Wrassler and the Demon

There was once a wrassler (wrestler) from Ladock called John Trevail, known to his friends as Jakey. On midsummer’s day, there was a wrassling championship at Ladock and things were going well for Jakey. He was locked in a wrassle with the champion of the neighbouring parish and he had him by the back of the jacket. Jakey used all his skill and strength to throw his opponent to the ground. ‘I’ll take on anyone,’ said Jakey boldly, ‘even the Devil himself.’ He regretted saying this straight away but he couldn’t unsay it. Everyone bought Jakey drinks in the pub that night and he was quite merry by the time he walked home. 

Out of nowhere he saw someone overtake him in the lane. ‘I saw you wrassling like a prize wrassler,’ said the stranger. Jakey did wonder who it was complimenting him but them again he didn’t care all that much who slapped him on the back about his wrassle that night. ‘I won!’ he said. ‘Look here’s my prize.’ The stranger stared at Jakey with black glittery eyes, Jakey began to feel a little uneasy standing in the dead of night locked in a weird man’s stare. ‘We Cornishmen are known for wrassling myself included,’ said the stranger. ‘I will wrassle you for these five gold pieces.’ Jakey loved wrassling he wasn’t opposed to gold, ‘How about dinnertime?’ he said, taking the gold. ‘Midnight,’ said the stranger. With that he disappeared into the night. Jakey immediately regretted challenging the Devil. He walked on home thoughtful. 

His wife met him at the door to their cottage. Jakey could hardly meet her eye and he had to admit the money belonged to the Devil. ‘I’m sorry Molly, I challenged the Devil and now look what’s happened.’ Next morning, Molly went to get help from Reverend Wood, the parson. Reverend Wood followed Molly home to have a chat with her husband. ‘Was this all a dream, Jakey?’ he asked. Jakey told him everything he could remember about the stranger and showed him the five gold coins. ‘This is Devil’s gold,’ said Reverend Wood. ‘You must keep the Devil’s word.’ He gave Jakey a parchment and bade him keep it in the left-hand pocket of his waistcoat. 

That night, Jakey walked out into the damp night to meet the Devil. He’d not told a soul apart from Reverend Wood and his wife. When he arrived at the agreed place, there was no one there. Then, out of the inky black night veils the stranger appeared in a swirl of smoke. ‘There are a few rules to wrassling,’ Jakey said nervously. The stranger smiled nastily at Jakey and took off his boots, he wore no socks and instead of toes he had cloven hooves. Jakey felt even more uneasy but he wasn’t surprised. Didn’t the Devil always have cloven hooves? There were no other signs of strangeness, so Jacky decided to treat this like any other wrassle, he was the Champion after all. ​The Devil seized Jakey by collar and lifted him up. Jakey was quick to respond, he grabbed the Devil by the waistcoat and threw him to the ground. Angrily, Old Nick rose up to face him, ‘You have a weapon about you, this is not fair play, take off your waistcoat!’ ‘I have no blade.’ 

They struggled together once more, each had hold of the other’s jacket but Jakey was skilled at wrassling and he had the parson’s parchment in his pocket, with a heave he threw his opponent to the ground. ‘The parson must leave us,’ shouted the Devil looking wildly into the darkest trees surrounding the lane. ‘He’s not here, it’s just you and me in a wrassle,’ Jakey lifted the Devil once more and threw him to the ground. ‘Three fair falls. The gold is mine,’ said Jakey exhaling with relief. 

In a whirl of sudden mist and heavy rain the Devil rose into the cloudy night sky, a lightning streak lit up his path as his jacket transformed into two huge black wings and a dragon’s head breathed an angry smoke. Jakey quivered in fear at the apparition. Worried it would double back to attack him. ‘Well done, Jakey,’ said a familiar voice, it was Parson Wood stepping from behind a tree. ‘Take yourself and your prize home my boy. But beware, the devil’s gold often brings more harm than good. I fear we haven’t seen the last of him,’ he said, looking up at the empty night sky. ‘You thought you were alone with him but I was fending off a whole host of spirits and witches on ragwort brooms. I had hoped we would defeat them all but at the last moment, I dropped my staff and they helped him to escape within the cover of the storm.’ ‘I owe you my life, Reverend Wood, thank you,’ said Jakey solemnly. ‘Let’s get some breakfast,’ said Reverend Wood.