THE MOMENT
"That's different," Carl mumbled to himself. The red, cinnamon scented smoke was a pleasant change from the yellow sulfur clouds that his last few summons produced. He attempted the summoning enough times to run out of salt; he decided to use sugar this time. Different was good, he was hopeful that this demon might be interested in his soul. The tall demon that remained when the smoke cleared also looked different than the ones Carl dealt with. This one wore a white suit instead of the navy blue suit the other demons wore.
"Can you buy my soul?" Carl asked. His tone seemed to accept disappointment even as he asked.
"Buy?" the demon asked. Then, he shook his head. "No. However, maybe we can still come to an agreement. What did you want to sell your soul for?" he asked.
"A better life," Carl said. "Why doesn't anyone want to buy my soul?" he asked.
"You're Unique," the demon replied. "The rules say no one can take ownership of your soul; but, you can still work for us."
"You want me to work for Hell?" Carl asked. The demon shook his head.
"No. Sharp Development. As long as you agree to work for us you'll have access to whatever you think you need to live your better life."
"Work for you?" Carl asked. "Doing what?"
"That's up to you," the demon replied. "As a Unique Soul, your position can be anything you want it to be. The only stipulation is that your actions must benefit Sharp Development in some way.
"Whoa... that sounds amazing," Carl said. "Too amazing. What's the catch?"
"Catch?" the demon asked. He presented a red clipboard with forms to Carl. "It's no secret that your soul belongs to Sharp Development while you work for us," the demon said.
"But you said no one can own my soul; I get it back if I quit, right?" Carl accepted the clipboard and grabbed the attached pen.
"Upon death, your soul will be reabsorbed into the universe, or by the Unique Soul that killed you; if one did. This is true for all Unique Souls." Carl paused before signing his name.
"Okay," he nodded. "I still don't know what a Unique Soul is exactly, but I wasn't asking about that. What happens to my soul if I quit?"
"This contract is rather binding," the demon replied. "However, Upon death, your soul will be reabsorbed into the universe...," the demon repeated. "...or by the Unique Soul that killed. If one does," the demon smiled.
"Death is the only way out, huh?" Carl chuckled to himself, then signed his name. "At least I can have some control this time around."