It started with a phone call.
He answered, only to hear a squeaky, child-like voice on the other end. Despite this, the caller seemed to be talking about some kind of ‘once in a lifetime’ deal. He checked the time. It was mid-evening and not the sort of time you’d think that these kind of phone promotions normally took place. He felt it was a prank, but continued to listen. The caller was saying that he had been selected on an entirely random basis. No money payments of any kind were involved, no products were being advertised, and the offer would only be made once. Having listened to all this, curiosity bit hard. He didn’t respond for several beats. He hadn’t switched the television on yet and he had nothing else planned…
“OK, just tell me what you’re selling,” he began.
“I’m not selling anything,” came the reply.
“But, there has to be something in it for you… or you wouldn’t be calling.”
“No. My part is only to act as a middle man, if you like.”
“Middle man,” the man repeated
“It’s simple, if you’re not interested in taking up the offer of a deal, my work is done. I can assure you that you won’t be contacted again. That’s how this thing works.”
“Ah! OK. You just said ‘this thing’. How about you tell me what ‘this thing’ is?”
“As I said, it’s simple. The deal is, if you sign the contract being offered, you will go on to live a very happy and contented life until your natural end of days.” There was a pause. “I am currently available.”
Shaking his head, he looked at the phone. He kept the chuckle to himself. A silent grin would have to do for now. This kid, if indeed it was a kid, was playing this spoof for all it’s worth. Maybe he should go along with it. After all, he had nothing else to do. Just to find out…
He heard a clicking on the phone, he put it back to his ear.
He said, “Are you still there?”
“Yes,” came the short reply.
“OK. Let’s say I’m interested. At least to find out a bit more.”
“I’m in your area, as it happens. I can be at your back door in five minutes.”
He was still musing on the whole thing when he heard the knock. It actually made him jump.
With an unaccustomed feeling of apprehension, he walked through to the back and opened the door.
What he saw was a small, bald, dark-skinned creature, wearing only a loincloth and holding a rolled up document.
It had tiny horns.
