The Moonlit Road Podcast - Southern Ghost Stories & Folklore · The Moonlit Road, LLC

Deal with the Devil: A Georgia Trickster Tale

·11 min·1 clip

Lon outsmarts the devil by using his first wish to trap him with a hammer that sticks like glue.

This episode features a Southern folk tale about a blacksmith named Lon who outwits the devil through clever trickery. The story is written and narrated by David Hurt in the style of traditional oral storytelling. It is set in the rural landscape of Georgia, incorporating local landmarks like Stone Mountain and Poplar Springs Road. Lon, a disreputable blacksmith who drinks and gambles, fixes a pot for a local witch woman who then grants him three wishes. His first wish is that anyone who touches his tools will stick to them until he personally removes them. His second wish is that anyone who sits in his favorite chair will be trapped there. For his third wish, Lon enchants his change purse so money cannot be removed without his say-so. Years later, the devil arrives to claim Lon's soul, dressed in black with yellow, cat-like eyes. When the devil visits his shop, Lon tricks him into grabbing the enchanted sledgehammer, which sticks fast to the devil's hand. Lon bargains for ten more years of life in exchange for releasing the hammer. A decade later, the devil returns and Lon traps him in the enchanted rocking chair on his porch, securing another ten-year extension. On the devil's third visit, Lon convinces him to transform into two dimes to buy a drink, then traps him inside the enchanted change purse. After Lon eventually dies of natural causes, he is turned away from both heaven and hell. Local folklore suggests sightings of "heat lightning" on summer nights are actually Lon, forever wandering between realms with the devil still trapped in his purse. The story cleverly subverts the classic "deal with the devil" trope by having a flawed mortal repeatedly outsmart a supernatural entity. Lon's wishes, initially seeming petty and self-serving, become the precise tools for his salvation. The tale blends humor with the supernatural, as the devil is depicted cussing, spitting, and shaking in frustration each time he is fooled. A memorable detail is the witch woman's existence being tied to a specific, forgotten local spot—the old city swimming pool on Poplar Springs Road. The resolution leaves Lon in a uniquely ambiguous eternal state, neither saved nor damned, which becomes a folk explanation for a natural phenomenon. The tone is conversational and immersive, told from a first-person perspective as if shared by a fireside storyteller. The style is richly descriptive and employs a distinct Southern dialect to enhance the regional authenticity and folkloric atmosphere. Listeners who enjoy classic trickster tales, American folklore, or atmospheric Southern Gothic storytelling will appreciate this episode. Those who prefer fast-paced, modern narratives or are uncomfortable with supernatural themes might find it less engaging.

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