Thanks to youreallwrite for the prompt for today’s treadmill writing: I tried to sell my soul. Satan wouldn’t take it.
It also occurred to me that it would be polite to reblog the prompts I’ve used as well, so along with following those blogs, I’ll be reblogging the prompts.
Characters come from an unfinished short story of mine that I’d actually forgotten about until now.
“I tried to sell my soul, of course. Satan wouldn’t take it. Well, more accurately, the Grim Reaper wouldn’t. It all worked out rather well as through a little bit of cheating, I managed to buy the Grim Reaper’s soul instead. And I didn’t die. All in all, a good day.
“Of course, it did raise the question of why the Reaper had refused it. He won’t speak on the matter and some days I think he might have lost on purpose. Absurd, of course. He was just too stupid to win. And he makes an excellent servant. Oddly good cook.
“The problem remaining was how to get the Reaper out of his agreement with the devil so that he could be free to properly serve me instead of dragging me along with him collecting souls. I don’t actually mind that much.
“But to business. You’re not here to listen to how I’m alive. You’re here to know how I can help you. I think I’ve convinced you I have the capabilities at my disposal. Just say what you need and we’ll see if we can’t come to some arrangement.”
When Lewis had dismissed the client, he found Grim leaning against the doorway, half in-half out of a portal to Hell.
“Did mine ears deceive me?” he said. “Or did you just try to pull a devil’s advocate in a very literal sense?”
“I suppose you could argue that in a technical sense.”
Grim stepped fully into the room, the portal closing with a snap. “You cannot sell the powers of death to normal people! What is wrong with you?”
The young teenager smiled thinly from behind his desk, fingers steepled. In his black suit, he looked terrifying like his recently deceased father.
“Nothing, as it turns out, dear Grim. Now go run along and take care of your other duties. I’ll call you when I need you.”