Life of Billy

Life of Billy

There was once a young man named Billy Hall. He lived a normal life. Or at least that would have been the case if not for some unfortunate twists. It started when he was five. Now, Billy lived with his mother in a shack in the countryside. His mother was gross and fat. They all called her a fisher’s wife. The woman barely ever bathed. Her curly black hair was always greasy and looked caked in mud. She always shoved food into mouth. Billy’s mother always stitched up her clothes. Everyone found her to be a rather unpleasant woman. Still, Mrs. Hall loved her son. Billy, on the other hand, looked like an angel. His curly blonde hair was soft to the touch. Even through the dirt on his skin he looked beautiful. The people in town thought that Mrs. Hall must have stolen him from another family.

“He can’t be her son,” they would say. Mrs. Hall would ignore them and carry on. This would be the first mistake.

One day, a new preacher man came into town. He only came with the good Lord in his hand. He was on a mission to “save” the town. The preacher man walked up to the local watering hole. At this time, Billy stood outside selling matches. It became love at first sight. The preacher man rushed over to the boy.

“You!” he shouted. He ran up to the beautiful boy and grabbed him by the cheeks. Those bright blue eyes looked so confused.

“Huh?” Little Billy asked. The preacher man turned to the town. He threw his hands up into the air.

“Brothers and sisters!” he shouted. “I have found our angel from Heaven!” The preacher man fell to his knees.

“Praise be to God! Amen! Amen! Amen!” he shouted. A group of people started to gather around. Some fell to their knees at the boys.

“Amen! Amen! Amen!” they all shouted. Billy stepped back, looking confused.

“What?!” he asked.

They turned him into an angel. The kids would always try to touch his hair. Some mocked him while others praised him. Billy didn’t know how to handle the attention.

“Go away!” he screamed. “Leave me alone!” That did little to help his plight. This would only be the beginning.

That preacher man had to learn more about this Billy Hall. Who was this kid? Where did he come from? The preacher man had to know. Here was the start of an obsession that would last for years and years.

The preacher man tracked down the boy at his shack house. The smell did not put him off. He pounded on the door. He stood back when it opened a crack. A yellow eye peeked out.

“Who are you?” Mrs. Hall hissed. The preacher man cleared his throat.

“Good evening!” he said.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Is your son home?”

“Why?”

The preacher man put his arms up in the arms. “Your son is angel from the Lord! Hallelujah!” Mrs. Hall slammed the door in his face. The preacher man knocked on the door.

“Go away!” Mrs. Hall yelled. Meanwhile, Billy could see him from the bedroom window. What was with this man? Where did he come from? The preacher man wasn’t going to give up. He had to have Billy!

The church was built in three months. Every Sunday, the building was packed. They came to hear the preacher man speak. His olive oil voice could drag in anyone passing by.

But not Billy Hall.

Mrs. Hall didn’t like this preacher man. She never really liked anyone. But he was the worst. This turned into a war of wills in the town. All over that beautiful boy named Billy Hall.

As he got older, more and more people began to see him as an angel. His curly blonde hair looked like it belonged in a halo. He looked so pale through the dirt. The girls all adored him. Old ladies would touch his hair for blessing. Sometimes, they would run away yelling, “Hallelujah! Amen! Amen!” Mothers wanted to adopt him. Fathers wanted to marry him off to their daughters. More and more followers started to gather around his shack of a house. Mrs. Hall couldn’t chase them off anymore. When her son turned fifteen, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“You can’t stay here!” Mrs. Hall yelled. “Get out!” She packed up his things and kicked him out.

“And don’t come back!” she shouted. The door was slammed shut. Poor Billy had nowhere to go. That didn’t stop those followers following behind. The preacher man was waiting with open arms.

“Welcome home, son!” he said on the steps of the church. He pulled his prized angel into his arms. Billy just stood with discomfort. The followers still wouldn’t stop coming.

They started to camp out on the church yard. Travelers came from out of town to see the boy. Billy ended up becoming a beautiful saint. But he did not want this. Nothing he could say could sway them to leave him alone. Everyone keeps saying that he was special. But he did not want that.

“Why can’t they just leave me alone?” Billy asked. The preacher man gave him a kind smile.

“It’s because you are special,” he said. “You are a gift from the Heavens.” The poor child looked up at him.

“But why me?” he asked. “I don’t want this. I want to go home.” The preacher man patted him on the head.

“That’s just how it is,” he said. Billy looked like his soul left his body. He would be the saint of the town until he was to be martyred. But that’s for another story.

And that is the story of how Billy Hall became a saint in a small town.

End