Human soul: 5 cents… 1 dollar… 400 dollars. Sold!

Last week, a Barnaul citizen, a certain Vasily Potapov presented in an American auction his as if “sinless” soul. According to some reports, this was a joke. Journalists at once called him “today’s Faust.” Start price of the soul was 5 cents. At first, the auction was rather slack. Though, afterwards the situation completely changed. Citizens of many countries wanted to do the unprecedented purchase. According to IMA-Press, greedy buyers resolutely attacked Vasily’s soul, so stakes grew every minute. As a result, a woman from State Alabama won. To became owner of Vasily’s soul, she paid 400 dollars. In the meanwhile, consequences of the auctions should not be expected too long. Just after the auction’s ending, Potapov received a letter from the auction’s owner demanding to supply the soul to the purchaser. In particular, the letter warned that if the demand is not executed, the Barnaul citizens will be responsible for swindle. In the US, this accusation causes 3 years of imprisonment. The situation reminds of circus. Though the object of the joke was chosen wrongly. A famous Russian actress who plaid the role of witch in the film after Nikolai Gogol’s Viy (Spirit of Evil) admitted later, that she should not have agreed to his role, because after the film appeared, she had nightmares and depressions. Though, after she became a religious person, the nightmares gradually stopped. There are other examples like that. Human soul is not the best subject for a joke. As well known, in every joke there's a germ of truth.

Sergei Stefanov PRAVDA.Ru Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/06/39368.html