I Sold My Soul For An Invitation To The Mysterious Black Tie Party

______<br><br>I never thought I’d be the type of person to sell my soul. It’s just something you don’t do. But when the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t resist. I was far from religious at that point, and the consequences of my bargain seemed impossibly far away. It was nothing more than a distant memory that I could deal with in forty years.<br><br>Besides, I had just received an invitation to the most mysterious and exclusive party in the world. Some people called it Heaven. Some called it Nirvana. I simply called it the Black Tie Party. <br><br>I was broke one day when a man walked into the cafe I was working at. He wore a long red overcoat with a top hat and sported a well-groomed black beard. He ordered some coffee, and as I gave it to him, he tipped me a $100 bill. I told him that wasn't necessary, it was way too much, but he simply smiled as he drank his coffee and read the newspaper. Every morning after that, he came in, ordered coffee, and tipped me a $100 bill. It went on like this for a month, and I saw him maybe 20 times. <br><br>I finally worked up the courage to ask him who he was and why he was being so nice on the last morning he came in. He looked at me with piercing green eyes and told me his name was Adrian. He also told me that I had been chosen to receive an invitation to the Black Tie Party.<br><br>“Why me?” I asked, terrified.<br><br>“Because you are not like the others,” he said. “You don’t follow the rules, and you are not afraid to take risks. You have sold your soul to me, and you don’t even know it.” <br><br>I had no idea what he was talking about. That is when he showed me the $100 bills he had been giving me for the last month. Each one had the words “My Soul” scribbled on it in the corner.<br><br>“But why do I need to sell my soul for an invitation?” I asked.<br><br>“You don’t need to sell your soul for an invitation. The invitation is just a perk. In forty years, on your forty-seventh birthday, your soul will be mine. But don’t worry. I will take good care of you the rest of your life.”<br><br>I couldn’t back out now, as apparently, I had already sold my soul whether I liked it or not. I wasn't sure what to feel as Adrian handed me the invitation to the Black Tie Party. The invitation itself was a simple white card with a black stamp of a man and a woman dancing in old-fashioned clothes. I flipped the card over, and there was the address, which I will never forget.<br><br>“Where and when is the party?” I asked<br><br>“The address is on the back of the invitation. As for when, the party is always going on. It never ends.”<br><br>I thanked him as he took his leave, and I couldn’t stop staring at the invitation. I had so many questions, but they would have to wait a few days as I had no car and no way to get to the party. The address was many miles away, and there was no public transportation that went that far. <br><br>I spent the next few days saving up money and trying to find a way to the party. I tried asking around, but no one had ever heard of the Black Tie Party. Some didn't even believe me when I showed them the invitation. It wasn’t until the 4th day after receiving my invitation that I was finally able to go. I had saved up enough money for a cab. I was nervous as I showed the driver the address. <br><br>“Sir, are you sure this is the right address?” He asked as he looked at me in the rearview mirror.<br><br>“Yes, I’m positive! I just received my invitation yesterday.” <br><br>“I see. Well, I won’t drive you all the way there.” He said as he grabbed a mask from his center console and put it on. “You see, I also received an invitation a long time ago. I go to the party whenever I have days off from driving the cab. I’ll drive you to the party, but I won’t go in.” <br><br>I thanked him as we set off on the long drive. We drove for hours, but I didn’t care. I was finally going to the Black Tie Party. After hours of driving down a long, unkept road, we finally came to a cliff overlooking a large ravine. The sun had just set, casting an orange glow over the whole landscape. At the bottom of the ravine were countless willow trees surrounding a large, gothic mansion. <br><br>I couldn’t believe it. I had finally made it to the Black Tie Party. The cliffs that surrounded the ravine on all sides were so large that I couldn’t see the top of them. I had never seen anything like it before. I tried to take a picture, but my phone had no service, which made sense considering we had been driving through the wilderness for hours. I told the cab driver it was okay as I got out of the cab.<br><br>Then I saw it. The entrance to the Black Tie Party. It was a tunnel made of old oak that went into the cliffside. I stood there in amazement as I stared at the tunnel. I had finally made it. I had sold my soul just for this invite, just for this day. The cab driver handed me a tuxedo. It was my size.<br><br>“How did you know?” I asked.<br><br>“I’ve been to a lot of these.” He said as he tipped his mask to me and got back in his cab. He drove away without saying another word.<br><br>I put on my tuxedo and entered the tunnel. It was cold, and I couldn’t see a thing. I felt my way through the tunnel as it sloped downward. Eventually, the tunnel started to ascend back upwards. I started to see light as I finally emerged from the tunnel into the mansion. <br><br>I had never seen anything like it before. It was like something out of a fairy tale. I looked around in amazement as I saw people dancing and having fun. Everyone was dressed like they were from the 1800s, and they were all wearing masks. Some had their masks covering only their eyes while others had masks that covered their entire faces. I initially felt out of place as the only person not wearing a mask until I tried to enter the ballroom and a butler handed me a white mask. I put it on and entered the party. <br><br>I went straight to the bar, where they were serving all kinds of alcohol. I got a whiskey on the rocks and walked out onto the dance floor as a waltz was starting. I had never been much of a dancer, but I couldn’t resist. I grabbed a woman and we started to dance. The music was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. The woman I was dancing with was also beautiful, with long blue gloves and a white gown. We danced for what seemed like hours as I couldn't take my eyes off her. <br><br><br>I had never felt so alive. That was until the music ended and everyone started screaming. I didn't know what was going on until I looked outside one of the windows, where I saw flames. Everyone started to panic as a butler came running into the room. <br><br>“Don’t worry, this has happened before. Please, follow me.” He said as he led us through a trap door in the floor. We walked through a long tunnel until we reached a forest. The forest was burning, and when we came to a cliff overlooking the mansion, the butler pointed towards it. It was completely engulfed in flames. Everyone was sobbing as we watched the mansion burn in front of us. I searched around frantically for the woman I had been dancing with, but she was nowhere to be found. <br><br>“That’s okay,” said the butler. “She'll be back.”<br><br>I looked at him in confusion as he continued. “The Black Tie Party will be back as well. Until then, go back to your lives.” <br><br>And with that, he pushed me into a river. I floated all the way downstream, which took many days. During that time, I didn't eat or drink. I was in shock as I tried to process what had just happened. When I finally reached the bottom of the river, I saw the ocean. I had never seen the ocean before. <br><br>I wandered the beach for days before I finally found a town. I had no idea where I was or where I had come from. My head was a mess, and it felt like a lifetime since I had received the invitation. I went to the hospital, where they told me that I was experiencing dissociative amnesia. But I remembered the Black Tie Party. <br><br>And I will never forget the Black Tie Party. It has been many years since that day, but I have not forgotten the Black Tie Party. I still hear the music. I still see the woman’s face. I still remember the feeling I got as I danced with her. I still remember the flames as the mansion burned. I will never forget the Black Tie Party.<br><br>Today is my forty-seventh birthday. The party is still on my mind even though it feels like it was a lifetime ago. I wonder if I will ever see the woman again. I wonder if she knows my name. I wonder what life would’ve been like if I hadn’t gone to the Black Tie Party. But I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. <br><br>I still have the invitation framed in my house. I never stopped thinking about the Black Tie Party. After all this time, I think I’m starting to like the idea of going to hell.