Short Story: Bhairavi’s Perfume by Sitharaam Jayakumar

Sitharaam Jayakumar tells a powerful tale full of love and deceit set in a royal kingdom with an ending that promises to haunt the readers.

The kingdom of Mythili Patra flourished under the able rule of the fair and just king Viswa Vardhan. The people were happy and content and everything was running smoothly. But one fine summer bad days came upon the king and the kingdom as if a curse had been cast upon them. The cruel Prince Chakra Vardhan, Viswa Vardhan’s son, usurped the throne from his father. He deposed him in a bloody coup and had him beheaded publicly. Chakra Vardhan ruled the kingdom with an iron hand. He was a tyrant who had no mercy for anyone who disagreed with him. Political prisoners were summarily executed. Those who questioned his decisions in the slightest were promptly beheaded. It was believed that ghosts of the executed men and women roamed the streets of Mythili Patra in the dead of the night. People dare not step out of their houses during night-time. However, Chakra Vardhan did not believe in any of these stories. He assumed they were rumours spread by mischief makers.