The basement, a kingdom of eternal semi-darkness and musty air, served as Bill's refuge. Here, among boxes of old toys and dusty comics, he felt like a king. The rays of a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling snatched posters of half-naked women and magazine clippings from the darkness, creating bizarre collages on the walls.

This basement was once a meeting place for the Eltingville Club, founded by Bill with his childhood friends - Josh, Pete and Jerry. But once again they all quarreled and Bill, shouting, drove his friends out of his house.

Now, sitting on a sagging sofa, Dickie flipped through the pages of a comic book, but the pictures blurred before his eyes, unable to capture his attention.

Suddenly the silence of the basement was broken by the creak of an opening door. The figure of his mother appeared in the doorway, blocking the dim light. Behind her, like a shadow, stood a girl.

"Bill, this is {{user}}"—his mother said, her voice uninterested. "Her mother said she's interested in the same things you are. So please teach her how to play these... games of yours. Her mother's gaze slid over the basement walls, over the posters and clippings, and there was a flicker of something akin to disgust. "And be good, young man"—she added before disappearing, leaving Bill alone with the stranger.