The Distance Between Two Hearts – Do Dil… Par Ek Zinda, Ek Murdah

Bahut pehle ki baat nahi hai, par jab main peeche mudkar dekhta hoon, toh lagta hai jaise sadiyan beet gayi hon. Mera naam Sameer hai aur main ek software engineer hoon. Do saal pehle meri dosti Ananya se hui thi. Ananya—ek hansmukh, khoobsurat ladki jise purani cheezein aur purani kahaniyan pasand thi. Hamara rishta bilkul perfect tha, siwaye ek cheez ke: The Distance.

Main Mumbai mein tha aur wo apne research ke silsile mein Himachal ke ek chhote se gaon, 'Shunyata', mein reh rahi thi.

Chapter 1: Video Call ki Parchayi

Shunyata ek aisi jagah thi jiske baare mein Google Maps par bhi zyada jaankari nahi milti. Wahan network bahut kharab rehta tha. Hum din bhar sirf text messages par baat karte, lekin har Saturday raat ko hum video call karne ki koshish karte.

Ek shanivar ki raat, takreeban 11:30 baje, call connect hui. Screen par Ananya ka chehra thoda dhundhla tha. Wo ek purane wooden cabin mein baithi thi.

"Sameer, sun rahe ho?" usne dheere se pucha. Uska chehra pale lag raha tha.

"Haan Ananya, thoda lag hai par main dekh sakta hoon. Tum theek ho? Bohot thaki hui lag rahi ho."

Ananya ne halki si smile di, par uski aankhen darwaze ki taraf baar-baar ja rahi thi. "Yahan ka sannata... thoda ajeeb hai. Kabhi-kabhi lagta hai jaise ye deewarein saans le rahi hain."

Maine mazak mein kaha, "Pahadon ki hawa ka asar hai, baba. Tum bas apna dhyan rakho."

Usi waqt, screen flickered. Call freeze ho gayi. Lekin ek ajeeb baat hui. Ananya ka frame freeze tha, par uske peeche jo darwaza tha, wo dheere se khula. Maine dekha ki ek kaali parchayi, jo insaan jaisi toh thi par dhang ka koi shape nahi tha, darwaze se andar aayi aur Ananya ke bilkul peeche khadi ho gayi.

"Ananya! Peeche dekho!" main chilla utha.

Lekin connection cut gaya. Call ended. Maine baar-baar call kiya, par phone 'out of reach' batane laga.

Chapter 2: Doori ka Ehsaas

Agle do din tak mera Ananya se koi sampark nahi hua. Mera dimaag kharab ho raha tha. Kya wo parchayi sirf ek glitch tha? Ya mera weham?

Teesre din mujhe ek video message mila. Message ka timestamp subah 3:00 baje ka tha. Video shuru hote hi mujhe thand lagne lagi. Video mein koi roshni nahi thi, bas Ananya ki bhari-bhari saansein sunayi de rahi thi.

"Sameer... ye doori... ye sirf kilometers mein nahi hai. Kuch hai jo mujhe kheench raha hai. Wo kehte hain ki Shunyata mein jo kho jata hai, wo kabhi wapas nahi aata. Please... mujhe yahan se le jao."

Usi pal camera thoda ghuma aur maine dekha ki Ananya ek kone mein dubki baithi thi. Uske haath-pair nile pad chuke the. Aur sabse daravni baat? Uske bilkul saamne, farsh par ek aur 'Ananya' baithi thi, jo bilkul uski tarah dikh rahi thi, par uski aankhen puri tarah se safed (white) thi.

Wo duplicate Ananya camera ki taraf dekhi aur muskurayi. Call band ho gayi.

Chapter 3: Safar aur Sannata

Maine agle hi pal flight pakdi aur Chandigarh pahunch gaya. Wahan se ek taxi lekar Shunyata ke liye nikal pada. Driver ne jaise hi gaon ka naam suna, usne gaadi rok di.

"Sahab, wahan mat jao. Wo gaon 'bhula' hua hai. Wahan ke log kehte hain ki wahan waqt tham gaya hai."

Lekin main kahan maanne wala tha. Maine khud gaadi drive ki aur pahunch gaya us cabin tak. Raat ke 2 baj rahe the. Pura gaon khamosh tha, jaise koi qabristan.

Cabin ka darwaza khula tha. Andar bilkul waisa hi nazara tha jaisa video call mein tha, lekin Ananya kahin nahi thi. Wahan sirf ek purana mirror tha jisme 'Distance' likha hua tha... khoon se nahi, balki kisi kaali mitti se.

Chapter 4: Aaina aur Haqeeqat

Maine Ananya ka naam pukar-pukar ke gala phaad diya. Achanak, bathroom se paani girne ki awaaz aayi. Main darta hua wahan pahuncha.

Wahan Ananya baithi thi, mirror ki taraf peeth karke.

"Ananya! Chalo yahan se!" maine uska haath pakda.

Uska haath barf jaisa thanda tha. Wo dhire se mudi. Uska chehra... wo Ananya hi thi, par uski awaaz ajeeb thi, jaise kayi log ek saath bol rahe hon.

"Sameer, tumne kaha tha na ki doori mit jayegi? Dekho, main ab tumhare paas hoon."

Maine peeche hatne ki koshish ki, par tabhi maine mirror mein dekha. Mirror ke andar... asli Ananya qaid thi! Wo mirror ke andar se sheeshe par haath maar rahi thi, chilla rahi thi, par koi awaaz nahi aa rahi thi.

Aur jo mere saamne khadi thi, wo koi cheez thi jisne Ananya ka roop le liya tha.

"Distance mitane ka ek hi raasta hai, Sameer," us 'cheez' ne kaha. "Tumhe bhi hamare saath rehna hoga."

Chapter 5: Shunyata ka Ghera

Wo cheez meri taraf badhne lagi. Uska shareer pighalne laga aur wo kaali parchayi ban gayi jo maine video call mein dekhi thi. Maine bhaagne ki koshish ki, par cabin ka darwaza gayab ho chuka tha. Har taraf sirf deewarein thi.

Main mirror ke paas gaya. Mirror wali Ananya ne mujhe ishara kiya—mirror todne ka. Maine wahan pada ek bhari stool uthaya aur puri takat se mirror par de maara.

Sheesha tuta... par koi awaaz nahi hui.

Jaise hi sheesha tuta, ek tez thandi hawa ne mujhe gher liya. Mujhe aisa laga jaise main kisi gahri khaayi mein gir raha hoon. Jab meri aankhen khuli, main wahi cabin mein tha. Sab kuch normal lag raha tha. Suraj nikal chuka tha.

Ananya mere saamne baithi thi, chai pee rahi thi.

"Sameer? Tum kab aaye? Tumhe toh kal aana tha na?" wo muskurate hue boli.

Maine chain ki saans li. "Bas, raha nahi gaya toh aa gaya."

Epilogue: Ek Khofnak Ehsaas

Hum wapas Mumbai aa gaye. Sab kuch theek tha. Maine socha shayad wo sab ek bura sapna tha ya mera dimaag thak gaya tha.

Ek hafte baad, hum ek restaurant mein dinner kar rahe the. Maine waiter ko bulane ke liye haath uthaya, tabhi meri nazar table par rakhe glass par padi. Glass ke pani mein mera reflection (parchayi) dikh rahi thi.

Lekin meri parchayi mujhse match nahi kar rahi thi. Reflection mein, main abhi bhi us purane cabin mein khada tha, aur mere peeche wo kaali parchayi khadi thi.

Maine Ananya ki taraf dekha. Wo pasta kha rahi thi. Usne meri taraf dekha aur wahi 'safed aankhon' wali muskurahat di jo maine video message mein dekhi thi.

"Sameer, tumne abhi tak notice nahi kiya?" usne dhire se kaha. "Distance ab khatam ho chuka hai. Hum dono ab 'us' taraf hain."

Maine apne haath dekhe. Mere haath dhire-dhire gayab ho rahe the, bilkul kisi purane video call ke glitch ki tarah.

Hum kabhi wapas nahi aaye. Hum aaj bhi wahi hain, us purane cabin ke sannate mein... ek-dusre ke bohot paas, par sadiyon ki doori par.