The Devil You Know: Careful What You Wish For

Gordon Piston failed to become a major league pitcher when his shoulder gave out in college. So he tried to cultivate what he thought was a talent for writing novels, but agents and publishers ignored him. Now, he’s lost his job, he’s down to pocket change, about to become homeless, and he can’t even feed himself and his dog. One night, when he thought he was alone, he said, “I’d sell my soul; I’d do anything to be able to write something…that would pay my bills.” That’s when Elvis showed up. Not that Elvis. This one cracked jokes, wrote poems, and stole library books. But the most disconcerting thing was that he was a dead ringer for Satan. He made Gordon an offer he couldn’t refuse: If Gordon would write a special horror story, his life would change and he could have it all — the published novel, “the girl,” and all the benefits that come with success. But what you wish for isn’t always what you want, and Gordon’s “deal with the devil” quickly turned sour. The horror story he was writing turned into real life and the “offer of a lifetime” took him places he never imagined existed. Worse yet, Elvis had more problems than Gordon did.