After much searching, I found it— the story is “Bargain” by A. B. Guthrie. Originally published in 1952 as “Bargain at Moon Dance”. I found this reprint of the

After much searching, I found it— the story is “Bargain” by A. B. Guthrie. Originally published in 1952 as “Bargain at Moon Dance”. I found this reprint of the original: https://classic.esquire.com/article/1952/10/1/bargain-at-moon-dance https://classic.esquire.com/article/1952/10/1/bargain-at-moo... Still a creepy story after all these years.