jeremy c. crisp

When nine-year-old Edgar Mott meets a stranger on the way to school, his life is forever changed.
Edgar lives in a small mid-western town and has a tendency to lie when he gets into trouble. The antagonist in the story is a man named Lou C. Four, a pseudonym for Lucifer, who is pretending to be a travelling salesman. He provides a sympathetic ear one morning after Edgar is caught in a lie and disciplined by his mother. As a result of this encounter he gives Edgar a gift. It’s a small bottle with the words “Lying Potion” written on it.
Edgar uses the potion in order to avoid once again getting into trouble from his teacher. However, as with all lies, it ends up causing more problems, which leads to more lies.
In steps the mentor figure, Mr. Laramie. He is the elderly toy-store owner and a good friend to Edgar. Mr. Laramie has had a previous experience with Lou and shares this encounter with Edgar. In the process, he shares his faith with Edgar, which ultimately leads him to accept Christ.
The story concludes with Edgar making amends with those he’s lied to and Mr. Laramie sharing the love of Christ with Edgar’s family.