Legacy

What would you do to protect your birth right, something that belonged to you indefinitely because it belonged to your father and his father before him, and his father before him, and so on, and so forth. My property at that time might not have looked like much to the passer by, 240 acres of dry dead land, a barn, and a house, but to me it was everything. My legacy, the thing I would leave to my children one day, then them to their's, and the idea is for it to go on like that forever family, and tradition my pa used to say, alot of blood sweat and tears went into that idea, and I aimed not to watch it go to waste to prevent that I would do just about anything what about you? I heard stories from pa, about how him and his ma, and pa survived the great depression on our land.

He always said if our family survived that we could survive anything, but as I looked out onto my dead barren fields my old worn down barn holding on by a thread, and my family home built by my great great grand father in 1920 that was then thirty years old, I have to admit I felt a little unsure, now don't get me wrong I ain't no quitter. I tried everything humanly possible to keep my family's legacy from falling apart ,up before sun rise every morning makeing repairs ploughing, and sowing I tended to my land as best I could, but it cost money to do those things money I didn't have, and the only way to get it was to make a deal with the devil so to speak.

I borrowed money from the bank using the only collateral I had my land, I just knew in my heart when I borrowed that money, I would be able turn my luck around that through hard work, blood & sweat I could make my land yield results like my father did, and his father before him, every time I felt doubt trying to take root in my mind, or instill fear in my heart, I heard my father's words in my head, quiting ain't in your blood boy, We are a family of fighters, and champions. So fueled from hope, and a stubbornness to succeed I pushed my self to the point of exhaustion everyday.

In a perfect world that would have been enough all my hard work, and ideals would have panned out to something tangible, but after six months of back breaking work all I had to show for it was a hand full of blisters, and a poor disposition. That was the first time I ever thought my father to be a liar I completely gave up on hope, and accepted the bitter taste of reality, almost simultaneously with my thoughts a vehicle pulled up to my house, asumeing it was a banker I felt rage bubbling up inside me, now I know it's morally wrong to hate a man just cause of his job, but I did, being honest with my self now, I see what I really hated was what he represented my failure. So there it was it was time to pay the piper I thought, but there was something different about this man from the moment he stepped out of his car I felt uneasy, the air changed it got real humid as if it had stormed right before he arrived, and their was a strange smell like something was burning I felt my body tense up in anticipation, and by the time he stepped on my porch and greeted me I felt completely unnerved. He must have sensed my unease because he told me to relax, and as if able to read my mind he also informed me he was not with the bank, he told me he was in the business of helping people like me who where completely hopeless, he said he could offer me a way out, but as one could expect you cant get something for nothing.

When I told him I didn't have any money he laughed or at least I think he did it was a deep grunting gurgling sound that only served to highlight how strange this man was, I asked him what he wanted instead. He replied a soul, and when I started to laugh he shot me a look that convinced me he wasn't joking, then he told me he did not want my soul but my child's soul. I told him I didn't have a child he said he'd be willing to wait until I did, but in the meantime I would get what I wanted most my legacy.

Part of me thought he was full of shit, part of me just wanted him to go away, and part me thought that if he was serious then this could be my last chance, I took the deal wasting no time he pulled out a contract, and a pen from his briefcase as if he knew I would agree I signed we shook on it then he drove away. That was six years ago since then I have been extremely successful I own land five times the size of my family property, I have made so much of a name for my self, and so much money that my family legacy will live on for generations, but reality struck once again last month my wife give birth to my daughter, and before I knew it I was stareing at the strange man again this time he was standing in my barn, he complemented me on my success before getting to business, I asked him how it would happen he told me my daughter would just disappear, I asked about my future children, he apologized to me then informed me that I had failed to specify how many children so he would be back for my future children as well. Can you believe that six years later I'm right back where I started guess that's what they call irony.

I know what your thinking, but I see your wife and little girl all the time, and I heard you, and your wife are having a boy soon that my friend is very true my son is due in August, wich brings me to the point of this vist & story as you can see I have it all I bested the devil him self, and you can too. I visited with your neighbors last week, I'm sure you can tell his luck is changing for the better, he isn't struggling anymore. I don't mean to pry friend, but I also know you owe the bank a bit of money, I also know your wife took your boys and moved back in with her mama a man's pride is a fragile thing, so I know your hurting, that being said let me ask you something how far are you willing to go to protect your legacy because I know a man who can help.