Bill had spent the better part of the past 48 hours driving on emptier and emptier highways until he got to the sandy ruts that signaled the penultimate part of his journey. Another hour of bends and bumps was the icing on the cake of the exhausting journey. Finally, however, he came to a cabin with one lit torch burning outside. Bill parked, approached, and paused.
On the left side of the door frame there was an unlit torch. Above the frame; a rune of some ill-portent. Bill knew his part, but we've all gotten cold feet before. He took several deep breaths to steel himself before lighting the torch and stepping into the cabin.
The inside of the place with its rich leathers, dark woods, and more taxidermied animals than a hunting lodge contrasted deeply with the sand-and-sun blasted exterior. A further contrast was the man in the navy blue pinstripe suit sitting at the table.
"So, you've come to sign the contract." the man in the suit declared. Bill simply nodded his assent. A leather album was opened with one crisp piece of paper inside. The calligraphy was beautiful. It was also blood red. Bill gulped.
"This is it?" he asked, stalling.
"This is it," the other man confirmed. "Your wildest dream awaits."
"My wildest dream," Bill repeated, staring at nothing. "Anything in the world I could ever want."
The other man held out the contract. Bill diligently signed it. And with that, he was granted debt forgiveness on his student loan after opening a small business in a disadvantaged community only two years prior.
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