Kiran ki aankh khuli.
Par jo usne dekha, wo subah nahi thi.
Kamre me wahi purana ceiling tha, wahi fan, wahi deewar par chipka calendar—
lekin fan ghoom nahi raha tha.
Calendar ka date hil nahi raha tha.
Aur sabse ajeeb baat—
khamoshi.
Itni gehri khamoshi jaise duniya ne saans lena chhod diya ho.
"Kya main… jaag raha hoon?"
Kiran ne khud se poocha.
Wo bed se utha. Pair zameen par rakhe—thandi, zyada thandi. Jaise raat ne din ko nigal liya ho.
Usne phone uthaya.
Screen on hui… par time wahi ka wahi.
03:17 AM
Message notifications the, par open nahi ho rahe the.
Jaise phone bhi kisi aur waqt me atak gaya ho.
Tab uski nazar apni kalai par gayi.
Wo nishaan.
Circle ke beech bana darwaaza—
ab sirf bana hua nahi tha…
dhadak raha tha.
Har heartbeat ke saath halki si jalan hoti.
Jaise koi uske andar se knock kar raha ho.
Uske dimaag me doosre Kiran ki awaaz goonji—
"Waking up has a price."
"Ye hi price hai kya?"
Kiran ne gusse me kaha.
Wo kamre se bahar nikla.
Ghar bilkul khaali tha.
Maa ka kamra band tha, par andar se koi awaaz nahi aa rahi thi.
Usne dheere se darwaaza khola—
Maa bed par leti thi. Aankhen band.
Saans chal rahi thi…
par wo uthi hui nahi lag rahi thi.
"MAA—"
Kiran chillaya.
Koi reaction nahi.
Us pal usse samajh aa gaya—
Wo poori tarah jaaga nahi tha.
Aur poori tarah soya bhi nahi tha.
Wo beech me atak gaya tha.
Aur phir peeche se awaaz aayi—
"Is stage ko hum 'Half-Wake' kehte hain."
Kiran ne mud ke dekha.
Doosra Kiran kamre ke darwaaze ke paas khada tha.
"Agar tum yahin zyada der rahe,"
wo bola,
"to tum real world me bas ek khali body ban jaoge."
"Phir main kya karun?"
Kiran ki awaaz kaanp rahi thi.
Doosra Kiran ne uski kalai ki taraf dekha.
"Is nishaan ko samjho,"
wo bola.
"Ye tumhari anchor hai… aur tumhari saza bhi."