039. The Young Man Who Sold His Soul To The Devil (El Joven Que Vendió Su Alma Al Diablo)
Once upon a time there was a young man from a peasant family who went away [from his home] to perform his military service. Once he completed his service, he returned home where they welcomed him back with joy because he was reuniting with the people which he grew up with. After the welcoming parties for the young man [were over], he went to work in the family ranch and soon decided that he did not enjoy such work in the field, [and] that he preferred to spend time doing something else. He pondered about what he would do and finally decided to become a hunter. He grabbed his shotgun, put it over his shoulder and went to the mountains to hunt, and the truth is that he wasn’t bad in his new occupation.
One day when he was [away] hunting, he took a nap in the shade of a tree and suddenly he heard many noises and saw a wild beast approaching, [getting] ready to devour him. The young man, who was brave, brought up the shotgun to his face, aimed well and killed the beast. No sooner did he do this when the young man heard a voice that he initially did not know where it came from, a voice that said:
I see that you are a stand-up person, and so I’ve come to make a pact with you.
And [it was] the Devil who spoke. And the young man said:
Tell me about the pact and I will let you know whether or not I want to do it.
Said the Devil:
I want you to sell me your soul. For five years, I will keep an eye out for your soul. In case you die before the five years are up, your soul is mine. If the five years pass by without you dying, you are free and can do whatever you want.
The young man thought about it and said:
If I accept, what will you give me in return?
And the Devil replied:
In exchange I [will] give you this coat that I have here. This coat will give you all the money that you need at any time; you only have to put your hands in the pockets and you will get what you need. But I have another condition to add and it is this: in these five years you cannot cut your hair, nor shave, nor wash yourself; in this way you will travel the world and always wear the coat on you.
The young man thought about it once more, and said:
All right, I accept this pact.
Well, -said the Devil-, we’ll meet at this very place in five years, if you haven’t died before then.
And each went his own way after this agreement.
The years passed by and, on the fourth year, the young man was traveling around the world looking like a scarecrow due to his hideous looks, as he had neither cut his hair, nor shaved, nor taken a bath in all that time. His life was difficult because everyone who saw him fled in horror from him.
One night he arrived at a town and decided to go to an inn. As soon as he entered, the innkeeper had such a fright that he did not know whether to run away or shoot the young man. The scarecrow then spoke to him with good words and asked him for lodging for the night, offering to pay a lot of money [for his stay]. The owner of the inn, when he saw the money, said that he could give him a remote room that he had, but on the condition that he would lock himself in there and not show himself to the other guests, because if they saw him it would be his [e.g. the owner’s] ruin. The scarecrow accepted this deal and went to sleep in that room.
After a while, another traveler arrived at the inn and asked for a bed, but as the inn was full, the innkeeper told him that he did not have any left for him. The man insisted, and as he was a neighbor from a nearby town, and [also] an acquaintance, the innkeeper gathered up his courage and offered him the other bed in the room where the scarecrow slept.
There is only one bed left in an out-of-the-way room -he said-, but I have a man sleeping in it who is so horrible [looking] that I would not spend the night in his company.
The traveler replied that it was not important to him, because he was so tired that he would sleep in an ogre’s cave if he had to. And [so] the innkeeper led him to the isolated room.
The traveler entered the room and his heart shrank as soon as he saw the appearance of the scarecrow; but tiredness and necessity were stronger and he lay down in the other bed. The fact is that after a short time the two of them began to talk and as the traveler was very worried about his situation, he told the scarecrow that he was in that town due to a lawsuit, that he had lost the case and that all of his properties were not enough to pay what the judge had ruled against him. Then the scarecrow asked him how much money he needed, and when the other man told him, he reached into his pocket and took out that amount and gave it to him, so that he could pay for his debt and return in peace to his home and lands.
The traveler was astonished to see all that money and, after much hesitation, was [in] full spirits thanks to the scarecrow, whereby he accepted it on one condition:
Look here -he said-, I accept this money, but you have to come to my house with me. I have in my house three daughters and I am going to tell them what you have done for me. And if after that any of them wants to marry you, then I’d have no objection [to that].
So the next morning the traveler left for home, and as soon as he arrived he announced to his daughters what had happened to him and the deal he had made.
As this man had gone ahead of the scarecrow, the two older daughters had time to get dressed up to receive the guest. The youngest one, on the other hand, as she was always in the kitchen, did not even have time to wash herself.
At last, when it was in the evening, the scarecrow arrived at the house. The three daughters of the traveler were waiting for him in the living room. And as soon as he appeared, the two older ones fled in terror on seeing his horrible appearance. The youngest one, on the other hand, watched him with curiosity and did not move at all.
And the scarecrow said:
I see that this little girl is not afraid of me. Perhaps she wants me for her husband?
And the youngest daughter replied:
Yes, I do, for my father has told me the good thing you had done for us, and I am not afraid of you.
The scarecrow then sat down beside her and told her the reason for his [current] appearance, the pact that he had made with the Devil, and that he still had one more year until its completion. The youngest daughter listened to him attentively, and when he finished she told him to not worry about her, that she would wait for him [for] as long as he needed.
Very well -said the scarecrow-, it will be two years; one for finishing my pact, and the other because I have to collect the money that I have been putting away all this time. And so that you could recognize me upon my return, I am going to break this ring that I’m wearing into two; you will keep one half and I will keep the other; on my return we will pair up the two pieces of the ring and thus we can recognize each other.
So they agreed and he left the house and continued to travel the world.
On the day in which he completed the fifth year [of the pact], the scarecrow returned to the place where he had met the Devil; and the Devil, who was waiting for him, said:
I acknowledge that I have not been able to get your soul and the time has expired. Return my coat to me and here we will end our pact.
Then the scarecrow, whose appearance was more terrible looking than ever, said to the Devil:
I will give you back the coat, but first you have to return my appearance as it was the day which we met.
The Devil agreed and the scarecrow was transformed back into the young, strong, and handsome lad that would give anyone pleasure to gaze at.
Then the young man went to all the places in which he had been keeping the money obtained from the coat, and at the end of the year he had gathered a good fortune [for himself]. He took his fortune and went to the house of the three sisters. This time when he arrived, the two older sisters were in love with him and they were [both] dressed up and being most attentive to his desires [in order] to gratify him [so that] he’d take notice in them. The youngest, on the other hand, did not [even have a chance to] see him, for she was busy [tending to matters] in the kitchen.
And the young man asked:
Are there no other girls in this house?
And the two older ones answered him:
Only us, and the maid, who is in the kitchen.
And the young man said:
Well, I want to see this maid.
The two sisters said again:
Why should we call the maid if she is going from fire to ashes, and from ashes back to fire all day long, so that no one would look at her for how dirty she is.
The young man again said that it was not important to him, that despite all this he’d still want to see her, and the other two girls, who knew well that she was their little sister, did not consent to his seeing her, but he was so determined that they had no choice but to call for her. The little sister entered the room where the others were and she did not recognize the young man [at all], being so arrogant and handsome that he was; and the young man came up to her and said:
Do you not have a part of the ring that was given to you two years ago by a scarecrow who got your father out of a predicament that he was in?
She replied:
Yes, I have it here.
So she took that piece of the ring out from her pocket and the young man then took out his own piece and they saw that they came together perfectly and became a whole ring.
I am that scarecrow -said the young man- and now I have come for the one who was not afraid of my appearance and who wanted to marry me [for who I was].
In view of this, the whole town was invited to celebrate the wedding of the young man and the little sister and the celebrations lasted for five days and five nights, with everyone eating and dining and dancing without stop [during that time].
Seeing all this, the two older sisters were overcome with envy that one day, being unable to resist any longer, they went and threw themselves into a nearby well and drowned.
And it was said that when the two sisters died, the young man heard a voice, which was the voice of the Devil, who joyfully sang to him this couplet:
So in the end I’ve won the pact,
In place of your soul I’ve gotten two back.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Abrigo – (clothing) coat
Acaso – may be, perhaps
Acicalarse – to get dressed up
Afeitarse – to shave
Agradar – (to like) to please; (to be pleasant) to be pleasing; agradarse – to like each other
Ahogado – drowned person
Alborozo – jubilation, rejoicing, delight
Animado – happy, in good spirits; encouraged, inspired
Apartado – remote, isolated; post office box
Apuntar – to aim
Apuro – predicament; difficult situation
Arreglo – agreement, arrangement; fix, repair
Aspecto – appearance, look
Asustarse de – to be frightened by/to
Atareado – busy
Atónito – amazed, astonished
Atreverse – (to have the courage) to dare; (to be insolent) to dare
Bolsillo – pocket; (figurative) money
Campesino – peasant
Cansancio – tiredness, weariness
Cavilar – to ponder, to think deeply
Ceniza – dust, ash
Copla – popular song, folk song
Despavorido – terrified
Devorarse – to devour
Dudar – to doubt, to hesitate
Emparejar – to put into pairs, to pair up
Empeñarse – to insist on
Encogerse – (to become smaller) to shrink; (to get afraid) to cringe
Escopeta – shotgun
Espantajo – (dummy) scarecrow; (slovenly person) sight
Falta – lack, shortage
Faltriquera – pocket, small pouch
Fijarse – to pay attention, to notice
Hacer falta – to need; to be necessary
He vencido – have defeated, have won
Hogar – residence, home
Horripilante – horrifying, terrifying
Horrorizado – terrified, horrified
Huir – to escape, to flee, to run away
Incorporarse – (to unite) to join; (to show up) to report for work
Juez – judge
Oficio – occupation, trade, job
Parsearse – to go for a walk, to walk
Pegarse – (to strike oneself) to hit oneself, to bump into
Pelarse – to get one’s hair cut short; to shave one’s head
Pendiente – (unresolved) pending; (not yet paid) outstanding; (jewelry) earring
Plazo – term, deadline
Pleito – lawsuit, dispute
Ponerse a hacer algo – to get to do something
Pozo – water well
Prendado – captivated
Propiedad – property
Siquiera – (if only) even if; at least; even
Sucio – dirty, messy
Tiro – (gunshot) shot; (sports) throw, shot
Vencido – expired, past its expiration date