]ntä¶v At±lw \S¡m³ t]mb DS³Xs¶ ASp¡fb¨n {]thin¨p. \S¸pIgnªphcpw ap¼v tZmibpw N½´nbpw X¿mdm¡Ww. C¶p hni¸p IqSpX A\p`hs¸Spw. ]mhw \S¶p hnjan¡p¶pWvSmIpw. AdnbmsX Xs¶ Hcp Nncn NpWvSnte¡p h¶p.
tImfnwKv s_ tI«v Hcp \nanjw \n¶p. Cu kab¯v Bcpw hcmdnÃ. tPmen¡mcn Pm\p h¶mepw s_ÃSn¡msX ]pdIphit¯¡p hcmdmWp ]Xnhv. Bcmbncn¡pw?
kzoIcWapdnbnse IÀ«³ amän knäu«nte¡pt\m¡n. kpapJ\mb Hcp sNdp¸¡mc³. IWvSn«p]cnNbwtXm¶p¶nÃ. At±ls¯ ImWm³ h¶XmIpw.
""kmdnhnsS CÃtÃm. \S¡m\nd§nbXm.''
""Rm³ a½nsb ImWm\mbn h¶Xm.''Nnc]cnNnXs\t¸mse Ah³ lrZyambn Nncn¨p.
HmÀ½Ifn ]cXnt\m¡nbn«v Cu apJw ]nSnIn«p¶nà hmXn Xpd¶v Aht\mSv Ccn¡m³ ]dªp.
""a½ns¡s¶ a\Ênembnà CtÃ. R§Ä IcpWmIc³kmdnsâ hoSp hm§nbhcm. F\n¡nhnsS tPmenbmbn.''
Ahsâ ho«n Ah\pw a½nbpw am{XamsW¶pw ]¸ sI.Fkv. BÀ.Sn.kn. ss{Uhdmbncns¡ Hcp BIvknUân acns¨¶pw ]dªp.
Im¸nsbSp¡m\mbn ASp¡fbntebv¡p t]mbt¸mÄ Ah\pw ]n¶mse h¶Xv H«pw CjvSambnÃ.
F´n\mWv ASp¡fbnte¡p hcp¶sX¶p tNmZn¡Wsa¶v B{Klns¨¦nepw tNmZn¨nÃ.
AbÂh¡¯p Xmakn¡m³ h¶bmÄ hoSpImWm³ IqsS h¶p F¶p kam[m\n¨p. F¦nepw Ah\n \n¶v Hcp AIew ]men¡m³ {i²n¨p. F§s\bpÅh³, GXp Xc¡mc³ Fs¶m¶pw AdnbnÃtÃm.
""a½n tZmi NpSpIbmbncp¶p CtÃ. tPmen\S¡s«.'' Ah³ Hcp tZmisbSp¯p apdn¨p hmbnen«p Ahsâ AanXkzmX{´yw H«pw ]nSn¨nÃ.
""a½nbpsS tZmi D{K³. Fsâ a½n ]mNI¯n ]nt¶m¡am.''
shdpsX Nncns¨¶p hcp¯n.
""a½n Fsâ t]cp t]mepw tNmZn¨nÃtÃm.'' AXp ]dbpt¼mÄ Ahsâ apJs¯mcpk¦S`mhw DWvSmbncp¶p.
""F´m t]cv.'' cmhnse tPmenapS¡m³ h¶ Aht\mSv In¶mcw ]dbm³ ]äptam F¶ `mhw
""Fsâ t]cp s_¶n. Rm³ a½ntbmSv Hcp Imcyw ]dbs«. AUzm³kmbn«p ]dbpIbm. a½n `bs¸ScpXv.''
KymkvÌuhnsâ t\m_v Hm^m¡n Rm³ D¡WvTtbmsS Ahs\ t\m¡n.
""kmdv R§fpsS hoSn\p ap¶n sNdpXmbn H¶p hoWp. kmdnt¸mÄ ho«nepWvSv. t]Sn¡ms\m¶panÃ.''
""F¶n«v \o Cu hnhcw C¸gm ]dbp¶Xv. \o FhnSp¶p ]Tn¨ acymZbm CXv'' tZjyhpw k¦Shpw kln¡msX s]m«ns¯dn¨p.
""kmdnhnsS Adnbn¡WvS F¶v Ft¶mSp ]dªp AXpsImWvSm h¶¸tg ]dbmªXv..''
Ahsâ i_vZw hÃmsX XmWncp¶p.
""kmdnsâ _n. ]n. t\mÀ½em. Fsâ a½n AhmÀUp In«nb t\gvkmbncp¶p. a½nbm ]dªXv t]Sn¡ms\m¶panÃ. jpKÀ Xmsg t]mbXmsW¶v. Fs´¦nepw hntijapsWvS¦n Fs¶ hnfn¡m\mbn Rm³ samss_epambn«m t]m¶Xv.'' Ah³ Zb\obambn Fs¶ t\m¡n.
""Bbns¡ms«. \o shfnbnend§v.
F\n¡nt¸mÄ At±ls¯ ImWWw'' ]pdt¯¡p \S¶psImWvSv tZjy¯n¯s¶]dªp.
Ah³ anWvSmsX XeIp\n¨p ]pdt¯¡p \S¶p.
{Ukv amdn s]s«¶p ]pd¯nd§pt¼mÄ At±lw Nncn¨psImWvSp ap¶nÂ.
""t]Sn¨pt]mbtÃm. F´m DWvSmbXv.'' D¡WvTtbmsS At±l¯nsâ ssIbn¸nSn¨p.
""\o C§s\ t]Sn¡p¶sX´n\m. Rm³ Ipd¨pt\cwIqSn Igntª t]mcpambncp¶pÅp. \o hnhcadnªp hnjan¡pIbmsW¶v s_¶n h¶p ]dªp. Aht\mSp Rm³ ]dªXm ChnsS h¶p ]dbsWvS¶v.''
""Ah³ BfpsImÅmw.ChnsS h¶v AcaWn¡qÀIgnªm hnhcw ]dbp¶Xv''.
""\o Ahs\ Ipäs¸Sp¯p¶sX´n\m. \o Ahs\ Ipäs¸Sp¯nbncn¡pw AXm Ahsâ apJs¯mcp hnjaw.''
""Ct¸mÄ Fs´¦nepw hnjaw tXm¶p¶ptWvSm.''
tNmZn¡pt¼mÄ a\Ênse apgph³ {]ISambncp¶p.
""F\ns¡mcp _p²nap«pw Ct¸mgnÃ. \o shdpsX sS³j\Sn¨v \nsâ _n.]n. Iq«mXncp¶m aXn.''
At±l¯n\v s]s«¶v Hcp ¥mkv NmbsbSp¯p
""F\ns¡m¶pw thWvS. Rm³ Nmbbpw CUvVenbpw s_¶nbpsS ho«n \n¶p Ign¨p. s_¶nbpsS a½n \à kv{Xobm. s_¶nbpsS Xs¶ kz`mhw. Ah³ Xs¶ Fs¶bpw c£n¡ms\¯n.''
s_¶ntbbpw Ahsâ a½nsbbpw AXncphn«v]pIgv¯p¶XptI«v AklyX tXm¶n.
""s_¶nsb \n\¡p a\Ênembnsöp tXm¶p¶p s_¶nbpsS a½nbm Ft¶mSp hnhc§Ä ]dªXv.''
""F´p ]dªmepw s_¶nbpw Ahsâ a½nbpw.'' F´psImtWvSm tZjyw h¶p i_vZapbÀ¶pt]mbn. s]s«¶p sXäpsNbvXhsft¸mse apJw Xmgv¯n.
At±lw I«nente¡p InS¶v im´\mbn ]dªp:
"" Ah³ Fsâ `mcysb acW¯n \n¶p c£n¨h\m Aht\¡pdn¨v Rm³ C\nbpw ]dbpw.''
a\ÊnemImsX At±l¯nsâ apJt¯¡v ktµlt¯msS t\m¡n.
""\n\s¡§s\ C{X s]s«¶v AXp ad¡m³ ]äp¶p. \mephÀjap¼s¯ ImÀ BIvknUâv \o HmÀ¡p¶ntÃ. A¶p \ns¶ c£s¸Sp¯n tlmkv]näen B¡pIbpw »Uv XcpIbpw sNXXv Cu s_¶nbm.''
Xebv¡p iànbmbn ASntbäncn¡p¶p.
anWvSm\mImsX \nÝew Ccp¶p. XnIª Ipät_m[t¯msS At±ls¯ t\m¡n. B ssIIÄ IhÀ¶p.
""Rm³ HmÀ¯nÃ. Ah³ AtX¡pdn¨v Hcp kqN\t]mepw X¶nÃ. tkmdn.''
""Ah\pw AtX¡pdn¨v H¶pw ]dªnÃ. Ahsâ a½ntbmSp kwibw tXm¶n Rm³ tNmZn¨t¸mÄ ]dªp F¶p am{Xw.''
At±ls¯ hn{ian¡m\mbn hn«n«p ]pd¯nd§n. B Znhk¯nsâ HmÀ½IÄ CSbv¡nsS a\Ên s]m´n hcmdpWvSv.
\Ãag¡meambncp¶p. hoXn Ipdª ]me¯n Hcp ss{]häv _Ên\v sskUv sImSp¡pt¼mÄ ImÀ ]me¯nÂ\n¶p \ndsb shÅapÅtXm«nte¡p hoWtXmÀ¡p¶p. t_m[w sXfnbpt¼mÄ tlmkv]näenembncp¶p.
]ndsI ss_¡n h¶ sNdp¸¡mc\mWv FÃmän\pw ap³ssI FSp¯v tlmkv]näen F¯n¡pIbpw »UvXcnIbpw sNbvXsX¶v ]n¶oSdnªp. t\cnb t_m[¯n Ahsâ apJw IWvSXmbn HmÀ½n¡p¶p. F¦nepw AXv Ah\mbncn¡psa¶v Hcn¡epw IcpXnbnÃ.
Ipät_m[¯n I®pIÄ \ndsªmgpIn.
Ah³ ChnsS kzmX{´yt¯msS s]cpamdnbXnsâ s]mcpÄ hyàamIp¶p. Ah³ "a½n' F¶p kwt_m[\sNbvXXv XnIª kvt\lt¯msSbmbncp¶p.
Ahsâ a\Êv \¶mbn thZ\n¨n«ntÃ?
Ahs\ ]pd¯m¡pItà sNbvXXv.
sKbvänÂ]nSn¨v tdUnte¡pt\m¡n\n¶p. hfhn\¸pd¯v Ahsâ hoSnsâ ta¡qc ImWmw. Ah³ C\nbpw ChnsS hcmXncn¡ptam? hcpw. Ah³ hcmXncn¡nÃ.