""\½psS hcn¡¹mhn N¡ Hsc®w hnfªpInS¸pWvSv þ \ap¡X§v C«mtem Ip«nItf'' km_p CXp ]dªtX Ip«nIÄ \mept]cpw Acbpw Xebpw apdp¡n apä¯nd§n \nev]mbn. H¶pw sN¿m\nÃm¯t¸mgmWp Ip«nIÄ NpWsI«pt]mIp¶Xv. CjvSwt]mse tPmenIfpw tlm_nIfpw DÅXpsImWvSv km_phnsâ Ip«nIÄ¡v Ct¸mÄ F´p sN¿m\pw DÕmlambncn¡p¶p: ""Chscs¶ ]n¼nem¡p¶ e£Ww ImWp¶pWvSv'' ""AXp \ÃXtÃ, a¡Ä FÃm Imcy¯nepw \s½¡mÄ ap¼n \n¡s«'' N¡]dn¡m\pÅ AcnhmÄ Xncbpt¼mÄ s\_p apä¯p\n¶pw hnfn¨p]dªp: ""Nm¨m, hm, Acnhmsfms¡ R§sfSp¯n«pWvSv.'' km_p t\m¡nbt¸mÄ Ip«nIÄ AcnhmÄ tXm«nbn h¨psI«m³ XpS§n¡gnªp. Cu kv]oUn\p]n¶n asämcp clkyw IqSn DWvSv. Ip«nIÄs¡Ãmw N¡ thhn¨Xv henb CjvSamWv. ]pXnb Nne Ip«nIsft¸mse \yqUnÂkpw ss{^Uv ssdkpw am{Xta Ign¡q F¶hÀ¡p \nÀ_Ôsam¶panÃ. Ip«nIÄ FÃmw Ign¨p ]Tn¡WwþCXmWp km_phnsâbpw ssj\nbpsSbpw \ne]mSv. AhcpsS B \à ioew Xs¶ Ip«nIÄ¡pw ]IÀ¶p In«nbXmWv.
km_phpw Ip«nIfpw tXm«nbpambn ¹mhn³Nph«nte¡p \S¶p. `mKy¯n\v F¯mhp¶ s]m¡¯nemWp N¡ InS¡p¶Xv. km_p tXm«n s]m¡n N¡bpsS sRSp¸nt\mSp I¯n tNÀ¯p]nSn¨v cWvSp aq¶ph«w Acnªp. "]vXo'. AXm hcp¶p N¡ Xmtgm«v! At¸mÄ jm_p Hcp tNmZyw: ""Cu N¡ F´m tatem«p t]mImsX Xmtg¡p t]m¶Xv?'' DÅn \n¶p h¶ Nncn AS¡ns¡mWvSv km_p Kuch]qÀÆw ]dªp: ""\o Hcp kbânÌmIpsa¶v F\n¡p tXm¶p¶p.'' DS³ h¶p s\_phnsâ Iaâv: ""Ch³ kbânÌmbm t]scm¶p ]cnjvIcnt¡WvSn hcpw.'' ""F´mbncn¡pw B ]pXnb t]cv?'' ""sFkIv \yq«³ cWvSma³!'' AXptI«v FÃmhcpw s]m«n¨ncn¨p.
km_phpw Ip«nIfpw IqSn N¡ Hcp ¹mÌnIv Nm¡n Ibänh¨p. F¶n«v Nm¡nsâ \mep Xp¼n \mept]À ]nSn¨v N¡sb BtLmj]qÀÆw hoSn\pÅnte¡v B\bn¨p. Hcp agp FSp¯v N¡ cWvSmbpw ]ns¶ \membpw apdn¨v km_p B N¡sh«ns¸dp¡Â HutZymKnIambn DZvLmS\w sNbvXp! ssj\n B \mep XpWvSw hoWvSpw sNdnb XpWvSnIfm¡n Ip«nIfpsS ssIbn sImSp¯p. FÃmhcpw sNdnb ÌqfpIfn«v h«¯nencp¶p. \Sp¡ph¨ncp¶ apd¯nte¡v hr¯nbm¡nb N¡¨pfIÄ Hs¶m¶mbn hoWpsImWvSncp¶p. N¡sh«pÕh¯n\p ckw ]Icm³ Ip«nIÄ CSbv¡nsS Nne IpkrXntNmZy§fpw IS¦YIfpw ]ckv]cw tNmZn¡m³ XpS§n. CSbv¡v s\_phn\v Hcp kwibw: ""Nm¨m, GZ³ tXm«¯n ssZhw BZmant\mSpw lÆtbmSpw ]dn¡cpsX¶p ]dª I\n Cu N¡bmbncn¡ptam?''
""AsX´m \n\¡§s\ tXm¶m³ ImcWw?''
""AÃ, N¡ sh«ns¸dp¡nsbSp¡m\pÅ IjvS¸mtSmÀ¯t¸mÄ tXm¶nt¸mbXm!'' AXptI«v FÃmhÀ¡pw Nncn s]m«n. ""GXp tPmenbpw H¶n¨p sN¿pt¼mÄ ckIcamIpw'' ssj\n ]dªp. ""^e§fn Gähpw hepXv GXmsW¶p ]dbmtam?'' þkm_phnsâ tNmZyw.
""N¡bmtWm Nm¨m?'' Ip«nIfpsS kwibw.
""AtX, AXp \½psS N¡ Xs¶. ]WvSp \½psS \m«n h¶ncp¶ hntZik©mcnIsfms¡ N¡bpsS hen¸w IWvSv A¼c¶p t]mbn«psWvS¶mWv ]dbp¶Xv.''
""N¡ C{X hen¸¯nemhs« F¶p ssZhw \nÝbn¨sX´psImWvSmhmw?''jm_phnsâ kwibw.
""Hcp N¡ sh«ns¸dp¡n Hcp¡m³ Hcp IpSpw_w apgph³ H¶n¨²zm\nt¡WvSnhcpw. BfpIÄ C§s\ klIcn¨v Hcp tPmen sN¿p¶XpIWvSp kt´mjn¡m³ thWvSnbmIWw ssZhw N¡bv¡v C{Xbpw hen¸wsImSp¯Xv!''
km_phnsâ B hniZoIcWw tI«v Ip«nIÄ hms]mfn¨pt]mbn. ""Cu Nm¨t\msS´p tNmZn¨mepw DWvSmIpw sdUn sabnUmbn Hcp¯cw!'' AhÀ ]ckv]cw a{´n¨p.
NInWnbpw Ipcphpw Ifªv hr¯nbm¡nb N¡¨pfIÄ ssj\n apd¯n tiJcn¨v I¨vI¨m¶v Acnbm³ XpS§n. ""Bcm tX§ NncWvSp¶Xv?'' ssj\n tNmZn¨p: ""Rm³ NncWvSmat½'' jm_p Nnch hen¨n«v Ccp¶p Ignªp. Ah\p tX§ NncWvSm³ henb CjvSamWv. \à thK¯n NncWvSpIbpw sN¿pw. N¡bv¡p Iq«m\mbn tImgn¡dn X¿mdm¡n h¨ncp¶p ssj\n.
A½ N¡ AcnªpsImWvSncp¶t¸mÄ Ip«nIÄ ]¨¡dnt¯m«¯nte¡p \S¶p. AhnsS A§n§p hfÀ¶p \n¶ IfIÄ AhÀ ]dn¨pIfªp. shWvSbpw ]bdpw ]mhepw tImhepsams¡ ]qhn«pXpS§n. Nocbpw \¶mbn ]nSn¨phcp¶pWvSv. ]t£, Hcp Ipg¸w. tImgnIÄ CSbv¡nsS Nocbne im¸nSp¶pWvSv! ""shbnÌcnbn hnäma³ t]msc¶v AhÀ¡v tXm¶nbncn¡ptam?'' tkm_phnsâ kwibw. km_phnsâ \nÀt±i{]Imcw Ip«nIÄ Noc¯S¯n\p Npäpw tImgn Ibdm¯ hn[¯n NpÅn¡¼pIÄ sImsWvSmcp thenbpWvSm¡n. tImhensâbpw ]mhensâbpw ]´en\p aosX hÅnIÄ¡p ]SÀ¶p Ibdm³ ]mI¯n ¹mÌnIv \qepIÄsImWvSv AbIfpWvSm¡ns¡mSp¯p. km_p \«ph¨ I¸bpw tN\bpsams¡ \¶mbn InfnÀ¯ps]m§nbn«pWvSv.
]d¼nseÃmw A¸\pw a¡fpw IqSn Hcp cwK\nco£Ww \S¯ns¡mWvSncns¡, ASp¡fbn \n¶p ssj\nbpsS hnfn: ""N¡bmbn tIt«m hcmw.''
tImgn¡dnbpw Iq«n N¡¸pgp¡p Ign¡pt¼mÄ km_p ssj\ntbmSpw Ip«nItfmSpambn Hcp X¯zNn´ ]¦ph¨p: ""PohnXw Hcp IW¡n\v Cu N¡t]mse Xs¶! ]pdsa ]cp]cp¸pw apÅpIfpw. ]t£ AIsa ]Xp]Xp¸pw cpNnIfpw!''
""Cu t]m¡p t]mbm Nm¨³ hà tkm{I«otkm atäm Bbnt¸mIptam¶m Fsâ t]Sn'' þ ssj\nbpsS Iaâv.
""tkm{I«okÃt½, tkm{I«okv cWvSma³!'' s\_p Iq«nt¨À¯p.
ASp¯ e¡¯nÂ
]p¯\pSp¸pw ]p¯³ ]pkvXI§fpambn...