The Bottle Imp

The Bottle Imp (1893) is a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson about a working class native of Hawaii, Keawe, who buys a strange bottle from a sad, elderly gentleman who credits the bottle with his wealth and fortune, and promises the bottle will also grant Keawe his every wish and desire.

Related Topics:
Robert Louis Stevenson - Hawaii

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Of course, there is a catch - The bottle must be sold at a loss (for less than the amount he originally paid), or the bottle will always return to him. The currency used in the transaction must also be in coin. Another condition of the sale is that all conditions and rules of purchase and ownership must be fully disclosed and understood by the potential buyer. If the bottle does not change hands in the prescribed manner by the time of the last legitimate owner's death, that man's soul will burn for eternity in Hell.

Related Topics:
Coin - Soul - Eternity - Hell

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