Bad News--Signed HX

        The grave, fiery eyes stared down at Merrida. 

Hexus was disenchanted by the pathetic little “love-affair” he had seen developing. No such thing was permitted—or even possible—in the lower sphere from which he had come and he was quite honestly disgusted by it all. Disgusted at Gorvip. Disgusted at Merrida. Disgusted, oddly enough, even at He-ho. Overall, Hexus was just disgusted. 

But it was more than mere disgust that brought him here to this disenchanting world. He had come because while Hell was full of penny-stealers and candy-counter thieves, Hell also had a strict rule code—and Gorvip had broken it. Gorvip had left Hell—actually, he’d been kicked out, but he’d still left—and was being a terrible devil. And by terrible, he didn’t mean actually being bad, but being bad at being a devil. He was being kind. He was being hardworking—or at least trying to. And devils weren’t made for that. 

Devils, thought Hexus, are meant to make mischief and if you won’t make mischief happen, I will make mischief happen to you. 

But how ….?

Hexus right then and there hatched a plan—he would expose Gorvip once again for the benevolent shoe-shiner he was and even better than this—he would do it in Hell. He would get Gorvip, by the very good nature that had thrust him out, to come back only to be further chastised and condemned. Hexus smiled at his hellish plan as he stared down at the sleeping Merrida. 

****

The next morning, Gorvip awoke to the sound of hustle and bustle in the streets. He’d slept in an alley out back of a restaurant, and was pleased to find some sour grapes for breakfast. He sat, munching on his grapes, tossing one occasionally to He-ho, when a newspaper casually blew down the alley, resting at his feet. Gorvip had learned to read a little, and the little he could read on the blaring headline left him mortified. “Merrida Akeof Disappears during the Night.”

Gorvip had to find out more. He labored through the article, missing most of the words but getting the gist of it. There was apparently a note left at the site of her disappearance—so it had been a kidnapping. The note, it was reported, was written in a language entirely unintelligible, and signed, it said with a large scrawling HX, the letters overlapping almost entirely. 

This was just his luck. He evades hell, meets a nice girl, and she goes and gets herself kidnapped. Could it get any worse?

But then it did. During his work in Hell Gorvip had been supervised by a devil who was tall, thin, and had flowing black hair that Gorvip craved. And, he signed his name HX. Gorvip had gotten many complaint-filled notes from this supervisor, and knew the signature well. But could it really have been Hexus? 

Just then a man came thundering down the alley from the other end, pushing a large wheelbarrow. “Get out of the way!” he bellowed at the thoughtful devil, causing a brief interruption to his train of thought. Gorvip narrowly missed being squashed by the man and his load, and He-ho scurried off to the side as well. 

The man’s wheelbarrow was full of an assortment of old things—either on their way to be bought at some second-hand shop or just cheaply purchased. On the top was an old comic book. “Galactic Hero” was written in bold yellow letters on the cover. Below it a strong comic figure with a blue cape and a small dog stood proudly infront of a large control panel. Gorvip looked at He-ho—yes you could do, he thought. Then he looked at himself—quite the dismantled hero at best, but Gorvip was determined. I will save you Merrida if I have to go to hell and back.