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"In return I demand your first born!" The demon boomed.

I suppressed a grin and forced it into a reluctant pout. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. "Deal!"

"I hope you enjoy your unbreakable crystal vase." The demon gestured at a rather ugly vase. Then left to collect his prize.

I winced when I heard my daughter's cry of shock. But ever since she'd sold her soul last year... Well, let's just say I was running out of options.

TWO WEEKS LATER

"This is all your fault!" A high pitched voice rang out in the middle of my living room. It was not the demon that I had dealt with nor the one my daughter had sold her soul to. This demon was tiny, reaching only up to my knee.

"Oh?" I feigned innocence. "Does my daughter not meet your master's lofty demands?"

"That's not the problem." The imp puffed out his chest in an effort to look bigger. It only served to make him look more pitiable.

"Good, because I made her myself." I drew myself up. "And I have you know if he's going to slight my craftsmanship then I will require compensation. Nine months of grueling labor!"

"How dare you ask for more after what you did!" The indignation in the imp's voice almost made me smile.

"What I did? What could've I possibly done?"

"Your daughter-"

"If you're having discipline problems with her, that's your problem." The imp opened his mouth to argue but I plowed right on. "I wasn't asked how well behaved she was. Or asked to make sure she was obedient or anything like that."

"Her soul was missing!"

"It's not my fault if your master forgot to take her soul with them. It's not like I would notice if her soul was just left lying around."

"Stop playing stupid!"

"I beg your pardon!" I continued to feign offense. I knew roughly what had happened to my daughter's soul. And if I couldn't get her soul back I would at least get revenge.

"You knew she'd sold her soul to Oognath."

"Bless you."

The imp snarled.

"Well, as it stands, I don't know this oothawhatever."

"Hell is at war and all you treat it like a joke."

As I said, it's not my problem."

"I demand that you relinquish that vase." The imp pointed to the replica I'd made of the unbreakable vase.

I grabbed the vase and held it tightly against my chest. "Never!"

The imp jumped up and down trying to claw at it. I used one of my arms to bat at it away. The imp's despite attempts to get it out of my arms eventually bore fruit.

Crash!

The vase smashed into a thousand tiny pieces.

"You dare accuse me of bargaining in bad faith." I glowered. "This vase was supposed to be unbreakable."

"You started a-"

"Your master claimed this was an unbreakable vase! And since he bargained for my daughter then he either has to return her with her soul or get me something else that meets with my approval."

"This is a trick! You're hiding it somewhere!"

"Feel free to look for it." I got myself a cup of tea as the imp started rooting around. The imp would never find it. I buried it under some consecrated ground.

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Submitted by Zestyclose-Leader926 on Wed, Aug 31, 2022 to /r/WritingPrompts/

The prompt

"As payment, I demand your firstborn!" the demon said. "Deal!" You said, hastily signing the contract to seal the deal. "Good luck with them, sucker!"