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Main Vivek hoon, 28 saal ka IT engineer, aur yeh kahani hai meri nayi flat mein pehli raat ki… aur har us raat ki baad ki jab main zinda toh raha, lekin kabhi wahi insaan nahi ban saka.
Do mahine pehle main us purani society mein shift hua tha. Ek sasti deal thi; ek 2BHK mila tha jo mere budget se andar tha. Thoda purani building thi, lekin location acchi thi, aur main akela hi toh reh raha tha. Shift hone ke pehle hi broker ne bataya tha ki peeche wali building thodi khaali si hai, renovation chal raha hai. Mujhe koi farak nahi pada.
Pehli raat main late aaya tha. Thakha hua tha, toh seedha bed pe gir gaya. Neeche road se thoda aawaz aa rahi thi lekin manageable thi. Raat ko ekdum neend lag gayi thi, magar 2:13 baje meri aankh khul gayi. Ek tez dhap ki aawaz aayi – jaise kuch bhaari chhat pe gira ho.
Main hila bhi nahi pehle. Socha kuch gira hoga, ya mera waham hoga. Par dusre din, dubara wahi waqt… 2:13 baje wahi awaz hui. Is baar thoda zyada zor ki thi.
Maine khidki se bahar dekha. Upar chhat andhere mein doobhi hui thi. Usne kuch zyada nazar nahi aaya. Par mera mann keh raha tha – kuch toh galat hai.
Tisri raat maine khidki ke paas kursi laga li. Alarm set kiya 2:10 ka. Neend aa gayi thi lekin alarm se utha. 2:13 baje ek aur dhap! Abki baar maine dekha.
Koi tha wahan. Khaadi shakal, lambi si figure, bilkul safed chadar mein lapeta hua. Lekin… pair nahi the. Woh hawa mein tair raha tha… chhat ke bilkul kinaray pe. Main thithak gaya.
Phir usne mujhe dekha. Bilkul seedha meri taraf.
Meri spine mein jaise barf daal di gayi ho. Main hil bhi nahi paya.
Agli subah main building ke chowkidar Ramlal se poocha, “Yaar, kya tumne chhat pe kuch dekha?”
Uska chehra pehla safed hua, phir usne chhoti se hansi di, “Aap naye aaye ho na saab? Aap mat jaana chhat pe. Kisi ko nahi jaane dete hum. Purani kahani hai, ek ladki ki maut hui thi wahan 8 saal pehle. Koi nahi jaata ab.”
“Kaise?” maine jhat se poocha.
“Pata nahi, kuch samajh nahi aya. Woh akeli rehti thi. Bas ek raat gayab ho gayi. Agle din uski laash chhat pe mili – chehra puri tarah bigad chuka tha, jaise kisi ne uski rooh kheench li ho.”
Main sann reh gaya. Matlab woh jo main dekh raha hoon… sahi mein kuch hai wahan?
Main soch raha tha building chhod doon. Par rent bhi diya tha, aur sab kuch utna asaan nahi hota. Socha CCTV camera lagwa deta hoon, chhat pe aur khidki ke bahar. Technician aaya, camera laga, aur maine raat ka intezaar kiya.
Us raat maine khud andar se lock kar liya. Lights band kar ke blanket mein chipak gaya.
Par 2:13 baje, alarm ki jagah phir wahi awaz – dhap!
Main ne saans roki… aur camera footage dekhne laga apne phone pe.
Footage mein, sab kuch pehle normal tha… fir 2:13 pe ek blip, signal distort hua. Phir ek frame mein woh dikh gayi – khaali aankhon se camera ki taraf dekhte hue. Bilkul uninvitably.
Agli frame mein… woh mere window ke bahar thi.
Mera phone haath se gir gaya. Main kaanp raha tha.
Tabhi… khidki pe thak-thak hua.
Teen bar. Dheere se. Jaise koi pooch raha ho – “Andar aa sakti hoon?”
Main chillaya nahi. Kuch bol bhi nahi paya. Sirf blanket mein ghus gaya, pura din roshni hone ka intezaar karta raha.
Subah jab aankh khuli, khidki open thi. Par main pakka yaad rakh sakta hoon – main ne bandh ki thi.
Maine woh flat chhod diya agle hi din. Broker ne poocha kyun – maine kaha main aur bardaasht nahi kar sakta.
Par kahani yahan khatam nahi hoti.
Ab main dusre shahar mein hoon, nayi job, nayaa ghar. Lekin… kuch cheezein kabhi peecha nahi chhodti.
Kal raat meri digital clock ne kuch ajeeb kiya.
2:13 par woh blink karne lagi.
Aur khidki pe phir se wahi thak-thak.
Teen bar.
Main toh sheher badal chuka hoon na…?
Toh phir… woh kaise aayi yahan tak?
