Life’s Secret: A Tale of Magic and Betrayal

Adapted from Tales of India: Folktales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu

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The King’s Two Queens

In a prosperous kingdom of ancient India, there lived a king with two queens, Duo and Suo. Though the king had ruled for many years and his realm flourished, a shadow of sadness hung over the royal palace—neither queen had been blessed with a child. The king longed for an heir to continue his dynasty, but as the years passed, his hopes began to fade.

One day, a holy mendicant, a Faquir known for his mystical powers, arrived at the palace gates seeking alms. Queen Suo approached him with a handful of rice as an offering. The mendicant looked at her thoughtfully and asked if she had any children. When she sadly replied that she did not, the holy man refused her offering, explaining that according to tradition, the hands of a childless woman were considered ceremonially incomplete.

Seeing the queen’s disappointment, the Faquir’s heart softened. “I can help you overcome your barrenness,” he said, “if you truly wish it.”

Queen Suo’s face brightened with hope. “Nothing would bring me greater joy,” she replied earnestly.

The mendicant reached into his robes and produced a small packet. “Take this remedy,” he instructed, “and swallow it with the juice of the pomegranate flower. If you do this, you will bear a son whose complexion will be as vibrant as the pomegranate blossom itself. You shall name him Dalim Kumar.”

Before departing, the holy man leaned closer and spoke in a hushed tone. “I must warn you—there will be those who wish harm upon your child. Listen carefully: your son’s life will be bound to a large boal fish that lives in the royal tank before the palace. Within that fish’s heart rests a wooden box, and inside that box lies a golden necklace. That necklace contains your son’s life force. Guard this secret well.” With these mysterious words, the Faquir departed.

The Birth of a Prince

Within a month, whispers spread throughout the palace that Queen Suo was with child. The king was overjoyed at the prospect of finally having an heir. Visions of his dynasty continuing for generations filled his mind, bringing him happiness he had never known before.

The customary ceremonies were performed with great splendor, and the kingdom erupted in celebration at the news. When Queen Suo finally gave birth to a son of extraordinary beauty, the king’s heart swelled with pride and joy. The infant’s complexion glowed with the rich hue of pomegranate blossoms, just as the Faquir had foretold. The ceremony of the child’s first rice was celebrated with unprecedented magnificence, and the entire kingdom shared in the royal family’s happiness.

The Jealous Stepmother

As the years passed, Dalim Kumar grew into a handsome and lively boy. Of all activities, he most enjoyed playing with his pet pigeons. This innocent pastime, however, would become the source of grave danger.

Dalim’s pigeons had a peculiar habit of flying into the chambers of Queen Duo, his stepmother. The first time this happened, she returned them willingly to the young prince. The second time, she showed some reluctance. Queen Duo had grown increasingly bitter since Dalim’s birth, for the king now showered all his attention on the child and his mother, neglecting his first queen more than ever.

Through palace gossip, Queen Duo had learned that a holy man had revealed some secret about the boy’s life to Queen Suo—that his life was bound up with something, though she didn’t know what. She determined to discover this secret and use it to her advantage.

The next time Dalim’s pigeons flew into her chambers, Queen Duo refused to return them. “I’ll give your pigeons back on one condition,” she told the boy with false sweetness. “You must tell me something.”

“What is it, Mother?” asked Dalim innocently.

“I want to know in what your life is contained,” she said. “A holy mendicant told your mother that your life is bound up with something. I wish to know what that thing is.”

“I don’t understand,” replied Dalim, confused. “How can my life be anywhere except within me?”

“Promise to ask your mother about this secret,” insisted Queen Duo, “and tell me what she says. Also, you must not tell her that I asked for this information.”

Eager to recover his beloved birds, Dalim agreed to these conditions. Queen Duo released the pigeons, and in his joy at being reunited with them, the boy promptly forgot the conversation.

The Secret Revealed

The following day, however, the pigeons again flew into Queen Duo’s chambers. When Dalim came to retrieve them, his stepmother reminded him of his promise. The boy assured her he would ask his mother that very day and pleaded for his pigeons’ release.

After his play, Dalim approached his mother. “Mother,” he asked, “please tell me in what my life is contained.”

Queen Suo was shocked by the question. “What do you mean, my child?”

“I heard that a holy man told you my life is contained in something,” persisted Dalim. “What is that thing?”

“My treasure, my golden moon,” his mother replied anxiously, “do not ask such an inauspicious question! May the mouths of our enemies be filled with ashes, and may you live forever!”

But Dalim was determined. He declared he would neither eat nor drink until he learned the secret. Finally, pressed by her son’s stubbornness, Queen Suo revealed the secret of his life in an unguarded moment.

The next day, when Dalim’s pigeons predictably flew into Queen Duo’s chambers, the stepmother extracted the precious information from the unsuspecting boy with honeyed words.

The False Illness

Armed with this dangerous knowledge, Queen Duo wasted no time implementing her malicious plan. She instructed her servants to gather dried hemp stalks, which make a sound similar to cracking bones when pressed. These she placed beneath her bed before lying down and announcing she had fallen gravely ill.

Though the king did not love her as deeply as he once had, duty compelled him to visit her sickbed. Queen Duo tossed about dramatically, causing the hemp stalks to create convincing cracking sounds. “My bones are breaking!” she cried in feigned agony.

Believing his queen seriously ill, the king summoned his finest physician—who was secretly in league with Queen Duo. After examining the patient, the physician declared, “Your Majesty, there is only one remedy for the queen’s condition. It requires the application of something found inside a large boal fish living in the royal tank.”

The king immediately ordered his fishermen to catch the specified fish. With the first cast of the net, the boal was caught.

Life and Death

It happened that Dalim Kumar was playing with his friends near the tank when the fish was caught. The moment the boal was trapped in the net, Dalim suddenly felt weak. When the fish was brought to land, the boy collapsed as if his life were ebbing away.

Servants rushed him to his mother’s chambers, while the king was bewildered by his son’s unexpected illness. Meanwhile, following the physician’s instructions, the fish was taken to Queen Duo’s room. As it lay on the floor, its fins striking against the ground in its death throes, Dalim’s condition worsened.

When the fish was cut open, a small wooden casket was discovered inside. Within the casket lay a golden necklace. The moment Queen Duo placed the necklace around her neck, Dalim Kumar died in his mother’s arms.

The Grieving King

News of his beloved son’s death plunged the king into overwhelming grief, which was not lessened by reports of Queen Duo’s miraculous recovery. He wept so bitterly over Dalim’s body that his courtiers feared for his sanity.

Unable to accept the sudden, inexplicable death of his heir, the king refused to allow Dalim’s body to be either buried or cremated. Instead, he ordered it to be placed in a garden house on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by provisions as if the prince might still need them. The house was kept locked, with only Dalim’s closest friend—the son of the prime minister—permitted to enter once each day.

Between Life and Death

With Queen Suo living in seclusion due to her grief, the king now spent his nights exclusively with Queen Duo. To avoid suspicion, she removed the golden necklace each night before sleeping. By some mysterious working of fate, Dalim remained dead only while the necklace encircled the queen’s neck. Each night when she set it aside, he returned to life, only to die again the next morning when she put it on.

During these nightly revivals, Dalim would eat from the provisions stored in the garden house, walk about the grounds, and contemplate his strange existence. His friend, who visited only during daylight hours, always found him lifeless, but was puzzled by several observations: the body showed no signs of decay, the food left the previous day had been consumed, and the position of the corpse had changed.

Determined to solve this mystery, the friend concealed himself in the garden one night. At midnight, he witnessed an astonishing sight—Dalim rose from his deathbed, ate heartily, and walked about as if perfectly alive. Just before dawn, the prince returned to his bed and became a corpse once more.

The Plan for Rescue

The next day, Dalim’s friend revealed what he had witnessed. Together, they deduced the connection between Queen Duo’s necklace and Dalim’s life. They resolved to recover the necklace by any means necessary.

Having regular access to the queen’s chambers, Dalim’s friend visited her and carefully scanned the room for the necklace, but it was nowhere to be seen—likely hidden in a secret drawer. He decided to use cunning instead.

“Your Majesty,” he said casually, “I had the strangest dream last night.”

“What did you dream?” asked the queen, intrigued.

“I dreamed that you and my mother were living in the same house,” he began. “You were sleeping, and because of the heat, you had placed your necklace on a table beside your bed. A cat crept into the room and stole the necklace. I shouted, frightening the cat, which dropped the necklace as it fled. I then returned the necklace to your table.”

“How curious,” replied the queen, suspecting nothing. “That could easily happen. When I sleep, I always place my necklace on the bedside table. Any cat might take it, for there are many in the palace.”

The Rescue and Escape

Having obtained the information he sought, Dalim’s friend returned to the queen’s bedroom that night while she slept. As expected, the golden necklace lay on the table beside her bed. He quickly seized it and hurried to the garden house.

The moment he placed the necklace around Dalim’s neck, the prince awoke, though dawn had not yet broken. Knowing they would face the king’s wrath when the queen’s death and the necklace’s disappearance were discovered, the two friends fled the kingdom immediately.

They traveled to a distant land where, through the power of the necklace, Dalim acquired immense wealth and lived in happiness and security.

The King’s Discovery

Back in the kingdom, when Dalim’s friend failed to appear at the palace the following day, the king sent messengers to his home. They learned he had left the previous evening and had not returned. The king then dispatched messengers to the garden house, only to discover it empty—Dalim’s body was gone.

When the king rushed to Queen Duo’s chambers, he found her dead, the necklace missing. Only then did he understand her treachery. Despite everything, he honored her with a proper royal burial, then sent messengers in all directions searching for Dalim and his friend, but they were never found.

In time, the king’s grief subsided, and he ruled justly with Queen Suo by his side. And far away, Prince Dalim lived a full life, always keeping the golden necklace close—the extraordinary object that contained his very existence.

Thus my story endeth,
The Natiya-thorn withereth…

This tale reminds us that life itself is a precious and sometimes fragile gift, and that true friendship can overcome even the darkest of enchantments.