Dane Asbury
Davis and the Devil

A little ways north of Michigan on Mackinac Island, there is a small bay with a lush green forest and beautiful flowers. About forty yards up the bay there is a small bar where many of the locals like to hang out. This bar runs right up against the luxuriant forest that stretches for miles and miles. Inside the bar there is a young man named Scott Davis having some drinks with his friends. He is a moderately wealthy architect that has a wife named Stacy and three kids. He has been a god-fearing Christian man his whole life and goes to church every Sunday.
In the bar, Davis is talking with his buddies about who should be elected mayor. They throw out a few names when suddenly one of Davis’s friends mentions his name. He says
“You would be perfect for the job Scott. You are involved in the community and you are practically a saint. The people would surely vote for you!”
“I don’t know.” says Davis, “I already don’t spend enough with my family and I don’t know that I am even qualified for the job.”
“Then go down to city hall tomorrow and see what the qualifications are!”
“Alright, I’ll give it a look. I have to talk it over with my wife first.”
Later that night at his house after his wife put the kids to bed. Davis and his wife are lying in their bed talking.
“How was work?” asked Stacy.
“It was fine…Just another day I guess.” Replied Davis.
“Oh! At the bar earlier, Jack told me that he thinks I should run for mayor. I don’t know if I wanna do it though.”
“Why not?” asked Stacy.”
“I just don’t know if I have the time.”
“But the pay is good, and it would really help us out financially”
“Alright, I’ll go for it then.”

The next day, Davis went down to city hall to register. He talked to the officials about the job and to see if he was qualified. After he registered he began setting up his campaign. As the campaign went on he started to neglect his family and even his religion more and more every day.

One day as he was walking home, he heard a strange noise in the bushes. When he got close a huge cloud of black smoke shot into the air. He jumped back and fell onto his back. As he was getting up, he was confronted by a being from the cloud of smoke. The being appeared and said
“I am Satan sent here to warn you. Do not run for Mayor any longer. If you do, I will be forced to take your soul from you and banish you to the fiery depths of hell. You have become corrupt, and neglect your family. Quit your campaign or suffer the consequences.”
There was another black smoke cloud that exploded out of the ground and then the devil was gone. Davis got up off the ground and stood there and thought for a minute. He went home and went to bed shortly after.
The next morning he realized that what the devil said was true. Ever since he started his campaign he blew off his family duties and his duties to the lord. After he though long and hard about it, He decided to drop out of the race and spend more time with his family and at church. He vowed never to neglect his most important duties again and went back to his old, god-fearing way of life.