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Deal with the Devil - A Halloween Story
by The Technician (technician666@gmail.com)
***
The payment for life is life, but will Estevan give
his beloved as payment for his continued existence?
(MF, fantasy, rom)
***
WARNING! All of my writing is intended for adults over
the age of 18 ONLY. Stories may contain strong or even
extreme sexual content. All people and events depicted
are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or
dead is purely coincidental. Actions, situations, and
responses are fictional ONLY and should not be
attempted in real life.
If you are under the age or 18 or do not understand
the difference between fantasy and reality or if you
reside in any state, province, nation, or tribal
territory that prohibits the reading of acts depicted
in these stories, please stop reading immediately and
move to somewhere that exists in the twenty-first
century.
***
Normally Estevan loved Halloween. It was his favorite
holiday. He had watched it change through the
centuries from a yearly cultic purification of hearth
and fire as practiced by the Celts; to a harvest
festival as practiced by the Romans when they took the
festival back to the Mediterranean area; to a
children's night of play intended to dispel our basic
fear of evil magical creatures; to its current,
modern-day excuse for raunchy costumes and alcohol-
fueled parties.
As he thought about it, he could not help but compare
the modern debauchery with the Roman fertility
celebrations. The Romans combined the Celtic "dark
night" rituals with their own "Feralia" practices,
both of whom involved the spirits of the dead. By
putting it on November first, however, the Romans
removed the "public fasting" required by Feralia. The
new date replaced the public fasting of those final,
gray days of February with the "public celebration" of
harvest time at the end of October. The result was
basically a drunken orgy, and the Romans really knew
how to throw an orgy - especially if you mixed in
religious overtones that made alcohol and sex an
acceptable part of the cultic fertility ritual.
"Just like old times," he said aloud as he remembered
the wild parties he had attended last Halloween with
Alicia. But then he glanced down at her picture in his
hands and said softly and sadly, "Just like old
times."
This year was to be a "Kalend of Kalends." Literally
that meant a month of months, but it was used by the
Romans to refer to a decade. Somewhere in the ancient
past it may have originally meant thirty months or
perhaps thirty years, but that was before Estevan's
time.
Not a whole lot was before Estevan's time. Once at a
dinner party, when someone had asked him how old he
really was, he replied, "I wasn't around to sell the
stones to Cheops for his pyramid, but my company
poured the concrete for Flavius when he built the
Coliseum." Everyone laughed - those who heard it
because of how his outlandish answer avoided giving
his true age, Estevan, because he was telling the
absolute truth.
No, Estevan was not immortal. He was an ordinary,
mortal man, who one Feralia - before they even called
it that - just happened to have struck a deal with the
keeper of the dead. Today most people call him The
Devil, or Satan, but he truly has no name, just as he
has no face, or for that matter just as he has no
body. He can assume various forms, from bull to goat
to human to god or goddess or strange combinations in
between, but all such forms are just illusions.
"His promises are also illusions," thought Estevan.
"Eternal life... but at what cost?"
Then he spoke aloud to himself "Is it truly living
when you know that once every ten years you must
betray someone who loves you dearly to buy another ten
years of life?"
How many had he betrayed over the centuries? How many
had gone down into the realm of the keeper of the dead
so that he could continue to walk the earth? Would
this be the year that, on the festival of the dead, he
would refuse, and would himself be embraced by the
formless arms of the keeper of the dead?
Alicia was different. With his youthful charm and
physically pleasing body, it had always been easy to
get women to fall in love with him. He enjoyed their
charms while it lasted, and they benefitted greatly
from his extreme wealth and power. He had always
justified things to himself by saying that if they had
known what they were doing they would have gladly
traded their lives for the ten years of absolute bliss
which he bestowed upon them. Women - and men - gave up
their lives for much less.
"What was it that made Alicia different?" He thought
to himself. It wasn't just that she was rich - nowhere
near as rich as Estevan, but wealthy enough to be rich
even among the rich. And it wasn't just that she was
beautiful. He remembered how her naked body had shone
in the moonlight on the beach. And, when she paused
and looked at Estevan, it was as if a statue from the
Temple of Aphrodite had come to life.
It was not just her physical appearance that made her
special. Her voice was almost musical; she knew her
history and the intricacies of the arts and sciences;
and she was fluent in as many languages as he was. At
least, she could speak and understand all those
languages which he currently used. He had never tried
to speak with her in ancient Phoenician.
There had been others as beautiful. Carla had breasts
that were the perfect size and shape, and her sex was
perfectly formed, both for beauty and to caress and
grip his cock as they thrust together. She had the
perfect natural mixture of grip and lubrication so
that it was like sliding through honey into that tight
shaft.
There had been others as rich. Suzanne had been almost
richer than he, coming as she did from royal blood in
a time when royalty reigned supreme in Europe. She was
born to extreme wealth, and had taught him subtleties
of using your wealth to exert power over others that
he would never have dreamed of on his own.
There had been others as intelligent. Veronica was the
most intelligent of them all. She actually had
surmised his secret, but her love for him kept her
from fleeing. When her Kalendra came, she peacefully
looked him in the eyes - without fear - and said "I
wondered when this day would come. I knew it would.
The payment for life is always life. Despite what you
must do, I thank you for the nine years of your love
that you have given me."
Estevan grimaced remembering those words. He had not
loved her. She only thought he loved her because he
had acted like he loved her. But it was, after all, an
act. Love requires that you truly, faithfully and
sincerely put the one you love above everything else
in your life. As the old joke goes, "Once you can fake
that, you have it made." Estevan could fake love very,
very well.
That is why Alicia was different. This time it wasn't
fake. After centuries upon the earth and after
countless women chosen, used, and discarded, Estevan
had finally, truly and completely fallen in love.
The deal with The Devil was that once every ten years
on the festival of the dead, he had to betray someone
who truly loved him and turn them over to the keeper
of the dead. Could he do it this year?
Betraying someone who loved you is easy - as long as
your love for them is a sham. But could he betray
someone whom he truly loved? Could he send Alicia into
the arms of the keeper of the dead?
The answer would come at midnight on the night of the
dead. The exact day for that had varied through the
centuries, but in today's world, in this nation, in
this culture, that would be at midnight on Halloween.
Alicia was rather quiet all day on Halloween. This
year, the party would be at their estate. Perhaps she
was preoccupied with the details of final planning for
the festivities. They had decided on a Greek theme for
the decorations. Alicia designed and had supervised
the construction of a relatively accurate replica of
the temple of Hestia, the Greek goddess of hearth and
home.
The Romans borrowed many of the cultic practices of
the Greeks, including the sacred flame of Hestia,
which on the night of the dead was brought to full
fire so that people could take glowing embers home to
relight their hearths with "purified fire" - of course
for a fee. There always had to be an offering of
silver to the goddess in return for the sacred fire.
Alicia's pseudo-temple was the perfect setting for a
large bonfire for the party.
"Have all cultures always combined fire... and
purity... and death?" thought Estevan when he saw the
temple sitting in the garden. It wasn't exactly as he
remembered it when he had walked between its pillars
in Athens, but the differences were minor. Alicia's
design looked almost more primitive... more ancient
that the temple he remembered. "This will be perfect."
he told Alicia. He then added silently to himself,
"Now I don't have to come up with some way to create a
bonfire."
The secret that Estevan had discovered so many
Kalendra ago was that for everything sacred there was
also the un-sacred. Perhaps both were sacred, but not
on the same end of reality. There was "good" sacred
and "bad" sacred. There was the "holy" fire and the
"un-holy" fire. The gods came forth from the holy
fire. The keeper of the dead came forth from the un-
holy fire.
It was an accident when it happened... well, not
exactly an accident. Estevan was supposed to kindle
the sacred fire for his household, but being a
typically rebellious teenaged boy of any culture or
century, he intentionally reversed the wording of the
ritual. He was alone by the family sacred hearth when
he began the task of building a new fire so he was
free to mutilate the ritual words.
Had his father or mother been there, such disrespect
would have brought a severe beating, but he was alone,
and so he showed his contempt for what he considered
the useless and hollow words of a totally stupid
ritual. He reversed all of the words as he labored to
create the proper spark to ignite the dried grass and
kindling that would begin the flame for the sacred
fire.
But it wasn't a stupid ritual... and they were not
useless, hollow words. With his reversed ritual, he
created an un-sacred fire and when the family
gathered, the keeper of the dead came forth from the
fire and consumed his father and his mother and all
who were gathered around the fire... except Estevan.
Then the keeper of the dead offered him eternal life.
He could live forever, but that eternal life required
a regular payment of life.
What would Estevan say when The Devil came forth from
the fire this year. Would he say the proper words, "I
give you life for life, love for love, that which is
not mine for that which is not yours." Or would he say
simply, "I withhold life for life and give you my life
as your own."
There had never been any question about the choice of
words in all the hundreds of years of his existence.
Why now? Why this time? Why with Alicia?
The guests began arriving shortly after sundown. It
was a dark night, and the extensive garden was dimly
lit with the flickering flame of torches which
surrounded the area and lined each of the paths. The
torches had been intentionally placed so that there
were large, grassy areas of total darkness where
people could find privacy in the midst of the
gathering. If the party had been inside, several of
the bedrooms would have been available, but the dark
areas would be almost as private.
The invitations had specifically said "Greco-Roman
Theme," but had also indicated that "traditional
Halloween costumes are also acceptable." So, as the
evening began, there were toga and tunic clad men and
women standing around drinking with witches, goblins,
Star Wars characters, and of course, a plethora of
naughty nurses, teachers, cops, robbers, and whatever.
By nine o'clock several of the togas and tunics had
already been discarded and naked slaves walked among
the revelers. Estevan smiled as he watched Dr.
Harrison and a naked Nurse Buchanan slip into the
darkness. It reminded him of actual naked slaves being
led into the darkness at a party in a setting very
similar to this a long, long time ago.
He wasn't drinking tonight. He wasn't sure if it was
because he knew he couldn't get himself drunk enough
to do what he had to do, or because he was afraid that
if he was drunk enough he would be able to say the
words and give Alicia over to the keeper of the dead.
Alicia also was not drinking tonight, probably
because, as hostess, she needed to keep her mind clear
to supervise the party.
Midnight was fast approaching. Estevan and Alicia were
the only two people there who were not seriously drunk
and disheveled. They were also among the few who were
still totally clothed. Shortly before midnight,
Estevan began maneuvering Alicia to the "dark side" of
the fire. At his suggestion, there were no torches on
this side of the fire so that just a few feet from the
flames, you were in relative darkness. It was the
perfect setting to meet the keeper of the dead for the
once-a-decade betrayal ritual.
And then it was time. Estevan and Alicia were standing
in the perfect place. Others could not see them over
the flames of fire, and from the sides they were just
at the edge of being able to be seen in the fire's
glow. At exactly midnight, Estevan faced the fire and
watched as a well- dressed man stepped out of the
flames and into the soft light of the fire lit the
area. He had expected Alicia to be startled, but she
stood serenely next to him.
The Devil was dressed like a riverboat gambler from
the American west. He even had on one of those black,
flat-topped western hats preferred by such ne'er-do-
wells. He was continually flipping and catching what
appeared to be an old-fashioned silver dollar. "I have
come for my Kalendra tribute," he said with a smooth,
deep voice.
Estevan stepped slightly forward. As he spoke the
silver dollar spun past The Devil's hand and slowly -
very, very slowly - dropped toward the ground.
Estevan stepped closer to him and said clearly, "I
withhold life for life and give you my life as your
own." He was actually surprised to hear himself say
those words. He was even more surprised to hear Alicia
speak the very same words as she stood alongside him.
He quickly turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide
with shock, as probably were his own. The keeper of
the dead began to laugh. When Estevan turned back to
look at him, the silver coin was sitting on the ground
at his feet... upright.
The Devil continued to laugh. "If you flip a coin
often enough, for long enough, eventually it will land
on edge."
Alicia and Estevan continued to stare at him, and at
the coin. He continued. "I never renege on my deals -
ever!! But I don't always give out all the details of
every deal. Only I know ALL the details of the deal.
For this particular deal - which was the same for both
of you - each time I come, you have a choice, heads or
tails... give me your life or the life of someone who
loves you."
"Those whom you have given over to my keeping are
dead, but they are only dead.
I take them to the place of the dead, like all others
whom I escort from this realm. But on the day that you
give me yourself, you come with me to the depths of
what you like to call 'Hell.'"
He smiled a very cruel and evil smile. "You return to
my home with me, because by willingly giving yourself
to me, you have become my eternal slave and
plaything."
"I make my deals very carefully knowing that
eventually, you will fall in love. Eventually, you
will find someone whom you cannot betray. And when
that happens, you will give your life for theirs and
you are mine. It's just a matter of time and the odds
as I keep flipping the coin of choice. Sooner or later
it comes up tails."
He laughed once again. This time it was the sound of
true laughter. "But there is always that infinitesimal
possibility that the coin will not be heads or tails.
Impossible as it seems, a coin can land on edge... and
stay there. The chances of that are very, very, very
small, but the impossible will happen occasionally
when you flip coins through all eternity. Tonight the
coin has landed on edge. You have each given your
lives for the one whom you love."
Looking at both of them, he smiled and continued,
"Estevan, because you have given your life for Alicia,
I cannot take her. Alicia, because you have given your
life for Estevan, I cannot take him. That means that
you are now both free from your agreements. The deal
is off."
He shook his head and smiled a wry smile. His voice
took on an unusually soft tone. "You will now age like
normal people, and the day will eventually arrive when
I will once again come to collect you to the land of
the dead, but that is where you will go. You will not
accompany me back to Hell... because the coin of
choice has landed on its edge."
He picked up the silver dollar from the ground and
tossed it to Estevan. "Keep this as a remembrance that
one Halloween, one couple very much in love with each
other beat the Devil at his own game."
He laughed again and said, "That doesn't happen very
often... about as often as a coin landing on edge and
staying there." Turning back toward the fire he
concluded. "Now I must leave. Even I can suspend time
for only a short while and I have many other
appointments for tonight. I have deals to make, lives
to collect, and maybe even a soul or two to take back
with me to the deepest depths."
As he disappeared into the fire Alicia turned to
Estevan, kissed him and said, "It looks like we have a
lot to catch up on about each other's lives." She
blushed slightly and added, "I hope you don't mind
that I am a little bit older than you."
When Estevan looked puzzled, she added, "I didn't sell
stones to Cheops either, but I did occasionally watch
from beneath a silk canopy as the slaves sweated to
push them into place."
Estevan took her hand and led her slowly into the
darkness away from the temple. Within their clasped
hands, still warm to the touch from coming through the
fire, they held the coin of choice which this night
had determined their fate.
END
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It's okay to *READ* stories about unprotected sex with
others outside a monogamous relationship. But it isn't
okay to *HAVE* unprotected sex with people other than
a trusted partner. 4-million people around the world
contract HIV every year. You only have one body per
lifetime, so take good care of it!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Kristen's collection - Directory 79