The Lawyer and the Devil.
There once was a poor man who had three sons,
Named Daniel, Patrick, and John.
He wished a better life for them,
But had not the coin.
"Why must this be?"
The father called out to the sky,
"My sons talents, wasted!
Because of a pauper such as I!"
The first son, named Daniel,
A deeply pious man,
The church was like his second home,
And God's word was his calling.
The second man, named Patrick,
Even as a boy,
Was always helping others,
Healing was his cause.
The third man, named John,
It was as if he'd kissed the stone,
Whether with arguments or women,
He always got his way.
The father, he was Catholic,
But desperate was he,
He struck a deal with Lucifer,
To send his sons to school.
"Please, Devil!" the old man begged,
"My sons must not be poor like me,
Give me the coin to educate my sons,
And you may have my soul."
Lucifer readily agreed, and said,
"You have seven years,"
The three boys gladly went to school,
But did not ask where the coin was from.
One day, seven years later,
The father visited his first son,
And wouldn't irony have it,
Daniel was a priest.
Lucifer came to take his soul,
And Daniel himself was livid,
"Father, how could you turn from God?
For a mortal such as I"
Despite Daniel's anger,
The man was still his father,
So he began to pray,
And turned to his hated foe.
"Lucifer, hear the word of God!
My father has commited a grave sin,
Give him three years time,
So he may redeem himself to God."
But Lucifer just laughed, and said,
"Your father's soul is already mine!
There will be no redemption,
His soul is bound for Hell."
But Daniel pleaded and begged,
Until Lucifer, annoyed and wroth,
Gave in to his requests,
And gave the father three more years.
Three years later, the father,
Pained and ailing, went to his son,
Patrick, who was a doctor,
Was worried and afraid.
"Father, you will die soon!
You only have one more year!
Daniel told me of your plight!
Whatever shall you do?"
Lucifer then showed up,
And said "Now your time is up!"
But Patrick then stepped in,
And tried to save his father.
"Please, Lucifer, my father,
Has only one more year,
Let me and our brothers pay respects,
Then have him you may."
Lucifer was now fed up,
But give in he did,
But gave the father one final warning,
That chilled him to the bone.
"Twice, you have defied me,
The next time, you will not,
Your soul will belong to me,
So enjoy your last moments of victory."
One year later, the father,
Was on his deathbed,
The first two brothers had paid respects,
Now only the third was left.
John had become a lawyer,
A very good one at that,
He now prepared his greatest case,
To beat the Devil himself!
Sure enough, the Devil came,
And John stood to his feet,
He looked Lucifer in the eye,
And began to speak.
"Twice you have spared my father,
I know there will not be a third,
But please, just give me a moment,
To pay my last respects."
"Very well," Lucifer said.
And pointed to a nearby candle.
"When that candle stick has burned to nothing,
Then his soul will be mine."
The candle stick was a stub,
It only had a minute,
Then once it was nothing but wax,
The old man would be in Hell.
The third son John nodded,
Then grabbed at the candle,
He blew out the flame,
And the stub was still intact!
The Devil Lucifer just laughed,
"You think that will save him?
Once he has taken his final breath,
Then he will still be mine."
Then it was John's turn to smile,
And said to the Devil,
"By our deal, you cannot claim his soul,
Until the candle stub is no more."
"And furthermore," John said.
"Once he is in Heaven,
His soul will be forevermore,
Out of your reach."
The Devil screamed and raged,
And overall threw a fit,
But there was naught he could do,
The lawyer had beaten him.
And the old man, Seamus, at last,
Died with a final breath.
And his soul went to Heaven's gates,
Where God was over all.
The Devil turned to John,
"I will remember this day!"
But John only laughed,
And turned and walked away.
