**The Man Who Sold His Shadow**

In a small, forgotten village nestled between dark woods and towering mountains, there lived a poor man named Elias. He was known for his endless bad luck. No matter how hard he worked, misfortune seemed to follow him like a shadow. One cold autumn evening, after yet another failed attempt to sell his wares, Elias sat alone in a local tavern, nursing his drink.

As the night grew darker, a peculiar figure entered the tavern. He was tall, with a thin frame, and dressed in an old-fashioned, immaculate suit. His face was pale, almost ghostly, and his eyes seemed to shine with an eerie light. Without a word, the stranger sat beside Elias.

"I know your troubles," the man said, his voice a strange, silken whisper. "I can help you."

Elias, too tired to argue, listened as the stranger spoke of a deal—an easy one, with no apparent consequences. All he wanted was Elias’s shadow.

"My... shadow?" Elias asked, incredulously. "What would you want with that?"

The stranger smiled, revealing unnervingly sharp teeth. "Shadows are more valuable than you think. In exchange, I will give you wealth, success, and the power to control your fate. No more bad luck."

Desperate, Elias agreed without much thought. The stranger reached out, and with a wave of his hand, Elias's shadow detached from his feet, folding itself into a black silk handkerchief. As promised, Elias’s fortunes immediately changed. His business thrived, and soon he became the wealthiest man in the village.

But over time, Elias noticed something disturbing. People began to avoid him, whispering behind his back. Animals grew restless in his presence, and the air around him felt colder. At first, he dismissed it as envy. But then, one day, he looked into a mirror and saw not his reflection, but the pale stranger staring back at him with those glowing eyes.

Elias sought out the stranger, desperate to undo the deal. After weeks of searching, he found him in the same tavern, sitting exactly where he had the night they first met.

"I want my shadow back," Elias demanded.

The stranger's smile widened. "It’s not that simple. A shadow once lost cannot be reclaimed. You gave away a part of your soul, and now, it belongs to me."

Elias felt the weight of the truth settle in. As the stranger stood to leave, Elias realized his reflection was no longer in the mirror. In fact, he was no longer visible to anyone. He had become a shadow, a mere ghost of the man he once was.

And so, Elias wandered the village, unseen and unheard, forever chasing the life he had traded away.

The man who sold his shadow had vanished into the night, becoming nothing more than a strange, forgotten story in a small, forgotten village.