It all started one bright spring morning. Not than any of them knew it then. But start it did, and once these things get going, they've a habit of keeping on going until the price is paid. In full. Account balanced. You see, it doesn't always do to dabble in things you don't understand. But they did. And that was why the price would have to be paid.
Years ago, arcane knowledge was the remit of wise old men and women, who'd dole it out, mindful of the consequences. But over time, wisdom got shared, broken up, untied from consequence, and set free on the internet. That's where the Johnsons found it. And that's where they started writing checks that one day they'd have to cash.
Mary Johnson was a fine specimen of forty. She worked out. She worked hard. She loved her family. David, her son, was 20. Sara, 22. They lived a respectable life, and anything they did that wasn't respectable, they did far from prying eyes.
Mary was in need of money. Some bills had mounted up and her generous salary didn't seem so generous these day, nor stretch as far as it once had. She briefly toyed with the idea of an Onlyfans account. But nixed it, thinking no one would pay to see her body.
Instead, she trawled TikTok, searching for the secret. Any secret. She tried every kooky idea she could find to attract money. Nothing worked. Then she found The Price. It was a nondescript account with only a couple of posts that popped up on her feed. It promised any reward to the brave who'd be prepared to pay the price. At this stage, she'd be prepared to do anything to get what she needed. So, she said a few words in a language she didn't understand. She found and lit a black candle. She pricked her finger and bled a single drop onto the flame. The flame spluttered but didn't go out. Then, when nothing happened, she blew out the candle, opened a window, and forgot all about it.
The following day, the mailman brought a single white envelope. It was unmarked and unremarkable. Inside, Mary found a check for fifty thousand dollars. More than enough to sort out her problems. A slip of paper accompanying the check read: Last Will and Testament of Grace Jenkins settled in full less taxes. Grace had been a grandaunt Mary had fallen out with thirty years before, and they hadn't talked since. She couldn't believe she'd left her anything. Couldn't believe she'd passed. Soon, the check was in her bank, and The Price was long forgotten.
Sara stumbled out of bed the same morning her mother had found The Price on TikTok. Sitting at the breakfast table, she scrolled through her various social media platforms on her phone. Hitting TikTok, she was annoyed to see every second video seemed to be an ad for something called The Price. Frustrated, after the first view, she flicked past it each subsequent time it came up. A new text message stopped her in her tracks. Mary, a friend in college told their group that she'd heard about a pop quiz in school that day that would account for 30% of final marks. She was falling behind in that particular course and couldn't afford to flunk out. Next time she saw the ad for The Price, she paid more attention. She remembered seeing the black candle in the front room that morning. She followed the instructions, and nothing happened. She contemplated playing sick. Taking the test another day.
Shortly after, a new text arrived from a friend in the group with the questions and answers most likely to come up in the quiz. She memorized them and set out for school. All thoughts of The Price were forgotten.
That same day, David had watched his sister Sara shower as he did every morning and beat himself off. He'd found a knot in the wall of his bedroom that could be removed, giving him a clear view into her bathroom. It didn't make him feel good that he was perving on his sister, but the orgasms were damn fine. All he wanted in life was to lose his virginity. All his friends had lost their ages ago, if you were to believe their talk. He seemed to find it impossible to talk to women.
His TikTok informed him that his mother and sister had both watched a video called The Price. He selected it and thought 'why not?'. Soon, he too was following the ritual, and as soon as it ended, feeling like an idiot, cleared everything away.
The next day, when Mary returned from depositing the check and sending emails to let her creditors know she was good for the debts, she sat relieved in the kitchen and watched the world move about her. Sara had grown into a fine young woman. She was very attractive, although short like Mary. She had the same long dark hair, but her breasts were bigger and hips smaller. Mary was self-conscious about her own wide hips and big butt. She was thrilled it wasn't something Sara would have to worry about. David, meanwhile, was a good-looking boy. Over six foot tall, he was athletic, easy going to a fault, but remorselessly shy. He had lots of friends, but Mary worried that he just didn't have the x-factor that made it easy for guys to pull girls. Not that she wanted him rushing into anything he wasn't ready for.
She informed each child that they were going to have a special dinner that evening to celebrate their newfound good fortune and to toast Great Aunt Grace. They agreed, reluctantly, to be there for six. The rest of the day panned out much like any other for all three of them. If anything, they all seemed to be blessed with unusually good luck. Mary spent the afternoon cooking dinner, and close to six, headed to the shower to freshen up. She heard the door opening downstairs and the sounds of both of her children making for their respective rooms. Soon, the house was full of the sound of showers running.
When Mary arrived downstairs again, she set the table and waited for her children. David was first to arrive.
"What the hell do you think you're playing at, young man?" His mother shrieked when he walked into the kitchen.
"Where are your clothes?" David was naked as the day that he was born. Mary couldn't help but notice his toned physique and rather long schlong. She shook the unwelcome thought from her head. David laughed uneasily.
"Um, looks like you forgot something too, mom." He said slyly, ogling her in a rather leery fashion. Mary looked down confused and realized she was completely naked too. David took in her cheerleader top half with nice pert boobs, that tapered out into a large pear-shaped bottom atop sturdy thighs. Seeing her boobs and neat pubic hair on display made his cock twitch.
"Oh, my god." She said, immediately covering her breast and pussy with her hands.
"How the hell..?"
"Wow, mom!" Sara said from the door. Then she spotted her brother.
"David, you too? Is there something going on here I should be worried about?"
Mary turned to her and gasped. Sara was completely naked too.
The situation was so surreal, she wanted to laugh. Instead, their collective nakedness seemed to just slip her mind.
"Dinner's ready." She said pleasantly, as if their sate of undress was suddenly the most natural thing in the world. The two children took their places, seemingly both unaware of their nakedness too.
"We expecting company?" David asked.
Mary spotted she'd set an extra place without realizing it.
"That's odd." She said, just as the doorbell rang.
Sara hopped up from the table and went to the door, completely unabashed at the skin she was showing.
A few moments later, she reappeared into the kitchen with an elderly lady. The woman must have been in her late sixties, maybe older. She was dressed in a black turtleneck that accentuated her breasts and black trousers that showed of an incongruously pert backside. Her short blonde hair was up-styled and framed her made up face that gave her an Egyptian glamor.