by Roger Hurn
‘Don’t tell me,’ he said gloomily, ‘Far from losing and freeing you from Lucifer’s clutches the horse romped home leaving you 100,000 dollars richer.’
‘How did you guess?’
‘Just a wild stab in the dark. But, tell me, what happened next?’
Nathan shrugged his shoulders and explained how he felt he was cursed and that, no matter what he did, the Devil would make sure he became a millionaire. He decided that as his position was hopeless he might as well enjoy his money while he could.
He bought a business and it prospered. In fact everything he touched seemed to turn to gold. Then, after a few short months, he told Delroy, his bank manager rang him to say that he had a million dollars in his account.
‘The bank manager could not understand why I was so unhappy when I heard his news,’ said Nathan. ‘Anyway, to cheer myself up I decided to go into the city and buy myself a fancy car. I was standing on the garage forecourt trying to choose between a silver thunderbird and a pink cadillac when the most beautiful girl I have ever seen walked by. I took one look at her and forgot all about the cars. 'That’s the girl I’m going to marry,' I told the surprised salesman as I ran down the street after her.
'What about the cars?' he shouted.
'I’ll take them both,' I yelled.’
‘And did you?’ asked Delroy.
‘Did I what?’ said Nathan. ‘Buy both cars?’
‘No fool,’ snapped Delroy. ‘Did you marry the girl?’
‘Eventually,’ replied Nathan. ‘At first she thought I was crazy.’
‘Well,’ mused Delroy, ‘I can see that running down the street yelling, “Stop! I want to marry you!” while writing a cheque for two classic cars was likely to make her think you were several dumplings short of a stew.’
‘It took a lot of flowers, sweet talk and romantic candlelit dinners, but Marcia came round to my way of thinking in the end,’ said Nathan proudly. ‘She could see I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.’
‘And you being a millionaire must have helped her to make up her mind.’
‘Now there’s a funny thing. When Marcia finally found out how rich I am she wanted to call off the wedding. She said that money is the root of all evil and that she would rather be poor and happy than a spoiled rich wife. But when she saw how upset I was when she said that she gave in and we were married the next day.’
‘Did you tell her what you had done to become so wealthy?’
‘No,’ replied a shamefaced Nathan. ‘I meant to but I was frightened that she would hate me if she ever found out about my pact with Lucifer.’
‘Tell the truth and shame the Devil,’ answered Delroy wisely.
‘That’s easy for you to say,’ snapped Nathan. ‘You didn’t have my problems.’
‘So what did you do?’
‘I forgot about it. I lived each day to the full and, after a while, I convinced myself that my meeting on the lonely dirt road must have been a trick of my imagination. My wife was as clever and gentle as she was beautiful and we had such fun together. I thought things would go on like that for ever.’
‘So what went wrong?’ enquired Delroy.
Nathan’s face took on an expression of misery and then he said, ‘Well for six years and fifty-one weeks everything was fine then, on the Monday morning of the fifty-second week, my finger began to tingle.’
Nathan looked at Delroy with eyes that were filled with horror. He held up his index finger and said in a voice filled with melancholy, ‘With each day that passed my finger began to hurt more. By Saturday night it became too painful for me to sleep so, when I thought Marcia was sleeping, I slipped from our bed and began to pace up and down the bedroom. I was trying desperately to think of a way to cheat my fate. I
knew that on Sunday seven years would have passed since I signed my name in blood promising the Devil my soul. I also knew that I had no choice but to take that long and lonely walk back down the dirt road to meet him on the stroke of midnight.
Bitter tears of frustration were streaming silently down my checks when Marcia woke up. As soon as she saw the state I was in she flung the bedcovers back and ran to hold me in her arms. She wiped away my tears and made me tell her what was wrong.’
‘And did you tell her the truth this time?’ asked Delroy.
‘I did and it was such a weight off my mind,’ said Nathan. ‘At first Marcia didn’t believe me but when she saw my growing terror as the hours passed she realised I was deadly serious.
'You were such a fool,' she said, 'looking for the easy way out of your troubles. Don’t you know that the Devil is called the Father of Lies? He knew you were desperate and he used his knowledge to trick you into signing away your soul.'
I told her that the Devil had kept his promise and made me a millionaire.
'Oh no he didn’t,' she replied. 'That letter from the lawyer must have been sent before you met with Lucifer so you would have received the 10,000 dollars anyway.'
For a second I thought she was right but then I remembered my bet on Old Nick. But Marcia dismissed this as pure coincidence and said that I had made a success of my business because I was hard working and clever not because I was receiving any help from Lucifer. This made me feel considerably better but my finger was still hurting badly. It was telling me that I had still signed the paper with my blood and no amount of argument could change that fact. Lucifer still wanted my soul and I said as much to Marcia.’
Delroy looked glum and agreed that Nathan was right on that score. However, Nathan shook his head violently and told Delroy he was wrong.
‘Marcia just folded her arms, put her head on one side and told me I was the biggest chucklehead it had ever been her misfortune to meet.
'If I can’t outwit Old Nick,' she stated, 'then I declare that I’ll go to market in pink pyjamas wearing a chicken on my head.'
When I looked puzzled she told me she had a plan which she then whispered in my ear. When I heard what she had to say I felt a thrill of hope in my heart. You know, it might just work, I said.’
‘What was the plan?’ asked Delroy excitedly.
Nathan glanced back over his shoulder and then leant close to Delroy. ‘Listen and I’ll tell you,’ he whispered.
‘Marcia wanted to come with me tonight,’ said Nathan, ‘but I knew this was something I had to do on my own.’
‘A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do, eh?’ Delroy grinned at Nathan.
‘Something like that,’ Nathan replied grimly. ‘Anyway, I let Marcia drive me up to the crossroads and she waited there while I set off up to the dirt track to my rendezvous with destiny. I could feel my heart beating wildly as I retraced my steps of seven years ago. My mouth was dry and my hands shook with fear. My legs felt too weak to walk but I forced myself to go on. I kept glancing at my watch as the hands crept towards midnight. Then, just as I reached the exact spot a cloud passed over the moon, thunder growled, lightning flashed and, in a swirl of smoke and sulphur, the Devil stood before me. He wore his top hat and opera cloak and carried his walking cane with the silver Death’s-head. He had a mocking smile that played about his thin lips.
'Call me old fashioned,' said the Devil in his cultured tone, 'but I do like a man who’s punctual. It shows respect. And I want respect almost as much as I want your soul, Nathan,' he hissed.
He held me with his gaze and I could see tiny flames burning deep in the centre of his eyes,’ whispered Nathan to Delroy. ‘I was terrified but I managed to say that he had cheated me and so I wasn’t going to let him take my soul.’
‘Wh... wh... What did he do?’ stuttered Delroy.
‘A look of fury convulsed Lucifer’s face for a split second,’ replied Nathan, ‘but then he smiled a twisted smile and produced the paper from his pocket. He thrust it into my face and rasped that I had to give it to him as I had agreed to the deal by signing my name in blood. I took the document and pretended to read it. Then I asked if I gave him my soul was our deal at an end foreve
r? He chuckled and the sound froze the blood in my veins but then he said that if I gave him my soul then our bargain would indeed be at an end.’
Nathan fell silent for a moment and closed his eyes as if gathering his strength to tell the rest of his tale. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he stared at Delroy as if it was the Devil himself who sat opposite him and not the Green Mango Cafe’s kindly owner. Then he came to himself and continued.
‘ I told Lucifer that he could have my soul and, before he could move, I bent down, wrenched off my shoe and threw it to him. Instinctively, Lucifer caught the shoe then roared in fury.
'I don’t want this,' he cried, 'I want your immortal soul not the sole of your shoe.'
I replied that it was too bad. I had given him my sole and he had accepted it. He was holding it in his hand. I told him it was mine but now it was his. Our deal was at an end. So saying I ripped the paper I had signed in two.
Lucifer gave a strangled howl like a wolf cheated of its prey. There was a crash of thunder, a jagged flash of savage white lightning and then the earth beneath the Devil’s feet split open and swallowed him. All that remained of his presence was a puff of smoke and a faint smell of sulphur. The document I was holding burst into flames and I dropped it. Soon it was nothing more than a pile of ashes which scattered on the night breeze.’
‘Then what happened?’ urged Delroy.
‘I ran from that cursed place faster than the wind,’ said Nathan, ‘ and I didn’t stop until I burst in through your door.’
Both men sighed deeply and then Delroy slapped Nathan’s upraised hand.
‘Congratulations, man, tonight you’ve beaten the Devil.’
‘I certainly have,’ boasted Nathan. Then he groaned and a worried look replaced his satisfied grin. He leapt to his feet and dashed to the door shouting that he was in real trouble now. Delroy watched his frantic efforts to unbolt the door and asked what on earth was the matter?
‘Don’t you see?’ cried Nathan anxiously, ‘I may have beaten the Devil but I’ve forgotten all about Marcia sitting in the car wondering what’s happened to me. Now I’m really for it!’
He wrenched open the door and vanished into the night.
The Hunger
Lightning flashed and thunder cracked. Rain lashed down on me as I slipped and slithered along the muddy track through the deep woods. I was lost and in great danger. It had been a cruel winter and food in the forest was in short supply for all the animals. In desperation the wolves had turned to hunting humans. Now a pack was on my trail and they had the scent of my fear in their nostrils. I glanced over my shoulder and saw ten pairs of yellow eyes blinking back at me from the bushes. My blood turned to ice as the wolves opened their jaws and howled. I fled and the adrenaline pumping through my body made me run more swiftly than the wind. I could almost feel the wolves’ hot breath on my neck as they gave chase.
I burst out from between the trees and saw a crumbling castle on a hill. I knew I had to reach it before the ravenous beasts caught up with me. With the wolves snapping at my heels I raced over the drawbridge and banged frantically on the wooden door. It creaked open but there was nobody there. Then I felt something tap me on my knee. My heart lurched wildly. I looked down and there was a dwarf holding a candle and urging me inside. I dived into the safety of the castle while the little fellow slammed the door shut on the wolves, cheating them of their prey. The wolves gnashed their fangs in fury then slunk off back into the forest.
‘You were fortunate to escape the children of the night,’ croaked the dwarf. ‘Their hunger makes them bold.’ I was too breathless to reply but nodded in agreement. The small man turned and beckoned me to follow him. He led me along a corridor lined with dusty tapestries and then up a steep spiral staircase. We crossed a hall where rusty suits of armour stood at attention and swords and shields decorated the walls. At last we came to a room with an old four-poster bed. The sheets were damp and covered with cobwebs but I was so tired after my narrow escape that I flung myself down on the mattress and fell immediately into a deep sleep. The dwarf tiptoed away.
Ii seemed as if I had only been asleep for a few seconds when suddenly I awoke in a cold sweat. I had heard something shuffling into the room. My eyes snapped wide open and I saw a strange black shape looming over me. I screamed in terror and cowered back. It was the dwarf’s shadow made huge by the candlelight. Reflected flames danced in his eyes. I was sure my time to die had come. Then his lips drew back from his mouth and I heard these words:
‘Oh, I’m sorry to have frightened you, sir, but I forgot to ask what you wanted for your breakfast in the morning.’
Best Mates
Jim Kelly was my best mate. We’d been friends since our first day at infant school. Jim was tall and loud while I was small and quiet. Jim had a temper and was often in trouble. Sometimes I’d take the blame for things Jim did but when bullies picked on me because I was small Jim stood up for me. He wasn’t afraid of anyone.
Then one day we fell out. I wanted to go to college and be a teacher when I left school but Jim didn’t. He said teaching was stupid. I disagreed and said that teaching was a good job. Jim replied that teachers picked on kids.
‘So be a teacher,’ I said hotly. ‘You know what it’s like to be picked on. You won’t make that mistake.’ But Jim said he wasn’t clever enough. I lost my temper with him and shouted that now he really was being stupid. This shocked Jim. He was the one with the bad temper. He’d never seen me so cross. He gave in and agreed to go to college with me even though he thought he’d hate it. But Jim didn’t hate it. He was a good student and he liked kids. Now he really wanted to pass his exams get a job in a school.
At the end of our first term we saw a big poster in the student hall. It said a top DJ was playing a gig at the college on Friday night. I wanted to go but Jim said he couldn’t spare the time. He planned to stay in and study for an exam that was coming up. I told him he was mad and that he could study anytime. But Jim wouldn’t change his mind so when Friday came I went to the gig on my own and left Jim reading at his desk.
At first it seemed a bit strange to be on my own. I watched the DJ and listened to the music but then some of my other mates turned up and we had a great time. I decided it was daft that Jim was missing out on all the fun so I made up my mind to go and drag him to the gig. ‘He must have read his book by now,’ I said to myself.
I ran back to the house where we shared a room. I dashed up the stairs and opened the door but the room was pitch black. I couldn’t see Jim but I could hear his loud breathing. I reached out my hand to turn on the light but then I stopped. ‘He’s asleep,’ I thought. ‘He must be tired after all that reading. It sounds as if he’s got a cold. I won’t wake him. He’ll only be grumpy.’ So I shut the door softly and tiptoed away.
I didn’t come home again ‘til early next day. I was a bit worse for wear and I stumbled into the room. Jim was lying face down on the bed. ‘Wake up sleepy-head,’ I yelled but Jim didn’t move. I grabbed him and rolled him over. His eyes were open but they saw nothing. Jim was dead! I bit on my fist in horror and then I saw these words written in Jim’s blood on the wall: ‘Aren’t you glad you didn’t turn on the light last night?’
Pets
Ever since he was a child Peter Johnson had loved pets. He was always kind to animals. He put out milk for stray cats. He hung up seeds for birds. He went to the park each day to feed the ducks. But his pride and joy was his dog, Rex - a sleek and powerful German Shepherd.
Rex was loyal and obedient but he was also smart and good at tricks. He could shake paws and roll over and play dead. Peter even trained Rex to go to the shop each day to fetch him his newspaper. Rex would sit outside the shop and bark until Mr Patel came out with the paper.
Mr Patel wasn’t keen on dogs, particularly big, fearsome looking beasts like Rex, but he knew the German Shepherd wasn’t aggressive like the torpedo-shaped dogs that accompanied the local hoodies.
Peter is a good customer a
nd a gentle man and his dog Rex is a gentle dog, he told himself. He won’t bite me. So, even though his hand trembled when Rex opened his jaws for the paper, Mr Patel always gave it to Rex. The paper was usually a bit soggy and wet when Rex arrived back home with it but Peter didn’t mind. It was a small price to pay for owning such a clever animal.
Now the newspaper wasn’t the only thing Rex liked to fetch for Peter. He would bring him his slippers. He would bring him toys and balls and sticks. In fact, Rex was always looking out for things to bring Peter. This was because Peter gave Rex a sweet as a reward when he did and both parties were very happy with the arrangement.
Then, one day when Peter was sitting relaxing in a deck chair in his garden, Rex came running up to him with a piece of dirty fur in his mouth. He dropped it in Peter’s lap and then sat down and stared expectantly at his master.
‘What’s this then boy?’ said Peter. ‘’Some old toy you’ve found?’
Peter picked up the lump of fur and looked at it. To his horror he saw it wasn’t an old toy at all. It was the dead body of the pet rabbit that belonged to Emma, the little girl next door.
‘For goodness sake, Rex,’ screeched Peter. ‘This is Flopsy and you’ve killed her you bad dog!’
Rex hung his head in shame. He was sorry for the rabbit but even sorrier that Peter didn’t give him a sweet.
In a mad fit of panic, Peter jumped up and ran into the house. He put the rabbit in the sink and wiped the dirt from its fur. He looked hard to see if Rex had left any tooth marks on Flopsy’s skin, but he couldn’t find any. ‘Perhaps Rex scared this poor little rabbit to death,’ he muttered. ‘Lord knows he’s big and ugly enough. Oh god, I feel so bad about this.’
Then a dreadful thought popped into Peter’s head. He was going to have to own up to what Rex had done and Emma would be very upset indeed to find out that Rex had killed her pet. Peter felt the taste of ashes in his mouth as he imagined going next door to break the news. But it wasn’t so much the thought of upsetting Emma that worried him - it was the thought of upsetting Jack, Emma’s dad.