Little Billy

Little Billy scratched the bandages that covered his head.

"Billy, please don't do that, you could make it worse."

"It is itchy, Mommy."

"I know, sweetie, but let's stop or you will make it worse."

Little Billy sighed a sigh. There was more itching his head, inside Little Billy's head.

"Where is Daddy? Mommy, when do I see Daddy again? You can tell him it is all OK. Tell him I forgive him." Little Billy watched as her eyes watered and her nose went red and wrinkly. He was always confused why this happened when he talked about Daddy. He did wonder where he was. Why he had to go away. He continued to scratch as more itched his head than the bandages.

"Hahaha..." Billy turned to his room and noticed the familiar little teddy, his favourite teddy, in fact, Mr. Giggles.

"Mommy, can I go play in my room?" He stood up and looked at her, tissue at her nose and staring distantly past him.

"Mommy? Can I go play? Mommy?" Mommy turned her head and snapped out of her trance. She nodded her head. Billy smiled at his mommy before he turned and ran to his room, excited to see his friend.

"Nooo running, Billy!"

"Yes, Mommyyy!" He still ran, just slower. He entered his room and walked toward his dinosaur bed and gave his friend a hug.

"Hello, Little Billy, I am real happy to see you, we all are, in fact." Mr. Giggles hung from the boy's hands.

"Billy! You're back?" Billy turned to see Charles, who greeted him from the dark corner of the room. Little Billy never got to see him; nobody ever did.

"Charles, you won't believe all the ice cream and jelly I get at the hospital. You should have come. I would have shared it all with you, like I always do, and you don't have to finish it. Mommy gets upset when you don't finish it. I also don't like it, but over there they don't care." Little Billy's smile became brighter.

"It was really delicious ice cream, you did miss out, Charles," replied Mr. Giggles.

"Was there a dark place I could hide?" Charles asked from the safety of his dark corner.

"No, under the bed, but would be hard to give you the jelly from the top," Little Billy replied with his head a little down.

"Then I am good, thanks." Charles sighed.

"Why, hello, Little Billy," Lizzie the Lizard shouted from inside her glass cage.

"Hello, Lizzie, I missed you." Little Billy walked over to her and gave her glass cage a kiss. She stared at him from her lamp warmer.

"Little Billy! Hello, dear boy. I see that you are back." Mr. Smiles had appeared. He stood as tall as the ceiling, had long legs and arms to match, his hair loose and wild. Dark coat and dress shoes, a pitch-black face that revealed a bright set of teeth. He sucked all the energy out of the room anytime he appeared.

"He... Hello, Mr. Smiles." Billy stood a little back, both to get a good look at him and for a little distance.

"Why don't you seem as excited to see me, Little Billy?" Mr. Smiles cocked his head to the side. Billy felt his eyeless eyes stare at him.

"Oooohhh, stop it, you narcissist! You're scaring the boy." Mr. Giggles came to Billy's rescue.

"Don't worry about him, Little Billy. He seems scary, I know, but you know you can trust Mr. Smiles; he has done so much for you." Lizzie the Lizard's smooth and comforting voice made Little Billy feel more comfortable.

"You know he has done a lot for you, Little Billy; he stopped Daddy." Charles's voice echoed from the dark.

"I am afraid that is true, Little Billy, your daddy did try to take you away from us and we love you too much to let that happen." Mr. Giggles jumped in; his beady eyes stared back at the boy. Little Billy felt his teddy's soft body warm him up.

"Billy, sweetie? Who... Who are you talking to, honey?" His mom stood at the door, looking at Billy. He sensed the worry in her voice, the stress pouring from her body. He stood for a moment, stunned and confused.

"I am just playing with Mr. Giggles and Lizzie, Mommy." Mommy nodded.

"Billy, I think later we will go see the doctor again, okay, baby? Mommy, I am going to lie down and rest on the couch." She barely faced him before she slowly walked away from him. Billy nodded as she did so. They all waited until they knew she was gone.

"You see, Billy, that night Daddy wanted to take you away from us forever. I was not going to allow that; it is why things had to happen the way that they did. Now, Daddy is gone. I'm sorry I hurt you and made you lie, dear boy." Mr. Smiles' smile became less bright. Little Billy understood; he also did not want to lose his friends but also did not want to lose Daddy, too. The itch in his head only grew worse with the confusion.

"He's right, Little Billy, it was not easy what the two of you did and we love you all the more for it," Charles replied from behind Mr. Smiles.

"I know it was painful, the tumble down the stairs. The funny look of Daddy's neck and face. Yet, he hurt you too, when he grabbed you as we pushed him." Lizzie the Lizard jumped in, too, staring at Little Billy through the glass.

"Now Mommy wants to take you away from us too, Little Billy, she wants you to go away forever." Mr. Smiles stepped a little forward. His limbs barely moved as he did so. His large shadowy figure engulfed the space.

"No, Mommy would not do that," Little Billy cried back, refusing to accept any of it.

"I am afraid that is true, Little Billy, she will take you away and put you in a bad place. Where the mad people stay and we will never see each other again. We simply can't allow her to do that, Little Billy, she will hurt you, Little Billy. You are my friend and friends don't let friends get hurt." Mr. Giggles chimed in. Little Billy scratched his head once again, uncertain about what to do. He recognised where this was going; it was the same before Daddy. He hoped it was not the case.

"Remember how Mr. Smiles helped you with Daddy? Let him do it again, Billy, let him do what he did last time and then you will be safe, you will be safe with us," Charles begged Little Billy from his little dark corner.

"Yes, that is a great idea, fantastic, Charles," Lizzie the Lizard replied back, jumping with joy.

"All of you relax now! It's Billy's decision. In saying that, Little Billy, I would hate for you to go away and never see me again. I won't be the same even if you take me with you. Remember the hospital? Remember every time the mean nurse gave you those awful injections? I stopped being your friend, I could not talk to you and you could not understand me, I hated it and I know you did too. Now, if you say yes, then Mr. Smiles can help us all." Mr. Giggles calmed the thoughts that swarmed Little Billy's head.

"I promise you won't get hurt this time. I promise that I won't let Mommy take you to the mad place and the angry mean nurses again; there is no jelly and there is no ice cream in that place. We will take care of you, we will watch over you. Let me in, say yes and just like what happened with Daddy, where I helped you push him. I will help you here too." Mr. Smiles' smile grew brighter and wider, the same way before Little Billy allowed Mr. Smiles to control him. Little Billy stared at the door for the moment. A tear appeared on his face.

"Little Billy? Are you crying? Like a girl? I would not cry, I was in the mad place, I was there for so long. Now we have a chance for you not to go and you won't do it!" Charles sobbed from the dark corner. Little Billy felt his hairs stand up; he had never heard Charles tell him anything about his past. More tears appeared as he could feel the pressure. He did not want anything to happen to anyone. He did not understand why he was going to be taken away; he did not want to lose his friends.

"OK... you can do it!" Little Billy lifted his head up and faced Mr. Smiles.

"Hooray! Finally, Little Billy, we get to all be friends forever," cheered Lizzie the Lizard.

"I knew you would make the right choice, my boy," replied Mr. Giggles.

"Little Billy, I knew we would be best friends forever. I will always be by your side and soon, you will finally get to see me," Charles remarked excitedly.

"You know what to do now, Little Billy, open your mouth wide." Mr. Smiles' smile grew more grotesque. Little Billy did as he was told and opened his mouth wide. Mr. Smiles' long arms reached out toward him. His dark elongated fingers gripped the edges of Little Billy's mouth and, in one swoop, Mr. Smiles dove headfirst down his throat. Little Billy felt him slide down into his stomach, as though he had eaten a stone. He felt as his body locked, trapped, became paralysed as Mr. Smiles began to take hold of his limbs; he could feel him crawling beneath his skin and completely taking over the child; he could feel the immense pressure build in his skull. The momentary scramble of his senses.

Little Billy's head rose up, a large overly stretched out smile on his face. The others all watched as his crooked smile appeared, drool forming at the edge of Little Billy's mouth as Mr. Smiles completed the last bit of his possession. Little Billy felt himself in the back; he watched his limbs move, like a backseat driver in his own mind.

"Remember, Little Billy, it is best for both of us if you just don't fight me. You remember what I told you?" Mr. Smiles spoke to him consciousness to consciousness. Little Billy nodded, or attempted to.

Mr. Smiles continued to the kitchen. They made their way toward the dishwasher and pulled down the door. In front of them was a huge meat cleaver, freshly cleaned; it sparkled in the light. Mr. Smiles pulled it out and held it in his hands, feeling its weight. Little Billy had no idea how he could feel it too. Its smooth and warm wooden surface on his palm. Mr. Smiles turned and headed to the living room where Little Billy saw Mommy lying on the couch. Mr. Smiles walked over and stood right at the spot where her head lay. Raising the cleaver above her head, Little Billy only watched, and as the sensation overwhelmed him, tears formed in his eyes, running down his lips into his outstretched smile, tasting their saltiness. The smile grew more painful as his cheeks were stretched beyond capacity.

"Before we continue, Little Billy, for your sake and mine, don't tell anyone... not a living soul," Mr. Smiles said out loud. Little Billy nodded his head. Awoken by the voice, he watched as Mommy opened her eyes and felt the weight of the cleaver strike down with unnatural force... Whack... whack... whack...