The Mysterious Well

There was a well in Chandpur, a tiny, abandoned settlement, about which the locals only whispered. The ancient well was encircled by twisted trees and concealed by dense foliage, with its stone walls coated in moss and crawling vines. Rahasyamay Kuwo the Mysterious Wellwas the name given to it. The locals avoided it at all costs because they thought it was cursed and a doorway to the unknown.

The well had fascinated and terrified people for years. There were rumors that on some moonless nights, strange noises would come from below whispers, cries, and occasionally, a cold, hollow laugh. A lot of people said that if someone looked down into the well, they would see not only their reflection but also the faces of people who had disappeared over the years, their souls lost in the depths of the blackness.

The elders of the village told stories of how the well had previously been a source of life, giving the people access to clean, fresh water. However, that was a long time ago, before a catastrophic incident altered reality. Legend has it that Sita, a young lady, threw herself into the well to avoid being forced into marriage. The well has been cursed ever since that day, and her body was never found again. Sita's ghost was reported to have remained there, lamenting her death and attempting to pull people down into the chasm with her.

A young man named Arjun visited Chandpur one summer. A stranger, a visitor passing through, he was attracted to the village by the tales he had heard. Arjun was a cynic who only trusted in his senses of sight and touch. He was captivated by the stories of the Mysterious Well and chose to explore it on his own, in spite of the villagers cautions.

Arjun went down to the well one evening as the light faded and the shadows became longer. As he got closer, the atmosphere grew icier and there was an odd, uncomfortable quietness all around. The peasants paled with horror as they saw him from a distance, but none of them dared to follow.

The well was in front of him, its black jaws opening up like a doorway to another dimension. For a brief minute, Arjun was filled with an unexplainable sense of dread, but he soon dismissed it. He took a step closer, peering into the depths, determined to find the truth.

He initially perceived nothing but darkness, with the well's bottom hidden by shadows. But as his eyes acclimatized, he started to see dim shapes something moving, and ripples on the water's surface deep below. Arjun strained to see as he leaned in closer. Abruptly, a pale, ghostly visage with eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul emerged in the sea.

Arjun flinched back, almost losing his footing. It was not his face in the water. There was a woman there, her face contorted with rage and grief. The water churned fiercely, as if something was rising from the depths, before he could respond. A faint, melancholy howl came from the well, rising louder and more desperate as the air around him grew colder.

Arjun tried to back off in a panic, but it was too late. He felt a cold, unseen force drag him in the direction of the well. He tried to fight, but the power was too great and it pulled him toward the brink. He heard the chuckle as he teetered on the edge, it was a hollow, eerie sound that reverberated through the woods and the lowering sky.

Arjun made a last-ditch attempt to break free, staggered back, and fell to the ground. The chuckles subsided and the hold on him relaxed. He staggered to his feet and fled the well, not pausing until he was back in the village's protection.

Hours later, the locals discovered him huddled in fright, his pale face and wide-open terrified eyes. His attempt to explain what had happened to them was thwarted by a block in his speech. The locals recognized the horror in his eyes and realized he had come across Sita's spirit, the spirit of the well, who was still there and trying to take another person's soul.

Arjun never mentioned the well after that day. The following morning, he vowed never to return to Chandpur. The well was left to its stillness and darkness while the villagers also maintained their distance. The Mysterious Well still stood, a site of terror and grief where the present blended with the past and where the ghosts of the dead continued to prowl the murky depths.