Purnima ki Raat aur Woh Bhookhi Aatma

Yeh kahani hai Himachal ke ek chhote se gaon ‘Shunyakot’ ki. Is gaon ke charo taraf ghane deodar ke jungle hain aur beech mein ek purani kothi, jise gaon wale ‘Kala Mahal’ kehte thhe. Kehte hain ki 100 saal pehle wahan ek zamindar rehta tha jo bahut hi krur tha, lekin uski maut ke baad woh kothi sirf ek khandhar ban kar reh gayi.

Gaon mein ek niyam tha—Purnima ki raat ko koi bhi suraj dhalne ke baad ghar se bahar nahi nikalta tha. Sabka manna tha ki us raat woh "Bhookhi Aatma" shikaar ki talaash mein nikalti hai.

Lekin Sameer, jo shehar se aaya ek journalist tha, in sab baaton ko bakwas maanta tha. Uska maanna tha ki darr sirf dimaag ki upaj hai. Usne faisla kiya ki woh Purnima ki raat ko usi Kala Mahal mein rukkar ek documentary shoot karega.

Raat ka Sannata

Shaam ke 7 baje thhe. Purnima ka chand dhere-dhere pahadon ke peeche se nikal raha tha. Sameer apna camera gear aur flashlight lekar kothi ki taraf nikal gaya. Gaon ke budhe Chacha ne use roka, "Beta, aaj ki raat maut ka nanga naach hota hai, mat jao." Sameer sirf muskura diya aur aage badh gaya.

Kothi ke paas pahunchte hi hawa mein ek ajeeb si thandak thi. Chandni raat hone ke bawajood, Mahal ke andar ka andhera itna gehra tha ki flashlight ki roshni bhi usmein kho rahi thi. Sameer ne bade darwaze ko dhakka diya. Charrrr... ek bhayanak aawaz ke saath darwaza khula.

Andar ghuste hi use ajeeb si boo aayi—jaise sadi hui laash aur purane khoon ki mili-juli mehak ho. Sameer ne apna camera on kiya aur recording shuru ki. "Doston, main abhi Kala Mahal ke main hall mein hoon. Yahan sannata itna gehra hai ki mujhe apni saanson ki aawaz bhi saaf sunayi de rahi hai."

Woh Pehli Aahat

Sameer upar ki manzil par gaya. Wahan ek bada sa aaina tha, jo dhool se bhara hua tha. Jaise hi Sameer ne aaine ko saaf kiya, usne dekha ki uske peeche koi khada hai. Usne jhat se peeche mudkar dekha, lekin wahan koi nahi tha.

"Sirf mera weham hai," usne khud se kaha. Lekin tabhi use ek rone ki aawaz sunayi di. Ek bachhe ke rone ki aawaz. Woh aawaz diwaaron ke peeche se aa rahi thi.

Sameer us aawaz ka peechha karte hue ek band kamre ke paas pahuncha. Kamre ka darwaza zanjeeron se jakda hua tha. Achanak, woh zanjeerein apne aap toot kar gir gayi. Darwaza dheere se khula. Sameer ne camera andar ghumaya. Kamre ke kone mein ek aurat baithi thi, jiske baal bikhre hue thhe aur woh kuch kha rahi thi.

Sameer ki thartharahat shuru ho gayi. Usne himmat jutayi aur pucha, "Kaun ho tum? Kya tumhein madad chahiye?"

Woh aurat dheere se mudi. Sameer ka kaleja mooh ko aa gaya. Us aurat ka chehra hi nahi tha—sirf ek bada sa mooh tha jismein hazaron nukile daant thhe, aur uski aankhon ki jagah do gehre kaale gaddhe thhe. Woh ek kachhe maans ka tukda chaba rahi thi.

Bhookh ka Tandav

Jaise hi usne Sameer ko dekha, usne ek aisi cheekh maari jo insani nahi thi. Sameer wahan se palta aur niche ki taraf bhaaga. Lekin rasta badal chuka tha. Woh jin sidhiyon se upar aaya tha, ab wahan sirf ek anant andhera tha.

Uski flashlight fadfadane lagi. Usne dekha ki mahal ki diwaaron se khoon ris raha hai. Use har taraf se aawazein aane lagi—"Bhookh... mujhe bhookh lagi hai..."

Sameer ek kamre mein chhup gaya aur darwaza andar se band kar liya. Uska dil dhol ki tarah baj raha tha. Tabhi use mehsus hua ki uske pairo ke paas kuch gila hai. Usne niche dekha—farsh se darjanon kate hue haath nikal rahe thhe jo uske pair pakadne ki koshish kar rahe thhe.

Usne darwaza khola aur phir se bhaga. Is baar woh rasoyi (kitchen) mein pahunch gaya. Wahan ka nazaara dekh kar uski ruh kaanp gayi. Wahan gaon ke purane laapata logon ki haddiyan bikhri hui thi. Wahi "Bhookhi Aatma" wahan khadi thi, aur is baar woh akeli nahi thi. Uske saath kai aur parchhaiyan thi, sabki aankhein laal thi aur sabke mooh se laar tapak rahi thi.

Akhiri Raat

Sameer ne bhagne ki bahut koshish ki, lekin Mahal ke darwaze gayab ho chuke thhe. Woh ab us kothi ka kaidi ban chuka tha. Usne apna camera uthaya aur apni akhiri video record ki.

"Agar koi yeh video dekh raha hai... toh yaad rakhna... purane logon ki baatein sach hoti hain. Purnima ki raat ko Shunyakaot mat aana. Yeh kothi koi imarat nahi hai, yeh ek pet hai... jo har Purnima ko naya maans mangti hai."

Agli subah, gaon walon ne kothi ke bahar Sameer ka camera paya. Camera poori tarah se thik tha, lekin Sameer ka kahin pata nahi tha. Video mein sirf andhera tha aur ant mein ek bhayanak chabaane ki aawaz aur Sameer ki ek dardnaak cheekh.

Aaj bhi, Purnima ki raat ko Shunyakot ke log kehte hain ki Kala Mahal se ek nayi aawaz sunayi deti hai—ek journalist ki aawaz, jo ab khud us "Bhookhi Aatma" ka hissa ban chuka hai aur logon ko andar bulata hai.