THE DEVILS MATCH

THE DEVIL'S MATCH

As clocks struck 'twelve' around me,
Upon that scheduled night;
Though darkness filled my vision,
There flew a frightful sight.


A jet black coach with horses,
Appeared through foggy fell;
And sped toward my lodgings,
With wretched sounds of Hell.


The coachman whipped them soundly,
Straight out of Dante's stable;
Six stallions galloped blindly,
Those beasts as black as sable.


And then they were upon me,
Those screaming steeds no more;
A terrifying vision,
Came knocking at my door.


He was at once familiar,
As I willed my heart to slow;
In stepped an apparition,
From forty years ago.


In his hand a contract,
He wore a morbid grin;
With flesh as grey as granite,
A heart replete with sin.


“I've come to fix our bargain"
Said he with hateful glee;
Then pointed bony finger,
“You're coming back with me"


His voice was low and coarse,
The words were curt and charmless;
But what did I expect?
This was the Prince of Darkness.


“I hope you've spent time wisely"
He said to me not caring;
“And enjoyed your life of excess"
I shook my head just staring.


I had lacked the inclination,
For the powers that he loaned;
And spent the time regretting,
That my soul was former owned.


But I had to keep a promise,
Find some courage way down deep;
For a deal I made the night before,
And a chance my soul to keep.


So I moved around my table,
And invited him to sit;
With shaking voice, I stammered,
“I’d like to see that writ"


And almost without moving,
He crept towards my chair;
As eerie as was silent,
With vengeful angry stare.


He dropped the heavy papers,
But they never made a sound;
I skimmed the legal contract,
Till I had the section found.


‘I don't know what you're looking for?"
He growled with teeth now grinding;
“My advocate has drawn it up,
Cast iron, eternal, binding"


I pointed to the section,
At the bottom of the page;
Diverting his attention,
With hope to quell his rage.


He drew a chair towards him,
And sat across the table;
I thought I saw him form a smile,
As well as he was able.


“I’d like to use this clause' I said,
“In the hope to stay alive;
It’s the very last thats written down,
Provision 665"


The suspicion of that smile I'd seen,
Broke into howling laugh;
I assume he had been briefed, by his,
Decomposing legal staff.


To fill you in on what it said,
In this peculiar legal case;
It was a clause to stay on earth,
If someone took my place.


“Well well" he chimed "I'm so impressed'
I asked "can they be female?"
He raised his brow and cooly said,
“The Devil's in the detail'


Old Nick then rose and questioned me,
“You sure you want to do this?"
Blue eyes shone through, reduced me to,
A cowards Judas kiss.


“You understand, you give her hand,
To me forever more;
You may go free, but in the end you'll be,
Haunted to your core"


“For what you've done, to trick someone,
For what you should be paying;
But a deals a deal, her fate is sealed"
Then I stopped him from his braying.


“Just one more thing, I need to know'
I said, then adding "please"
“Your lawyer said you couldn't lie,
Is that true, Mephistopheles?"


“I don't want to be impertinent"
I said a bit too dryly;
“But I really need to know this now"
And smiled a little wryly.


He puffed his chest and roared to me,
“Tis true I cannot lie;
As much as I am dying to"
And I thought that he may cry.


He pointed at the table, claimed,
“That be satanic scroll;
If I lie to you its null and void,
And ignite on fiery coal.


Then he strode towards the fire,
And gestured, bring her in;
So contented now, with his great plan,
He thought he'd surely win.


Unknown to all concerned herein,
Apart from those from Hell;
He'd neglected to divulge the facts,
And kept this hidden well.


Although that monster hadn’t lied,
He'd still pulled quite a trick;
For aligned with section 665,
Was the unseen 666.


He didn’t think it met conditions,
Of the mystic spell to break;
Just failed to point it out to me,
Or of its existence spake.


That text was writ in smaller font,
Below the other fare;
But he pointed out to all concerned,
It’s marked 'buyer beware'


It stated hence, for compliance,
If 665 was chosen;
And the other party didn’t know,
The terms for which they'd spoken.


If told the lie, they were standing by,
For a forty year success;
And that switching place, with the former case,
Wouldn't sell their souls for less.


If foul play learned, those Imp's concerned,
Could legal swear on oath;
Then rightly so, he'd stop the show,
And then would own them both.


So the Devil danced, as I took my chance,
And brought the woman through;
Who was old and grey, in her autumn days,
But had strength I never knew.


Satan smiled and bared his teeth,
His excitement un-contained;
He became so very courteous,
And introduced his name.


“They call me Mr Bub" he sang,
Like a seasoned Broadway pro;
Then he slapped his knee, "call me B L Z,
And welcome to the show"


“Come here my dear, it's your lucky day,
Have you read the T's & C's?"
Made sarcastic laugh, that exposed his wrath,
As he winked at my unease.


So he brought her to the table,
And with blood inked Devil's quill;
Invited her to sign the deal,
To complete his dreadful shill.


But sign the deal she didn’t,
And with firm and steely gaze;
She fixed 'Old Nick' with her walking stick,
And gave him her appraise.


“I’d like to make some changes here"
She said with lawyers tact;
“I’m not sure what you think you have,
But I'm changing this contract"


The Devil blinked and eyes turned black,
From their previous state of blue;
Undeterred, by his wanton glare,
Her course she did pursue.


“I'm aware of all these terms you have,
Which you have now laid bare"
With that serpent mute, she was resolute,
And continued with her snare"


“I will go with you now freely"
And before her heart last beat’ed'
Said, "I knew the deal before I came,
And I have NOT been cheated"


That demon screeched with a piercing cry,
“Do you realise what you've done?"
She smiled right back and nodded twice,
"I do, that mans my Son"


“I would take his place to Hell and back"
And she tore out where I'd signed;
Then she threw his contract on the fire,
Back to Hell it was consigned.


Then she leaned towards that creature,
Who at once was struck right dumb;
And whispered in his wretched ear
"Never mess with Mum"


As the Devil screamed and cursed us both,
My Mother turned to me;
Kissed my cheek, said with final breath,
“I love you, now you're free"


As I cried for her my heart was filled,
Then the chains around me fell;
And I knew that she was happy now,
She had saved my soul from Hell.


You see, there was a codicil,
Written through that Devil's pact;
In event of loving sacrifice,
The deal could not be backed,


For such an act of selfless love,
As pure as snow is driven;
Can never cross the gates of Hell,
It deserves to be in Heaven.