Purane Khandala Junction ke kone par ek laal lohe ka darwaza tha. Log kehte the ki is darwaze ke peeche ek aisa shehar hai jo hamare shehar ki hi nakal hai—bas andhera, khamosh aur ajeeb. Kisi ne kabhi us darwaze ko kholne ki himmat nahi ki… par Rahul ko bachpan se isse ek ajeeb sa khinchav mehsoos hota tha.
Ek raat jab station bilkul khaali tha, hawa ruk si gayi thi, aur aasman me koi sitara bhi nahi chamak raha tha, Rahul torch lekar us darwaze ke paas pahunch gaya. Darwaza dekhte hi uske badan me thandi si sarrhat daud gayi, jaise koi uska naam dheere se fusa-fusa kar bula raha ho.
“Bas ek baar dekhna hai…” Rahul ne apne aap ko samjhaya.
Usne zang lage taale ko jhatka diya.
Ek tez tik ki awaaz hui—taala toot gaya.
Darwaza khulne ke saath hi ek purani, thandi hawa uske chehre se takraayi. Darwaze ke peeche ek gali thi—bilkul uske apne shehar jaisi, par bina awaaz, bina roshni, bina kisi insaan ke. Sannata itna gehra tha ki apni saans ki awaaz bhi zyada lag rahi thi.
Rahul ne cautious kadam rakha. Mitti me uske jooton ka nishaan bana… par ek second baad woh nishaan dheere dheere gayab hone laga. Jaise zameen usse nigal rahi ho.
Usne peeche mudkar dekhna chaha, par tabhi usne mehsoos kiya—koi uske bilkul peeche khada hai.
Dheere se palat kar dekha…
Wahan ek aadmi tha.
Bilkul Rahul jaisa.
Same height. Same kapde. Same chehra.
Bas… aankhen poori kaali.
Aur chehre par ek ajeeb si halki muskan.
Woh aadmi dheere se bola,
“Tum aa hi gaye. Ab asli Rahul main hoon… aur tumhari jagah khali padi thi.”
Rahul ne bhaagne ke liye do kadam peeche liye, par uske peeche wala darwaza dheere se band ho chuka tha… aur iss baar usme taala nahi, taale ki jagah ek naya naam likha tha—
Rahul
Rahul ka dil itni zor se dhadak raha tha ki usse lag raha tha poora andhera-shehar sun raha hoga. Uska humshakal — woh kaali aankhon wala aadmi — dheere dheere uski taraf badhne laga. Har kadam ke saath zameen se halki thap-thap ki awaaz aati, jaise mitti me koi chhupa hua saans le raha
Tum… tum kaun ho?” Rahul ki awaaz phati hui thi.
Woh aadmi muskuraya, ek ajeeb si tedhi muskaan ke saath.
“Main? Main woh hoon jo tum ban jaoge,” usne kaha. “Is shehar ka har aadmi kisi na kisi asli insaan ki parchhaai hai. Jab koi darwaza kholta hai… asli duniya se ek jagah khaali hoti hai. Aur hum us jagah ko le lete hain.”
Rahul peeche hatna chahata tha, par darwaza jahan se woh aaya tha, poore kaale rang se dhundhla gaya—jaise kabhi tha hi nahi. Ab sirf andhera aur woh admi.
Rahul ne bhaagne ki koshish ki, par uske pair zameen se chipakne lage—mitti jaise zinda ho kar uske jooton ko pakad rahi thi.
Phir wo humshakal aadmi bilkul paas aa kar fusa—
“Ab tum hamari duniya ke ho, Rahul.” thank for you
Write... vivek singh
Aisi hi kahani padhna ya sunna pasand hai to mere YouTube channel Eternal Nights par zaroor jaayein aur Instagram par follow karein: toon_tadkatv.
