Back to part two

I was now almost desperate for a way out. I examined my options. I started to amend my deal.

"Good. Now we're talking. We're almost at your house and will most likely be there within 10 minutes which would have concluded the original deal. Now I see good fortunes for the rest of your natural life, which is stipulated to be the same as it would have been before the signing of the contract. Good idea, Mr Tangiers, but unneccesary. The rule of 'man's free will' was my idea and I stick to it. It has screwed over God more times than it has bothered me really."

"What? Not only do you claim that man's free will is for your benifit but that also it was your idea?"

"Yeah, in fact the whole business with man was my idea. I made him create you guys."

This boggled my mind.

"Well, since this is coming out of your amending time, I would be more than happy to explain but perhaps you'd like to wait a few more minutes?"

I unboggled my mind quickly and continued to think. He was unable to change my will, or indeed shorten my life-span.

"So you couldn't make someone love me, for example?"

"No, most likely not. But it's amazing what can be produced by changing someones looks, giving them money and power and so forth. I've yet to see a woman not be impressed by a man with a warm smile, good wit and a large bank-book. If you were thinking along those lines, no, the contract can not stipulate that I have to make someone love you. But it can stipulate that they have to make love to you, or stay your wife forever or something like that."

"The difference being that you can't really change what they think, but you can make them do things by trickery?"

"Exactly. You're catching on quickly."

"So, why don't you just trick me out of my soul?"

The Devil just laughed at me. I would have felt foolish had it not been that his laugh was so sincere and catchy that I laughed myself at the question.

"What do you think this is?" he answered smiling, and even before he said it I knew it.

"Your time is almost up."

"Can I amend that you must grant my every wish?"

"No. That would be like signing a blank check. Not even the Devil would make such a deal. But you can have one wish."

I instantly added that.

"Good addendum! Most people miss that. So now you have to say 'The wish that I want granted by the Devil is...' before any wish you make. " The Devil laughed. "If you only knew how many people have killed their wives or their daughters, won the lottery or simply died because they failed to make that connection."

The car stopped and I heard the door open. I was still lying on my stomach on the seat but Mei Mei had stopped massaging my body and had sat down beside the Devil. I slowly got up, amazed how well my back felt, and put on my shirt, which now smelled nice somehow.

"Good fortune, remember?" the Devil beamed at me.

"Can I go with him, Mr. D?"

The Devil laughed. "I do believe that Mei Mei has become infatuated with you, my good man. She better go with you. But be aware, Mr Tangiers, that you have one year in which to decide upon your wish, then it is gone. This is your copy of our contract." He handed me the parchment. Below my name, written in red ink, or possibly blood, was the signature of Belziebub himself. "There are two things you must know about Mei Mei. She can appear as any woman you like, but she'll still be Mei Mei. Also, she is not human.

The door closed behind me and the car drove off. He had never told me I only had a year in which to decide upon my wish. But then again there were probably other things he had not told me. Right then and there I decided on two things. I was firstly going to have sex with Mei Mei, who was clinging to my arm like silk shirt on sweaty skin and secondly, I was going to hire a team of lawyers to go over my contract with the Devil.

part FOUR