The Secret Room

A Short Story by G.S.Vasukumar

Note: - This story is based on a classic French short story ‘Blue Beard’ by Charles Perrault. Though the theme is same, I have made some changes and presented it in my way.

This had happened once upon a time, black beard, as he was nick named, was the richest man in the town. But he had a scary black beard, which made him so frightful to others.

He had fallen in love with a weaver’s daughter, who was stunningly beautiful and much younger than him. He decided to marry her and approached her father. Her father was reluctant to give her hand in marriage to him as he had married many times earlier, and no one knew what happened to his wives. They just disappeared after some time after their marrying him. Also no one in the town dared to question him in this regard.

The weaver's daughter agreed to marry him, but on one condition that he should remove his black beard, before their marriage. He agreed and looked much younger after her removed his beard.She really enjoyed her marital life.

They lived in a big mansion, which had many rooms. She had access to all the rooms, except one; which was always locked. She was curious to know what was in that particular room.

One month passed by, then he told her that he had to live the town on some business and would return the next morning. He told her to request her best friend to come and stay with her until his return.He gave her all the keys, including the one to that secret room. However, he told her not to enter that room. If she disobeyed him, then she would she the beast in him. She promised to obey him.

But, when he left, she entered the room with a candle. She found the floor was clotted with blood and the corpses of several dead women. There were the women whom he had married, and whose throats were slit, one after the other, with a sharp knife. She was shocked and bewildered seeing this horror. She locked the room and joined her friend in her room.

Next morning, he came back and asked for the keys. She returned them shivering. He found the blood strain on her dress.

"You disobeyed me!" He cried enraged.

"I'm sorry. Why did you kill them?" She asked shivering in fear.

"They all had disobeyed me. I was protecting one secret from them. I had married my first wife, who was exceptionally beautiful, but proved unfaithful. So I had to kill her, and my other wives for finding my secret. Now, it's your turn to die." He said taking out a sharp knife from the drawer of his desk.

It shined in the bright sun light coming from the window.

"Please don't do this!" She pleaded, falling on her knees, before him. "I love you."

"They all loved me too, except the first one. But they all disobeyed me." He said coming forward.

"I will always obey you." She replied with tears filled in her eyes. "I promise!"

"But the promise is already broken." He said keeping the sharp end of the knife before her neck.

"Prepare to die!"The blood flowed from her neck to her breasts.

It was not her, but his. His throat was slit, and he fell down on the floor. Her best friend was holding a knife, which was dripping with blood.

"Now he can join his other wives." She said pulling her up on her feet.

"Thank you." She said hugging her.

The End