Texas devil story of a rancher who receives an offer from a creepy stranger to save his family farm. Written by Jerod Blake Lasater.
Johnny sat at the kitchen table surrouned by piles of unpaid bills. He owned a feed store that had gone under, and was falling into a deep depression. He owned a ranch in the rolling hills of Texas that had been in his family for years. Without a steady job, it was going to be taken from him. The situation was made worse by his gambling and drinking. He’d blown his entire inheritance in a poker game and emptied his bank account at the saloon. His wife left him and took the kids. He lived alone in that old farmhouse. Drinking was his only way to deal with the stress. He poured himself the strongest glass of whisky Kentucky could make and tried to clear his mind. But no matter how drunk he got, his troubles would still be with him.
Johnny stumbled out to the front porch. He started screaming out into the night wanting to know why God had dealt him with such a bad hand. He sat in his wife’s old rocking chair and began to weep. All the alcohol in his body came out all over his boots. Anyone could tell that Johnny was a very depressed man but they did in fact blame him for all his troubles.
Johnny began walking along the dirt road the dirt road leading out of the ranch. He didn’t know why he was walking or where he planned to go, he just walked. The moon lit up the hills and cast a silver hue across the land. Johnny’s tears were dried as the summer breeze blew across his face. He put his hands in his pockets and ducked his head down.
He was walking along when he heard something behind him. He turned around and saw the headlights of a pickup coming up the dirt road. It pulled over and stopped right next to him. It was an old Ford F-150. The driver rolled downed the window. It was too dark for Johnny to see the driver’s face. The moon was soon darkened by the clouds and thick blackness engulfed the rolling hills.
“Hey there,” the stranger said, “Where you headed?”
“Out of here”, Johnny said, “I just want to get out of here.”
“I’ll give you a lift.”
The mysterious stranger opened the door and motioned for Johnny to hop up into the cab. Johnny felt drawn to the man and didn’t say no or ask why he was on his ranch. He got in and closed the door. He briefly caught a glimpse of the man’s face when he lit a match to light his cigar. He was an older man with a thick beard and an old cowboy hat.
“Why you wandering around this hour?” the stranger asked. “Are you lost?”
“No, sir,” Johnny replied, “I just went out for a walk.”
The old man laughed as he took another puff of his cigar and filled the cab of the truck with smoke.
“I can see something’s troubling you,” he said, “It wouldn’t be financial, would it?”
Johnny was a bit surprised. He seemed to be a bit more informed then Johnny liked.
“Yes, sir,” Johnny said, “My ranch is about to be taken from me.”
“Ain’t that a shame,” he repled with a chuckle. “It’s a beautiful place.”
The two men didn’t say anything else for a while. The old man kept looking at Johnny as if he had something else to say. Johnny was uncomfortable in the silence and tried to get the conversation going again.
“So mind telling me who you are?” Johnny asked. “You seem familiar.”
“Name’s Lou”, he answered. “I’m betting you’re Johnny.”
Johnny was shocked. How did he know his name? Johnny was never a social butterfly and didn’t have a whole lot of friends. Johnny didn’t remember the man’s face but felt he had been friends with him for a long time.
“Johnny, I know about your trouble,” Lou said. “I want to help you.”
“How can you help me?” Johnny said. “I need money real bad.”
Lou pulled the truck over.
“You see Johnny, I can help you,”, he said. “I’m a man who likes to make deals.”
“What kind of deals?” Johnny asked.
“Deals that can change a man’s life,” Lou replied.
Johnny was desperate for any kind of help he could get. He just couldn’t say no to the mysterious old man.
He pulled out a pen fromt his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper from under the seat. He handed them both to Johnny.
“What’s this?” Johnny asked. “Do you want me to sell the ranch?”
The old man shook his head no and smiled.
“I want to make you a deal,” he said. “A deal that can make all your worries disappear.”
Johnny struggled to read the piece of paper. He got out his lighter but it wouldn’t light.
The old man lit a match. The piece of paper was a contract. Something didn’t seem quite right about it. It wasn’t like any other he had ever seen before. It seemed strange.
“Go ahead,” the old man said. “Just sign on the dotted line and old your troubles wlll be over.”
He looked the contract over. He was just about to sign it when he read the terms: “By signing this contract, I agree to surrender my salvation and soul for the fulfillment of one or more of my desires. The Devil.”
Johnny was shocked by what he read. “What the hell is this?” he yelled. “Some kind of weird joke?”
“No, no”, the old man said, “It is the key to your happiness!”
He threw the contract down and went to open the door of the truck. The old man grabbed him and pulled him back in.
“Sign the contract!” he yelled. “I know you want to!”
Johnny pushed the old man off of him. He got out of the truck and began to walk away. The old man got out and followed him.
“You will never get another oppurtunity like this,” he shouted. “Never again!”
“Screw you!” Johnny yelled back, “Don’t waste my time!”
Johnny picked up a rock and threw it at him. It hit the old man in the head. It knocked his hat off. In the light of the headlights he could see the man had horns. Johnny was horrifed. The old man’s eyes began to glow red and he let out evil laughter that echoed across the hills. Johnny screamed and took off running; The old man began running after him.
“You will sign the contract”, the old man said, “I see it in your eyes!”
“No!” Johnny yelled back, “My soul doesn’t belong to you!”
He kept running until he reached his farmhouse. He looked back to see if he was still there. The moon came back out and he couldn’t see the demon that had been chasing him. He let out a sigh of relief and sat back down at the kitchen table. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He had almost been bribed by The Devil himself. Johnny knew what he had to do. He had to stop his drinking and gambling and try to ge his life back in shape. The path he was on only lead to destruction. The Devil had in fact, changed his life.
-THE END-
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