]tlmw t\sc Ip¶nsâ Znibnte¡pt]mbn. F¶mÂ, Ct¸mÄ AbmÄ \t¶ t¢in¨mWp \S¶ncp¶Xv. DjvWw Abmsf XoÀ¯pw Ahi\m¡nbncp¶p. AbmfpsS \á]mZ§Ä¡p apdnhpw NXhpw ]än; ImepIÄ apt¼m«p \o§mXmbn. kzev]w hn{ian¡m³ B{Kln¨p. F¶mÂ, AXv Akm[yambncp¶p. kqcymkvXab¯n\pap¼v e£yØm\¯v F¯WasÃm. Hcp a\pjy\pthWvSnbpw Im¯p\nev¡p¶h\ÃsÃm ZnhmIc³. AXv Xmtgm«pXmWpXmWp h¶psImWvSncp¶p.
""tlm! Fsâ ssZhta,'' AbmÄ Nn´n¨p,"" IqSpX Øew tamln¨p Rm³ hnUvVn¯w ImWn¡mXncps¶¦nÂ! Rm³ Gsd Xmakn¨pt]mbm AXnsâ ^esa´mbncn¡pw!''
]tlmw B sNdpaesbbpw `m\p_nw_ws¯bpw t\m¡n. e£yØm\¯p\n¶pw Xm³ H¯ncn AIsebmWv. ]Ieh³ N{Ihmf¯nsâ Xmgs¯ AcnInse¯n¡gnªp.
]tlmw h¨p]nSn¨p. \S¡pI BbmkIcw. F¦nepw, AbmÄ AXnthKw HmSpIbmbncp¶p. F¶n«pw e£yØm\w H¯ncn AIsebmWv. AbmÄ thKw H¶pIqSn Iq«n. tXmf¯pIpdpsI C«ncp¶ ASnt¡m«v hen¨p Zqscsbdnªp: jqkpIfpw ^vfmkv¡pw FÃmw. B a¬sh«nam{XapWvSp ssIbnÂ. AsXmcp Du¶phSnbpsS ^ew sNbvXp.
""Rms\´mWp sN¿pI!'' AbmÄ ]pe¼n."" Rm³ IqSpXÂ ssIbS¡m³ {ian¨p, FÃmw \in¸n¨p. IXnch³ AkvXan¡p¶Xn\pap¼v AhnsS sN¶p]äm³ F\n¡p km[n¡pIbnÃ.''
Cu `bw Abmsf IqSpX izmkXSÊapÅh\m¡n, ]tlmw HmSnt¡mtWvSbncp¶p, AbmfpsS DSªjÀ«pw {Sutkgvkpw icoct¯msSm«n¸nSn¨ncp¶p; hmbv hcfpIbpw sNbvNXp. AbmfpsS amdnSw sImÃsâ Bebnse hmbp IS¯nhnSp¶ D]IcWt]mse {]hÀ¯n¨psImWvSncp¶p, lrZbw sIm«phSns¡mWvSSn¡p¶ Xpt]mse ASn¨psImWvSncp¶p. ImepIÄ hg§p¶nÃ, asämcpsStbm ImepIÄt]mse. hÃms¯mcp `oXn ]tlmans\ {Kkn¨p. B ]ncnapdp¡¯n acWwt]mepw kw`hn¡mw. acn¡m³ t]SnbmsW¦nepw Hm«w\ndp¯m³AbmÄ X¿mdmbnÃ. "" Cu ZqcsaÃmw HmSnbn«v Ct¸mÄ Rm³ \ndp¯n¡fªm AhÀFs¶ hnUvVnsb¶p hnfn¡pw''þ C§s\t]mbn AbmfpsS Nn´. AbmÄ HmSpIXs¶sNbvXp. AbmÄ ASp¯p sN¶psImWvSncp¶p. _jv¡odpIfpsS BÀ¯\mZhpw A«lmk§fpw tIÄ¡mw. AhcpsS A«lmk§Ä AbmfpsS lrZbs¯ IqSpX Pzen¸n¡pIbmWp sNbvXXv. iànapgph³ Bhmln¨psImWvSv AbmÄ HmSn.
kqcy³ ]Ýnamw_c¯nsâ ASn¯«nse¯mdmbn. aqS aªpsImWvSv kqcy³ BhcWw sN¿s¸«t¸mÄ AXnsâ hen¸w GdnbXmbn ImWs¸«p; \ndwtNmct]msebpw. AtX, AXm kqcy³ AkvXan¡p¶p. kqcy³ H¯ncn Xmsgbmbncn¡p¶p. ]tlmapw Xsâ e£yØm\¯n\p sXm«Sps¯¯nbncn¡p¶p. B sNdpaebnse BfpIsf ImWm³ Ct¸mgpw AbmÄ¡p km[n¡p¶pWvSv; AhÀ ssIIÄ hoin AbmÄ¡v Bthiw ]IÀ¶psImWvSncp¶p. \ne¯ph¨ncp¶ Ipdp¡³ tcmawsImWvSpÅ B henb sXm¸n AbmÄ¡p ImWmw; AXnse ]Whpw ]mÀiz§fn ssIIÄh¨psImWvSncn¡p¶Xehs\bpw ]tlmw Xsâ kz]v\s¯¡pdnt¨mÀ¯p. AbmÄ Nn´n¨p: ""[mcmfw `qanbpWvSv. F¶mÂ, AXn Pohn¡m³ PKZoizc³ Fs¶ A\phZn¡ptam? F\n¡v Fsâ Poh³ \jvSs¸«p! B Øm\¯p sNÃm³ F\ns¡mcn¡epw km[n¡pInÃ!''
]tlmw kqcys\ t\m¡n. AXv `qanbpsS sXm«Sps¯¯nbncn¡p¶p. AXnsâ Hcp `mKw A{]Xy£ambncn¡p¶p. tijn¨ iàn apgnh\psaSp¯v AbmÄ apt¼m«pIpXn¨p. AbmfpsS icocw apt¼m«p Ip\nªpw ImepIÄ ]ndtIm«pIpsd AI¶pw Bbncp¶Xn\m adnªphogmsX DSens\ ]nSn¨p\ndp¯m³ ImepIÄ¡mIpambncp¶nÃ. AbmÄ Ip¶n\Sps¯¯nbXpw Ccp«phym]n¨Xpw H¶n¨mbncp¶p. AbmÄ apIfnte¡pt\m¡nþ AXm kqcy³ AkvXan¨pIgnªncn¡p¶p. AbmÄ hmhn«pIcªp:"" Fsâ A²zm\saÃmw ]mgmbncn¡p¶p!'' F¶mÂ, _jv¡odpIÄ At¸mgpw A«lkn¡p¶Xv AbmÄ tI«p. BXnZy³ AkvXan¨Xmbn AbmÄ¡p tXm¶nsb¦nepw Ip¶n\p apIfnembncp¶hÀ¡p At¸mgpw kqcys\ ImWm³ ]äpambncp¶p. AbmÄ ZoÀLizmkw hn«n«v B Ip¶nte¡p HmSn. AhnsS At¸mgpw {]ImiapWvSv. BbmÄ Ip¶n³ apIfnse¯n B sXm¸nIWvSp. AXnsâ ap¼n Xeh³ Xsâ ]mÀiz§fpw Xm§ns¡mWvSncp¶pNncn¡p¶p. hoWvSpw ]tlmw Xsâ kz]v\s¯¡pdnt¨mÀ¯p. AbmÄ \nehnfn¨p. AbmfpsS ImepIÄ Ipgªp\new]Xn¨p. AbmÄ apt¼m«p adnªphoWp. AbmfpsS Ic§Ä B sXm¸nsb sXm«psXm«nà F¶ ØnXnbn \oWvSpInS¶ncp¶p.
"" Blm! CbmÄ Hcp \Ã a\pjy³Xs¶! ''Xeh³ DZvtLmjn¨p. AbmÄ [mcmfw `qan t\SnsbSp¯ncn¡p¶p!''
]tlmansâ `rXy³ AhnsS HmSnsb¯n. Abmsf ]nSns¨gpt¶ev]n¡m³ Ah³ {ian¨pt\m¡n. AbmfpsS hmbn \n¶pwcàwhmÀs¶mgpIp¶Xv Ah³ IWvSp. ]tlmw acn¨p Ignªncp¶p.
_jv¡odpIÄ hnem]i_vZw ]pds¸Sphn¨v X§fpsS k¦Sw {]ISn¨p.
B `rXy³ a¬sh«nsbSp¯p ]tlman\p \oWvSp\nhÀ¶p InS¡m³ t]mcp¶p Hcp imh¡pgnbpWvSm¡n AXn Abmsf kwkvIcn¨p. XeapX ]mZwhsc AbmÄ¡mhiyambncp¶ `pan BdSna®mbncp¶p.