The time came when he was expecting a visit from the emissary.
He probably had only a few hours to go; or minutes even. He couldn’t recall when it all began. It hadn’t been a bad life, he thought. He’ll never know how much it would have differed if he hadn’t gone through with it. On the face of it, there was nothing unusual about it. Just the basic contract. Live a long and full life that brings everything that your heart desires, with the agreement that the devil gets your soul when you pass on. He was contemplating the life he’d led and the riches he’d accumulated, when suddenly the room went dim and an orange glow lit up the corner of the room. He heard an evil chuckle as the demon appeared. With a grin, he held up the scroll, loudly proclaiming, “The contract!”
“Ah!” said the man, in a low voice.
“I’ve come to collect,” said the collector of souls.
The man shrugged. “Yes, regarding that. There could be a glitch there.”
The creature hesitated. “Glitch? What glitch?”
“That day you showed up. Do you remember getting a papercut from the contract’s heavy parchment?”
“I do, as it happens.”
“Well, while you were wrapping it with the bandage I gave you, before I signed, I dipped the pen in a drop of the blood you spilt…”