Girovagando per eBay, oltre ad aste stranissime si trovano anche descrizioni, davvero strane… come questa.

L’asta a dire il vero e’ abbastanza inutile (un anello in vendita per oltre 400 dollari!) pero’ il racconto che cerca di convincervi ad acquistarlo non e’ male… in effetti, eBay e’ una ottima vetrina per scrittori e romanzieri vari del futuro!

Ecco il racconto inventato (penso) dal venditore per cercare di giustificare il prezzo a cui tenta di vendere la sua paccotiglia… da leggere in stanza buia, ascoltando ovviamente “Gorgar” degli Helloween!

In the backroom of a dingy bar, there sat a pinball game. It had been the prototype for a new pinball game, that the owner of the bar had acquired at an estate sale a few years before. The name of the pinball game was “Demon mauler.”

The only person that ever played the dusty old pinball game was Harry Motley. Every day after work, he would stop by the bar, and Mel, the bartender would let him go into the backroom alone, and play “Demon Mauler.”

After a while, Harry got very good at the game. Each time he played, he got his score higher than the last time he played it. Soon, it became an obsession. Each afternoon, he would play longer and longer. It would get later and later, but he would keep playing. He could not let the game beat him. He wanted to be the best. He wanted to claim the title of “Demon Mauler.”

Soon, when he came by in the afternoons to play the pinball game, the patrons in the bar would come into the back room to watch him play. It was good for business, as some of the bar patrons would stay until Harry left, drinking beer after beer.

Try as he might, Harry Motley could not beat the pinball game. His wife was starting to complain that he was coming home later and later every night. Harry decided that he should no longer stop in the bar after work and play the pinball game for hours on end.

Several days went by, and Harry did not stop at the bar after work. Several more days went by, and he still had not stopped at the bar after work.

Several weeks had gone by, and Harry had still not stopped by the bar after work to play the “Demon Mauler” pinball game.

Then one Friday, there was a rumor going around at the factory where Harry worked, that the owner of the bar was going to sell the pinball game. Harry decided to stop by the bar after work that day, to see if the rumors were true. Pat McNally, the owner of the bar told him that he would never sell the pinball game. He didn’t know how such a rumor got started.

Little did he know, that McNally himself had started the rumor, to get Harry to come back into the bar. He knew that if Harry came into the bar, he would want to play the “Demon Mauler” game, and he would become addicted to it again, and it would be good for McNally’s bar business.

McNally took Harry aside, and told him privately, that if he could outscore the “Demon Mauler” game that there would be a great reward in it for him.

It seems that the old man he had bought the pinball game from at the estate sale had told him a secret about the pinball game. It seems that, if someone were to break the high score of the “Demon Mauler” that a secret door under the game would pop open, and a very special prize would fall out, and be theirs. Harry’s eyes lit up!

As sure as you’re a foot tall, Harry went into the back room and played the pinball game. It wasn’t but a matter of minutes before the bar patrons were in the back room watching him, and cheering him on. McNally was very pleased, knowing that having Harry playing the pinball game again would bring in more customers to his bar.

Harry came to the bar every day after work. He came on Saturday and he came on Sunday, and he played for hours and hours. He was determined to become the highest scorer of the “Demon Mauler” game and win the secret prize. Harry had to keep beating his own score, time after time. Trying to get it high enough to break the Demon’s perfect score.

It was a late Sunday afternoon. The bar was filled with customers. The back room was filled with beer drinkers, cheering Harry on. Then, there was a loud crashing noise, then bells and whistles began to scream out as if in pain. Lights began to flash like the fourth of July! Harry had finally beat the cursed Demon’s high score! He now held the title of “Demon Mauler!”

As everyone jumped up and down, and jumped on Harry, they all ended up tumbling to the floor like a big football game tackle! After they had all gotten up off of him, Harry rolled over on his stomach. That’s when he happened to look up, and saw a small trap door under the pinball game hanging open.

Then, he remembered McNally telling him that “if someone were to break the high score of the “Demon Mauler” that a secret door under the game would pop open, and a very special prize would fall out, and be theirs.

Harry looked around, and found a very old and unusual ring laying on the floor under the pinball game. It was very worn from age, with a deep blue center stone, that was very pitted, as if it had somehow been buried underground for a long, long time. The blue stone had an eerie glow to it, and it would change in the light, with the appearance of something strange, imbedded inside it. If he looked at it for too long, it seemed to move, and a sick to his stomach feeling started to come over him. It looked to be about a size nine and one half. That must be the special prize, he thought to himself, as he shoved the ring into his pocket without anyone seeing it.

Harry enjoyed the celebration with the rest of the patrons of the bar. He didn’t give the ring another thought. Not until he got home late that night and was undressing. He reached his hand into his pants pocket, and pulled out the strange ring. He stuck the ring on his ring finger, and didn’t give it another thought.

Late that night when Harry was deep asleep, he began to have an unusual dream. It was a warm night, and he was walking through a park. He neared a street light, and saw a figure standing under the light. As he approached the figure, he saw the face of a man like creature peering at him from beneath a hood on his jacket.

The man asked him if he was Harry Motley. He told the man, that he was. The man jerked his hood off, and Harry was horrified to see that the demon was the “Demon Mauler” from the pinball game! He was the most ugly of beings, and with evil looking eyes, a long lashing tongue, that leered at Harry. Harry felt his blood run cold! He was sure this was the end for him!

“I believe that you have something that belongs to me,” the mysterious man hissed at Harry.

Then the dark entity roughly grabbed at his hand, and almost jerked his finger off.

Harry looked down at his finger, and saw that it was the one that had the “Demon Mauler” ring on it.

“I can NOT take the ring from you. You MUST give it to me of your own free will,” the evil spawn growled.

“If you want the ring, what will you give me for it?” Harry laughed in his face.

“I will give you anything you desire,” the horrid beast said, leering at Harry. “What do you want?”

“How do I know I can trust you?” Harry ask the demonic entity.

“You have my word,” the hideous creature assured him.

Within a month, Harry had the first thing on his list. Within three months, he had several more things that he had bargained with the Demon for. At the end of a year, Harry had everything he could ever possibly want.

Harry and the demon made a bargain that pleased them both. And now, the ring will find a new owner, because that’s the way it works.

The new owner of this unusual and powerful ring, and the spell that activates it, will have the opportunity to make their own bargain with the demon.  How can you trust the ring to give you everything you wish for? You will have the demon’s word on it!!!