H. G. Wells 
Pearl of Love 

First published in ‘The Strand Magazine’ in 1925, ‘The Pearl of Love’ by H.G. Wells is an allegorical tale of love, devotion, and loss.Inspired by ancient Persian literature, this short story tells the fable of a bereaved Indian prince whose beloved wife dies young. Much in the same way as Shah Jahan (the fifth Mughal emperor of India) built the Taj Mahal as a shrine to his late wife, the prince in this story devotes his life to building the perfect memorial to his lost love but, as in many tales of romance, there’s a cruel twist that pulls at his heart. —