wwe soul-searching- a fable for our times. dec...

Write a story or poem about a person that says they'd sell their soul for ... Who shows up to buy that person's soul and how does it turn out when it's time to pay up?

I would sell my soul for a cheese burger thought the vagrant. I would be a happy man to trade my life for five ounces of prime Angus dripping with cheese and the works on a huge bun.

The devil on his shoulder sounding too much like Captain Picard said "MAKE IT SO!"

The angel on the other pleaded him not to do it as the burger was loaded with cholesterol and fat.

Before it was too late the homeless bum was in the hamburger joint from heaven chowing on the best burger with the works. He knew he would go to hell for it but what the heck. It sure beat freezing on a New York street in midwinter and having to beg for money. He had no one who cared if he suddenly disappeared.

The angel sat and whispered all the neat things he wouldn't be able to do if the devil "owned" him. No helping the fellow bums, like sharing his soup kitchen leftovers with Lennie in the fridge box they sometimes shared. There was no having back alley craps games or sitting on a park bench feeding bread to the pigeons in hell.

The vagrant looked at his burger and said to the devil. "So let me get this straight. If I don't finish the burger I don't have to sell my soul to you right?"

"Right, if you put down the burger and don't take another bite I will nullify the arrangement. However if you keep eating, you are so mine."

He looked at the burger longingly, then the angel and then Beelzebub himself and exclaimed. "Thanks but no thanks! I wanna live.

The devil growled and disappeared with the juicy burger.

The angel sensed the man was still hungry for food and said good things would come as he resisted temptation.

A customer came over and asked him if he was okay.

"No I am hungry but I just resisted selling my soul for food."

"Sit tight man, and I will see what I can do for ya. You had the works on that right?"

"Yes sir I did and it was the best burger I ever had; but sometimes, the best things in life do have a price and I am not ready to pay just yet.

The vagrant waited patiently and before long he was looking at an equally tasty burger. There is such a thing as a free lunch with no strings attached.