Barasaat Ki Daraavani Raat

Barish ki woh raat aaj bhi mujhe sone nahi deti.

Aaj bhi jab tez barish hoti hai aur hawa khidkiyon ko zor se hilati hai, meri dhadkan achanak tez ho jati hai.

Ye kahani kuch saal pehle ki hai, jab main aur mere teen dost ek road trip par nikle the.

Us raat aasman mein kaale baadal chhaye hue the aur bijli baar-baar chamak rahi thi.

Hum log highway par gaadi chala rahe the jab achanak tez barish shuru ho gayi.

Barish itni tez thi ki windshield ke aage kuch dikhna mushkil ho gaya.

“Yaar kuch der ke liye gaadi rok dete hain,” Rohit ne kaha.

Maine aas-paas dekha.

Highway ke kinare door ek purani si haveli nazar aa rahi thi.

Andhere mein uski deewarein aur bhi zyada darawani lag rahi thi.

“Chalo wahan rukte hain,” maine kaha.

Hum sab gaadi se utar kar us haveli ki taraf chal diye.

Barish ki boonden zameen par gir kar ajeeb si awaaz kar rahi thi.

Haveli ka bada lohe ka gate aadha khula hua tha.

Jaise kisi ne jaldi mein chhod diya ho.

“Yeh jagah thodi ajeeb nahi lag rahi?” Aman ne dheere se poocha.

Rohit hans pada.

“Arre bhai, barish mein sab jagah haunted lagti hai.”

Hum andar chale gaye.

Andar ghuste hi ek thandi hawa ka jhonka mehsoos hua.

Haveli ke andar pura andhera tha.

Deewaron par purani tasveerein lagi hui thi, jin par dhool jam chuki thi.

Hawa chalti to khidkiyan halki-halki khatkhatati thi.

Tabhi achanak upar se “thak… thak…” ki awaaz aayi.

Jaise koi dheere-dheere chal raha ho.

Hum sab ek dusre ko dekhne lage.

“Upar koi hai kya?” Aman ne fusi hui awaaz mein kaha.

Maine torch nikali aur seedhiyon ki taraf roshni ki.

Seedhiyan purani aur tooti hui lag rahi thi.

Phir bhi pata nahi kyun, hum sab dheere-dheere upar chadhne lage.

Har kadam par lakdi ki seedhi “kirrr…” ki awaaz karti.

Upar pahunchte hi ek lamba corridor tha.

Corridor ke end par ek kamra tha jiska darwaza aadha khula hua tha.

Andar se halki si roshni aa rahi thi.

“Yeh roshni kahan se aa rahi hai?” Rohit ne hairani se kaha.

Hum dheere-dheere us kamre ke paas gaye.

Darwaza dhakka dete hi khul gaya.

Andar ek purana kamra tha.

Beech mein ek kursi rakhi hui thi.

Aur kursi par…

Ek purani gudiya baithi hui thi.

Uski aankhen seedha darwaze ki taraf thi.

Jaise woh hume dekh rahi ho.

Aman ne hansi dabate hue kaha, “Bas? Itni si baat?”

Lekin mujhe pata nahi kyun ajeeb sa darr mehsoos ho raha tha.

Tabhi achanak hawa ka tez jhonka aaya.

Kamre ka darwaza zor se band ho gaya.

“Dhadd!”

Hum sab ekdum ghabra gaye.

Rohit turant darwaza kholne laga.

Lekin darwaza hil bhi nahi raha tha.

Tabhi peeche se kisi ke chalne ki awaaz aayi.

“Tap… tap… tap…”

Hum dheere-dheere palte.

Kursi khali thi.

Gudiya wahan nahi thi.

Aman ki awaaz kaanp gayi.

“Woh… gudiya kahan gayi?”

Meri torch ki roshni zameen par padi.

Zameen par chhote-chhote geele footprints bane hue the.

Jaise kisi chhote bacche ne abhi-abhi chal kar guzra ho.

Footprints dheere-dheere kamre ke kone ki taraf ja rahe the.

Aur wahan…

Andhera tha.

Achanak andhere se halki si hansi sunai di.

“hehehe…”

Mera dil zor-zor se dhadakne laga.

Rohit chillaya, “Kaun hai wahan?!”

Koi jawab nahi aaya.

Sirf hawa ki sarsarahat aur barish ki awaaz.

Tabhi mere kandhe par kisi ne haath rakha.

Maine jhatke se palat kar dekha.

Peeche koi nahi tha.

Lekin mere kaan ke paas kisi ki halki si fusi awaaz aayi.

“Tum log… yahan kyun aaye ho?”

Maine darr ke maare aankhen band kar li.

Tabhi darwaza apne aap khul gaya.

Hum chaaro bina peeche dekhe seedhiyon se neeche bhaage.

Barish ab aur tez ho chuki thi.

Hum gaadi mein baith kar seedha highway ki taraf bhaag gaye.

Kuch der tak kisi ne kuch nahi bola.

Sirf gaadi ki awaaz aur barish ki tap-tap sunai de rahi thi.

Aakhir Rohit ne chup todhi.

“Yaar… woh sab kya tha?”

Kisi ke paas jawab nahi tha.

Kuch kilometer chalne ke baad hume ek chhota sa dhaba dikha.

Hum wahan ruk gaye.

Dhaba wala ek buddha aadmi tha.

Usne hume dekha aur bola, “Tum log bahut ghabraye hue lag rahe ho.”

Rohit ne hansi mein baat talne ki koshish ki.

“Bas barish mein phas gaye the.”

Lekin pata nahi kyun maine usse haveli ke baare mein pooch liya.

Budhhe aadmi ka chehra achanak serious ho gaya.

Usne dheere se kaha,

“Woh haveli… bahut saalon se khaali hai.”

Maine poocha, “Kyun?”

Usne jawab diya,

“Wahan ek chhoti ladki rehti thi. Bahut saal pehle.”

“Ek raat tez barish mein woh achanak gaayab ho gayi.”

“Log kehte hain uski gudiya ab bhi us haveli mein milti hai.”

Mere haath se chai ka cup lagbhag gir gaya.

Tabhi budhhe ne ek aur baat kahi.

“Lekin ajeeb baat pata hai?”

Hum sab uski taraf dekhne lage.

“Jo log us haveli mein jaate hain…”

“Unmein se aksar ek aadmi kabhi wapas nahi aata.”

Hum sab ek dusre ko dekhne lage.

Phir Rohit bola,

“Arre hum toh chaar the… aur chaar hi hain.”

Uski baat sunkar maine turant idhar-udhar dekha.

Mera dil ek pal ke liye ruk sa gaya.

Kyunki…

Gaadi mein wapas aate waqt…

Hum sirf teen hi the.

Aur us pal mujhe achanak yaad aaya…

Aman ko toh hum haveli se bhaagte waqt peeche mud kar dekhte hue chhod aaye the.