Barstool -------------Guy

Sit down young man, I have a story I want to tell.” The young man was only waiting for his drink while he leaned against the bar. He hadn’t even noticed the old man until he heard him speak. “I’m sorry…” he looked at the old man with a quizzical look on his face.

“I’m sorry, you’re sorry, we’re all sorry… hurry up and take a seat my boy, I would say I have my whole life to wait on you, but only the good Lord knows how much longer it will last.” He let out a low, rough laugh as he patted the barstool next to him.

The young man looked for the bartender so he could take his drink and escape. The bartender, however, was busy flirting with a busty blonde on the other side of the bar. Clearly his drink was going to take a while. With a fleeting glimpse of his unmade cocktail he settled into the chair next to the old drunk.

“My good man, for some reason you seem so familiar to me.” He took a swig of his drink, so sort of whisky judging by the odor, and stared his young companion in the eye several moments’ way past the point of being uncomfortable.

“Well hopefully that’s a good thing.” He tried to break the silent stare the best he could.

The old man looked away and let out another coarse laugh, “Of course, of course my friend, you may not be the best of men, but I’m not quite fit for a king meself either. What’s your name boy?”

“Jon, sir” He held out his hand and broadened his shoulders, “Jon Cross and yours?”

“Ah Jon, what a fine name.” He took Jon’s hand in an eager shake, puffing his shoulders as well. He laughed at his mockery. “I wish I could say the same of mine, but its been dragged through dirt and fire too many times.” He took another swig of his drink. “I’m Lawrence but just call me Law. That was my childhood nickname, a given for a boy a bit to into westerns, besides it tends to let my mind linger on happier times.”

Silence seemed to echo through the bar… Law lost somewhere in the past and Jon still looking around for someone to come take him away. After the realization, yet again, Jon resolved to stay for the long haul. “Well, its nice to meet you Law, how long you been coming here?”

“All my life, or so it seems, maybe not this bar but when you’ve been to as many as me they tend to all blur together. Whisky is whisky though it doesn’t change where you get it the only thing that changes is the music. Sometimes its better, sometimes it is worse, as of late though all of it’s an atrocious racket. Now tell me son… I mean Jon. You must forgive me, my mind slips from time to time, tell me what it is you do.”

“I’m the senior annalist in the sales department of a rather large business downtown.” Jon felt a warm sense of pride wash over him; he was only twenty five but was on the fast track to success. Even sitting next to a man as weathered as Law, Jon knew he was on top.

Law, on the other hand, slammed his drink to the table and snorted, banging his fist and kicking his feet, causing a few agitated looks from patrons sitting close by. Jon’s sense of pride turned to a burning rage and embarrassment. “What’s so funny then?” It came out more like an annoyed child then the ferocious roar of a man then he had hoped.

It took a minute for the old man to compose himself. “Nothing my boy, nothing, I just find it funny that no matter where you are pompous jerk will always associate what you do with their job and status.”

Jon’s drink arrived, only ten minutes after he ordered, not bad considering the blonde was still on the other end. He wanted to leave in a storm of self righteous anger, but that exactly what a pompous idiot would do. Jon pondered this thought for a moment. He almost decided to just be the idiot; he could be insulted by his friends on the patio. But there was something oddly intriguing about the man, some mysticism yet to be found. “Well, how do you expect someone to answer a question like that?”

“Well you see, if I was to answer that question the last thing on this planet I would think of was a pointless job that took my life, my time and anything else it could gets hand on. I would think of something important, something I really did. Heck, I may not make difference to anybody on this planet whether I’m dead or alive, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve done. I’ve walk roads and visited bars and when I was younger I met the devil.”

Jon felt a shiver go down his spine and figured now was a good of time as any to start drinking. “He came to me in the middle of a storm while I was riding my bike home. The rain came down so hard that I could hardly see where I was riding, but I could see him in his dark suit, it was as if the rain avoided him. I tried to leave but something made me want to stay. That’s been the downfall of my entire life. He looked at me and smiled… ‘Hey there Law, my name is Lucifer. Do you know who I am?’ I stared blankly back at him, the rain chilling me to the bone. What are you supposed to say when you make the devil’s acquaintance?”

There was a pause as the old man shook his head. “I suppose in retrospect, I should’ve run away. I don’t remember speaking but he knew everything I was thinking. ‘Of course you know boy, don’t act like you don’t! Where are your manners, aint you gonna shake my hand?’ I moved my eyes downwards to his palm. It was red and had no fingers, but rather five tentacles dancing from it reaching out for me. I wanted to scream, but I just stood there and watched. ‘Now Law, I understand you’re afraid, but I swear to you, the last thing you want to do is offend me!’ He put his hand back down quickly and a flare went up about him. I don’t know if I fell or if the sole force of evil pushed me but the next thing I knew I was on my back in a puddle of mud with the devil was walking toward me. If I wasn’t old and growing feeble, I’d be embarrassed to say I wet myself at the moment, but you know anyone in my situation would been proud if that’s all that came out. He squatted next to me and rested his arms on his knees, ‘I’d continue you in this small talk but asking how’s the weather seems a bit redundant and you just seem like you’re not in a talkative mood, boy. How bout I just say my peace and then let you be on your merry way, you would like that wouldn’t you?’ For the first time since the rain had started my spirits lifted ever so slightly. There was a chance I would be able to get out of this, but learn from your elders now… the devil don’t leave no lose strings, you can’t trust him, ever.”

The old man’s eyes started to water. He truly believed his story. The fluttering in Jon’s stomach made him realize that he was starting to believe it as well. “I nodded my head though, I just wanted away, I mean for Heaven's I wasn’t even 10 yet. The devil leaned in and whispered to me, the smell of sulfur was almost unbearable. ‘I know you boy; I know everything about you and everything you haven’t even done yet. I know you’ll die alone with only a bottle to help you go, you’ll be coming to me, its already been decided. And while you’re alive you’ll be a parasite on your parents feeding on them until they die. You’ll try to straighten up after that, but you’ll find out live just takes too much effort. You’ll beat woman, you’ll steal, and you’ll become a loser. Heck Charlie, you cheat on tests, get into fights, smoke… you’re already loser, do you understand me?’ I trembled as I nodded yes, he laughed, but for some odd reason I believed him... he was right. Still is… He said ‘I can help you, basically give you a ‘get outta hadies free card’ that is if you’re interested.’ The rain stopped instantly, the wind was still hollering about but it didn’t even stir the puddle I was in. I asked him ‘What do I have to do?’

The devil smiled at me, ‘I’ve got one thing that you won’t have to do for a long, long time… I need you to kill a man. I need you to kill him and hang him so everyone can see.’ I tried to protest, but he slapped me with such force that I flew to the other side of the street. That’s where I got this scar.” The old man pointed below his right eye. “The devil paced casually back and forth and it almost sounded as if he was speaking to himself. ‘If you don’t, I guess I’ll kill you now and bring you on to haides, it’s where you belong. I’m giving you a chance here, don’t piss it away. You’ll see me again; when you’re an old man… have fun with your life until then.’ Flames engulfed him and then he was gone.”

He was right about everything, I’ve lived a horrible life… and I use to think I had no choice, but I did, I made my choice a long time ago. I decided to believe the deceit and just go along with it. The devil told me I’d do it, he lied… I just went ahead and did it anyways.

“That’s a sad story there old timer.” Jon shivered unable to help himself

“Yeah, that aint the end of it either.”

“Hey bartender, get us another drink.” John looked back to the old man, “What do you mean?”

“Well I told you, the Devil said he would be back and that was a promise that he recently fulfilled.” The old man finished his drink. Jon shifted uneasily in his seat. “He told me to go and drink like I did every other day of my life, but this time I would meet a man… the man.” The bartender returned with the whisky and quickly ran back to his blonde. “I asked him how I would know which one he was and the devil told me a woman would show me the way.” The old man laughed and nearly chocked on his drink. And a woman walked by scratching her finger on Jon’s back. His eyes widened as he saw her walk out into the night. The old man watched her too… “I’m a weak man Johnny boy. I’ve accepted that and I’ve accepted my fate because that’s just who I am. “The old man pushed his chair back and leaned in, uncomfortably close to Jon’s face. “Now tell me Jon, have you accepted your’s?

There was a flash of light and Jon saw a knife racing toward his throat. Jon’s stool collapsed hurling him to the floor, the knife missing his head by inches. Everything from that moment forward happened so fast and so precise that it was too much to call a coincident. The old man spun wildly as he slipped on the spilt glass of whisky. The bartender swung a bat at the old man but missed and ended up knocking a keg tap over. The keg sprayed forcefully over the bar throwing the old man off his balance and then flailing to the ground. Jon kicked himself away as quickly as possible just in time to see the old man fall on his blade.

A crowd of people gathered around, most of the checking the old man, unaware of his homicidal act. Jon tried to pick himself off the ground; however, a man in a dark suit knelt down and touched his shoulder. “Hey there boy, seem like fate is on your side. Fate’s what you make it, remember that, that old fool chose his. Lemme give you some free advice, feel special boy I’m never this kind, when dealing with the devil expect a double cross…” The dark man stood up and walked away, Jon noticed his hands…more like palms with tentacles. And as his friends finally reached him, asking if he was alright, a darkness overtook him and felt like he was falling through the floor … falling … falling … falling into the dark.

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