Arel ne subah ka intezar nahi kiya.
Kuch faislay aise hotay hain jo raat ke baad zinda nahi rehtay.
Agar unhein subah tak chhor diya jaye,
to ya woh khud khatam ho jatay hain,
ya un ke saath jura sab kuch.
Jadu ka faisla qareeb tha,
aur Arel yeh baat mehsoos kar rahi thi,
jaise seene ke andar koi ghari tez chal rahi ho.
Agar woh ruk gayi,
to ya to dragon hamesha ke liye kho jayega…
ya phir woh khud.
Us ne bag uthaya.
Kapray theek se jamay nahi thay,
cheezain adhoori si lag rahi theen,
magar haath phir bhi band nahi hue.
Ungliyan halki si kaanp rahi theen.
Darr se nahi,
faislay ke bojh se.
Aankhon mein lekin koi hichkichahat nahi thi.
Wahan sirf aik baat saaf thi:
ab peeche rehna mumkin nahi.
Kair darwazay ke paas khara tha.
Us ne kuch nahi kaha,
sirf dekhta raha.
Pehli dafa us ke chehray par mazaaq ka saaya bhi nahi tha.
Na woh halki si muskurahat,
na woh taanay wali aankh.
Sirf fikr.
“Tum ja rahi ho,”
us ne aakhirkaar kaha.
Yeh sawal nahi tha.
Yeh tasdeeq bhi nahi thi.
Bas aik sach tha jo keh diya gaya.
Arel ne qadam nahi roka.
“Main usey chhorne nahi ja rahi,”
us ne dheemi magar saaf awaaz mein kaha.
“Main usey chun’nay ja rahi hoon…”
Woh thora ruki.
“…ya phir azaad karne.”
Kair ne gehri saans li.
Aisi saans jo sirf tab li jati hai
jab koi samajh jaye
ke ab qanoon kaam nahi aayega.
Usi lamhay Tippu Chamki uchhal kar
Arel ke kandhay par aa baitha.
Us ne idhar udhar dekha,
jaise manzar ka andaaza laga raha ho,
phir serious awaaz mein bola:
“Bas aik request hai.”
Arel ne us ki taraf dekha.
“Jo bhi end ho,”
Tippu ne kaha,
“dramatic ho.
Main itni mehnat se side character bana hoon,
background mein ghayab hone ke liye nahi.”
Arel ke honton par
bohot halki si muskurahat aayi.
Aur phir woh chal pari.
Aagay ka raasta seedha nahi tha.
Magar faisla ho chuka tha.
Aur jab faisla ho jaye na,
to jadu bhi intezar karta hai.
Elmyra se bahar nikalte hi,
duniya ka mizaj badal gaya.
Hawa seedhi chal rahi thi,
magar jaise yaadein apni raftaar se ghoom rahi hon.
Har saans mein purani kahaniyan mehsoos ho rahi thin,
aur har qadam par zindagi ka aik naya rang ubhar raha tha.
Raastay ajeeb thay.
Kabhi peechay mur jaate,
jaise apne aap mein ghayab ho rahe hon.
Kabhi aagay ghayab ho jaate,
jaise kisi ne unhein chhupa diya ho.
Jaise yeh raastay pooch rahe hon:
“Kahan ja rahi ho, Arel?
Tumhara irada kya hai?”
Arel ka dil tez tez dhadak raha tha.
Seene ke gird halki si chamak phail gayi —
bandhan ki lakeer,
jo ab sirf rang nahi balkay ehsaas bhi thi.
Ek pal mein roshan,
agle pal mein dheemi,
jaise apni chaah aur darr
dono ko saath le kar chal rahi ho.
“Jadu unstable ho raha hai,”
Kair ne dheemi awaaz mein kaha,
aankhon mein ghabrahat aur fikr dono saath.
“Ya to tootay ga…
ya phir kuch aur banay ga.”
Arel ko Zarkun ka khayal aaya.
Us ke chehray ka woh halka sa dard,
aur woh an-kahee baat
jo sirf aankhon mein likhi thi.
Us ke qadam tez ho gaye.
Har qadam ke saath hawa aur tez hoti gayi,
aur us ke andar ka faisla
aur pakka hota gaya.
Ab bas aik hi raasta tha — aagay ka.
Aur Arel jaane ko tayyar thi,
chahe jadu ka anjaam kuch bhi ho.
Door, paharon ke darmiyan,
Zarkun thak kar ruk gaya.
Aasman khula tha —
gehra neela aur poori tarah khamosh.
Magar har saans us ke liye bojh ban gayi thi.
Us ne koshish ki yaad karne ki:
Arel ka hansna,
aur us ki rangin, chamakti hui aankhein.
Sab kuch dhundhla sa lag raha tha.
Usay awaaz yaad aayi,
magar chehra dhundhla gaya,
jaise koi khushboo sirf mehsoos ho rahi ho,
dikh nahi rahi.
Dragon ka dil zor se dharka
aur woh zameen par gir gaya.
“Qeemat shuru ho gayi,”
us ne dheemi awaaz mein khud se kaha.
Agar woh aur door gaya,
to shayad Arel sirf aik ehsaas ban kar reh jaye gi —
sirf aik khayal,
jo kabhi haqeeqat mein tabdeel nahi hoga.
Zarkun ne jhatkay se par phailaaye.
“Nahi… abhi nahi,”
us ne khud se kaha.
Magar be-basi ka ehsaas
us ki har saans ke saath
gehra hota gaya.
Dheere dheere us ki yaadein mit rahi thin,
us ki aankhein band ho rahi thin,
aur saansein aista aista ruk rahi thin.
Us ne samajh liya
ke shayad ab woh kabhi
Arel ko nahi dekh payega.
Agar us ki saansein chalti rahin,
to yaadein pehle chali jayengi,
phir raasta,
aur shayad zindagi bhi.
Magar Zarkun tayyar tha —
Arel ke liye
sab kuch qurbaan karne ko.
Isi lamhay,
us ne mehsoos kiya
ke bandhan ki lakeer tez roshan hui.
Ek chamak
jo aasman aur zameen
dono mein phail gayi,
jaise koi purana jadu
zinda ho raha ho.
Aur phir,
halki si sard hawa ke saath,
aik ehsaas aaya:
Koi aa raha hai.
Jab dono ki nazar mili,
to na bijli giri,
na aasman se shor aaya.
Bas hawa ruk gayi,
aur duniya thodi dair ke liye
ruk si gayi.
Arel ka dil tez tez dhadak raha tha,
aur Zarkun ke par
halkay se kaanp rahe thay.
“Tum…,”
Arel ne dheemi awaaz mein kaha,
magar lafz poore nahi ho paye.
Zarkun ne sirf haan mein sir hilaaya.
Us ke andar ka gham,
darr,
aur mohabbat —
sab kuch
us ki aankhon mein tha.
Phir, jaise hi dono qareeb aaye,
bandhan ki lakeer
poori roshni mein chamak uthi.
Har taraf safed roshni phail gayi.
Jahan bhi dekho,
lag raha tha
jaise koi purana jadu
jaag gaya ho.
Shehar ke log,
jo door se dekh rahe thay,
cheekh uthay:
“Kya hua?
Dragon chala gaya ya… ladki?”
Darwazay hil kar cheekhnay lagay:
“Sab kuch chamak raha hai!”
Zarkun ne apne par dheere se phailaaye
aur Arel ke saamne ruk gaya.
Arel ne saans li.
Us ka dil dhadak raha tha,
magar aankhon mein ab gussa nahi tha.
Sirf concern
aur thodi si naraazgi.
“Tum ja rahe thay…
bina kuch kahe,”
us ne kaha.
“Main tumhein dukh nahi dena chahta tha,”
Zarkun ne dheemi awaaz mein jawab diya.
“Main… apni khushi ke liye nahi,
tumhari khushi ke liye door gaya.”
Arel ka chehra thoda naraaz tha,
magar aankhon mein tasalli thi.
“Tumhare liye?
Phir bhi… mujhe chhor kar?”
Zarkun ne sir jhuka diya.
“Main hamesha zyada ho jata hoon…
aur phir sab kuch tod deta hoon.
Is liye main door chala gaya,
taake tumhara bojh na banoon.”
Phir halki si khamoshi hui.
Sirf bandhan ki roshni
aasman aur zameen
dono mein chamak rahi thi.
Aur har taraf
halki si gungunahat thi,
jaise poori duniya jaanti ho
ke ab faislay ka waqt hai.
Arel ne dheemi awaaz mein kaha:
“Hum dono ko aik faisla lena hoga.
Ya to bandhan ko chhor dein,
ya phir is jadu ko
apni marzi se poora karein.”
Zarkun ne gehri saans li.
“Main chahta hoon
ke tumhari marzi ho.
Mera darr aur mera gham
ab faisla nahi karenge.”
Aur phir,
jadu ne apni shartain poori maangeen.
Razamandi?
Dono ne aik doosray ki taraf dekha
aur aik saath haan kaha.
Sach?
Arel ne kaha:
“Main tum se nahi dari thi.
Main us zindagi se dari thi
jo tum laa rahe thay.”
Zarkun ne kaha:
“Main mohabbat se nahi bhaagta…
main apni kamzori se bhaagta hoon.”
Roshni aur tez ho gayi.
Qurbani?
Har taraf safed ujala tha.
Aisa laga
jaise kuch na kuch
mitnay wala ho.
Arel ne aankhein band kar li.
Zarkun ne par phaila diye.
Phir…
jadu ruk gaya.
Roshni phat kar bikhar gayi,
jaise sheesha toot’ta ho.
Daira toot’ta nahi…
balkeh khul gaya.
Kair ne gehri saans li.
Arel ne aasman ki taraf dekha.
Zarkun ja chuka tha.
Shayad hamesha ke liye.
Bandhan toot chuka tha,
aur nayi tareeqay se
logon ke darmiyan
jur chuka tha.
Aur phir…
Kuch maheenon baad,
Arel galiyon mein chal rahi thi.
Kair us ke saath tha.
“Bandhan ka qanoon
ab khatam ho gaya hai,”
us ne kaha.
“Magar pata nahi,
yeh sahi hua hai ya nahi?”
Arel ne Kair ki aankhon mein dekha.
Tippu Chamki un ke upar uchhal kar bola:
“Ab batao,
aakhir kis ne decide kiya
ke end mein drama hoga ya comedy?”
Arel hans padi.
“Tum bhi soch rahe ho na
ke ab sirf hum dono bachay hain?”
Arel ne aasman ki taraf dekha.
Zarkun par phaila kar
aasman mein khara tha.
Us ne Arel ki taraf dekha.
Na koi shor,
na koi awaaz.
Sirf woh lamha,
jo dono ko
sirf aik saath rehne ka ehsaas de raha tha.
Zarkun us ke saath tha
aur halki si muskaan ke saath bola:
“Ab hum dono
sirf is lamhay ke liye saath hain.
Aur shayad…
yehi sab se acha saath hai.”
Tippu Chamki uchhal kar bola:
“Series khatam!
Par drama aur fun…
hamesha rahega!