Story Notes:

             I wrote this as a junior in high school.  It was for an American literature unit in English class, but I don’t remember the exact assignment.  I do remember that this story presented a moral quandary, and I ultimately handed in two copies.  The first, as it’s written below, was the way the story was meant to be told.  In the second, I cleaned up the grammar and spelling because that was supposed to be part of our grade.  Mr. Thomas threw out the second copy and gave this one an A+, as well as an “Excellent.  The best I have ever received on this topic,” and suggested I submit it to the school newspaper.  Mr. Thomas continued to encourage my writing efforts throughout that school year.  He was one of my first supporters.

 

 

 

The Devil’s Deal

 

To my dotter Emma,

             I ain’t had much luck in life.  Most luck I ever had was when yer ma and ya came to me.  Course a fella can’t mayshur his life by how much luck he has cuz sometimes things jest never work out fer him anyways.

             I ain’t had much lernin, ya noe, Em, but I got somethin I wanna tell ya fore ya go down south to take care of yer ant.  It’s a good thing yer doin, ya bein so yung and all and still goin to see to yer ant.  Yer ma and me’s real proud of ya.  But I got somethin I wanna say to ya, Em, and maybe ya’ll remember it and think on it as yer away from yer ma and me.

             I use to be a turibul man fore I met yer ma, I’m ashamd to say.  I was hateful and crule and only God noes how meny others, and my furst wife Bess, she weren’t no better.  Course yer ma and ya changed things fer me with a little help from the Lord, but Bess, well, she weren’t so lucky.

             Back meny years ago, when ya was jest a babe, I met up with the Devil.  Gess that sounds strange to ya.  It’s not a thing that happens much these days, but he’s been gettin craftier as the years go on and don’t show himself much nomore.  I met him back in the days when I was a turibul person, always wantin things to go my way and wishin fer munny that weren’t rightly mine.  He was a tricky fella, that Devil, and he promisd me a life luck had never brawt my way.  Course I was jest as crafty back then, and I told him I wantd time to think about it.  Luck’s a good thing to hav, but it’s a sticky situashun when yer dealin with the Devil cuz all he wants is yer soul.  Life weren’t much fer the livin then, so I was redy then and there to giv up my soul fer a pees of luck, but I was a shrood fella, always wantin more as I said, so I told him I wantd more tie.  Fore he left me, tho, he put a mark on my forhed, a burnd mark that his sign in those days, ya see.

             Well, I told Bess about it when I got home, not that I was in the habit of sharin things with her, mind ya, but talkin with the Devil makes a fella unezy.  Bess was upset when I told her.  She was tyrd of never havin no luck too, and she up and demanded that I make that deal.  Now I wasn’t one to let my wife go orderin me around—I’m still not—so I told her I woodn’t jest to make her more mad.  So she decided to go and make that deal herself.  Gess I should of stopd her, but her and I didn’t get a long so good then, and I let her go off and try to find the Devil.  She was gon fer meny hours, and when she got home that night, she woodn’t tell me nothin cept that she was going back the next day with a gift for the Devil.  Course I didn’t care none.  It was her life, and she could do with it like she wantd.  But when she didn’t cum back, I went out and lookd fer her, needin somone to cook the meels and such.  I couldn’t find her, but I saw her apren in a tree with a vulcher next to it.  So I shimmyd up that tree, and the vulcher flyd away, and I checkd to see what was in her apren, and I found a hart and a liver.  It skard me so much that I about fell out of that tree.  That’s when the Devil came to me agin and askd if I was redy to make that deal.

             He offerd me lots of things, but I refusd, rememberin what had happend to Bess.  She never brawt me much happyness when she was livin, but I was sure glad she had dyed cuz then I new what that Devil was plannin to do to me.  I woodn’t wish noone ded now, but Bess sure helpd me out.

             I thawt that Devil wood do somethin awful to me cuz I refusd, so when I got home, I startd to read my Bible.  Hadn’t red it fer years, but I was real skard.  But as I red it, I stopd bein so skard, and the Lord startd showin me things that was wrong in my life.  That’s when I becum a Chrischun and soon after yer ma and me got maryd.  And every day I red the Bible and talkd to the Lord, that mark on my forhed disapired a little more and now it’s all gone.

             Course now yer wonderin why I told ya all this.  I want ya to noe what a turibul thing it is to giv in to the Devil, Em.  Sometimes things seem real nice, but it’s really jest the Devil tryin to get ya to giv yer soul to him.  Ya try real hard to be a Chrischun gal while yer down south and read yer Bible and remember the things yer ma’s lerned ya.  Yer real speshall to me, Em, and yer ma and me will miss ya, but we noe the Lord, he’s takin care of ya.

                                                                                           I love ya,

                                                                                           yer pa, Tom  ¤

 

 

 

 

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