Member-only story
The Devil’s Deal
A short, short story
On a week-long journey through the desert, a thirsty man stumbles upon the devil — a squat figure with eyes for skin and calloused hands that bore the weight of two sacks slung over both shoulders containing clay pots. From the sack on the right, one could hear gurgles that echoed across the entire expanse of the plain.
“Hello there!” the man says.
“Can I have some water to drink?”
“Oh, sure!” the devil responded. “I can give you something better than water for your parched throat. I will give you a pot of palm wine but you’ll give me your two thumbs in return.”
“Hmm …” the man sighed wearily as he held out both hands studying the fading lines of its sallow covering as if in search of a sign.
“Ok!” he replied, after holding his warring thoughts forever. “You can have them.”
Before he finished his sentence, the devil yanked both his arms and bit off his two thumbs and his screams of pain ran across the arid plain in the voices of a hundred bedeviled Arabians.
“Now, can I get my end of the deal?” the man spoke through clenched teeth as he choked on his pain and drank his fill in tears.
“Oh, sure.” the devil answered reaching into one of the two sacks slung over peering eyes, the Devil brought…
