Zara Ka Darr

Zara ne Vikram ko call kiya. Teesre hafte ke end mein.

"Kuch batana hai."

"Bolo."

"Woh raat ke baad se... meri photos mein kuch hai. Koi cheez."

"Kya?"

"Jo bhi shoot karti hoon — koi bhi cheez — background mein woh hoti hai. Har baar. Alag angle, alag jagah, alag light — lekin woh hoti hai."

"Kaun?"

"Jinn."

Silence.

"Lekin sirf peethe se. Koi chehra nahi. Kaale libas. Lambe baal. Sirf... khadi. Background mein. Jaise... jaise woh abhi bhi hai."

"Ek baar camera band kar. Ek hafte koi photo mat lo."

"Meri livelihood hai photography—"

"Ek hafte."

Silence.

"Theek hai. Ek hafte."

Ek hafte baad — Zara ne call kiya.

"Kuch badla nahi."

"Camera band kiye tha?"

"Haan. Par ab — ab jab raat ko aaino ke saamne se guzarti hoon — woh hoti hai. Peeche. Mere shoulder ke peeche. Sirf ek second. Sirf ek blink."

Vikram ne kuch kaha nahi.

"Vikram."

"Haan."

"Woh gayi nahi. Yakshini gayi hogi. Par Jinn — jise mera naam pata hai — woh gayi nahi. Woh mere saath hai."

Vikram ne mehsoos kiya woh left palm ka nishaan.

Jo mita nahi tha.

"Main aata hoon," usne kaha.

"Nahi. Tum bhi safe nahi ho."

"Pata hai."

"Toh?"

Vikram ne window dekha. Peepal ka ped — jo wahan pehle nahi tha — wahan tha. Aaj uski ek daali thodi jhuki thi. Thodi aur nazdik.

"Toh hum saath mein sochte hain," Vikram ne kaha. "Ratan Das ne bahut kuch chhupa ke rakha tha. Woh zameen ke neeche jo cheez thi — woh kya thi — woh hum nahi jaante. Agar woh cheez hoti toh... toh sab alag hota."

"Matlab?"

"Matlab yeh ki yeh story khatam nahi hui. Yeh ek alag chapter hai."

"Aur agar woh chapter hum nahi likh paaye toh?"

Vikram ne kuch nahi kaha.

Bahar — peepal ka ped — ek aur daali jhuki.

"Tab bhi," usne kaha, "likh ke dekhte hain."