Document 1: Obituary - The City Gazette, 1888
Mahaan Khapi - A Pillar of Our Community, Gone Too Soon
It is with profound sorrow that we announce the untimely passing of Mahaan Khapi, a respected businessman and philanthropist. Mr. Khapi, aged 52, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his family estate, 'Shanti Bhavan', last night. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Mrs. Lakshmi Mahaan, and two sons, Vikram and Rohan. Mr. Khapi's contributions to the city's development and charitable works will be sorely missed. Funeral services will be held at Shanti Bhavan on the 15th of this month. The city mourns the loss of a true visionary.
Document 2: Excerpt from Police Case File - Case No. 1889-Delta-42, Investigating Officer: Inspector Sharma
Subject: Death of Vikram Mahaan
Date of Incident: March 2nd, 1889
Summary of Initial Findings: Mr. Vikram Mahaan, eldest son of the late Mahaan Khapi, found deceased at Shanti Bhavan. Cause of death initially ruled as accidental fall from the estate's balcony. However, further investigation reveals evidence of foul play. Witness statements indicate a heated argument between the deceased and his younger brother, Rohan Mahaan, regarding inheritance distribution following their father's death. Bruising on the victim's neck suggests possible strangulation prior to the fall.
Current Status: Case reclassified as homicide. Rohan Mahaan is currently the prime suspect and is being held for further questioning.
Document 3: Letter from Lakshmi Mahaan to Mrs. Indira Patel, dated June 10th, 1890
My Dearest Indira,
Life has become a cruel jest. Barely a year since Khapi left us, and now Vikram too. You know how close my boys were, yet the whispers… the accusations… it's tearing me apart. Rohan insists it was an accident, and I so desperately want to believe him. But the shadow of suspicion hangs heavy over this house.
I am trying to rebuild, to find solace. Rajesh, you remember Rajesh from the Merchant Guild? He's been a kind presence during these dark times. He's proposed marriage, and Indira, I am considering it. Shanti Bhavan is too large, too silent, and the loneliness… it's consuming me. Perhaps a new beginning is what we all need.
With a heavy heart,
Lakshmi
Document 4: Telegram from the City Police Department to District Police – August 27th, 1891
URGENT. CONFIRM DEATH RAJESH VERMA. APPARENT HEART ATTACK. REQUEST IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION. RECENT HISTORY OF SPOUSAL DEATH INVOLVING WIFE LAKSHMI VERMA (FORMERLY MAHAAN). SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.
Document 5: Diary Entry – Rohan Mahaan, November 12th, 1892
They say time heals all wounds. A lie. Time only buries them deeper, leaving scars that ache with every passing moon. Vikram… Father… Rajesh… all gone. And Mother… she left. Fled to England with a new husband, a stranger I've never met. They say she's cursed. That death follows her like a shadow. Perhaps they are right. I am alone now, truly alone in this crumbling mansion, haunted by ghosts of my past and the chilling silence of my future. I am lost, wandering through life, searching for something, anything, to anchor me to sanity.
Document 6: Postcard from Geneva, Switzerland – undated, circa 1898
My dearest Emilia,
The Alps are breathtaking. Truly, the end of the world feels like it might be just beyond these snow-capped peaks. And yet, standing here with you, hand in hand, I feel…found. You are my anchor, my light in this endless darkness that has followed me for so long. I never thought I could feel this again – this warmth, this joy. You are my world, Emilia. Forever yours, Rohan.
Document 7: Excerpt from Swiss Police Report – Case File CH-1899-GR-78, Officer Dubois
Subject: Accidental Death – Emilia Rossi
Date of Incident: April 5th, 1899
Location: Hiking trail, near Grindelwald, Switzerland
Summary: Ms. Emilia Rossi, while hiking with her fiancé, Mr. Rohan Mahaan, suffered a fatal fall from a mountain trail. Preliminary investigation suggests the incident was purely accidental. The trail was known to be slippery due to recent rainfall. Mr. Mahaan is understandably distraught.
Document 8: Letter from Anil Verma (Emilia's son) to Rohan Mahaan – July 1st, 1899
You… you monster! You killed her! You couldn't even keep her safe! My mother… she loved you, she trusted you! And you let her fall. It's your fault! Everything is your fault!
Document 9: Last Will and Testament of Rohan Mahaan – August 15th, 1899
To Whom It May Concern,
By the time you read this, I will be gone. Life has become an unbearable weight. The ghosts of those I've loved, lost because of me, or near me, haunt my every waking moment. I cannot escape the shadow of my family, the Mahaan curse. Perhaps in death, I will find peace, and finally, forgiveness from those I have wronged, intentionally or not. I leave everything to… no, there is no one left to inherit this cursed legacy. Let it all crumble to dust.
Rohan Mahaan.
Document 10: Children's Drawing – Crayons on paper, found tucked in a dusty book in Shanti Bhavan, circa 1915
Drawing depicts a smiling woman with sharp teeth and two smaller, stick-figure children.
Written underneath in childish scrawl: Mummy happy. Daddy gone. Scary mummy.
Document 11: Anonymous Letter to Inspector Sharma – Received at City Police Station, March 5th, 1915
Inspector,
You remember the Mahaan case? Decades ago? Look into the death of Ravi Kumar. Recent case. Wife, Priya Kumar. Look closer, Inspector. Much closer. Money changed hands. Some uniforms are lined with gold, not integrity. The children know. They saw. But children's voices are easily silenced, aren't they?
A Concerned Citizen.
Document 12 & 13: Newspaper Clippings – The City Gazette, March 1916
Tragedy Strikes Again: Kumar Children Found Deceased
Second Kumar Child Dies in Mysterious Circumstances
Both articles detail the separate, sudden deaths of the two Kumar children, initially attributed to illness and accident respectively. Whispers of foul play are mentioned but quickly dismissed due to lack of evidence.
Document 14: Marriage Announcement – Social Pages of The City Gazette, July 1917
Inspector Dev Sharma and Mrs. Priya Kumar joyfully announce their marriage. The ceremony was a private affair…
Document 15: Fragment of a Diary Page – Anjali Sharma (Dev Sharma's daughter), April 10th, 1925
…He doesn't understand. None of them do. Raj… Papa… they are blind. Blinded by her. I told Raj, I told him I couldn't bear it anymore. He just laughed, told me to be silly, that she was our mother now. But she's not! She's… she's poison. He doesn't understand the emptiness, the way she looks at us sometimes. Like we are… inconvenient. He says I imagine things. But I saw her, that night… after… after… him. He saw the smile too. I know he did. But he won't talk about it. Nobody will… It hurts… it hurts so much… Goodbye then…
(The rest of the page is torn off)
Document 16: Hospital Admission Report – City General Hospital, October 28th, 1926
Patient Name: Raj Sharma
Admitted for: Stab wound to abdomen – self-inflicted (later confirmed as inflicted by another party)
Attending Physician's Notes: Patient semi-conscious upon arrival, exhibiting extreme emotional distress and incoherent ramblings about "truth," "poison," and "her smile."
Document 17: Prison Visitor Log – City Central Jail, November 15th, 1926
Visitor Name: Prisoner – Dev Sharma (Cell Block C, #34)
Visited by: Prisoner – … (Name redacted for security reasons) (Cell Block B, #12)
Purpose of Visit: Unspecified. Guards noted raised voices and heated exchange but no physical altercation during the visit.
Document 18: News Flash – Radio Broadcast Interruption, January 5th, 1927
…We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin. Tragic news from the Sharma family. Raj and Deepak Sharma, sons of incarcerated former Police Inspector Dev Sharma, were found dead earlier today in…
Document 19: Prison Incident Report – City Central Jail, January 12th, 1927
Subject: Inmate-on-Inmate Assault – Incident Report # CJ-1927-IA-01
Perpetrator: Dev Sharma (Cell Block C, #34)
Victim: … (Name redacted) (Cell Block B, #12)
Summary: Inmate Sharma attacked and fatally wounded Inmate … during common area exercise time. Motive believed to be revenge related to the recent deaths of Sharma's sons.
Document 20: Execution Order – City Courts, May 10th, 1927
By order of the City High Court, Dev Sharma is to be executed by hanging for the crime of murder perpetrated within the City Central Jail. Execution date set for May 25th, 1927.
Document 21: Fragment of Ancient Scroll – Language experts identify as archaic Sanskrit, undated
…The duel was set. Father decreed it. Favor to the victor. Khapi, swift and cunning, prevailed. Khabi… burned. Not just flesh, but soul. Patience, he vowed. Patience, and vengeance. A slow, consuming fire…
Document 22: Letter – Unsigned, Unaddressed, found in a hidden compartment in Shanti Bhavan, dated 1887
My dear… (Name indecipherable, likely intentionally erased),
The game is set. Khapi believes he has won. Fools. They see only the surface, the fleeting victory. But I see the generations. I plant seeds of discord, of despair. His lineage will wither, rot from within. The wife… pliable. The sons… easily manipulated. The web is intricate, spun over decades. Each thread, a carefully placed tragedy. Death will be their inheritance. And I, from the shadows, will watch it all unravel. Justice, long delayed, is finally at hand.
Document 23: Toxicology Report – Private Laboratory Analysis, 1950 (referencing samples from 1928)
Substance Identified: Highly potent, untraceable plant-based toxin. Symptoms consistent with rapid organ failure. Found in trace amounts in food samples analyzed from the dinner party held at … (Name redacted) estate, 1928.
Document 24: Confession Letter – Found amongst personal effects of … (Name redacted), deceased 1930, daughter of Khabi
Father… forgive me, if you can. I loved Rohan. His kindness, his sadness… it mirrored my own. But you… you saw only revenge. Your brother, your feud, consumed you. You were not a father, only a shadow of hatred. I poison you now, not for Rohan, but for myself. For a chance at peace, however fleeting. My brother… he understands. He helped me. We both deserve to be free of this… this Mahaan curse.
Document 25: Diary Entry – … (Name redacted), second son of Khabi, July 12th, 1930
Sister… what have you done? Father, now her… The cycle… it never ends. I thought we could break free, build something new. But she's… changed. The poison, perhaps, has seeped into more than just Father's food. She looks at me now… with those same cold eyes. I fear… I fear for my own life. This diary… if anything happens to me…
(The entry abruptly ends)
Document 26: News Report – International News Wire Service, August 2nd, 1931
…Unrest in … (Country redacted). Reports indicate … (Family name, redacted, but context strongly suggests the Khabi family lineage) estate has been overrun by rebels. The head of the family, … (Name redacted, Khabi's daughter), is reported dead in the uprising…
Document 27: Refugee Camp Records – Border Crossing Camp, … (Country redacted), 1932
Record # RC-1932-UNH-456: Deceased – Female child, approx. 15 years old, no identification. Cause of death: Malnutrition and dehydration.
Record # RC-1932-UNH-457: Deceased – Male child, approx. 11 years old, no identification. Cause of death: Malnutrition and dehydration. (Note: Found near deceased RC-1932-UNH-456. Presumed siblings.)
Document 28: Historian's Note – Dr. Anya Sharma, Epilogue to "A Chronicle of Shadows: The Mahaan Family Saga", 2023
The Mahaan name, once synonymous with prosperity and philanthropy, became a chilling whisper in the annals of history. From the patriarch Khapi to his distant descendants, death was the constant companion, orchestrated by greed, revenge, and a relentless curse born from a father's cruel favour and a brother's burning rage. The last embers of the Mahaan line faded in the cold harsh reality of a refugee camp, two nameless children, victims of a feud they never knew. The curse, it seems, claimed every soul, leaving behind only silence and the lingering question: is vengeance ever truly worth the price? And can any family, once touched by such darkness, ever truly escape its grasp?