Random stories

I was flipping through the classifieds when I came across an odd ad:

Will do almost anything for $50

Clean your house

Walk your dog

Kill a corrupt governor

Call 555-555-5555

Desperation makes you do things you wouldn’t normally do. I called the number.

Ring

Ring

Ring

“Hello?”, a husky voice says.

“Hi. I saw your ad.”, I say uncertainly

“The park. By the fountain. 3pm. I will be wearing a blue jacket. Come alone.” Click.

Well that wasn’t strange at all…. but I am no less desperate, so I grab a coat and head out. It is going to take me almost to 3 to get to the fountain in the park.

The park is full of laughing, smiling people. Walking dogs, playing games, eating snacks on blankets on the grass. Full of life and hope…. It grates on me like an unscratchable itch. I make my way to the fountain in the centre of the park. I walk a lap around the fountain and see a middle aged man in a blue jacket.

He is tall and solid. He walks with purpose and pose that makes me think military or police. He doesn’t look around and walks right up to me.

“You called me?”, he is all business

“Yeah, my name is”, he cuts me off.

“Do you have the money?”

I fumble in my jacket pocket and pull out my wallet. I pull out a 20, a 10, a couple of fives and a bunch of singles and hand it to him. He counts it out, straightening the bills and sorting them so all the heads are at the same end, like a bank teller does.

“It’s all here. What’s the job?”, he asks as he folds the money and puts it in his pocket.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. Any job. $50. Anything.”

“How do I know you won’t back out once you know what it is?”, I ask

He looks at me curiously. “Do you know what I am?”

“You are a random dude from the classifieds that will do anything for $50”

“Not who I am. What I am.” I give him a blank look and shrug my shoulders. He looks at me very closely. “That ad was enchanted. You shouldn’t have been able to see it. No mortal should have been able to see it. Do you have Fae blood?”, he asks.

“I don’t think so. Mom was Irish and Dad had some German blood. Neither said anything about Fae blood.”, I babbled

“Stars and stones boy. I am a Fae assassin. I took your money and now am bound on my life to do the job, even if it costs my life.”, he was clearly not happy.

“On your life? For $50? Dude, you need to raise your rates.”

“Money means nothing to me. I have a horde of gold and more money than I could possibly ever spend. I need the danger, the excitement. When you live as long as I have that is all that is left. The magic that binds me requires an exchange of value to work. You have given me $50 and now I am bound to your task. What do you need me to do mortal?”

“My wife died 5 years ago.”, I start

“I can not resurrect the dead. I do know some one if you have preserved the body properly.”, I raise my hand to stop him.

“Aaaah, no, no. Nothing like that. What I need is”

“Revenge. You need me to kill the person who murdered your wife. I will need to know their name. Some of their blood would be better if you have it.”

“Dude, you really need to chill. Look. Every year my wife and I would go to the movies on our anniversary. We would always see the same old black and white flick. I haven’t been able to go to the movies since she passed. I have no family. I have no friends. I have no one. I was kinda hoping you would go to the movies with me….”

“Will it be dangerous?”, he asked with a smile.

———————

Thanks for all the love.

Parts 2,3 and 4 in the comments below.

The final part 5 and 5a posted

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Submitted by escher4096 on Thu, Nov 10, 2022 to /r/WritingPrompts/

The prompt

"For $50 dollars, I'll help you do anything," one man boldly claimed. "Clean your house? $50! Take your dog for a walk? $50! Kill a corrupt governor? $50!"