Chapter 1
Gehri andheri raat thi. Aasmaan par kaale baadal chhaye hue the aur thandi hawa sannaate ko aur bhi daraavna bana rahi thi. Har taraf ek ajeeb si khamoshi thi, jaise waqt hi ruk gaya ho.
Us andhere ke beech ek 15 saal ki ek ladki dheere-dheere ek sunsaan ghar ki taraf badh rahi thi. Uske chehre par koi ehsaas nahi tha, jaise woh kisi anjaan taqat ke kabu mein ho. Uski nazrein sirf us purane ghar par tiki hui thi.
Ghar ki haalat dekhkar lag raha tha ki wahan sadiyon se koi nahi raha tha. Deewaron ka plaster jagah-jagah se ukhad chuka tha. Khidkiyon ke sheeshe toot chuke the aur chhat kai jagah se dhans chuki thi. Hawa chalne par purane darwaze apne aap charmarane lagte, jaise ghar ke andar koi saans le raha ho.
Ghar ke aangan mein ek purana paani ka fawwara tha. Kabhi shayad woh is ghar ki shaan raha hoga, lekin ab usme sirf ganda paani aur sukhe patte jama the. Fawware ke paas se guzarte waqt ladki ek pal ke liye ruki, phir bina kuch soche ghar ke andar chali gayi.
Andar har taraf andhera tha. Purani lakdi ki seedhiyan uske kadmon ke neeche charmarane lagi. Woh dheere-dheere seedhiyan chadhkar chhat par pahunch gayi.
Chhat par tez hawa chal rahi thi. Ladki bina dare chhat ki railing ke paas jaakar khadi ho gayi. Woh kuch pal tak neeche ki taraf dekhti rahi. Uske chehre par na darr tha, na ghabrahat... sirf ek ajeeb si khamoshi.
Achanak usne ek kadam aage badhaya...
Aur agle hi pal woh chhat se neeche kud gayi.
"Nahi...!"
Zor se cheekhte hue Payal ki neend khul gayi.
Uski saansein bahut tez chal rahi thi. Poora sharir paseene se bheeg chuka tha aur dil itni zor se dhadak raha tha jaise abhi seene se bahar aa jayega. Woh kuch der tak bed par baithi reh gayi, samajh hi nahi pa rahi thi ki jo usne dekha, woh sirf ek bura sapna tha.
Payal ne kaampte haathon se paani ka glass uthaya aur ek hi saans mein khaali kar diya. Payal kuch der tak apne bed par khamoshi se baithi rahi. Uski saansein ab dheere - dheere saamanya hone lagi thi.
Lekin sapne ka khauf ab bhi uske chehre par saaf dikh raha tha. Usne gehri saans li aur bed se uthkar kamre ki khidki ki taraf badhi.
Dheere se usne khidki kholi. Jaise hi khidki khuli, subah ki halki suraj ki kirnein uske chehre se takra kar poore kamre mein fail gayi. Thandi aur sukoon bhara hawa ka ek jhonka kamre ke andar aaya aur bhari mahaul ko kuch pal ke liye halka kar diya.
Payal khidki se bahar ka khubsurat nazara dekhte hue halki si muskurai. Phir usne apne aap se kaha,
Mera naam Payal hai. Main 15 saal ki hu. Main poore parivaar ke saath Jaipur mein rahti hu. Mere parivaar mein total 5 members hai. Main , mere Mummy, papa, Dadi, aur meri choti bahan Trisha jo mujhse 1 saal choti hai.
"Main 11th standard mein padhti hoon." Aur Trisha 10th standard mein padhti hai.
Meri jindagi ek aam jindagi thi, par.. jab mein 14 saal ki huy tab se mujhe ajeeb-o-gareeb aur daraavane sapne aane lage the. Pahle toh main ek aam... Sapna samjh kar nazarandaj ki.
Pahle main en sapno se darti nahi thi. Par mujhe kya pata tha ki yeh sapna such hoga. Mere saath ek ghatna gahti. Jab ek main apne sister Trisha ke saath school se ghar wapas aa rahi thi, toh hum dono ko ek cheekh sunai deti hai. Hum dono dartey huey us cheekh picha kartey hai.
Hum dono jaise he waha par pahuche, humne dekha woh insaan ki death ho chuka hai. Uski death bilkul theek waise he hua tha jaise Maine apne sapne mein dekhi thi.
> Us aadmi ki gardan ke aar-paar ek mota lohe ka rod ghusa hua tha. Khoon dheere-dheere uske kapdon aur zameen par beh raha tha. Yeh khaufnaak manzar dekhte hi hum dono ke pairon tale zameen khisak gayi. Kuch pal ke liye hum wahi jam se gaye. Darr itna tha ki na kuch bol pa rahe the aur na hi hil pa rahe the. Hosh sambhalte hi hum bina ek pal rukke wahan se bhaage aur seedha apne ghar ki taraf nikal pade. Raaste bhar hum dono ke dil zor-zor se dhadak rahe the, aur us khaufnaak manzar ki tasveer baar-baar aankhon ke saamne aa rahi thi.
Us din ke baad se main dari sahmi si rahne lagi thi, kyuki mere sapne mein aaya hua koi na koi sapna such ho jata hai.
