Queen's Well

Saturday Night, 11:40 PM.

Ravi noticed a WhatsApp message from Pratima, sent an hour ago:
"The function is over, Ravi. Everyone has left. Can you pick me up?"

Pratima was scheduled to leave for a medical conference in Australia the same day. Remembering this, Ravi quickly put aside his laptop, replied, "On my way," and hurriedly grabbed his car keys.

Ravi had been working even on weekends since his project was nearing its Go Live phase. It was a million-dollar project and his first assignment as an architect post-promotion. Determined to ensure there were no issues before the launch, he personally handled the critical functionalities.

After retiring from the army, Bharadwaj uncle moved to Basapuram, his mother’s hometown, to stay close to nature. He couldn't attend Ravi and Pratima's wedding due to tensions on the Kashmir border.

Post-retirement, he began building a house in Basapuram. During this period, Shailaja , Bharadwaj's wife, suffered a stroke. Someone suggested a good Ayurvedic doctor in Kerala, so they both stayed there for three months for treatment. By the time Shailaja aunty’s health improved, the house was completed. Wanting to have a Satyanarayana Vratham(a hindu ritual) in their new home, uncle and aunty invited Ravi and Pratima, hoping their daughter-in-law would perform the rituals.

Though Pratima and Shailaja aunty had never met in person, they often spoke over video calls and grew close, like mother and daughter. Pratima, arrived a day early for the vratham, made all the arrangements with aunty’s help. The vratham concluded on Friday evening. Guests from other towns stayed the night and left the next day. Pratima stayed back to assist aunty, ensuring all guests were looked after. She had already prepared for her conference days before.

By now, Ravi was driving fast, fearing Pratima might miss her flight.

Time: 12:20 AM.

As his car exited the highway and turned onto the service road to Basapuram, the car’s left headlight suddenly went off. The right headlight blinked weakly. "It's been a while since the last servicing," Ravi thought. Loose circuits due to bumpy roads, perhaps.

Deciding against stopping to check, he pressed the accelerator.

A short distance later, he came across a fork in the road but couldn’t figure out which direction led to Basapuram. Stopping the car to check Google Maps, he realized, why the amazon music stopped streaming. His phone had no signal.

Irritated, he muttered curses at the cellular company and got out of the car.

The world outside felt steeped in darkness, as though painted black. Ravi, who hadn’t realized how cold it was inside the car, now felt the biting chill of the February midnight air. Pulling out a Gold Flake cigarette, he searched his pocket for a lighter.

Meanwhile, the sound of the wind rustling through palm leaves grew louder. Basapuram, nestled among hills, often had such strong gusts. Glancing at the palm trees, Ravi spotted a faint light far in the distance. Hoping it might lead to Basapuram, he discarded the unlit cigarette and started driving again.

The road, worn down by tractors, had sunken edges and a raised middle. Carefully navigating the bumpy terrain to avoid scraping the car’s underbody, Ravi proceeded cautiously.

About 500 metres ahead, two hands waving to stop him came into view.

One hand wore red glass bangles.

As he drew closer, Ravi stopped the car. He saw a middle-aged couple and assumed they were husband and wife.

"What could they be doing here at this hour?" Ravi wondered, rolling down the window.

"Hey there, young man! Can you drop us near the village? We can’t walk in this cold," said the woman.

Her saree, jewelry, and attire sparked some doubt in Ravi’s mind, but he dismissed it, assuming they had attended a late-night ceremony.

"Get in, Amma. I’ll drop you," Ravi offered.

The rustling of palm leaves abruptly ceased. A profound silence enveloped the surroundings. The chilly air inexplicably turned warm. A faint fragrance of burning red sandalwood wafted through the air.

Ravi, oblivious to these signs, let them into the car.

Now both headlights went out, plunging the road into complete darkness. Noticing this, the man said,
"Don’t stop the car, young man. I know the way. Just turn the steering wheel as I instruct. I’ve walked this path since childhood."

With no other option, Ravi followed his directions. Stopping in this desolate darkness wasn’t an option, and his phone had no signal to call for help.

After some time, Ravi asked, "What brings you here at this hour, Amma?"

"We came to irrigate our field, young man. This man didn’t bring enough diesel, so the motor stopped midway. By the time we fetched more fuel and finished the work, it got this late. Always some issue with this man," the woman replied.

Ravi drove as instructed, like a robot, his hands obediently following the man’s cues.

"Young man, which family do you belong to? I’ve never seen you in these parts," the woman asked suddenly.

(What Ravi said next, unknowingly, saved his life.)

"We belong to the Pasupuleti family, Amma. I’m Radhamma’s grandson. I’m heading to Bharadwaj uncle’s house."

"Pasupuleti Radhamma?" the couple muttered, as if in recognition.

"Turn left!" the man suddenly yelled.

Startled, Ravi swerved left and stopped the car.

"What happened, sir? Why did you shout?" Ravi asked.

"Nothing much, young man. The road ahead ended, and I got delayed telling you where to turn," the man replied calmly.

"Young man, stop the car. Our destination is here. From here, drive straight ahead; you’ll find a cement road leading to the village," he added.

"Where is your house? I can’t see anything here," Ravi said.

"See that faint light over there? That’s our home," the man replied.
"Are you coming, or staying back with the young man?" the man asked his wife.

"No, no, I’ll come," she replied.

As she stepped out, she placed her hand on Ravi’s head, saying,
"Be safe, young man, and never take this path again."

Ravi didn’t feel her touch but experienced an unexplainable sensation. Shaking it off, he sped ahead. After driving a bit, he glanced back in the side mirror.

The couple and the light had vanished.

As promised, the cement road appeared ahead. As soon as his car hit the road, both headlights came back on.

In the distance, he saw a large group of people with torches and lanterns. Recognizing Bharadwaj uncle among them, Ravi stopped the car and ran towards him.

uncle hugged him tightly, relief washing over his face.

"What happened, uncle? Why is everyone out here? Where is Pratima?" Ravi bombarded him with questions.

Bharadwaj uncle embraced Ravi tightly and said, "Let’s go home and talk calmly." Turning to the villagers, he added, "We’ll discuss this tomorrow morning. It’s too late now. Everyone, please return to your homes."

uncle, along with the priest and his disciples, accompanied Ravi to their house.

The priest sprinkled holy water over Ravi and uncle, performed an evil eye cleansing ritual with lemons, and instructed them, "Now, go inside the house."

The priest’s disciples sat at the four corners of the house and were instructed to chant the Panchakshari mantra without stopping until dawn, while the priest went back to the temple to perform rituals.

Ravi found everything incredibly strange and was unsure what to say. Once inside, he confronted uncle urgently, "uncle, what is all this? What’s happening here? Where is Pratima?"

uncle, sitting calmly, gestured for Ravi to sit as well. Just then, Ravi’s aunt brought a glass of milk and said, "First, drink this milk. uncle will explain everything in detail."

After drinking the milk, Ravi turned toward uncle with questioning eyes.

"Ravi, nothing has happened to Pratima... Don’t worry," uncle began to explain.

"Since you were delayed, I sent her to the airport myself. We tried calling you many times to inform you, but your phone wasn’t reachable, likely due to lack of signal. Thinking we might spot you on the way, I sent our people out to search, but no one could find you.

"We feared you might have strayed toward the Rani Baavi junction, so I sent Ramu there. But when Ramu reached the junction, he saw your car turn into the inner road. No matter how much he called out to you, you didn’t respond. Ramu came back and told us everything, and that’s when we lost all hope, Ravi.

"No one who has gone toward Rani Baavi has ever returned. Whatever happens there remains a mystery, as no one has lived to tell the tale."

Ravi was stunned, unable to process what he was hearing.

uncle continued in a somber tone, "According to the priest, years ago, the villagers brutally tortured a couple at that spot. They burned the husband alive in front of his wife by pouring kerosene on him. As he burned, he grabbed onto the nearby sandalwood trees, causing the entire grove to go up in flames. Unable to bear the sight of her husband burning alive, the wife threw herself into the Rani Baavi and ended her life.

"Some say she was pregnant when she died. Some claim she gave birth to a baby boy before dying, while others insist it was a baby girl.

"Both the husband and wife are said to have turned into spirits, killing the villagers responsible for their deaths. The priest of that time performed extensive rituals and sealed their spirits, preventing them from entering the village.

"Since then, while deaths in the village have decreased, anyone venturing near the Rani Baavi junction has never returned. That’s why the road leading to the junction was closed, and people started using the longer route via Jandlavaram."

Hearing this, Ravi asked, "But uncle, knowing all this, why hasn’t anyone permanently blocked off that road? What if someone like me, who doesn’t know, accidentally takes it?"

uncle replied, "We’ve tried many times to barricade the junction. But by morning, everything vanishes—fences, walls, everything is destroyed. Even if we build a wall, by dawn, the bricks and stones are scattered everywhere."

After a pause, uncle asked, "Tell me, Ravi, what exactly happened after you turned toward that junction?"

Ravi recounted everything that had happened in detail—how he encountered the couple, their guidance, and how he eventually reached the cement road.

The clock struck 3:00 AM. Everyone decided to rest for the night and discuss further in the morning.

As Ravi headed to bed, he overheard uncle murmuring to Shailaja aunty, "Why do you think they didn’t harm him? What might have stopped them?"

Ravi lay on his bed, reflecting on everything. Opening his email, he found a service invoice dated two days ago for Pratima’s car.

Suddenly, memories flooded back—his car lights shutting off, the eerie sound of palm leaves stopping abruptly, the change in the atmosphere, the sandalwood scent, the couple’s cryptic behaviour, and the disappearing light after they left the car.

Ravi couldn’t stop wondering:
Why did the spirits react to Radhamma’s name the way they did? Why had the old man suddenly yelled for him to turn left? What would have happened if he had gone straight?
Were the spirits genuinely planning to harm him, as the villagers feared?

Questions piled up, but there were no answers. Ravi drifted into an uneasy sleep, haunted by the night’s events.

Originally written in Telugu, here is the link to the original story: రాణి బావి