Ab Main Tum Hoon (Final Part)
Raat us din bilkul chup thi. Terrace par hawa bhi jaise saans lena bhool gayi ho. Light on thi, par roshni hone ke baad bhi andhera kam nahi ho raha tha. Mere haath me phone tha, par screen black thi. Jaise wo bhi thak chuka ho. Main kaafi der tak bas railing ke paas khadi rahi, neeche sheher ko dekhte hue. Gaadiyon ki lights chal rahi thi, log apni zindagi me busy the, aur mujhe achanak ye samajh aaya ki duniya kabhi nahi rukti — sirf log ruk jaate hain.
Mere peeche pairon ki halki si awaaz aayi. Is baar main nahi palti. Mujhe pata tha kaun hai. Wo mere bilkul paas aakar khadi ho gayi. Uski maujoodgi thandi nahi thi, balki bhaari thi, jaise koi yaad jo seene par baith jaaye. Usne bina dekhe kaha, “Tum soch rahi ho agar us raat neeche jhaank leti toh main zinda hoti?” Uska sawaal teer ki tarah laga. Main chup rahi, kyunki jawaab haan bhi tha aur nahi bhi.
Usne dheere se bola, “Maine khud ko giraate waqt ye nahi socha tha ki koi mujhe bacha lega. Maine sirf ye socha tha ki koi mujhe dekhega. Par jab tumne dekha aur phir bhi chup rahi… tab mujhe samajh aaya ki kuch maut se zyada bhayanak hota hai.” Main pehli baar uski taraf mud kar dekhi. Uska chehra ab mera nahi lag raha tha. Usme meri aankhen thi, par unme wo umar thi jo sirf regret deta hai.
Maine himmat karke poocha, “Agar main chali jaun… toh kya tum free ho jaogi?” Wo halki si hansi. “Free?” usne kaha, “Ghosts free nahi hote. Wo bas transfer hote hain.” Phir usne apna phone uthaya aur screen meri taraf ki. Us par meri hi photo thi — terrace par khadi, white kurti me, bilkul aaj ki raat jaise. “Tum samajh rahi ho na?” usne poocha, “Har kahani ko sunane ke liye koi chahiye hota hai.”
Us pal mujhe yaad aaya ki pichhle kuch dino se meri maa mujhe sapno me dikh rahi thi. Wo kuch bolti nahi thi, bas dekhti rehti thi. Shayad wo mujhe rok nahi rahi thi… shayad wo jaanti thi. Main thodi der chup rahi, phir railing par haath rakha. Neeche dekhte hi mere pairon me wahi purana darr lauta, par is baar darr ke saath ek ajeeb si shanti bhi thi. Jaise decision le liya ho.
“Ek shart par,” maine kaha. Wo meri taraf jhuki. “Koi aur nahi,” maine dheere se bola, “ye kahani yahin khatam hogi.” Usne kuch seconds tak mujhe dekha, phir pehli baar uski aankhon me kuch halka sa badla. Shukr… ya shayad thakaan. Usne sir hila diya.
Subah jab log uthe, terrace par sirf ek phone pada tha. Screen on thi. Last unread message chamak raha tha — “Tum upar akeli ho?” Kisi ne ye notice nahi kiya ki message bhejne ka time subah 4:17 tha, aur number kisi ka nahi tha. Society me log keh rahe the ladki depression me hogi. Kuch ne kaha accident tha. Kahaniyon ko hamesha simple explanation chahiye hoti hai.
Aur ab… jab tum ye last part padh rahe ho, main ye nahi kahungi ki tum dar jao. Main bas itna kahungi ki kabhi-kabhi jab raat ko terrace ki light jalti dikhe, toh ye mat sochna ki koi jag raha hai. Ho sakta hai koi bas apni kahani kisi aur ko de raha ho.
Kyunki ab…
main nahi hoon.
Aur jo wahan khadi hai…
shayad
wo tum ho.