The Whispering Vendor

It all started when I stumbled upon a hidden link on a notorious dark web forum. The link, cryptic and barely visible, simply read: "Whispering Vendor." My curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked.

The page was stark, just a black background with a single line of text: "Enter your wish." It sounded like a scam, but the forum was filled with stories of people who had their wildest dreams come true after dealing with the Whispering Vendor. Some got rich, others found love, and a few even claimed to have cured incurable diseases.

I typed, "I wish to know the future," and hit enter. Immediately, a message popped up: "Your wish will be granted. Payment in blood." A QR code appeared, linking to a Bitcoin address. The amount was steep, but I was desperate. I paid and waited.

The next day, an unmarked package arrived at my door. Inside was a small, ornate box with a single slip of paper: "Open me at midnight." Anxiety gnawed at me all day, but I followed the instructions. At midnight, I opened the box to find a mirror. As I stared into it, the reflection began to twist and change, showing glimpses of my future.

I saw myself rich and powerful, but it came at a cost. Friends and family drifted away, and I was left alone in a mansion, surrounded by wealth but devoid of happiness. Suddenly, the mirror showed a date: one year from today. Underneath it, a chilling message: "The price is your soul."

Panic set in. I tried to get rid of the mirror, smashing it, burning it, but it always reappeared, intact, back in the box. I tried to contact the Whispering Vendor, but the link was dead. No trace of the forum or the Vendor remained.

Days turned into weeks, and the future the mirror had shown started to unfold. I got a promotion, won the lottery, but I also lost friends and became estranged from my family. The sense of impending doom grew stronger as the date approached.

One night, I awoke to a whispering sound. The mirror was glowing. In the reflection, a shadowy figure beckoned me. It was time. Desperate, I smashed the mirror again, but this time it shattered into a thousand pieces. Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived.

The next morning, every shard of the broken mirror was gone. I was left with a single slip of paper: "The Whispering Vendor always collects."

TL;DR:

A curious user on the dark web encounters the "Whispering Vendor" who grants wishes for a steep price. After wishing to know the future, they receive a cursed mirror showing their prosperous but lonely future, ending with the chilling revelation that the price for this knowledge is their soul. As the foretold events unfold, the user desperately tries to escape their fate, only to find that the Whispering Vendor always collects.