HRKH stories

   Later after the major events, inside the police commissioner’s office, a tense atmosphere hung in the air. Commissioner Raghavan sat at his desk, a stack of files and photographs spread out before him. Opposite him stood Inspector Suresh, his expression grim as they reviewed the details of the missing person’s cases.   “Five missing painters,” Raghavan muttered, rubbing his temples. “And now Rajesh and his colleagues. It’s been weeks, and we still have nothing concrete.”   Suresh nodded solemnly. “We’ve combed through every lead, every possible clue. It’s as if they vanished into thin air. The nearby villagers won’t go near that house, and those who do refuse to talk. They claim it’s cursed.”   Raghavan leaned back in his chair, exhaling heavily. “Cursed or not, we need evidence. We can’t base our investigation on superstitions and folklore. What about the forensic team? Any traces, footprints, anything?”   Suresh shook his head. “Nothing signifi...

   Harish and Chandini stood in the darkened room, their breaths ragged and hearts pounding. The muffled screams of Rajesh, now silenced, echoed in their minds. The room was dust-covered trinkets, and a faint odor of decay.   They could hear the creatures outside, scratching at the door and emitting low, guttural growls. Chandini wiped her tears with a trembling hand. “What do we do now, Harish? We can’t stay here forever.” Harish, equally shaken but trying to remain composed.    That moment they hear a laugh of someone from the room. As they turn over, they saw an old woman sitting facing the wall. Harish and Chandini stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock and fear. The old woman’s laugh was a chilling contrast to the growls and scratching at the door. She sat facing the wall, her back hunched, her gray hair tangled and matted. Her laugh was eerie, filled with a sinister glee that sent shivers down their spines.   “Who… who are you?” Chandini mana...

   They quickly barge out of their hiding and approached the dead body lying seeing in front of them. They were totally astonished by what happened. Rajesh, Harish, and Chandini stood paralyzed by the sheer brutality of what they had just witnessed. The husband’s lifeless body lay crumpled on the floor, his head a few feet away, eyes still open in a final, terrified expression. The room was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the oppressive weight of death.   As they were looking, Chandini asked, “What do we do now, Rajesh?’” Rajesh, still in shock, shook his head. “I don’t know, Harish go through that body and try to find anything which is useful to us and don’t touch that scythe.”   Harish, his hands shaking, approached the husband’s body and began to search for any form of identification. The grisly task made his stomach churn, but he knew it was necessary. After a few tense moments, he found nothing much a watch.   Harish said, holding it up, “S...

   The team stood in disbelief, staring at the blank wall where the door to their escape should have been. Chandini, regaining some composure, asked, “Where did the door go? How can it just disappear?” Harish, still shaken from his encounter in the basement, added, “This house is definitely playing tricks on us.”   Rajesh, trying to stay calm, looked around for another possible exit. “We need to find another way out,” he said, his voice steady despite the mounting tension. “Let’s stick together and stay alert.”   As they moved through the house, searching for another exit, they encountered more unsettling sights: walls that seemed to shift and stretch, rooms that appeared and disappeared, and whispers that echoed through the hallways. Each member of the team struggled to maintain their composure, the sense of dread growing with every step.   With each step, they ventured deeper into the maw of fear, their patience slipping away. Out of sheer terror, they f...

   Sub-Inspector Harish, 25 years old, finished narrating the history of Araiyur from the back seat of the car. “Rajesh Sir, what do you think about it?” he asked, turning to Inspector Rajesh, who was 30 years old and sitting in the front seat beside the driver. “You know me, Harish. I’m not one to believe in these kinds of stories,” Rajesh replied calmly. Harish nodded, accepting Rajesh's skepticism. They continued their journey, each lost in their own thoughts about the mysteries awaiting them at Amrithavalli House in Araiyur.   Inspector Rajesh, having dismissed the story, prompted Constable Paramsivam, aged 54 and driving the car, to speak up. “Rajesh Sir, don't dismiss this lightly. My mother used to tell me this story,” Paramsivam urged. Rajesh smirked in response, teasingly adding, “Yes, even Chandini here used to tell these stories to her child.”   Constable Chandini, 28 years old and seated beside Harish, gave Rajesh a pointed look. Rajesh quickly notice...

   It was the 1800s; the East India Company was on a streak of increasing its dominance over India and other countries. During that period, in the southern part of India, there was a small village called Araiyur near Tiruchirapalli. The village was under the rule of the local Zamindar, ‘Rajadhipathi,’ at that time. Nestled between dense forests and the serene banks of the Cauvery River, the village was quite prosperous. In that same village, there was a grand mansion on the outskirts belonging to Amrithavalli.   Amrithavalli was a 57-year-old widow who practiced black magic. People avoided her, but would still contact her when they needed to curse someone.   As the East India Company conquered India, most Zamindars surrendered to the British Government out of fear, becoming puppets of the East India Company. During this process, the British also stationed their ranked officers across India.   The British officer assigned to Araiyur was Captain James Thomps...