367 — Done Deal

He wanted another chance. His nemesis was always willing to accommodate—for another soul. In exchange for yet another soul, always, another chance.

This was the sixth time he had made the deal, and it not only had been collateralized with his own soul, but he owed another five—his wife’s and four children’s so foreited—with more to come were he to have more available.

It wasn't the wisest deal he'd ever made. Nor should he have offered any souls that were not his own, but that was allowed within an immediate family, according to the Perdition Treaty.

Five previous tries; five squandered chances. Six, he knew, would be the charm.

There before him lay the many prizes, any one of which he could target. All of his wishes, his dreams, his fantasies taunted him. But he had his eye on the same one at which he had failed on his five previous attempts.

He knew each failure had also given him opportunity to learn where he had gone wrong. Five times.

Now he knew how to target it; where its most likely parts would allow purchase; how much force to use and when; how to coordinate wheel and levers.

He clenched his jaw. A vertical vein poked out blue on his forehead. A small bead of salty sweat trickled down his temple. His pupils constricted to pinholes. His gut valves closed and his sphincter tightened.

He manipulated the wheel with great dexterity, a finger jutting here and another sticking out there to co-engage the levers aside the wheel. The claws cantilevered together in a grasping position. This time he knew had it! For this time the retrieval honed in with the assistance that only five-times-failed disappointment could will.

And this time, again, his prize fell out of the loose jaws, tumbling into the seducing pile of prizes, each easily worth a soul, his or otherwise.

"No more chances," the devil said. "No more souls to wager."

“That can’t be true,” he argued. “I have a wife and four children. And me…makes six souls.”

“And, my friend,” the evil spirit chortled, “that made six souls down.”

"I could get my wife pregnant again," he offered. “It’s easy.”

“As tempting as that is—and believe me, I know temptation—I think it’s time we settled up.”

“Wait, no!” he shouted at the demon, as he saw his wife and children dragged off, kicking and screaming, into the ethereal shadows. Their last shouts were curses at him.

The devil laughed his devil’s laugh—the one laugh no one would ever want to hear.

Another family package like this and I’ll be able to knock off early, the beast thought. Then, “Next!” he shouted. Another soul stepped up.

“What’s in there?” the person with the delicious soul asked.

“All the things you can’t have.”

“Who says?” the new customer challenged the demon.

“Your very soul.”

The man eyed the contents within the claw game machine, securely stowed behind its glass. He began to drool.

“Married?” the devil asked.

“Yeah, sure,” he answered.

“Children?”