noodling request: Faustian bargains

This is not related to anything else I'm writing, it's about an idea for
a short story.

Simplified scenario: present day setting, our world:

Mephisopheles has opened up a shop (store) nearby, maybe he rented a
unit in the local shopping centre/mall. It's not ostentatious: you
probably heard about it from a friend, rather than seeing adverts.
He is buying souls.

The main character is one of his customers, but I want a lot of other
customers, too. It would be boring if they all just wanted to get rich
or famous. Why else would anyone sell his (or her) soul?

Specific, rather than general, reasons are what I'm looking for e.g. not
"to become famous" but "to be the world's greatest violinist". Pop star,
movie star, world's greatest golf player etc. are all ok, but
predictable. Marrying/sleeping with <famous person of your choice> is
ok, but not for every customer. (Although if any particularly funny or
strange suggestions occur to you for filling in the blank on that
one...)

Dry humour is good, slapstick humour is not.

As a non-humorous example (they don't all have to be funny) the
perfectionist artist who wants, once in his life, to paint a perfect
portrait is a better example customer than the artist who wants his
paintings hung in every famous art gallery in the world.

So: why would someone sell his (or her) soul?

(Obviously it has to be something that the character thinks is *worth*
eternal damnation <g>.)

Jonathan

--
"I think too much - therefore I am mad!"
Agatha Clay playing Lucrezia Mongfish.
.

Relevant Pages

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