The Devil You Know - Episode VII

WHAT’S GONE BEFORE: In Episode VI Videl agrees to allow Barney to craft an Even Exchange Agreement.

“I’ll tell you what. I like you, so I’ll give you one week to draft an acceptable agreement. If you haven’t done so by then, you will sign this.” Videl held up the electronic tablet and extended an index finger into the air. “One week….”

And then Videl was gone.

A week wasn’t much time. Barney studied literature, opera and movies that pertained to dealings with the Devil. He ascertained that the Devil had high intellect and immense linguistic prowess. No atrocity was too heinous if it helped him achieve the Devil’s goals.

Barney read the Essentials of Contract Law and consulted the online Harvard Law Library. He barely ate. He didn’t sleep; he focused on creating the perfect contract.

His newly transformed mother knocked on his locked bedroom door and begged him to get out for fresh air. “You need to relax, Honey.”

“This will determine my future,” he said.

“Nonsense, you’re ten.”

Eventually she gave up and left Barney to draft his contract. On the seventh day, bleary eyed but relaxed, Barney pushed back from his desk. He was certain he had done it; he had written an EEA that would grant him everything he wanted, less any of the ghastly consequences. He was going to do what no one else had ever done; he was going to beat the Devil.

***

Barney got to school early. He had no inkling where the meeting would take place. He had a copy of the EEA on his thumb drive and another on the hard drive of his laptop.

The atmosphere at the school was muted. It had been a week since Dirk and his cronies had been seen. The boys’ parents had pooled their resources, offering a substantial reward for any information leading to the safe return of their children. Barney had a fleeting moment of guilt when he saw the tear-stained face of Dirk’s mother on television.

Law enforcement personnel postulated that the teens had left school grounds in Dirk’s Land Rover, since it had not been found on the Goethe campus. The missing Land Rover could not be located. Barney wondered what Videl had done with the jocks. Not that he cared. He decided they probably got what they deserved.

Barney made for a restroom. The moment the door closed behind him he noted a silence. The clamor of Goethe High did not penetrate the stillness of the bathroom. He opened the door a fraction and

Artwork Credit: Matt Ryan

was hit by a wave of heat. He reached into his pocket and donned a stylish pair of mirrored sunglasses. He turned to find Videl, attired in a black suit, standing in the center of the bathroom. Behind him another man stood to his right. Slight of build and several inches shorter than Videl, the other man had thinning grey hair combed straight back. A leather briefcase dangled from his left hand.

END – EPISODE VII

Barney’s got the EEA … will Videl be satisfied? Only way to find out is come back next week.