The Hungry Stone by Rabindranath Tagore

Hungry Stone by Rabindranath Tagore 

Hungry Stones is a Bengali short story written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1895. The story explores mystery, fear, love, and the supernatural.

A traveler and his cousin meet a very knowledgeable man named Srijut on a train. While waiting for another train, Srijut tells them a strange story from his past.

Srijut once worked as a collector of cotton duties at Barich, where he lived alone in an old marble palace. The palace had been built about 250 years earlier by Emperor Mahmud Shah II as a luxurious pleasure palace filled with fountains, music, and beautiful Persian women. Now it was deserted and believed to be haunted. An old clerk, Karim Khan, warned him never to stay there at night, but Srijut ignored the warning.

At first, Srijut felt lonely in the palace. Soon, however, the palace began to cast a strange spell over him. One evening, he heard the laughter and footsteps of invisible women bathing in the river. Although he could not see them clearly, he felt their presence and became fascinated.

As the nights passed, the palace seemed to come alive. Srijut heard music, fountains, anklets, and voices from the past. He often imagined himself living in the Mughal period instead of the present. He even saw visions of a beautiful Persian girl who appeared and disappeared like a dream.

One night, an invisible woman silently guided him through the dark palace. She led him toward a secret room guarded by a sleeping eunuch. Just as Srijut was about to enter, the guard woke up, his sword fell with a loud noise, and Srijut suddenly woke from the dream.

From then on, Srijut's days and nights became completely different. During the day, he worked as a government officer, but at night he felt he belonged to the ancient palace. He dressed in Mughal clothes, wandered through the palace, and searched for the mysterious Persian woman. He became deeply attached to the dreams and visions.

Later, he heard a sorrowful voice begging him to rescue a trapped woman from the world of illusion and dreams. The palace seemed to hold the memories and spirits of its glorious past, slowly pulling Srijut away from reality.

The narrator becomes deeply attracted to the mysterious marble palace and the beautiful woman from the past. Even after deciding to leave, he cannot forget the palace and returns to it.

One stormy night, he feels the presence of a woman crying in great pain. He senses her sadness, hears her sobs, and realizes that the palace is filled with the suffering of people who lived there long ago.

Every morning, the madman Meher Ali walks around the palace shouting, "Stand back! All is false!" The narrator asks him what he means, but Meher Ali gives no answer.

The narrator then asks Karim Khan about the mystery. Karim Khan explains that the palace was once a place of luxury, love, jealousy, and tragedy. The pain and unfulfilled desires of those who lived there have cursed the palace. Its stones have become "hungry" and trap anyone who stays there for more than three nights. Only Meher Ali escaped, but he lost his sanity.

The narrator asks if there is any way to escape the curse. Karim Khan says there is a way, but first he must tell the tragic story of a young Persian girl who once lived in the palace.

Before Karim Khan can continue, the train arrives. The storyteller leaves, and the listeners never hear the rest of the story.

At the end, one listener believes the entire story is made up, while another believes it is true. This disagreement ends their friendship, leaving the mystery of the hungry stones unsolved.