The story of Faust isn’t usually remembered as a triumph of contract negotiation. Selling your soul to a demon is seldom the answer to your problems, even when the demon in question is very persuasive indeed – but that doesn’t mean it’s not deeply, irresistibly tempting all the same.
Poor Fr. Underwill has tried prayer, penance and resistance, all to no avail. Temptation visits night after night, and the fear that his parishioners might be next weighs heavily on his conscience. At last, he offers up the only thing he has left: himself, body and soul. But will it ever bring him any peace? Naturally, Temptation’s answer is a resounding no.
An agreement of this magnitude deserves a fitting sacrament – but one of a very different kind to those in which the Father was trained. There will be no holy water, though there certainly is some laying on of hands. Underwill’s initiation rite calls for a caning that puts his past indulgences to shame.
Sometimes, of course, surrendering to Temptation can mean the end of a torment – but the Devil isn’t usually known for keeping their side of a bargain…
