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* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:What makes the pacts truly demonic is the fact that no person receives anything they could not have achieved on their own.]]
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* LowestCosmicDenominator: The demons refer to divine orders as "orders from above".
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* LowestCosmicDenominator: The demons refer to divine orders as "orders from above".
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First published in ''Magazine/TheMagazineOfFantasyAndScienceFiction'' (November 1956 issue) by Creator/IsaacAsimov, this is a ScienceFiction ShortStory about a DealWithTheDevil involving MoreThanThreeDimensions.
Isidore Welby has signed a DealWithTheDevil to gain a decade of good living, but now comes the price. He has [[RaceAgainstTheClock until noon]] to find a way out from a perfectly locked room. If he succeeds, then [[DemonOfHumanOrigin he'll be made a full devil]]. If he fails, he will be merely a damned soul, suffering torture for eternity. Welby surprises his captor twice; by finding the way out, and by [[TakeAThirdOption finding a loophole in the contract, too]]. A supernatural twist on the LockedRoomMystery.
"Gimmicks Three" has been reprinted several times; ''Literature/EarthIsRoomEnough'' (1957), ''Literature/DealsWithTheDevil'' (1958), ''{{Magazine/Galaxy}}'' (issue #58, Italian edition, 1963), ''{{Magazine/Fiction}}'' (issue #148, French edition, 1966), ''Literature/SpecialWonderVolume1'' (1971), ''Literature/TheFarEndsOfTimeAndEarth'' (1979), ''[[Literature/DevilsAndDemonsATreasuryOfFiendishTalesOldAndNew Devils & Demons: A Treasury of Fiendish Tales Old & New]]'' (1987), and ''Literature/TheCompleteStoriesVolume1'' (1990).
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!!Examples of tropes within this work:
* CaughtInTheRipple: After Welby [[MoreThanThreeDimensions goes back in time]], his contract disappears, and Shapur, the demon, doesn't understand why. To get an explanation, they [[RippleEffectProofMemory restore his memory of the original timeline]] and Welby happily brags about the [[LoopholeAbuse escape clause he discovered in the contract]].
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: The protagonist [[DealWithTheDevil signs a contract with a demon]]. After ten years of everything he wants, he will be given a test. Should he pass, he becomes a demon (Hell has a growing staff shortage), otherwise, he is a regular damned soul. Shapur, the demon he deals with, claims to have gone through the same process.
* DrivingQuestion: With the power to move in any dimension, how do you escape from a perfect cube? [[spoiler:[[MoreThanThreeDimensions Time is a dimension]], so travel to before the cube was constructed.]]
* EvilSmellsBad: Shapur, the demon tempting Welby, smells overwhelmingly of sulfur dioxide, and the intensity of the smell also reflects the intensity of his emotions.
* FaustianRebellion: Isidore Welby had just gotten a medical discharge from the military when he was approached by another recruiter. The demonic Shapur offered him ten years of [[InMysteriousWays supernaturally guided life]], in exchange for taking a test that would [[DemonOfHumanOrigin turn him into a demon if he passed]]. If he failed, Welby would become another soul damned to hell. Unexpectedly, Welby uses his powers to find a loophole in the contract and escapes with no consequences.
* FeaturelessPlaneOfDisembodiedDialogue: The two main characters, Shapur and Isidore Welby, don't get much description aside from Shapur's [[EvilSmellsBad sulfuric stench]] and tail. The room itself is actually a [[WhiteVoidRoom blank bronze cubicle]].
* InMysteriousWays: Shapur tells Welby that by signing the contract, he will be blessed with supernatural good fortune for ten years, causing every wish Welby makes to be fulfilled by seeming coincidence. [[spoiler: Welby's good fortune would occur if he placed faith in either God or the contract. Demonic contracts cannot go against the Will of God.]]
* TheLegionsOfHell: Shapur says that hell has plenty of common damned souls, but their ratio of demon to damned is growing too high, so they're offering a discount DealWithTheDevil.
* LockedRoomMystery: Using supernatural elements, the protagonist has found themselves locked into a perfectly cubicle room, made from thick bronze. They are given the power to travel in any direction, and if they fail to escape before noon, they'll be a soul damned to eternal torment in {{hell}}. [[spoiler:The solution is to [[MoreThanThreeDimensions view time as a dimension]], and travel backwards.]]
* LoopholeAbuse: Welby figures out how to [[FaustianRebellion use his demonic powers to break the contract without penalties]]. [[spoiler:His powers allow him to travel in time, so he went back to before he signed the contract and decided not to agree to it.]]
* MagicallyBindingContract: Isidore Welby signed a [[DealWithTheDevil contract with demons to gain a decade of good living]], but exactly ten years later, he must pay the price. He suddenly appears in a perfect cube made of metal, and if he cannot escape before noon, his soul will be damned.
* MakeAWish: Welby's contract provided him with ten years of supernaturally guided life, every wish he had could be fulfilled by [[InMysteriousWays seemingly coincidental events that happened to bring him good fortune]].
* MoreThanThreeDimensions: Welby and Shapur, both having demonic powers, have the ability to travel in any dimension, and that includes time.
* RaceAgainstTheClock: Welby wakes up ten years after he signed the [[DealWithTheDevil infernal contract]] (to the day!), and finds himself imprisoned in a cube made from bronze. He has until noon to escape, or he will become a regular damned soul instead of [[DemonOfHumanOrigin advancing to the ranks of demon]].
* RippleEffectProofMemory: The demon Shapur is suddenly confused because Welby and the contract disappear. They go to confront Welby, and restores his memories of events. Welby explains [[spoiler:he had convinced himself not to sign the contract and instead lived with faith and confidence, achieving everything that the contract had promised anyway]]. Shapur leaves, visibly frustrated.
* TakeAThirdOption: Because of [[MagicallyBindingContract the contract signed by Welby]], he has signed his soul away to hell, whether or not he passes the test to [[DemonOfHumanOrigin become a demon]]. However, Welby [[LoopholeAbuse finds a loophole with his demonic powers]].
* WhiteVoidRoom: Welby must escape from a room with no features aside from bronze walls.
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Isidore Welby has signed a DealWithTheDevil to gain a decade of good living, but now comes the price. He has [[RaceAgainstTheClock until noon]] to find a way out from a perfectly locked room. If he succeeds, then [[DemonOfHumanOrigin he'll be made a full devil]]. If he fails, he will be merely a damned soul, suffering torture for eternity. Welby surprises his captor twice; by finding the way out, and by [[TakeAThirdOption finding a loophole in the contract, too]]. A supernatural twist on the LockedRoomMystery.
"Gimmicks Three" has been reprinted several times; ''Literature/EarthIsRoomEnough'' (1957), ''Literature/DealsWithTheDevil'' (1958), ''{{Magazine/Galaxy}}'' (issue #58, Italian edition, 1963), ''{{Magazine/Fiction}}'' (issue #148, French edition, 1966), ''Literature/SpecialWonderVolume1'' (1971), ''Literature/TheFarEndsOfTimeAndEarth'' (1979), ''[[Literature/DevilsAndDemonsATreasuryOfFiendishTalesOldAndNew Devils & Demons: A Treasury of Fiendish Tales Old & New]]'' (1987), and ''Literature/TheCompleteStoriesVolume1'' (1990).
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!!Examples of tropes within this work:
* CaughtInTheRipple: After Welby [[MoreThanThreeDimensions goes back in time]], his contract disappears, and Shapur, the demon, doesn't understand why. To get an explanation, they [[RippleEffectProofMemory restore his memory of the original timeline]] and Welby happily brags about the [[LoopholeAbuse escape clause he discovered in the contract]].
* DemonOfHumanOrigin: The protagonist [[DealWithTheDevil signs a contract with a demon]]. After ten years of everything he wants, he will be given a test. Should he pass, he becomes a demon (Hell has a growing staff shortage), otherwise, he is a regular damned soul. Shapur, the demon he deals with, claims to have gone through the same process.
* DrivingQuestion: With the power to move in any dimension, how do you escape from a perfect cube? [[spoiler:[[MoreThanThreeDimensions Time is a dimension]], so travel to before the cube was constructed.]]
* EvilSmellsBad: Shapur, the demon tempting Welby, smells overwhelmingly of sulfur dioxide, and the intensity of the smell also reflects the intensity of his emotions.
* FaustianRebellion: Isidore Welby had just gotten a medical discharge from the military when he was approached by another recruiter. The demonic Shapur offered him ten years of [[InMysteriousWays supernaturally guided life]], in exchange for taking a test that would [[DemonOfHumanOrigin turn him into a demon if he passed]]. If he failed, Welby would become another soul damned to hell. Unexpectedly, Welby uses his powers to find a loophole in the contract and escapes with no consequences.
* FeaturelessPlaneOfDisembodiedDialogue: The two main characters, Shapur and Isidore Welby, don't get much description aside from Shapur's [[EvilSmellsBad sulfuric stench]] and tail. The room itself is actually a [[WhiteVoidRoom blank bronze cubicle]].
* InMysteriousWays: Shapur tells Welby that by signing the contract, he will be blessed with supernatural good fortune for ten years, causing every wish Welby makes to be fulfilled by seeming coincidence. [[spoiler: Welby's good fortune would occur if he placed faith in either God or the contract. Demonic contracts cannot go against the Will of God.]]
* TheLegionsOfHell: Shapur says that hell has plenty of common damned souls, but their ratio of demon to damned is growing too high, so they're offering a discount DealWithTheDevil.
* LockedRoomMystery: Using supernatural elements, the protagonist has found themselves locked into a perfectly cubicle room, made from thick bronze. They are given the power to travel in any direction, and if they fail to escape before noon, they'll be a soul damned to eternal torment in {{hell}}. [[spoiler:The solution is to [[MoreThanThreeDimensions view time as a dimension]], and travel backwards.]]
* LoopholeAbuse: Welby figures out how to [[FaustianRebellion use his demonic powers to break the contract without penalties]]. [[spoiler:His powers allow him to travel in time, so he went back to before he signed the contract and decided not to agree to it.]]
* MagicallyBindingContract: Isidore Welby signed a [[DealWithTheDevil contract with demons to gain a decade of good living]], but exactly ten years later, he must pay the price. He suddenly appears in a perfect cube made of metal, and if he cannot escape before noon, his soul will be damned.
* MakeAWish: Welby's contract provided him with ten years of supernaturally guided life, every wish he had could be fulfilled by [[InMysteriousWays seemingly coincidental events that happened to bring him good fortune]].
* MoreThanThreeDimensions: Welby and Shapur, both having demonic powers, have the ability to travel in any dimension, and that includes time.
* RaceAgainstTheClock: Welby wakes up ten years after he signed the [[DealWithTheDevil infernal contract]] (to the day!), and finds himself imprisoned in a cube made from bronze. He has until noon to escape, or he will become a regular damned soul instead of [[DemonOfHumanOrigin advancing to the ranks of demon]].
* RippleEffectProofMemory: The demon Shapur is suddenly confused because Welby and the contract disappear. They go to confront Welby, and restores his memories of events. Welby explains [[spoiler:he had convinced himself not to sign the contract and instead lived with faith and confidence, achieving everything that the contract had promised anyway]]. Shapur leaves, visibly frustrated.
* TakeAThirdOption: Because of [[MagicallyBindingContract the contract signed by Welby]], he has signed his soul away to hell, whether or not he passes the test to [[DemonOfHumanOrigin become a demon]]. However, Welby [[LoopholeAbuse finds a loophole with his demonic powers]].
* WhiteVoidRoom: Welby must escape from a room with no features aside from bronze walls.
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