Albany

ALBANY, GA

1922

Fink

I am Fink Neptenu. I was only twenty-one years old when I completed my bachelor's in English. I was an aspiring author, but I was struggling for money. I had just proposed to Ymora, who wanted to marry only wealthy men. She had not said yes yet to my proposal because she was still weighing her options. There was always this rich, gorgeous man named Benjamin Miller, or this other one named Maximillian Jordan. Finally, me. I was a new college graduate with no money. Even the most dimwitted folks could guess her choice.

I was up late, trying to find out what I was going to do with my life. I was contemplating the skim to convince Ymora to marry me.

"How could I? I must muster the courage to manifest my destiny."

I have nothing financially relevant to give her. I rented a quaint room in Jacob's parents' basement with zero redeemable decor or appliances.

I am with my college buddy discussing the elaborate plan to lure Ymora to tie the knot. The three-tiered plan also entailed becoming a renowned author.

"I don't know what I am going to do, Jacob. I graduated from college, which should mean that I am one step closer to being successful. But it feels to me as if my life has just begun, yet I have no starting point." Fink scratched his head while feeling overwhelmed.

"Don't be so down. You can always teach English and live off that salary." Jake tried to help.

"Jake, you are not listening to me. I need to be financially stable before Ymora will even consider me."

"Maybe she is not meant to be married to you, if she comes with a price tag."

"Well, I want to be her provider, which means I have to be wealthy to be able to support her."

"Frankly, I think you should go out with someone within your financial status."

"I don't know anyone who would go out with someone like me. Someone with no job security, no financial status, no house, no life basically."

"I know someone who is absolutely crazy about you. Gertha."

"Jake, not her again. The girl could barely speak any English. I am not attracted to her. We have nothing in common."

"That is so untrue. She is extremely smart. She is an inventor and she speaks multiple languages. Best part, she does not come with a price tag."

"Please, be a friend and help. Stop making the situation worse."

"I am helping you understand that sometimes, some things are not meant for us. We just have to let them go. The moment we force them to become part of our lives, that's the very minute we stop existing as our true-selves."

"Jake, I cannot just stop the way I feel about Ymora. You know very well that I am not a quitter. I will do whatever it takes to have her as my wife and the mother of my children."

"So, you've made up your mind and there is absolutely nothing that can deter you from your malignant thoughts?"

"Jake, I value your friendship. I know you always mean well. But this time, I want your support, not your objectivity."

"Okay, but I know I will regret telling you this. I know a friend of mine who had a similar dilemma and I heard that he finally went to the dark side to get his wishes granted."

"What do you mean "get his wishes granted"?"

"I mean he wanted his dreams to come true so badly just like you that he turned to Lucifer, the prince of darkness himself."

"Are you saying that I should consider doing the same? Is this for real or are you still being funny?"

"I am dead serious. It's whatever you think you will be willing to invest in getting what you want."

"But I would never risk my afterlife and end up in hell like this."

"Well, the other guy is not offering anything better or any faster. Now is he?"

"I could be burning for all eternity in the seventh circle of hell. I have heartburn just visualizing it." Fink winced and uncomfortably shifted in his bed as if there was an inferno under it.

"No one knows that for a fact. It's just something people say to scare children from doing what our society decides to be unbecoming of an individual." Jake overwhelmed his friend even more.

"I don't truly care about my afterlife, to tell you honestly. As long as I have Ymora by my side in this life," Fink stuttered. He was not telling the whole truth as he blinked more than usual.

"Are you ready to cease your moment? Get everything your heart desires in this lifetime but forever burn in your afterlife?" Jacob chortled.

"I want Ymora and I want to be a famous horror author. I need your friend's address if it's not too much to ask." Fink was not always decisive, in this case, he was 100% sure of himself.

"Do you even believe in the Devil?" Jake inquired shockingly.

"No, but I believe in a higher being doing greater good. I trust that a majestic, divine force has created us and can manipulate us to act as he pleases. Nonetheless, there has to be a balance. At least, I want to recognize there has to be another entity just as powerful but mostly sinister, in order for the divine to be continuously praised."

My soul and body knew. I wanted Ymora, like marathon runners needed hydration. I craved her with all the crevices in me. So, I chose to accept a deal with the devil to become a hotshot writer. Horror. Esteemed Author. Thereafter, anything my spellbound fingers had written became a gold mine overnight. I had Midas' touch, which could be easily renamed the Neptenu's touch. Unfortunately for me, the other end of the deal was heart-wrenching. If my wife and I were ever to conceive more than two boys, a shitstorm would occur. Automatically, we would forfeit our family and our very own life at the hands of this third son when the latter turned thirty years old.

A beautiful twist was if the third offspring was a girl, we would be ten times more opulent, more in sync with the universe. We will also be forever immortalized. Nonetheless, if it's a boy and he wears the mark. He will bring a changed world with him on his 31st birthday. The downside was an irreversible curse that would be passed down from generations to generations of Neptenus.