Published on: November 11, 2024
This is the story of Shanno, a girl from Belapur village who had a deep fascination for jewelry since childhood. Even as a child, she used to adorn herself with jewelry. When she grew up, she was married to a poor man named Mohan. Although her husband took care of her and looked after her, he couldn’t fulfill all her desires.
Shanno: “Oh my God! What kind of husband did I get? Even the necklace he gave me at our wedding was only silver, and he even had it plated with gold!”
Saying this, Shanno resumes her chores. A while later, she goes to her sister-in-law’s room and sees a gold ring on the bed. Her sister-in-law had come to stay for a few days and was bathing at the time. Taking advantage of the moment, Shanno takes the ring and brings it to her room.
Shanno (taking a deep breath): “Oh, this gold and silver! One day, they’ll make me the biggest thief in Belapur village.”
Shanno hides the ring. Time passes, and soon Shanno starts stealing jewelry from neighbors’ homes or her own family’s homes and hides everything in her jewelry box.
One day, Shanno‘s mother-in-law says:
Mother-in-law: “Shanno, go fetch some water from the well. The tap has been dry since morning.”
Shanno: “Mother, I’m very tired. Why don’t you go?”
Mother-in-law: “Beware, dear daughter-in-law! If I go, you’ll have to face the consequences.”
Shanno (to herself): “My mother-in-law is fiercer than a lion. I better go myself before she does something drastic.”
Shanno goes to fetch water. On her way back, she stumbles over a stone, and her foot starts to bleed.
Shanno (in pain): “Oh God, I’m hurt! What should I do now? I shouldn’t have ignored Mother’s request. I think I’ll just sit and rest here by this old haunted ruin for a bit.”
As soon as Shanno sits down to rest, she hears the clinking of bangles. She looks inside the ruin and finds a gold bangle.
Shanno: “Wow, golden bangles! I wanted golden bangles anyway, and now I don’t even need to steal them because I’ve found them here in this ruin.”
As Shanno says this to herself, she notices another bangle lying ahead.
Shanno: “What’s this? Another bangle?”
In this way, Shanno finds four bangles one after another. Feeling delighted, she wears them and goes home. Later, she removes the bangles and places them in her cupboard. As she shuts the mirror door of the cupboard, she notices a shadow in the reflection. Shanno turns around, but no one is there.
Shanno (scared): “What’s happening to me? Why did I feel like I just saw someone?”
Shanno brushes it off as her imagination and gets back to her chores. A while later, she hears the sound of bangles clinking again.
Shanno: “Where is this sound coming from? Could it be that Mother has found out about my golden bangles and is wearing them? If that’s the case, it would be a disaster. I should check the cupboard and see if my bangles are still there.”
She goes back to her room and finds the cupboard in disarray. The gold bangles are lying on the bed.
Shanno (in surprise): “I had placed these bangles in the cupboard. How did they end up here, and why is everything scattered around?”
That night, as she and her husband sleep, the cupboard opens by itself, and the bangles slip onto Shanno‘s hands. Her husband hears the sound of the bangles.
Husband: “Shanno, take off those bangles. They’re keeping me awake.”
Unbeknownst to her, Shanno has the bangles on her hands, but she’s no longer in her human form—she has taken on a demonic appearance. As her husband opens his eyes, he screams in fear.
Husband: “Oh my, you weren’t just a troublesome wife, but a real witch as well!”
Shanno: “What are you talking about?”
When Shanno looks at herself in the cupboard mirror, she sees herself in a witch’s form and becomes terrified. She runs out of the house and quickly loses her mind.
Now, as a witch, Shanno laughs maniacally and roams around the village. The village watchman spots her in her witch form.
Watchman (terrified): “S-save me! Somebody, please save me from this witch!”
Hearing the watchman’s cries, Shanno reverts to her usual appearance and approaches him.
Shanno: “Oh, Uncle Watchman, why are you so scared of me?”
Then Shanno transforms back into a witch.
Witch: “Run as much as you like, but I’ll remain in this girl’s body until I get back what’s mine!”
The terrified watchman says, “Shanno, you have turned into a witch! What do I do now? I must run to save my life.”
The watchman escapes, but the witch inside Shanno leads her back to the ruin where she found the bangles. The witch keeps Shanno in the ruin all night, and when Shanno wakes up the next morning, she finds herself there, with no memory of the previous night. As she returns home, she sees a crowd gathered outside her house.
Watchman: “Believe me, everyone! Shanno has turned into a witch, and if I hadn’t saved myself, she would’ve killed me.”
Village Head (to Shanno’s husband): “Is this true? You’re her husband; you should know about it.”
Husband: “Yes, Village Head. It’s true; my wife turns into a witch at night. But how this shadow came upon her, I do not know.”
Village Head: “If that’s the case, we can’t let Shanno go outside at night. As her husband, it’s your duty to keep her bound at night. If you don’t, any villager’s life could be at risk.”
After the villagers leave, Shanno realizes that she’s possessed by a witch. Deeply distressed, she asks her husband:
Shanno: “Please, tie my hands to the bed at night. If I’m bound, maybe I won’t go out and scare anyone.”
While Shanno is sleeping beside her husband, she feels thirsty. As she rises, she looks in the cupboard mirror and sees a witch sitting beside her, holding the same bangles she had taken from the ruin.
Shanno (scared): “W-who are you?”
The witch ignores her question and enters her body again. Seeing Shanno as the witch, her husband questions her.
Husband: “Who are you?”
Witch: “I am the owner of these bangles. Your wife stole them from me, and until these bangles are returned to their rightful place, I won’t leave her. I’ll take her life before I leave.”
Husband: “If I return your bangles to the ruin, will you leave my village and my wife forever?”
The witch agrees, and Shanno’s husband takes the bangles back to the ruin, where his wife had taken them. The witch then departs. When Shanno regains her senses, her husband explains:
Husband: “Look, Shanno, I would mortgage this house for you, but please don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you. One mistake not only harms you but also brings trouble upon us all.”
Understanding her mistake, Shanno promises her husband that she will never steal again. From then on, she lives peacefully without any further problems.
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