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Cultural Background |
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Storyteller's Cabin |
adapted from folklore by
Babs Bagriansky
Nobody liked him - except the Devil, of course. 'Cause you know how the Devil likes evil people. So that Wicked Man was right surprised when he was walking down the street one day, and he felt a presence behind him. He turned and looked, and there he saw the long arm of the Devil himself reaching out for him. The Wicked Man said, "Whoa! Mister Devil, you're not comin' for me, are ya'?"
The Devil said, "Well, I reckon I am! You've been here a long time!"
The Wicked Man said, "Oh, Mister Devil, I got so much meanness left in me. Could you let me stay here just a little bit longer? C'mon, please?"
Well, the Devil was a little bit reluctant to take him back down anyway. So he said, "Alright, I'll let you stay here a little bit longer."
Then the Wicked Man said, "Oh, Mister Devil - just one more thing. I know it's askin' a lot of ya', but next time, could you not sneak up on me like that? Could you give me a sign first? Something I could see? Something I could hear?"
The Devil said, "Alright, no problem - it's a deal." And he went back down.
Then that Wicked Man got a big ol' grin on his face. You see, he wasn't only just as mean as the Devil - he was as smart as the Devil, too. He knew he was getting older, and was going both blind and deaf! So anything that the Devil sent for him to see or hear - why, that Wicked Man wasn't going to be able to do it!
And that's just what happened. Time passed, and the fella just kept doin' his evil ways. The Devil came back up for him many times - flashin' his name out in lightning, thundering it out in the clouds. But that Wicked Man couldn't see it or hear it - so he couldn't die! Finally, the Devil just gave up, since there was nothing he could do. After all, a deal's a deal.
