Long ago during the time of kings and queens, there was a kingdom situated where it was and now called Varnapur. Back then it was the land of happiness, but now it was lost within the sands. Never forgotten, only, haunting. The people say the place is still cursed. Because of a widow, the people from Varnapur have drifted their parts away. Once home of happy families, still now struggling to find this called, happiness.
It all started from a fifteen year old girl, Nandini. If I have to mention her appearance, she had brown eyes with her silky black hair, long enough till the knees. Overall a beauty. She only had her grandmother, she was once a famous magician or a good witch to be called. Nandini's parents passed away because of unknown reasons, some outsiders rumours mentions that her witch grandmother used her son and her daughter-in-law for her some shady sacrifice ritual. People from Varnapur says different.
Nandini's grandmother taught all the little magic tricks to entertain people and earn a little for their living. Nandini also did various earnings not only from magic, but from having her own little flower shop. Even everyone in Varnapur knew her. There was no one left she had to befriend with.
Everything was going..well..smoothy to say.
It was an usual day for her showing her magic tricks to entertain the people of Varnapur. In the crowd there was an unexpected guest she had to entertain, the Prince of Varnapur, son of King Varma, Prince Karna. He was 26 years old with strong muscles to attract opposite genders. His gold ornaments around his neck and in royal attire. When Nandini glanced her view on him, she could see Prince Karna's face with entertainment, like he is enjoying her show. A little known, she mistook at what he was entertaining. He wanted her, he was attracted to her, I could not say, it was love, no.
Weeks passed, Prince Karna enjoyed her from far distance. To be added, her grandmother passed away without proper treatment. Nandini became alone. Karna, on the next day he came to her with a proposal, a marriage proposal. The people of Varnapur never understand what Karna is doing. Marrying a low class girl, around from a witch family? Something wasn't adding up. However, Karna convinces her it was a love at first sight and he got some guts for the proposal. Believing that, thinking that her life would change into a new beautiful one, she accepted to become his wife, but she wasn't aware that she would become the pinnacle of an unborn curse.
Within some years already passed, as for Nandini, she slowly started to understand Karna. He was not like his father, King Varma. The king to be said was strict for various reasons, but he only stood for justice and his people's trust. Nandini was blinded with love, she didn't know Karna wanted something else. That she was the only beginning of his plans. That he was planning to rule the world.
The patience was growing over him. He planned several assassin attacks on his father. King Varma didn't just lost his stand, but tighten his guard.
Nandini saw her husband in pain. Something she wasn't aware of. She tried to approach him in several ways, but neither succeeded. But one night Karna stood in front of her. Karna was in hunger for power. He twisted his words to Nandini, manipulated her, fetching lies. But poor Nandini, as I said earlier, who was already blinded in love trusted him for life.
If you ask me why Karna manipulated her could be because of only one reason for it, her magic. Maybe he thought her powers could do anything.
Coming back to it, she said something that Karna felt satisfied like something he achieved unreachable, "Kill the king."
Their timing was all wrong. The king already got the news before even both of them could finish their sentence.
King Varma was already in front of Nandini and Karna. The king of justice shouted with pity, "So you were one who tried to end my life? My own blood?"
Karna couldn't speak of any words. Nandini tried to argue with the king. Karna again took the timing wrongly, he thought Varma was distracted in the argument with Nandini. That this is the time to end him. Karna took his dagger and aimed at him.
No mere distractions could do anything to king Varma. He stopped Karna with brutal force.
For his actions, both Karna and Nandini were banished from the kingdom.
I could say leaving them alive was king Varma's first mistake. Couldn't say less, even though Karna's his only son. There always will be parental love.
Anyways on the same night, Nandini and Karna, both didn't exchange any words as they reached the dark side of the forest of Varnapur. The trees were.. Crooked and twisted as in the way that would give chills inside you. Most of the people of Varnapur never stepped on this forest in the nights.
Even they named this forest, Raakshak Vanam, the forest of the demon.
Their footsteps made sound on dead leaves. Nandini was confused about what to do next. Karna, who is already filled with rage, steps forward aggressively.
Then, a sound. A third footstep and a growl.
From between two massive roots of a tree, it crept out. Crept out, something,.. darker. It was looking like a human-shaped bird, no.. a bat-shaped, combined with a werewolf. Red glowing eyes, drooling with hunger.
The beast jumped on them.
Karna with pain, he thought this could ease his mind, he attacked the beast. Karna was fighting it with his bare hands. Nandini standing still and her hands in tremble looks at the beast and back at her husband.
But something woke inside of her, a power, the magic. She built herself up to overcome fear and made a fireball with her hands and fired at the beast. The fight was intense. Grabbing Karna and flying up in the sky, Nandini aiming and firing fireballs. Launching and attacking. Finally, both the husband and wife finished the beast's story.
I don't know whether to say, to be happy or sad of what next is to happen. Victory came with a price.
Karna was feeling exhausted, not from fighting with the beast. He looked at his arm, his face changed looking at it. He was bitten by the beast, it's mark deep inside his arm muscles. He fells down.
Nandini standing next to him grabs him, "Karna? Karna?"
He could speak anything, now words were coming from his mouth. This is a brutal scene, before her very own eyes, Karna's skin began to wrinkle, shrinking. His face, young and handsome, turned pale and sunken. His muscles were losing him. The blood inside went dried like when a sponge is squeezed, it gets dried, same effect. At last, no breath.
She could only see his bones, alongside the royal clothes.
I couldn't imagine what types of questions are going inside her head. But I saw her scream. Her scream echoed through the Raakshak Vanam. Even it reached in my ears.
The tears were falling down like rain from her face, Nandini carried the bones of her husband through the night streets of Varnapur back. She pushed open the doors of the royal court, even when guards couldn't stop looking at her of what she brought back with her. But somehow, soldiers reached for their weapons.
But Nandini didn't care. The king was woken back from his slumber.
She walked straight up to the throne and dropped the bones on the royal marble floor. The king who was half asleep, now fully conscious, looks at the bones and back at her.
"Look at what you've done!" she cried with pain inside her heart. "This is your son! This is what your hatred has made!"
King stood still, "My son". Then he walks towards the throne and sits on it.
"You bewitched him," he said harshly. "You filled his ears with poison. You turned him against his own father. And you killed him. Witch."
Nandhini stepped forward. "No!" she screamed. "I loved him! I only ever stood beside him. I only wanted what he wanted… And that was my sin."
The king's thoughts went darker. The next mistake to be created by the king.
"You will suffer for your sins."
She dropped to her knees, her hands shaking."Please.. At least let me bury him. Give him a resting place. Punish me."
The next morning, people of Varnapur were gathered around Nandini, this time not here for the magic tricks. She was bounded by heavy chains, she looked exhausted, looking at the bones of her dead husband next to her. She could only hear some whispers of the king speaking to the crowd. She glanced at the crowd, she remembers the same ones who cheered and were full in entertainment. But now, faces of hatred, voices of poison.
"Witch!"
"Traitor"
"May your soul never find peace!"
Nandini was dragged through the dirt streets of Varnapur. Yet even the stones flew at her, she felt pain. Her body started to bleed from the injuries, still no change at her behaviour. Her husband's remains were burnt to ashes by the people of Varnapur in the streets. She could even cry. She lifted her head looking at the sky.
I could see her face clearly. Her face changed into some horror. Then she spoke those words.
"I curse this land!" she screamed.
The crowd went into silence.
"Let no girl in this kingdom see her fifteenth year! Let every daughter suffer as I have suffered—betrayed, broken, alone! May your joy turn to ashes! May your bloodlines dry like the wells in your deserts! Let this kingdom rot into dust and silence!"
Everything stopped for a second. The winds, the birds, the clouds in the sky. Even the king, now watching from his balcony, felt a shiver crawling up his spine.
Then, Nandini fell. Deep into slumber.
Her body collapsed into the mud, hitting her head. No one from the crowd came forward. No one dared to touch her. They burnt the body there and now, and threw away her ashes.
Not days ago, Nandini's curse started to whirl up. A fifteen-year-old girl in Varnapur was found dead in her bed, strange, she had no wounds to be found nor any illness to confirm.
Before the people could act fast, days later, another girl. Months later, another. All died in their sleep.
Panic started to spread. The people cried out. Mothers begged the gods. Fathers tried their best to protect their daughters.
When it came the king Varma's turn, he tried his best, bringing upon the best priests and healers from all around. Yet, could not do anything about it. Even the king searched for other witches' help. They weren't willing to help him. Everything was lost.
Year after year, the curse claimed its due. The people whose hope was lost, they fled Varnapur. But still the curse followed them and did its course. The daughters still died.
With no one else to rule and pass down his kingdom, began to rot.
Houses were left empty.
Temples were crushed down.
As I mentioned earlier, Varnapur, once the land of happiness, now just is like the dust.
I don't have the moral of the story. I don't wish to say it. I never will.