Billy Hooten by Tom Sniegoski

bizarre fruits and vegetables that were for sale.
    “These look interesting,” he muttered, standing besidea display of bowling-ball-sized fruit that looked like giant eyeballs. According to a handwritten sign, they were called PEEPER MELONS.
    “There he is!” Patella cried, leading the skeleton gang as they came around the cleaning supply aisle in hot pursuit of Billy.
    Billy grabbed one of the peeper melons, took aim and tossed the fruit at his closest attacker. “Catch!” he yelled.
    The melon flew as if shot from a cannon, striking Patella dead center and with such force that it caused the skeleton to explode into pieces.
    “Did I do that?” Billy asked aloud, staring at his hands in disbelief. It was almost as if he had …
superpowers.
    “Hey, fellas, help me out here!” Patella's skull begged from the floor.
    Fibula and Tibia were ignoring their fractured friend, slowly backing along the aisle they had come from.
    “This is too cool,” Billy said, grabbing another peeper melon and hefting it in his hands like the world's weirdest bowling ball.
    “Take it easy, pal,” Fibula cautioned. “Let's not do anything hasty.”
    “He's gonna throw another!” Tibia shrieked, turning to run up the aisle.

    “Age before beauty!” Fibula said, pushing past his partner.
    “I always thought you were better-looking than me!” Tibia cried, desperate to escape.
    Billy took careful aim and let the fruit fly. Holding his breath, he watched the melon bounce down the center of the aisle, connecting explosively with Tibia before sending pieces of Fibula flying into the air.
    “Strike!” Billy yelled, pumping his fist in victory.
    “Hey, guys!” Patella's disembodied skull called from the floor. “I'd really appreciate some help here.”
    “You'd
like some help?” Tibia's skull replied indignantly from the floor of the cleaning products aisle. “What about us?”
    Billy took a minute to catch his breath, the enormity of what he had just done washing over him like a tidal wave.
    I did it,
he thought proudly.
I actually managed to save the day.
    Billy Hooten saved the day.
    The shopkeeper with the fiery head came running down the cleaning products aisle, push broom in hand. “Thank you!” he hollered excitedly. “Thank you oh so much!”
    He reached the piles of Tibia and Fibula's bones and immediately started to sweep them into one large heap.
    “Hey, knock it off!” Fibula protested. “You'll mix our parts up!”
    “I don't want his leg bones, he's got leg bones that are twice as fat as mine!” moaned Tibia.
    The shopkeeper kept right on sweeping. “Quiet, you two, I've got a mind to throw you in the trash and forget about you.” His head burned a darker red now. “Calling the cops is too good for ya!”
    Billy was stunned. He'd never seen anything like this before.
    “Pssst!
Hey, kid!” Patella's skull was trying to get his attention, and Billy looked his way. “Help me put myself back together and I'll make you a deal,” the bony criminal whispered. “Twenty-five percent of whatever I bring down.”
    Billy gave the skull his
you've got to be kidding
face and called for the store owner. “Hey, don't forget this one over here!” he said, pointing out the skull.
    The monster with the fiery head pushed the big pile of protesting bones up the aisle toward the pile of Patella.
    “No! How could ya, kid? I thought we had something here—I thought we had a deal!”
    “Well, at least we're together,” Tibia said.
    “Shut yer yap,” Patella barked as all three skeletons were pushed into one heaping bone pile.
    The shopkeeper wiped beads of flaming sweat from his brow and leaned against his broom. “Maybe this will teach you not to mess with my store,” he said to the fragmented criminals.
    He turned his attention to Billy, dropping the broom to the floor and coming toward him. “How can I ever thank you?” he said, reaching out to take his hand, pumping it furiously. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank