Khoon Se Likha Nishaan
Raat abhi khatam nahi hui thi.
Aasmaan ka rang kaala tha, lekin uss kaale rang ke beech ek ajeeb si laal chamak tair rahi thi… jaise chaand ke peeche kisi ne khoon jala diya ho.
Aarav ab bhi jungle ke uss hisse me khada tha jahan zameen par uske pairon ke neeche toota hua chakra bana hua tha. Hawa thandi thi… par uske haathon se ab bhi garmi nikal rahi thi.
Uski saansen tez chal rahi thi.
Usne apne haath ki taraf dekha.
Wahi nishaan.
Wahi kaala nishaan, jo pehle ek halki si lakeer jaisa tha… ab dheere-dheere phail raha tha. Jaise koi jeeta hua saaya uski naso me ghus raha ho.
"Yeh… kya hai?" Aarav ne dheere se khud se kaha.
Uski awaaz me darr tha.
Lekin jungle ne jawab nahi diya.
Sirf door kahin se ek ghanti ki awaaz aayi.
Tan… Tan… Tan…
Aarav ka dil zor se dhadak utha.
"Yeh awaaz… gaon ke purane mandir se aa rahi hai?"
Woh ek kadam peeche hata hi tha ki uske pair ke neeche zameen par kuch chamka.
Usne jhuk kar dekha.
Mitti ke andar aadha daba hua ek purana lohe ka tukda tha.
Nahi…
Woh loha nahi tha.
Woh ek talisman tha.
Gol… kaala… aur uske beech me wahi nishaan bana tha jo Aarav ke haath par tha.
Jaise hi usne use chhua—
DHAAAM!
Uski aankhon ke saamne sab kuch badal gaya.
Ek Pal… Aur Dusri Duniya
Aarav ne dekha—
Wahi jungle… lekin purana.
Ped aur bade.
Hawa aur thandi.
Aur zameen par… laashe.
Dozen bhar laashe.
Insaano ki.
Un sabke chehron par ek hi cheez thi—
Darr.
Unke beech ek aadmi khada tha.
Lamba.
Kaale kapde.
Aankhen laal.
Aur haath me ek talwar, jiske dhaar se kaala dhuan nikal raha tha.
Aadmi dheere se palta.
Uska chehra andhere me chhupa hua tha.
Lekin Aarav ne uski aankhen dekhi…
Aur uska khoon jam gaya.
Woh aankhen…
Uski apni aankhon jaisi thi.
"Nahi…" Aarav ki saans atak gayi.
Tabhi uss aadmi ne seedha uski taraf dekh kar kaha—
"Tu laut aaya…"
Aarav cheekhna chahta tha.
Lekin awaaz nahi nikli.
Aadmi ne talwar zameen me gaad di.
Zameen phat gayi.
Aur uss phati hui zameen se saaye nikalne lage.
Kaale, lambe, tedhe-medhe saaye…
Jo insaan nahi the.
Unki aankhen khaali thi.
Mooh bina chehre ke the.
Aur unke haath… insaan ke haath nahi the.
Aadmi ki awaaz phir goonji—
"Khoon ka karz, khoon se hi chukega… Waaris."
Jhatka
Aarav achanak peeche gir gaya.
Uska haath mitti me ghis gaya.
Saamne sab normal tha.
Na laashe.
Na woh aadmi.
Na woh saaye.
Sirf jungle.
Sirf andhera.
Sirf uski toot-ti hui saansen.
"Woh… kya tha?" usne hichki bhari saans ke saath kaha.
Uske haath me ab bhi woh kaala talisman tha.
Lekin ab woh thanda nahi tha.
Woh dhadak raha tha.
Bilkul dil ki tarah.
Dhak… Dhak… Dhak…
Aarav ne ghabra kar use phekna chaha.
Lekin jaise hi usne haath khola—
Talisman raakh ban kar hawa me udd gaya.
Aur uski kalai par ek naya nishaan ubhar aaya.
Is baar pehle se bhi zyada saaf.
Ek aadha chaand, aur uske beech me ek band aankh.
Aarav ka gala sookh gaya.
"Yeh sab sapna hai… bas sapna…"
Lekin tabhi peeche se kisi aur ki awaaz aayi.
"Sapna hota to tu zinda nahi hota."
Aarav jhatke se muda.
Uske saamne ek budhiya aurat khadi thi.
Safed baal.
Jhuriya bhara chehra.
Lekin aankhen…
Un aankhon me ajeeb si chamak thi.
Jaise woh andhere ko dekh sakti ho.
Aarav ne use pehchaan liya.
"Daadi Shanta…?"
Gaon me sab use pagal budhiya kehte the.
Woh aksar mandir ke paas baithi rehti thi aur ajeeb baatein karti thi.
Kabhi kehti:
"Raat ek din muh khol degi."
"Khoon apne ghar ka raasta dhoondh leta hai."
"Andhera kabhi marta nahi."
Aaj pehli baar Aarav ko laga…
Shayad woh pagal nahi thi.
Sach Ka Pehla Darwaaza
Shanta dheere-dheere uske paas aayi.
Uski nazar seedha Aarav ke haath par gayi.
Aur uske chehre ka rang ud gaya.
"Na-mumkin…" woh fusi.
Aarav gusse aur darr ke beech kaanp gaya.
"Yeh sab kya ho raha hai? Yeh nishaan kya hai? Maine abhi kya dekha?"
Shanta kuch pal chup rahi.
Phir usne aas-paas dekha… jaise jungle ki hawa bhi unki baat sun sakti ho.
Phir woh dheere se boli—
"Tere pita ne jhooth bola tha."
Aarav jam gaya.
"Mere… pita?"
"Woh mare nahi the," Shanta ne kaha.
Aarav ki aankhen phat gayi.
"Jhooth! Mere pita das saal pehle mar chuke hain!"
Shanta ne uski taraf dekha.
Us nazar me daya nahi thi.
Sirf sach tha.
"Nahi, bachche… woh mare nahi the."
"Unhe le jaya gaya tha."
Hawa achanak aur thandi ho gayi.
"Kaun le gaya tha?" Aarav ne dheere se poocha.
Shanta ke honton se ek naam nikla—
"Raat ke Rakshak."
Aarav ne pehli baar yeh naam suna tha.
Lekin ajeeb baat yeh thi…
Uske dil ne ise pehchaan liya.
Jaise yeh naam uski yaadon ke kisi andhere kone me pehle se chhupa hua ho.
"Woh log kaun hain?"
Shanta ki aankhen mandir ki taraf uth gayin.
"Jo andhere ko rokne ke liye paida hue the…"
Usne thoda ruk kar kaha—
"Aur jo khud andhere ke ghulaam ban gaye."
Aarav ka gala sookh gaya.
"Tum kehna kya chahti ho?"
Shanta uske bilkul kareeb aayi.
Itna kareeb ki Aarav uski saans me dhoop aur mitti ki boo mehsoos kar sakta tha.
Phir usne Aarav ke kaan ke paas fusi—
"Tu insaan nahi hai, Aarav."
Aarav ki saansen ruk gayin.
Uske pairon tale zameen hil gayi.
"Nahi…"
"Tu uss khoon se paida hua hai… jise duniya ne sau saal pehle zinda dafan kar diya tha."
"Tu… Andhere Ka Waaris hai."
Aur Phir…
Achanak mandir ki ghanti zor-zor se bajne lagi.
TAN! TAN! TAN! TAN!
Jungle ke saare kauwe ek saath udd gaye.
Hawa me ek bhayanak cheekh goonji.
Shanta ka chehra safed pad gaya.
"Der ho gayi…" woh fusi.
"Kaunsi der?"
Shanta ne jungle ke sabse andhere hisse ki taraf dekha.
Aarav ne bhi dekha.
Pehle kuch nahi tha.
Phir…
Andhere ke andar se do laal aankhen khuli.
Sirf aankhen.
Phir ek aur.
Phir ek aur.
Phir dus.
Phir bees.
Jaise poora jungle aankhen khol raha ho.
Aarav ka shareer sun ho gaya.
"Woh… kya hai?"
Shanta ne kaanpte hue kaha—
"Woh tujhe lene aaye hain."
Aarav peeche hata.
"Kaun?!"
Jungle ke andhere se dheere-dheere kuch cheezein bahar aane lagi.
Lambe saaye.
Tedhe shareer.
Insaani chehre… lekin aadhe pighle hue.
Aur un sabki gardan par ek hi nishaan tha—
Wahi band aankh.
Shanta cheekhi—
"Bhaag, Aarav! Abhi ke abhi bhaag!"
Aarav ne ek pal ke liye uski taraf dekha…
Aur phir poori taqat se daud pada.
Lekin uske daudte hi jungle ke peeche se ek bhayanak awaaz goonji—
"WAARIS…"
Awaaz itni gehri thi jaise zameen ke neeche se aa rahi ho.
"IS BAAR TU BACH NAHI PAYEGA…"
Aarav ka dil uske seene ko tod kar bahar nikalne ko tha.
Woh daud raha tha…
Aur uske peeche—
Andhera zinda ho chuka tha.