One of my short stories inspired by The Devil and Tom Walker.

A Wive’s Tale

Inspired by “The Devil and Tom Walker”

She grunted as she hefted the heavy bundle in her hands. Sweat started to bead on her forehead and she glanced back to make sure she was still on track. “Almost there…” She lifted the apron loot sack over her shoulder and strode on, determined to find the devil and win her riches. Her husband Tom had told her of an offer the devil himself had made to him and for gods sake the fool had declined to follow through. So she had decided to do her best to strike up a deal herself. Finally she found a flat topped stump and dropped the apron of valuables down onto it with a clatter from the things inside. Her monotonous task complete she opened the apron and let the silver tea pot, a bunch of silver spoons and some of their more valuable trinkets spill out into a pile and then she sat opposite her loot pile and stared at it. Trying to devise a way she could turn the pile into a bargain of the devils liking. When suddenly a ragged man came walking into the grove where she sat. He had a long filthy traveling cloak and a tangled beard. The man had an air of desperation about him and his eyes gleamed with unsavory glee as he beheld the pile of misbegotten silver. She jumped to her feet and tried to wrap up the pile but it was no good. The man rushed forward and grabbed her arms, trying to subdue her. She smashed an elbow into his gut and reached back and grabbed a handful of his messy black hair and began repeatedly ripping it out with hard yanks. The man screamed and fell to the ground clutching at his head. She was upon him in an instant and gave him a good hard kick to the temple, knocking him unconscious. She growled and was about to make the final blow when a rough sooty black hand clamped down on her shoulder. “Whoa whoa woah, not so fast~” The devil whispered into her ear. He released her and she whirled around fists clenched, prepared for a fight. The soot covered man looked her up and down and began to pace before her, his hooved feet making impressions in the dirt. “I- I was looking for you.” She stuttered, gesturing vaguely at the pile of silver. “Yes I can see that, but it looks like someone else got here first..” The devil inspected the unconscious man with a sneer on his face. “If I understand this correctly, and I think I do~ You came here to make an offering.” He smiled disturbingly and laughed lightly for a moment. A sound akin to jagged rocks slapping together. “I’m afraid that pile of silver baubles would definitely not have been sufficient, but now~” The devil's eyes greedily slid over the mans filthy face. She quickly saw what was going on and crossed her arms, a small smile playing upon her lips. The devil put a finger to his lips and slickly said. “How much for the greedy soul?” She thought for a moment then replied thus. “A pile to match mine, but made entirely of gold.” The devil snarled and paced for a moment, glancing at the man every so often, then a nasty, devious smile spread upon his features. He held out a hand. “You've got a deal.” She eagerly shook his sooty hand and shook it vigorously but when she let go it  came away black with soot, she tried to rub it off, but it stayed, to be filthy from this foul deed, forever more. With a wicked cackle the devil grabbed her apron and one of the man's legs and stomped off into the forest. “My thanks~” She glanced away for only a moment, but it was enough time for him to vanish, along with the man. “Yeah..” She whispered, looking at her black hand. She looked up and beheld the gold she was promised. She rushed it and started madly shoving it into her pockets and gathering up as much of it as she could, but to her horror, she saw that everything she touched with her sooty hand, fell to ashes and crumbled to dust. She howled with anger and betrayal, grabbing wildly with her hands she desperately tried to gather up her ill won spoils. She fell to her knees on the now ash covered stump and pressed her hands to her face as she was wracked with sobs. Then, very slowly, she felt a faint burning in her head. Her very mind, her forehead, everything was burning, burning away. She screamed, and then began to crumble to ash. The soul she sold, was her own, she realized, just before her mind fell apart.