Do Log, Do Raste

Plan yeh tha:

Vikram zameen par jaayega — seedha, deliberately — ek purane ghar ke andar. Woh Yakshini ko allow karega. Woh zameen se connect karega. Woh maanch ban jaayega. Zara apne phone ki full torch jalayegi — roshni mein, Jinn ke saamne — woh Jinn ko allow karega. Consciously. Khuli aankhon se.

Phir — jab dono andar aa jaayein — woh dono ek doosre ke saamne aayenge. Gali mein. Ek hi waqt.

Ek hi jagah.

Lekin alag alag jismon mein.

"Yeh kaam kar sakta hai," Vikram ne kaha.

"Yeh kaam karna chahiye," Zara ne kahi.

"Agar kaam na kiya?"

"Tab bhi kuch karna better hai kuch na karne se. Subah hone mein do ghante hain. Agar subah tak kuch nahi kiya — unhe ek medium nahi milega par woh dono yahan hongi. Raat bhar. Kal raat bhar. Parson. Hum kabhi nahi nikal sakenge bina... ek teesre ke."

Vikram ne haan ki.

Seedhiyan utre.

Neeche aa ke — pehla qadam — zameen ka pehla sparsh — Vikram ke kaan mein seedha, gehra, bina kisi preamble ke, ek aawaz:

"Aa gaye."

Itna warm. Itna — familiar. Jaise kisi ko pata tha ki Vikram aa raha tha. Itne time se wait kar rahi thi. Uss aawaz mein koi gussa nahi tha, koi threat nahi tha — sirf ek complete, assured satisfaction. Jaise maa ne bacha ghar aate dekha ho. Par yeh maa ki aawaz nahi thi. Yeh kisi maa ki bhi aawaz nahi thi. Yeh zameen ki thi. Puri zameen ki. Chandanpur ki.

Vikram ke paon zameen par the.

Aur zameen... zameen thodi garm thi. Bilkul thodi. Jaise neeche kuch tha. Kuch jeeta jaagta. Kuch jo raat bhar jaagta hai — aur zameen hi uska bistar hai. Dil tez hua. Lekin Vikram ne saans liya. "Main yahan hoon," usne dheere se kaha. Baat Yakshini se thi. "Suno. Main aane deta hoon. Par pehle ek kaam."

Jungle ne jawab diya — peepal ke patti hile. Hawa nahi thi. Phir bhi hile. Izaazat.

Zara doosri gali mein gayi. Phone nikala. Screen brightest setting par. Torch on. Roshni phaili. Seedha. Khaali gali mein. Purane diwaaron par. Toote darwaazon par. Aur uss roshni mein —

Khadi thi woh.

Seedha. Kaale libas mein. Lambe baal — itne kaale ki roshni mein bhi kaale. Aankhein safed. Pupilless. Muh band. Haath khule — ungliyaan normal, lekin ek ek ungli ki nok se ek geeli, kaali dhaar chhalak rahi thi. Zameen par tapakti thi. Zameen par jahan tapakti thi — kaala nishaan.

Jinn.

Zara ne saans rokha.

"Main jaanti thi tu aayegi," Jinn ne kaha. Zubaan nahi khuli. Muh band raha. Awaaz andar se aayi — ya zameen se — ya haath se — ya kahin se. "Tune mujhe dekha tha." "Haan," Zara ne kaha. Apni aawaz control ki. "Tumhe kuch chahiye?"

Jinn ne ek kadam rakha. Zameen par kaali tap. Zameen par nishaan.

"Naam."

"Mera naam?"

"Teri marzi se. Tabhi kaam karega."

Zara ne saans liya. Yeh woh moment tha. Plan ka hissa tha. Lekin plan ka hissa hona aur actually apna naam ek Jinn ko dena — dono alag experience the.

"Zara," usne kaha.

Jinn ne aankhein band ki.

Ek second.

Phir aankhein khuli.

Aur Zara ke andar ek ajeeb si sensation — na dard, na sukoon — kuch thambh gaya. Koi door tha. Koi khul raha tha. Andar.

Plan kaam kar raha tha.

❖ ❖ ❖

Vikram ne mehsoos kiya tab.

Zameen mein ek khichaav. Uske paon ke neeche se. Seedha. Jaise paon ki jad chhoo gayi ho kisi ne. Theeki, seedhi — bina kisi warn ke.

Aur phir:

"Yakshini. Main hoon. Aaiye."

Peepal ka ped — jo sabse nazdik tha — uske patte sab ek saath hile. Phir ek daali jhuki. Phir dheere se, ek naazuk si, ek poori branch ki tarah aawaz aayi — creak — aur kuch utara.

Kuch — jo peepal ke andar tha.

Woh dikhti nahi thi. Bilkul nahi. Lekin presence thi. Jaise room mein koi aa jaaye aur hawa badal jaaye — temperature same, lekin kuch change ho. Weight change ho jaaye. Saans thoda mushkil ho.

Vikram ke haath mein ek kaampan aayi. Woh jaanta tha yeh woh tha. Yakshini. "Aage badhna hai," usne kaha.

Pair uthaya. Gali mein. Woh gali ki taraf jahan Zara thi.

Har qadam ke saath, zameen thodi aur garm hoti gayi. Ek qadam — thodi aur. Do qadam — aur thodi. Aur jaisa qadam badha, uss garm zameen ka feel upar chadhta gaya. Paon se pinda. Pinde se peeth. Peeth se kaan.

Woh aa rahi thi. Andar. Dheere dheere.

Vikram tez chala.

Zara ki gali mein — dono ne ek doosre ko dekha.

Ek second ki nazar.

Kuch soch nahi sakte the. Yeh woh moment tha jab brain theory chhod deta hai aur sirf dekh sakta hai.

Jinn — Zara ke andar ya Zara ke saath — ek kadam aage aayi. Roshni mein. Yakshini — Vikram ke saath ya Vikram mein — ek kadam aage. Andheron se.

Dono ne ek doosre ko dekha.

Dono ki aankhein mili.

Aur tab jo hua woh na science thi, na magic, na koi theori thi —

Yeh war thi.