The Eniripsa Odile Bile was being uncompromising: "No! Mr. Mystheur cannot go to Frigost in this state!" Thanks to her, he therefore got one more week. So, Agent Skelet had gone to scout the Zaap in the Snowbound Village. Was the Office of Frankly Bizarre Affairs going to finally get to the bottom of the temporal anomalies?

Snowbound Village Zaap
Frigost
8:57 p.m.

The sun was already setting over the cotton-like lowland. The branches of the fir trees and snowdrops were swinging in the slight breeze. There was a Snowfoux scampering around in the snow. It stopped when a luminous spiral started swirling at the heart of the teleportation portal. Momentarily captivated by this fascinating phenomenon, the creature decided to run off. Three hooded figures came out of the arch. After a few steps in the snow, one of them uncovered his head to get a better look around:
"Wow… So pretty!" Agent Mystheur commented naively.
As the snowflakes grew before their very eyes, they advanced toward a weather station. On the way, Retlaw Renniks explained to his two companions that the premises belonged to the Office of the F.B.A.: It was a research unit specializing in analyzing trails in the sky. With the approval of the agent in charge of the premises, Fay Renheit, Agent Skelet had already been staying there for a few days. She'd brought all the active case files to study them again quietly while keeping an eye on the Snowbound Village Zaap. Recently, a newspaper article about the Black Crow dating back to 981 had been found nailed to the portal! Fake? Or a real clue? Hard to say, but the most recent apparitions had always been preceded by such signs.
"Most of all, go easy on Agent Skelet," Renniks warned them at the door, "she's been holed up here working for several days now, and we're very late, so…"
The door opened abruptly. The three agents stood there, petrified, each wearing a forced smile.
"Please, come in. You must be cold!"
Her voice was warm, her smile charming. They did as they were asked without hesitating.
"I made you some Kokokonut milk cookies!"
Agent Mystheur spoke:
"Wow… Tell me who you are and what you did with Nada!!!"
Free of their fur coats, they followed Nada's lead and went into the refectory. A beautiful Huppermage with glasses welcomed them:
"Agent Fay, at your service! Tonight, the weather won't be pleasant. There will be violent flurries of snow and temperatures will drop," she announced with the greatest joy.
*****
Agent Mystheur's Room
Weather Station
11:59 p.m.
Voices resounded in Fax's head:
"Fake, Mystheur, fake – even my grandmother knows it."
"That's what happens most often when you die. It's… over."
"Are you suggesting we're dealing with a Drheller, Mystheur?"
"You're just saying that because he's old and his feathered headgear makes him look senile."
"Hold me in your arms, Fax!"
"We're going to spend a little time together, mischievous little Xelor, hahaha!"
"Am I the only one who thinks it's lousy?"
"AAAAAAH!!!"
He woke up startled. He sometimes still had a fever at night. He sat in his bed and blindly grabbed the glass of water on his bedside table. Suddenly, he saw a hairy head watching him in the blizzard through the window.
"Skeleeeeet!!!" he screamed without thinking.
In a flash, the Sram entered the room with an oil lamp to comfort him.
"Did you have a nightmare? There, there… It's over."
Suddenly, someone screamed: "FIRE!" It was Renniks. Fax jumped out of bed and ran toward the call for help. He went down a long corridor that snaked through entire station, before discovering a bright light coming from Agent Skelet's office. He went in. A breath of intense heat enveloped him. Renniks tried to smother the flames with a blanket, but the fire surrounded him, devouring boxes and stacks of files on the shelves. Burning pages were swirling all over the room. It was chaos. Agent Smisse came in all guns blazing:
"Put that away, Booya – water's what we need!" yelled Assistant Director Renniks.
Smisse and Mystheur did a u-turn to leave the room and screamed in unison – a young short-haired Ouginak in a fur coat looked at them sternly, his tongue hanging out and his ears pricked:
"Well… You're already useless enough when it comes to evidence…"
*****
Refectory
Weather Station
0:36 a.m.
Once the fire was extinguished, a court-like meeting was organized by the Assistant Director of the Office of Frankly Bizarre Affairs. All the protagonists were sitting in a circle, with their hair ruffled and their faces somewhat blackened: Retlaw Renniks, Booya Bay Smisse, Fay Renheit, Nada Skelet, Fax Mystheur, and even the little spotted canine, who drinking from a bottle of Cocalane using a bamboo straw.
"Partners… (he turned to the kid) guest… (the Ouginak stuck out his tongue) this is serious. All the evidence, all the witness statements, all the records, all the findings from our investigation into the temporal anomalies… went up in smoke tonight. We're gonna try to figure out what happened, starting with you, kid. Who are you? What are you doing here? Where are your parents? I mean… there's a storm outside!"
The group let out a cry of amazement.
"I'm very disappointed, Fay," Mystheur admitted, shaking his head.
"Everyone turned to look at the puppy-smarty-wuppy.
"What are you saying?" Assistant Director Renniks asked.
Agent Mystheur came back up from the cellar holding Agent Skelet. Booya Bay pointed a revolver at the Nada in the circle. She lowered her head. She started to laugh an evil laugh. Her hair turned blue. Her skin turned pale. Her legs came together as one, ending up looking like a Snapper's tail!
"She looks like a mermaid…" Renniks mumbled.
Two striped horns protruded from her skull. Where there would have been ears, two sharp fins protruded. She suddenly raised her head to reveal her dark look. Okay, it was the Shuccubus.
"Get her!!!" shouted Agent Smisse.
A commotion turned the refectory upside down, with everyone trying to get their hands on the slimy, vivacious creature. Only the sweet little Ouginak had remained in his chair, scratching behind his ear with his hind leg. A window broke. The wind blew into the room. Snowflakes pour in. The Shuccubus took the opportunity to escape from the station. Fax and Booya chased her into the storm.
Outside, it was almost impossible to see anything, let alone move. The force of the wind was such that the two agents fell backward several times.
"We won't make it, Fax!"
In the snow, a few kameters away, two horns and two sharp fins stuck out… Suddenly, they headed straight for the pair at top speed! Both agents dived sideways to avoid them. The Shuccubus emerged from the snowy mass and jumped on Agent Mystheur. With her hand on his cheek, her face as close as possible to the Xelor's, she said these final words:
"Goodbye, Faxy!"
Then she disappeared into the blizzard.

*****
Snowbound Village Zaap
Frigost
8:08 a.m.
Agent Renheit wasn't mistaken. That morning, everything was white. Even the teleportation arch. Only six small dots could be seen on this blank page. Moving closer, the expressionless faces of the various witnesses to that sleepless night became visible. Downcast. Probably because they'd failed to solve the mystery of the temporal anomalies. They were starting over. Well, almost. Agent Mystheur put one hand on Agent Skelet's shoulder. They exchanged a knowing glance. Fax pulled a long, gray feather out of his pocket. It was slightly blackened, partly burned. Nada was surprised. Silence hung over the cotton-like lowland. Until a sweet little pooch decided to break it: "You still botched it…"
The End
Episode 1: THE CASE OF THE BUTCHER OF BRAKMAR
Episode 2: THE CASE OF THE GRIMACING KING
Episode 3: THE CASE OF "THE UNEARTHED"
Episode 4: SADIDA'S FAVORITE
Episode 5: THE AVENGER FROM ANOTHER TIME
Episode 6: THE CRIMSON DAWN CHAMPION
Episode 7: THE CLOCKMAKER
Episode 8: RUSHU'S LARVAE
Episode 9: THE BLACK CROW
Episode 10: THE SHUCCUBUS