Agli Subah jo bilkul normal nahi thi.
Arel ki aankh khuli…
aur pehli saans ke sath hi us ke munh se bhaap nikli.
Arel ki aankh khuli to usay pehla ehsaas thand ka hua.
Aisi thand jo kambal se nahi,
balkay andar se mehsoos hoti hai.
Us ne gehri saans li —
aur us ki saans hawa mein bhaap ban kar ghul gayi.
Arel ne apni aankhein jhapkain.
Phir dobara saans li.
Dobara bhaap.
“Achha,” us ne khud se kaha,
“ya to main barf ban rahi hoon, ya phir kuch bohot ghalat ho chuka hai.”
Woh uth kar baithi hi thi ke table par rakha chai ka cup us ka chehra dekh kar
achi khaasi cheekh maar gaya.
Cup table se kooda,
aur shelf ke peechay ja chhupa,
jaise usay apni jaan ka khatra ho.
“Tum bhi?” Arel ne thaki hui awaaz mein poocha.
Phir us ne apne baalon ko haath lagaya.
Ungliyan jhatkay se peeche hat gayin.
Baal abhi bhi baal hi thay…
magar un ka ehsaas bilkul aisa tha
jaise koi halka sa jala hua toast chhoo liya ho.
“Main ne kya bigaara tha tumhara?” Arel ne baalon se poocha.
Baahir se awaazein aa rahi thin.
Shehar walay ghar ke samnay kharay thay —
koi deewar ke saath laga hua,
koi chhat se jhaankta hua.
“Dragon ne raat yahin guzaari hai…”
“Isi liye hawa garam hai.”
“Isi liye chai bhaag rahi hai.”
Arel ne aankhein band kar li.
“Bas,” us ne kaha,
“bas aik din bina hairani ke.
Bas aik.”
Zarkun ghar ke bahar baitha tha.
Ya yeh kehna zyada theek hoga
ke ghar Zarkun ke saath adjust ho kar khara tha.
Us ke jism se nikalti hui garmi hawa ko tedha kar rahi thi.
Zameen us ke neeche halki si pighli hui lag rahi thi.
Arel ne jaise hi qadam bahar rakha,
Zarkun ki aankhon mein chamak aa gayi —
aisi chamak jaise koi cheez apni ho aur kahin bhaag na jaye.
Isi waqt Kair aaya.
Bas aaya hi tha.
Koi khaas harkat nahi ki.
Sirf qadam rakha.
Aur hawa mein aik chingari phat se bharrak uthi.
“Zarkun,” Arel ne thak kar kaha,
“tum phir se kar rahe ho.”
“Woh bohot paas aa raha hai,” Zarkun ne jawab diya.
Kair ne qadam gin kar dekha.
“Main abhi bhi teen qadam door hoon.”
“Mujhe pasand nahi,” Zarkun ne foran kaha.
Arel ne baazu bandh kar poocha,
“Tumhein kya pasand hai?”
Zarkun ne socha.
Bohot dair socha.
Phir aik ajeeb sa chehra bana liya —
honth thore se aagay, aik aankh aadhi band,
jaise koi dragon nimbu chakh kar gussa kar raha ho.
“Khamoshi,” us ne faislay ke saath kaha.
Isi waqt zameen par kuch uchhla.
Safed, phoola hua jism,
rang birangi dum,
aur maathe par aik tedhi si seeng.
Mini unicorn ne seedha Arel ke paon ke paas chalaang mari.
“Main Tippu Chamki hoon!” us ne khushi se kaha.
Arel ne neeche dekha.
“Tum… asal ho?”
“Bilkul,” Tippu Chamki ne dum hila kar kaha.
“Main zyada tar mushkil waqt par hi aata hoon.”
Kair ne sir jhukaya.
“Is ka naam kis ne rakha?”
“Main ne,” Tippu ne fakhar se kaha.
“Khud.”
Zarkun ne usey dekha.
Phir aik gehri saans li.
“…yeh bhi mujhe pasand nahi.”
Arel ko achanak laga
jaise us ke kaan ke paas koi aur soch chal rahi ho.
Yeh zameen kamzor hai…
agar main hila to ghar gir sakta hai…
Arel ne ghabra kar Zarkun ki taraf dekha.
“Yeh tum soch rahe ho?”
Zarkun ne thora sa hichkicha kar kaha,
“…haan.”
Isi lamhay Arel ka dil tez dharka.
Aur foran hi
Zarkun ke sunahray scales ka rang neelay mein badal gaya.
Kair ne ungli se ishara kiya.
“Tum chamak rahe ho.”
Zarkun ne khud ko dekha.
“Mujhe yeh rang bilkul pasand nahi.”
Arel ke haath se achanak aik chingari nikli
aur hawa mein ghul gayi.
“Main ne kuch nahi kiya!” Arel ne ghabra kar kaha.
Un ke paas khara aik darakht jo yeh sab dekh raha tha,
us ne apni shaakh hila kar kaha:
“Pichli dafa aik larki ka bandhan ghonghay se hua tha.
Kam az kam us ka rang aik jaisa rehta tha.”
Kair thora alag ho kar khara hua.
“Yeh bandhan aam nahi,” us ne dheemi awaaz mein kaha.
“Main ne qanoon parhay hain.
Main ne misaalen dekhi hain.”
“Tum kehna kya chahte ho?” Arel ne poocha.
Kair ne Zarkun ki taraf dekha.
“Kuch dragons… bandhan ke liye khud chuntay hain.”
Hawa ruk gayi.
Zarkun bilkul khamosh ho gaya.
Aisi khamoshi
jo sirf un yaadon ke saath aati hai
jo bhoolna asaan nahi hota.
Kair ne khamoshi todi.
“Tum ne bandhan jaan boojh kar chuna hai,”
us ne seedhi awaaz mein kaha.
Zarkun ne gardan ghoomai.
“Tumhein dragons ke faislay samajh nahi aate,” Zarkun bola.
“Hum yun hi nahi chuntay.”
“Magar tum ne chuna,” Kair ne kaha.
“Us ki zindagi mein ghusnay ka faisla tum ne kiya.”
Hawa mein halki si chingari bharrak uthi.
Ghar ke darwazay foran cheekhay:
“Aray bhai, dheere! Hum jalne ke liye nahi bane!”
Arel jo ab tak chup thi,
jis ne har hairani, har museebat, har mazaaq bardasht kiya tha —
us ka sabr achanak toot gaya.
“Bas!”
Us ki awaaz tez nahi thi,
magar us mein woh thakaan thi
jo sirf bohot bardasht ke baad aati hai.
Dono chup ho gaye.
Arel aage barhi.
Us ki aankhon mein gussa tha,
aur us se zyada dard.
“Tum dragon ho, iska matlab yeh nahi,”
us ne Zarkun ki taraf dekh kar kaha,
“ke meri zindagi tumhari aag ka khel ban jaye.”
Zarkun kuch kehna chahta tha.
Us ne munh khola.
Arel ne usey mauqa nahi diya.
“Main koi be-jaan cheez nahi hoon.
Na hi koi faisla jo tum ne akelay kar liya ho.”
Us ne gehri saans li.
“Yeh bandhan… bojh ban raha hai.”
Yeh lafz talwaar ki tarah lagay.
Zarkun ke jism ki garmi dheere dheere kam ho gayi.
Aag bujh gayi.
Sirf khaali si roshni reh gayi.
Kair ne kuch kehna chaha,
lekin Arel pehle hi palat chuki thi.
“Main thak chuki hoon,” us ne kaha.
“Is drama se.
Is aag se.
Is bandhan se.”
Aur phir woh chali gayi.
Us ke qadam door hotay gaye.
Shehar chup tha.
Tippu Chamki ne dheemi awaaz mein kaha:
“…yeh scene Part 3 ka lag raha hai.”
Zarkun akela reh gaya.
Us ne aasman ki taraf dekha.
Pehli dafa kisi dragon ne socha:
Shayad meri mojoodgi kisi ke liye bohot zyada hai.
Hawa bilkul thandhi ho gayi.
Aur Elmyra —
jo hamesha hans kar ajeeb cheezen karta tha —
is dafa khamosh reh gaya.