Raat Elmyra par is tarah utari jaise shehar khud bhi thak gaya ho.
Na koi awaaz, na koi ajeeb qanoon ka hungama.
Bas hawa… aur thandi hawa mein basi hui baat
jo koi keh nahi raha tha.
Zarkun shehar ke aakhri chhor par khara tha.
Par phailay huay.
Aankhein khuli.
Dil bhaari.
Dragon jab gussa hota hai, to aag nikalti hai.
Jab toot jata hai…
to sirf khamoshi reh jati hai.
Arel ke lafz abhi tak us ke gird ghoom rahe thay.
“Yeh bandhan… bojh ban raha hai.”
“Main bojh banna nahi chahta,”
Zarkun ne dheere se kaha.
Tippu Chamki paas baitha tha,
poori koshish ke bawajood serious lagta hua.
“Tum ja rahe ho chup chaap,” us ne kaha.
“Koi bhi drama kiye baghair.
Dragons aisa to nahi kartay.”
Zarkun ne halki si muskurahat ki.
Aisi muskurahat jo sirf tab aati hai
jab banda khud ko peeche rakh deta hai.
“Is dafa,”
woh bola,
“meri khushi ki koi qeemat nahi hai.”
Aur phir us ne par phailaye
aur bina aag, bina shor kiye
aasman mein urr gaya.
Zarkun poori raat udda.
Paharon ke upar
jahan kabhi us ka naam dua tha.
Jheelon ke upar
jahan kabhi us ka aks dekh kar log chup ho jate thay.
Purani bastiyon ke paas
jahan us ne bachaya bhi tha
aur phir bhi akela reh gaya tha.
Har jagah aik hi ehsaas tha:
Main hamesha akela reh jata hoon.
Dragon hone ka matlab hamesha taqat nahi hota.
Dil mein jab dukh ho
to taqatwar dragon bhi kamzor ho jata hai.
Aur isi raat bandhan ne apna jadu dikhaya.
Arel gehri neend mein thi
jab us ne khud ko aasman mein mehsoos kiya.
Us ke paas par nahi thay.
Phir bhi woh urr rahi thi.
Neeche zameen bohot door thi.
Aur saamne…
Zarkun.
Woh us ki aankhon se duniya dekh rahi thi.
Thandi hawa,
bhaari yaadein,
aur woh jagah
jahan Zarkun pehli dafa samjha tha
ke bandhan usay azaad karwa sakta hai.
Arel ne mehsoos kiya:
Zarkun ka dard,
us ka faisla,
aur woh khushi jo woh us ke liye chhor raha tha.
Arel ne hichkichate hue poocha:
“Zarkun… yeh kaun si jagah hai?”
Bohot dair baad awaaz aayi:
“Woh jahan se main bhaga tha.”
Dragon ne peechay nahi dekha.
Bas paron ki raftaar dheemi ho gayi.
Arel ne us ke dil ka bojh mehsoos kiya.
Woh gussa nahi tha.
Woh naraaz bhi nahi tha.
Woh sirf toota hua tha.
Tippu Chamki khuwaab mein bhi tapak para:
“Yeh romantic scene hai ya emotional drama?”
Arel ki aankh se aansu beh gaya.
Subah Arel ne aankh kholi.
Kamra khaali tha.
Na garmi.
Na woh ajeeb si maujoodgi
jo ab usay normal lagne lagi thi.
“Zarkun?”
Us ne pukara.
Magar koi awaaz na aayi.
Woh bahar nikli.
Shehar mein chehel pehel thi,
magar kuch missing tha.
Bachay bhaag nahi rahe thay.
Darwazay chup thay.
Aur dukaan-daar board utaar raha tha:
“Dragon Friendly Samosay — Band”
Arel ka dil bhaari ho gaya.
Woh shehar mein dhoondhti rahi.
Gali, chhat, shehar ka kinara.
Magar dragon kahin nahi tha.
Usay bohot afsos tha.
Aur aik khuwaab… jo asal lag raha tha.
Kair chup chaap sab dekh raha tha.
“Arel,”
us ne kaha,
“woh gaya hai kyun ke woh tumhein dukh nahi dena chahta.”
Arel ne dheemi awaaz mein poocha:
“Bandhan… kya waqai toot sakta hai?”
Kair ne gehri saans li.
“Bandhan aik jadu se bandha hai.
Aur woh jadu… qanoon ke khilaaf hai.”
“Matlab?” Arel ne poocha.
Kair usey shehar ke puranay hissay mein le gaya.
Wahan jahan puranay qanoon ki kitaabein thi.
“Tumhein pata hai bandhan kya hota hai?”
Kair ne poocha.
Arel ne sir hilaaya.
“Saath rehna.”
Kair ne na mein sir hilaaya.
“Bandhan hota hai razamandi ka jadu,”
woh bola.
“Dragon aur insaan ka dil aik lakeer se bandh jata hai.”
“Magar yeh bandhan ghalat hai,”
Arel ne kaha.
“Is liye ke yeh Aadha Bandhan hai,”
Kair ne bataya.
Woh aagay jhuk kar bola:
“Zarkun ne chuna.
Tum ne nahi.”
Arel ki saans ruk gayi.
“Is liye jadu adhoora hai,”
Kair bola.
“Aur isi liye tum us ke khuwaab dekh rahi ho.
Aur woh tumhara dard mehsoos kar raha tha.”
“Isay toda kaise jata hai?”
Arel ne poocha.
Kair ne purani kitaab kholi.
“Is jadu ko teen cheezon se khatam kiya jata hai:
Dono ki razamandi
Sach ka iqraar
Qurbani — jo khud se ho”
Arel ne dheemi awaaz mein poocha:
“Aur qeemat?”
Kair chup ho gaya.
“Qeemat hoti hai… yaadein,”
woh bola.
“Koi aik apni yaadein kho deta hai.
Ya apna rasta.”
Shehar ke darakht bol uthay:
“Hum ne kaha tha ghongha behtar tha.”
Arel ne aasman ki taraf dekha.
Wahan kahin door
Zarkun akela urr raha tha.
“Main usey azaad karna chahti hoon,”
us ne kaha.
“Magar usey khona nahi chahti.”
Kair ne kitaab band ki.
“Phir tumhein us tak pohanchna hoga,”
woh bola.
“Is se pehle ke jadu apna faisla khud kar le.”
Door kahin
bandhan ki lakeer ne halki si roshni di.
Jaise koi purana jadu
jaag raha ho.