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[Update 16 Begins]
Raat ke ek baje ka waqt tha. Arjun chhat par akela khada tha, lekin uske mann mein tufaan macha hua tha. Us raat ki cheezein—Savita, woh awaazein, aur sabse zyada, woh reflection jo der se blink kiya tha—sab kuch uske dimag mein ghoom raha tha.
"Kya ho raha hai mere saath?" Arjun ne dheere se khud se kaha.
Tabhi uske dimaag mein ek purani yaad chamki—Update 5 waali raat. Woh darwaza knock karne waali aurat… jo kehti thi, "Beta, darwaza kholo... main hoon, tumhari maa."
Arjun ne aankhon se haath hataaya. "Woh meri maa nahi thi. Toh kaun thi?"
(Shayad usi ne us waqt Arjun ke dimag ko block kar diya tha. Lekin ab, woh blockage dheere dheere hatt raha tha.)
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Agli Subah –
Nashte ke baad Arjun seedha apne pitaji ka purana study room kholne gaya. Yeh kamra kuch mahino se band tha. Usne chabi ghumaayi—kharrrr... click!
Andar andhera tha, lekin ek alag si energy mehsoos ho rahi thi.
Diwaron par kuch purani files thi, ek almari jisme purani diaries aur documents the. Arjun ne sab kuch palatna shuru kiya.
Ek diary mili—“Rajveer Singh Rathore” ke naam se. Arjun ke pita ki handwriting thi.
Usne padna shuru kiya:
> "15 January, 2001 – Aaj phir se us aurat ne darwaze par dastak di. Pichli baar jaise hi main uske kareeb gaya, uska chehra badal gaya… aankhen... laal... aur ek ajeeb muskaan. Woh mere pita ko bhi dikhi thi, jab main chhota tha."
Arjun ka dil dhak-dhak karne laga.
"Toh yeh jo mere saath ho raha hai, woh pehle bhi hua tha? Mere pita ne bhi us 'aurat' ka samna kiya tha?"
--- arjun gav ki liye nikla aur usko savita ka khyal aaya wo uske ghar ki taraf chal diya
Savita bistar ke kinaare baithi thi, sari theek karte hue. Arjun ne use pyaar se pukara, lekin uski awaaz mein halke sankoch ka rang tha.
Arjun: "Savita..."
(Savita ki peeth uski taraf thi, lekin uske kandhe thode se sakht ho gaye.)
Savita (narmi se): "Tumhe chalna chahiye, Arjun. Yeh sab... galat tha."
Arjun ne use rokne ki koshish ki, par usne aankhon mein dekha – wo guilt se nahi, dar se bhag rahi thi.
Arjun: "Mujhe afsos nahi hai. Tumse judna... mujhe lagta hai main jee raha hoon."
Savita: "Aur mujhe lagta hai main doob jaaungi..."
(Usne palat kar dekha – aankhon mein aansu the, par usne muskurane ki koshish ki.)
Savita: "Jaao. Gaon chhota hai... log sab dekhte hain."
Arjun kuch aur kehne wala tha, lekin uski aankhon ne keh diya – "Ab nahi."
Arjun ghar laut aaya. Man bohot bhaari tha. Savita ke sparsh, uski saans ki garmi, uska jhukna, aur phir uska door chale jaana—sab kuch ek saath dimaag mein ghoom raha tha.
Din bhar ghar mein sab usse kuch poochhte rahe, par uska man Savita ke saath bitaaye har pal mein atka tha.
Usne usse milne ki koshish nahi ki. Shayad use space chahiye thi. Shayad… khud Arjun bhi samajh nahi paa raha tha ke raat ko hua kya tha.
Arjun ne decide kiya woh usi mandir jaayega jahan woh pehli baar gaya tha. Is baar uska dhyan murtiyon se zyada deewaron pe bane symbols par tha.
Mandir ke ek kone mein ek chhota sa trisool aur ek door jaisa chinh bana tha—aur uske neeche kuch likha tha:
“Jo prachin raaz samjhe bina jaayega, uska astitva bhi chheen liya jaayega.”
Arjun ne uska photo le liya. Mandir ke pujari se baat karne ki koshish ki, lekin unhone bas itna kaha:
“Beta, kuch raaz bas chhupe rahne ke liye hote hain. Tumhare pita ne bhi poora sach nahi jaanaa tha.
Shaam ke waqt Arjun ek purani pathshala ke paas se guzar raha tha, jahan kabhi Savita apni bartan dhoya karti thi. Tabhi uske kadam thame – saamne Savita thi.
Dono ki nazar mili. Kuch pal ke liye dono chup. Phir Savita ne aankhen tod li.
Savita (udaasi se): "Kal raat tum theek the na? Tumhare chehre pe kuch alag tha..."
Arjun ne gehri saans li, uska chehra thoda sa kathin hua.
Arjun: "Savita, tumne kabhi kisi aurat ko dekha hai… jo darwaze pe aa kar kehti ho: 'Main tumhari maa hoon'?"
Savita ek pal ko thithka gayi. Uske honth khule, par awaaz nahi nikli.
Phir usne dheere se sir hilaaya.
Savita (narmi se): "Kya tumne bhi usse dekha hai...?"
Arjun ki ragon mein thandak si daud gayi.
Arjun: "Toh tum jaanti ho?"
Savita: "Us raat… jab hum ek hue… main use bhool gayi thi. Par kuch cheezein hamesha wapas aati hain, Arjun."
Arjun aage badha, uska haath pakadne ke liye.
Arjun: "Toh chhupao mat. Mujhe sab batao. Tum jaanti ho woh kaun thi, hai na?"
Savita ki aankhon mein dar tha. Par is baar usne haath nahi chhudaaya.
Arjun ki ragh-ragh mein thand si daud gayi.
Raat ko dinner ke baad Arjun ki Chachi qusse tak raat ke khaane ke baad terrace par milti hai.
Dinner ke baad, terrace par—raat ka waqt. Chandni halka sa terrace pe chamak rahi hai. Arjun railings ke paas khada hai. Chachi uske paas aati hai, haath mein shawl hai.]
Chachi (dheere se):
"Thand lag rahi hogi… le le isse."
(Woh shawl Arjun ke kandhe pe daalti hai. Dono kuch der tak chup.)
Arjun (aankhon mein uljhan):
"Chachi… aap sab kuch jaanti ho na?"
Chachi (thoda chauk kar):
"Kya matlab?"
Arjun:
"Papa ke saath kya hua tha… Haveli ke paas kya tha… woh raat jab sab kuch badal gaya tha—kya hua tha uss raat?"
Chachi (chup rehti hai, uski aankhon mein purani yaadein ubharne lagti hain):
"Tumhari maa chaahti thi ki tum in sab cheezon se door raho, hamesha. Tum chhote the, Arjun… aur kuch sach itne bhari hote hain, ki unka bojh sirf bade bhi mushkil se sambhalte hain."
Arjun (dheere se):
"Lekin main bada ho gaya hoon, Chachi. Aur mujhe lagta hai… main wohi raste pe jaa raha hoon jahan papa gaye the… bina jaane."
Chachi (gehri saans le kar):
"Tumhare papa… woh kuch dino ke liye… badal gaye the, Arjun. Jaise unki rooh kahin aur chali gayi ho. Tumhari maa ne har haalat mein unka saath diya, lekin woh… unse door hote gaye."
Arjun:
"Aisa kya dekha tha unhone?"
Chachi (uski awaaz thodi kaanpti hai):
"Ek raat… woh haveli ke paas gaye the. Keh rahe the kisi aurat ne bulaaya tha. Agle din jab laute… toh woh wahi insaan nahi the."
Arjun (gambhir):
"Woh kaun thi?"
Chachi (thoda ghabrakar):
"Main nahi jaanti, Arjun. Bas itna yaad hai… uske baad woh chup ho gaye the. Aur tumhari maa… bas sab kuch bhool jaana chahti thi."
Arjun:
"Toh aap sab ne mujhe kyun nahi bataya?"
Chachi:
"Kyuki hum sab tumse darte the. Darte the ki kahin tum bhi usi raste pe na chale jao. Tumhara chehra dekh kar mujhe us raat ki yaad aa gayi… jab tumhare papa us aurat ke baare mein baat karte karte kaanp rahe the."
(Chachi ka chehra aansuon se bheegne lagta hai.)
Chachi:
"Arjun… agar tum us haveli ke paas jaane ka soch bhi rahe ho… toh ek baar apni maa ki aankhon mein dekh lena. Woh sach ke bojh se pehle hi toot chuki h
aur tum uska aakhri sahara ho."
Agle din Arjun aur Savita ne milkar purani haveli ki talaash shuru ki.
Jungle ke beech, ek purani patli si raah, jahan se log jaane se darte the. Wahan ek bhootiya si haveli thi, jisme taale to the, lekin jaise kisi ne andar se bandh kiya ho.
Savita: “Yeh wahi jagah hai jahan se sab shuru hua tha. Tumhare pita bhi yahaan aaye the... aur shayad woh aurat bhi yahaan se nikli hai.”
Arjun ne haveli ke gate par haath rakha. Ek instant vision aayi—woh aurat, jiska chehra andhere mein badal raha tha, Arjun ko pukar rahi thi.
Us raat Arjun ne apne room ke mirror mein dekha. Tabhi ek shiny object uski aankhon mein chhup gaya.
Mirror ke peechhe ek chhoti si slit thi. Usne carefully us slit se ek folded paper nikala. Paper pe likha tha:
> “Woh rooh tumhare pita ke liye aayi thi. Lekin ab usse tum chahiye ho. Tumhara khoon—us rakhshakti ko jagane ka ekmatra zariya hai.”
Arjun ne haath se paper chhoda aur poori raat so nahi paaya.
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Savita se baat karne ke baad ek cheez confirm ho gayi—Arjun ki family par purani roohon ka ek purana sambandh tha. Uska pita, dada, aur ab khud Arjun... kisi na kisi roop mein is raaz ke paas gaye the.
Ab Arjun jaanta tha ki sirf jawabon ki talaash nahi, usse apne khandaan ko bachaana bhi tha.
Usne diary uthayi, phone band kiya, aur ek line likhi:
> “Agle paanch din mein main ya toh yeh raaz suljha lunga… ya main bhi unmein shamil ho jaaunga.”
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[Update 16 Ends]
Word Count: ~3k words
