was his office. However, as the hours went by and the item did not appear, Mulder began to become more and more worried. Finally he sank into his chair, contemplating this new mystery.
* * *
Fin
* * *
Billy and the Mystery Box
Billy bought a mystery box
$39.95 shipped in from Taiwan.
Standing in the grocery line,
Seen the ad in the Weekly World Press.
In bold letters it said "MYSTERY!
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Is it dead? Is it alive?"
The question marks,
They rolled right off the page.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
Talked his mother into it,
Told her it was a kid
Commin in from Taiwan.
Spent a lot of sleepless nights,
Waiting for the Box to arrive.
Well it finally came
In a great big crate.
COD, three days late.
He signed the papers,
Couldn't wait.
Smashed his thumb moving it
Into the basement.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
Billy missed his supper
And he didn't answer when
His momma called him.
"Yoo-hoo?"
The worry showed upon her face
As she read a book by Judith Crantz.
Walked over to the basement door.
The light shown underneath onto the floor.
She tried the handle in once more,
But it was locked from inside.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
The house it shook.
Somethin' crashed.
She dropped the book.
The lights all flashed.
Broke down the door.
Ran down the stairs.
But when she looked
The box was gone
and Billy wasn't there.
"Whoo."
The grass grows high in Billy's yard.
The house for sale.
His momma gone to Tulsa.
The wind it whips the paper by.
It's the want ads of the Weekly World Press.
In bold letters it said "MYSTERY!
Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Is it dead? Is it alive?"
The question marks,
They rolled right off the page.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
Billy and the Mystery
Billy and the Mystery Box.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx