The worm man cannot sleep. Brighten's father cried in pain all night. He had been sick for a long time. As winter approached, his bones would freeze, causing him endless suffering.
Brighten was a very kind girl, and every time her father cried, she would immediately come into the room and comfort him with kind words. If that didn't work, she would sing him a tender lullaby, while gently stroking his belly.
Physical pain was not the only problem of that poor old man. The few times he managed to sleep for a few minutes, terrible nightmares would wake him up.
"The child was dead, but he returned from hell. Her body was broken in two, and I burned her with holy fire, but still, her eyes looked at me with hatred." The worm man heard Osvaldo, Brighten's father say. He seemed to be really worried about the events of his dream.
That night, the worm man realized that not only was his existence plagued with pain. Each person carries his own hell inside, burning them, reducing their soul to ashes. He felt very sorry for those people, but Osvaldo was the person he was looking for. With such a miserable life, no doubt he would be willing to sell his soul for a little peace.
The next morning the worm man woke up very early. Brighten and Osvaldo were already awake. They were having a poor breakfast and invited him to join them.
"Where did you come from, Arthur? It's very rare to see new people in this cursed town," Osvaldo asked. There was no expression on his yellowish face.
The worm man was silent for a few minutes. He was so determined to find someone who would be willing to sell his soul to Lucifer that he did not stop to think of a convincing story about his life. He could not go from town to town saying that he is a circus freak, a soul in distress who sold his soul to Lucifer and is now looking for a person desperate enough to do the same.
"I am going to Paris to visit my sick mother. Unfortunately, a group of men intercepted me on the way. I had no choice but to jump into the river and let the current take me wherever it wanted to go." Said the worm man irritably.
"It is a pity," Osvaldo answered.
"There is not a problem. Today I will go to send a letter to my house. My servants will come for me once they find out about my condition." Exclaimed the worm man with certainty.
"Are you rich? You look very young," Osvaldo said. For the first time in his face, there seemed to be some interest.
"I am immensely rich." A mischievous smile was drawn on the worm man's face.
"Could you share your secret with us?" asked the old man hopefully.
"I have never shared my secret with anyone, but I will make an exception. Your daughter saved my life. I couldn't be more grateful."
"Thank you very much, great sir," replied the old man with a sad smile. That wasn't the first time Brighten had brought a needy person into his home. However, it was the first time they would take advantage of it. Many times the people Brighten brought to the house were thieves and unscrupulous people who, after recovering, ended up stealing what little they had. Despite that, the girl continued to bring people in need into her home. She was too kind to see someone in pain and not help them.
The worm man and Osvaldo went for a walk, leaving Brighten at home. It was so cold that the poor old man could barely walk. He would have preferred to stay home, but The Worm Man insisted that he would only tell him his secret to wealth outside of his home. He didn't want Brighten to hear. She was so good, would try to keep her father from condemning his soul to the eternal lake of fire.
"and well, what's your secret to being so rich?" Osvaldo asked impatiently. He was shivering with cold. His bones were starting to freeze, soon the pain would start.
All along the way, the worm man didn't say a word. He was thinking about the story he would tell Osvaldo to convince him. It had to be convincing and painful.
"I grew up with my mother on the streets of Paris. My mother and I lived on the charity of the few people who had compassion for us. My mother was sick and what people gave me on the street was no longer enough, so I stole. One night while I was stealing some bread for my mother, who was dying of malnutrition at home, the police discovered me". Osvaldo listened carefully to every word.
"They didn't take me to jail, but they beat me brutally. They thought they had killed me, so they threw me in a forest. After a few hours, I woke up, moaning in pain. I cried out to God for help, but he didn't hear me. At that moment, I decided to ask Lucifer for help. He came to my aid." The worm man's face had become dark.
"Do you mean to say that you sold your soul to the Devil?" Osvaldo asked in astonishment.
"That's right. I don't regret it. I'm so happy. Covenants, hell, and Lucifer, it's not like people say. Lucifer is a noble soul who is only trying to help. Of course, in exchange for something."
"You don't have to try to convince me. I'm willing to sell my soul. I can't imagine any worse torture than the one I'm currently living through."
The worm man was going to say something, but he decided to keep quiet. He knew very well that everything he had said was a lie. Indeed, there was something worse than a life full of pain. He wanted to tell the truth to the man, but his own well-being was more important. He was not willing to resign himself to the sentence that was imposed on him. He had a goal and was willing to do anything to achieve it.