Pehli Manzil

Seedhiyan chad ke aaye. Poori raat andhera raha. Vikram aur Zara ek toote hue kamre mein baithe. Zameen nahi — khidki ki murde hoi sill par baithe. Pehli manzil.

Aankhein band. Khud ko samjhaate. Breath count karte.

Aawaaz nahi aayi. Kuch nahi hua.

Pura ek ghanta.

"Kya sach mein kuch hai?" Zara ne dheere se pucha. "Ya hum log apne darr se sab kuch bana rahe hain?"

"Teri camera screen phuti thi," Vikram ne kaha.

"Cameras break hote hain."

"Arjun ki aankhein?"

Zara chup rahi.

"Aur woh... awaaz?"

Zyada chup rahi.

"Main photo edit karta hoon," Vikram ne kaha. "Mujhe pata hai jab background mein kuch ho aur jab na ho. Teri camera mein jo chehra tha — woh genuine tha. Woh post- processing nahi tha. Woh noise artifact nahi tha. Koi real physical cheez uss angle par thi jahan hawa bhi nahi thi, zameen bhi nahi thi."

"Toh?"

"Toh hum Ratan Das ki baat maante hain. Tab tak jab tak hum yahan hain." Dawn se pehle — ek pal aisa aaya jab baahar se awaaz aayi. Koi rota hua. Arjun ki awaaz.

Seedha, saaf, real — Arjun ki awaaz.

"Help. Please. Koi hai? Main akela hoon. Mujhe darr lag raha hai. Zara! Vikram! Please!"

Zara uthne lagi.

Vikram ne haath pakda.

"Nahi."

"Woh Arjun hai—"

"Shayad."

"Shayad nahi — woh—"

"Agar Yakshini usmein hai, toh Yakshini yahi karey gi. Humen baahir bulane ke liye. Neeche zameen par. Apne paas."

"Agar woh sach mein Arjun hai aur hum—"

"Tab bhi nahi. Kyunki yahan se agar gaye, toh hum dono gaye. Woh ek hai. Hum do hain. Hum dono ke jaane se zyada nuksaan hai."

Zara ki aankhein bhar aayi. "Yeh insaaniyat nahi hai."

"Yeh survival hai."

Rona band hua. Achanak. Jaise volume button press ho.

Phir — Arjun ki aawaz mein — hasi. Gehra, barik, meri thi hi nahi — hasi. "Theek hai," Arjun ki aawaz ne kaha. "Samajhdar ho tum."

Footsteps gali mein gayi. Door. Aur door. Khatam.

Silence.

Real silence — jab tak koi real awaaz nahi hoti tab tak pata nahi chalta ki kaun si awaaz fake thi.

Subah hone mein teen ghante the.

❖ ❖ ❖

Pehli manzil ki khidki ki sill par baithe, Zara ne whisper mein pucha:

"Yakshini aur Jinn — agar dono hain, aur dono insaanon ko use karna chahti hain — toh woh ek doosre ke khilaf bhi toh lad sakti hain? Kya hum unhe ek doosre ke against use nahi kar sakte?"

Vikram ne socha. Kaghaz yaad kiya. Ek cheez thi jo Ratan Das ne likhi thi jo usne pehli baar padhte waqt ignore kar di thi — focus mein nahi aayi thi:

"Dono ek teesre ke intezaar mein."

"Teesra," Vikram ne dheere se kaha. "Hum teesre hain. Hum dono ka medium bante hain jab yahan aate hain. Yakshini zameen ki cheez hai — iska matlab hai woh us insaan mein aana chahti hai jo zameen par rahe. Jinn roshni ki cheez hai — woh uss insaan ke zariye aana chahti hai jis par roshni pade, ya jo roshni maange." "Agar hum dono ek ek ko allow karein—"

"Tab dono ek hi jism mein aana chahein gi. Aur woh toot jaayega. Yahi Ratan Das ne likha tha."

"Nahi," Zara ne kaha. "Agar... agar hum dono alag ho jaayein. Ek Yakshini ka medium bane — consciously. Doosra Jinn ka — consciously. Par dono apni marzi se. Tab kya?"

Vikram ne aankhein kholi.

"Tab... dono alag jagah hongi. Ek ek ke andar. Dono ko ek doosre se koi fark nahi padega — woh apne apne medium mein hongi."

"Haan. Aur tab hum dono unhen ek doosre ke saamne le ja sakte hain. Woh lad sakti hain. Ek ek doosre ko destroy kar sakti hain. Aur agar dono nahi rahi..." "Tab hum khaali ho jaayein ge. Woh nikal jaayengi."

"Ya hum mar jaayein ge," Vikram ne kaha.

Zara ne ek lambi saans li.

"Ya hum jeeyein ge — kyunki ek nahi, dono hongi. Dono ka ek doosre se lad kar energy khatam hogi. Uss lamhe mein... hum khud wapas aa sakte hain."

Silence.

"Yeh ek theory hai," Vikram ne kaha.

"Haan."

"Agar galat nikli?"

"Tab woh sahi theory kya thi?"

Jawab nahi tha.

Baahar, chandanpur ki galiyon mein, ek aawaz thi — na Arjun ki, na kisi ki. Ek aisi aawaz jo puri raat nahi thi — jaise jungle ki puri aawazein ek saath bol rahi hoon ek ek syllable. Ped bolte hain. Mitti bolti hai. Hawa bolti hai.

Sab ek saath.

"Aa jao."

Itna saaf. Itna seedha.

"Aa jao."

Sirf do shabd.

Lekin woh do shabd sunke Zara ke aankhon se aansu nikal aaye. Bilkul

automatically. Bina wajah. Jaise andar kuch tha jo sunna chahta tha, jaana chahta tha, maan lena chahta tha.

Vikram ne Zara ka haath pakda.

"Mat suno," usne kaha.

"Main nahi sun rahi. Phir bhi aa raha hai."

"Aankhein band. Hum plan soch rahe hain."