The Mogwai in the Mix-Up

A donation box ends up having something cute and scary at the same time

Confusion Book and Video was a cozy, cluttered shop in the heart of Willow Creek, its shelves stuffed with dog-eared paperbacks, obscure VHS tapes, and the faint scent of old coffee. The store’s donation box—a battered wooden crate by the door—invited patrons to drop off unwanted books and movies. On a rainy Tuesday evening in May 2025, something far stranger than a worn-out Stephen King novel landed in that box.


Gizmo, the wide-eyed Mogwai, hadn’t meant to end up there. He’d been living quietly with Billy Peltzer, who’d grown into a responsible(ish) adult since the Gremlins chaos of the ‘80s. But when Billy’s cousin, a scatterbrained college student, borrowed Gizmo for a “cute pet video” project, things went south. Mistaking Gizmo for a plush toy after a late-night study session, she tossed him into a bag of old textbooks and donated it to Confusion Book and Video on her way to class.


Inside the donation box, Gizmo squeaked in alarm, his furry paws pushing against a pile of Harlequin romances and a dusty Terminator 2 VHS. The rules—don’t get wet, no bright lights, no feeding after midnight—echoed in his tiny head. He whimpered, clutching a dog-eared copy of The Hobbit for comfort. The shop was dim, thankfully, but the patter of rain outside made him nervous. Water was trouble.


Lila, the bookstore’s eccentric night clerk, noticed the box shaking as she sipped her chamomile tea. “Rats again?” she muttered, grabbing a broom. But when she peered inside, two luminous eyes met hers, blinking from a face too adorable to be a rodent. “What in the multiverse…?” she gasped, scooping Gizmo out. His soft coos and nervous chirps melted her heart instantly. “You’re no library book, little guy.”


Lila set Gizmo on the counter, offering him a crumb of her scone (carefully before midnight). She assumed he was some exotic pet, maybe a chinchilla with better PR. Gizmo, relieved to be out of the box, hummed a tiny tune, his ears twitching as he scanned the shop. The flickering neon sign outside cast soft shadows, safe enough for now. But then the door jingled, and a group of teens burst in, dripping wet from the storm.


“Yo, is that a Furby?” one kid shouted, pointing at Gizmo. Water droplets flew from his jacket, narrowly missing the Mogwai. Gizmo yelped, diving behind a stack of manga. Lila, sensing his panic, shooed the teens toward the comic section. “No touching the… uh, store mascot!” she improvised.


As the night wore on, Lila grew protective of her new friend. She rigged a cozy nest for Gizmo in an empty popcorn tin, away from the shop’s leaky ceiling. But trouble loomed. One of the teens, sneaking a soda, spilled it near the counter. A single drop splashed onto Gizmo’s tail. His eyes widened in horror as a tiny, furry lump began to form on his back.


“Oh no, no, no!” Gizmo babbled, recognizing the signs of a Mogwai multiplying. Lila, clueless but alarmed, grabbed a towel and dried him off before more could spawn. The lump fizzled out, but Gizmo knew he had to get back to Billy before worse happened.


By closing time, Lila had posted a blurry photo of Gizmo on the shop’s X account, captioned, “Found this cutie in our donation box! Anyone missing a… gremlin thing?” Billy, scrolling X at 2 a.m., nearly dropped his phone. He raced to Confusion Book and Video, arriving just as Lila was locking up.


“That’s Gizmo!” Billy exclaimed, breathless. He explained the Mogwai’s rules, leaving out the wilder Gremlin details. Lila, half-skeptical but charmed, handed Gizmo over, along with a free copy of The Princess Bride VHS “for his troubles.” Gizmo trilled happily, snuggling into Billy’s arms.


As they left, Lila shook her head, muttering, “This place gets weirder every day.” Back at home, Billy double-checked Gizmo’s crate for leaks and hid the snacks. Confusion Book and Video had dodged a Gremlin-sized disaster, but Gizmo’s big eyes held a glint of mischief. He’d liked the bookstore. Maybe, just maybe, he’d visit again—without the donation box.