"The Devil Knew Me Then"

There wasn't much thinking today because it was just one of those days.  Paul White didn't care much for thinking, anyway.  Thoughts just got in the way of his work of his small asparagus garden.  Besides, thinking led to memories, and his memories usually included tragedy...  Anyway, thinking was just bad news on a hot day like this one.
         As he worked he heard the sound of an airplane flying in the distance, along with birds chirping and cars that either roared or hummed.  Paul enjoyed listening to the sounds the day made as well as some of the conversations he heard over his fence.  It was as if the entire world trusted him to keep its delicate secrets.
         After finishing up, he would always look up to the sky, take off his hat, and wipe the sweat off his brow while smiling his big smile.  Then he would take in a deep breath, put his hat back on, and then he would sit down on the bench to have a cold soda.  He did the same thing today as he had done since he took up this delightful hobby, but something was different:  a man was sitting on his bench.
         The man was thicker than Paul, and he had more muscles on him than anyone Paul knew personally.  He had the smoothest face, which looked soft enough to be fit for a prince, and he wore a clean and stylish dark blue suit, but all of that didn't compare to his big, bold yellow eyes that could give anyone the shivers.  He was so unlike Paul, who was middle age, short, wore simple clothing, and had a full black and gray beard.
         "Hello Paul," said the man, smiling from ear to ear.
         "What do you want?" asked Paul.  His right hand clinched in a fist.
         "Nothing, I'm just bored."
         "Go see a movie."
         "I'd rather you tell me a story."
         "I'm through with that!" exclaimed Paul.  "It's only going to end up the same, and the answer's going to be 'no.'  You could offer me my previous life, before you came along making your offers, and I'd still turn you down."
         "I don't want it anymore, Paul," said the man, plainly.  "In fact, this is my last visit.  You won't see me again after I hear one last story of yours."
         Paul kept still and silent and stared into the man's eyes.  It was funny, he thought, all he could hear right now were his thoughts.  All the other sounds of the day seemed to be muted for the moment, and time seemed to freeze, even though the sounds were still occurring and time hadn't stopped for anyone.
         Finally, Paul sat down next to the man and said, "Let me tell you the story of a beautiful woman and the man she loved."

*

The woman had met the man at a wedding they were both friends of the groom.  They kept glancing back and forth at each other throughout the entire event, and when they finally got to dancing with each other, they knew they were meant for each other.  After a few years of dating one another, they finally got married and got a house together.  Of course, both of them were more happy than they had ever been.
         One day, however, a friend from the man's past came knocking upon their door.  The friend gave the woman a bad feeling, but she loved the man too much to say anything about it.  So, the man and his friend began seeing more and more of each other.  What struck the woman odd about the man's friendship with the friend was it consisted entirely of story telling.  When the man began a story with a griffin, the friend would end it with a dragon, and when the friend began one with a villain, the man would end it with a hero.
         The woman's feeling didn't go away, even though her feelings proved to be unfounded.  That is, until the friend told the woman something of great importance.  See, the friend had given his soul to a demon in exchange for a full life on earth.  The demon also offered the friend infinite amount of luck, if the friend could tell the demon a new story each day.  The friend thought this was simple, and did pretty good at coming up with a new story each day.  However, he was running out of stories to tell, so he decided to see the man.
         Hearing this, the woman tried to convince the friend to tell the man this secret, and if he wasn't going to, she would.  The friend got angry with this demand and killed the woman, then buried her body somewhere far away.  When his wife wouldn't show up, the man got worried and called the police, but the police could find her.
         Then, the day after, the demon came to the man's house, while he was telling stories with the friend.  Upon seeing the demon, the friend fell to the ground and died.  The demon then explained to the man everything from the friend's secret to the murder of his wife.  The demon then offered to bring her back to life, if the man gave up his soul.  Despite the man's sorrow of his dead wife, the man refused to give his soul.  However, the man did want one small favor, and he was willing to tell the demon a story each day until he was ready to die.

*

"What was the small favor?" asked the man.
         "It was the life of his friend," answered Paul, "who would have bad luck for the rest of his life.  The man would never see his friend again, either."
         "Was her body found?"
         "Eventually, and she was given a proper burial.  The man would always miss her throughout his quiet existence, but he knew they would meet again when the time was right."
         Paul lost his breath, his heart stopped, and began the endless sleep.  The man laid him down on the bench and said, "Yes you will."