The Man Who Sold Shadows

In a crowded city, a strange vendor appeared every sunset selling “shadows” from a wooden cart. People paid for them out of curiosity—small black glass bottles labeled with their names.

When opened, each bottle released a soft whisper and a moment of peace. But soon, those who bought them grew pale and weak, as if missing a part of themselves.

The climax: The vendor confessed he was once an artist who’d lost his shadow years ago to a bargain. Now he sold fragments of others to keep his alive. When his last bottle broke, he vanished completely—leaving behind only the faint smell of smoke and regret.