Isabella Thatcher’s routine had been the same for years and not one detail of her life had changed except for the number of candles on her birthday cake. Every morning, Isabella prepared herself for the day and walked to the farmer’s market. One day, she noticed something peculiar. A new vendor had set up a stand, but it was empty.
Isabella neared the table and a man as handsome as Zac Efron said, “Youth and excitement is what you desire most. What would you do, Miss Thatcher, to achieve youth?”
The question blew Isabella away, but she replied, “I would do anything.”
“In order to be young with a life of excitement, give me all of the wisdom and knowledge you have,” the man ordered.
Isabella agreed and immediately, a flood washed her thoughts away and fog replaced it. Looking down, Isabella noticed that her skin was flawless and her hair shinier than a lucky penny in the sunshine.
The handsome, young man eyed her and laughed. “Now that you are young, let excitement fill every minute of your day.” With that, he disappeared.
Isabella left and walked over to a booth filled with dresses as beautiful as a coral reef. With so many dresses to choose, Isabella felt ambivalent and couldn’t choose one. When she finally picked one out, she seemed to have trouble counting the change. Her brain was fuzzy and she forgot how to count. Suddenly, a man bumped Isabella, causing money to soar through the air. Multitudes of civilians came to recover it. As Isabella was being tossed around in the crowd, someone bumped her and surreptitiously grabbed her purse, avoiding detection. They darted away and Isabella tried to follow, but her coordination was off. She lost her balance and tripped. In the excitement, a gunshot sounded and the thief keeled over, dead.
Everyone paused. The world was as quiet as a forest at midnight. Isabella was trapped in her head, trying to process everything that had happened in the past five minutes. The man promised her a life of excitement, but was it possible to have every second filled with excitement?
The crowd returned to reality and began to argue over who caused the mess. Isabella stood up and delivered a speech viscerally, from deep down in her heart rather than her scrambled brain.
“Earlier today, I made a mistake,” she began. “My life had been the same for years. Nothing interesting ever ventured my way and I dreamed of being a young, beautiful damsel with a life of utmost excitement. A man at an empty table fascinated me with fortune telling skills and bargained with me. I gave him my knowledge and wisdom in return for youth and adventure. Such a foolish act has even caused a murder.” Isabella sighed. “Although I must say, the thief tried to steal my purse and deserved it.” Her unscrupulous comment left the crowd in shock.
Isabella scanned the uneasy crowd, and saw someone she recognized. With a wide grin on his face, the man who began the chaos began to speak.
“Miss Thatcher, the choices you make in life matter so much. Look what you have done! Your latent ability to cause trouble has been dormant for years, but now I see who you really are. You make deals with the devil for your own gain!” The vendor, or newly discovered devil in disguise, disappeared.
Isabella felt her body age like a raisin, but excitement followed her until the day she died.