]WvSv Fenj Fs¶mcp \à a\pjy³ DWvSmbncp¶p. henb [\nI³. kpJambn Pohn¡m\pÅ FÃm kuIcy§fpapWvSmbncp¶p. ]cnNcn¡m³ IW¡ntesd ASnaIfpw. C{X Zbmephpw \Ãh\pamb Hcp bPam\s\ e`n¨Xn ASnaIÄ A`nam\n¨ncp¶p. bPam\s\¡pdn¨pÅ AhcpsS A`n{]mbw C§s\bmbncp¶p.
"" Cu kqcy\p Iogn R§fpsS bPam\s\t¸mse C{X \à h\mb HcmÄ F§panÃ. At±lw R§Ä¡v thWvS{X `£Ww Xcp¶p. \à hkv{X§Ä Xcp¶p. iàn¡\pkcn¨pÅ ]Wntb R§sfs¡mWvSp sN¿n¡p¶pÅp. CjvSs¸Sm¯ Hcp hm¡pt]mepw BtcmSpw At±lw ]dbpIbnÃ. At±l¯n\v ]Ibpw hntZzjhpanÃ. aäp bPam\·mÀ ASnaItfmSp s]cpamdp¶Xv I¶pImenItfmsS¶t]msebmWv. sXäpsNbvXmepw Csænepw AhÀ ASnaItfmSp {Iqcambns]cpamdpw. ITn\in£IÄ \evIpw. kvt\lapÅ Hcp hm¡pt]mepw ]dbpIbnÃ. F¶m R§fpsS bPam\³ R§Ä¡v \ÃXphcWsa¶v B{Kln¡p¶p. CXnt\¡mÄ \à PohnXw R§Ä¡v BhiyanÃ.''
ASnaIÄ X§fpsS bPam\s\ ]pIgv¯n¸dªXpw kvt\l¯n IgnªXpw ]nimNn\p kln¨nÃ. ]nimNv ASnaIfnsemcp¯s\ hioIcn¨p]m«nem¡n. Ahsât]À Ase_v F¶mbncp¶p. aäv ASnaIsfbpw hioIcn¡phm³ ]nimNv Ase_ns\ \nÀ_Ôn¨p. Hcp Znhkw ASnaIÄ bPam\sâ kZvKpW§sf hmgv¯n ]dªpsImWvSncp¶p. At¸mÄ Ase_v Dds¡ C§s\ {]kvXmhn¨p:
"" \½psS bPam\s\ IW¡ntesd ]pIgv¯n¸dbp¶Xv hnUvVn¯amWv. ]dbp¶Xpt]mse FÃmw A\pkcn¨m ]nimNpt]mepw \n§tfmSv Zbm]qÀÆw s]cpamdpatÃm. \mw \½psS bPam\\pthWvSn \¶mbn A²zm\n¡p¶p. FÃm hn[¯nepw \½Ä At±ls¯ kt´mj¸n¡p¶p. At¸mÄ ]ns¶ At±lw \t½mSv ImcpWywIm«mXncn¡ptam? At±ls¯ \mw D]{Zhn¡p¶p F¶phnNmcn¡pI. At¸mÄ aäpÅhsct¸mse At±lhpws]cpamdpw. tZmjw sN¿p¶hÀ¡p tZmjwXncn¨pIn«psa¶Imcy¯n kwibanÃ.''
""\½psS bPam\³ Hcn¡epw A§s\ sN¿pIbnÃ.'' ASnaIÄ Htc kzc¯n ]dªp. AXn\p ]´bw hbv¡m³t]mepw X¿mdmsW¶v AhÀ ]dªp.
"" F¶m A§s\ Xs¶. \½psS bPam\s\ tZjyw ]nSn¸n¡p¶ Imcyw Rmt\äp. ]´b¯n tXmäm Fsâ DÕhhkv{Xw \n§Ä¡pw \n§fmWptXmev¡p¶sX¦n \n§fpsS DÕhhkv{Xw F\n¡pw XtcWvSXmWv.''Ase_v ]dªp.
B hyhØ ASnaIÄ k½Xn¨p.""\n§Ä tXmäm bPam\³ in£n¡mXncn¡m³ R§Ä {ian¡mw.''
""icn. \msf cmhnseXs¶ Rm³ bPam\s\ ipWvTn]nSn¸n¨psImÅmw'' Ase_v Dd¸psImSp¯p.
Ase_v Hcp B«nSb\mbncp¶p. AbmfpsS \nb{´W¯n bPam\sâ Hcp henb ]äw BSpIfpWvSmbncp¶p. Ahsb bPam\\v hfscCjvSambncp¶p. Hcp kwLw kµÀiIsc Xsâ BSpIsf ImWn¡m\mbn bPam\³ Bebnte¡p Iq«ns¡mWvSph¶p. Ase_v Xsâ Iq«pImcmb ASnaIsf I®ndp¡n¡mWn¨p. bPam\s\ tZjys¸Sp¯m³ t]mhpIbmsW¶mbncp¶p B I®ndp¡ensâ s]mcpÄ. B ImgvNImWm³ ASnaIÄ ]ebnS§fnembn\nebpd¸n¨p. ]nimNv ASp¯pÅ Hcp ac¯nsâ apIfn Ibdn¸än. F¶n«v Xsâ injysâ the¯cw Adnbm³Im¯ncp¶p.
bPam\³ kµÀiItcmsSm¸w BSpIÄ¡nSbneqsS \S¶p. Iq«¯n s]®mSpIfpw ap«\mSpIfpw B«n³Ip«nIfpsams¡bpWvSmbncp¶p. Hcp ap«\mSns\ bPam\\v hfsctbsd CjvSambncp¶p. AXns\ At±lw kµiIÀ¡p ImWn¨psImSp¯p.
""Cu ap«\mSpIÄ H¯ncn hnes¸«hbmWv. F\n¡v Gähpw CjvSs¸« Hcp ap«\mSpWvSv.Ahsâ sIm¼pIÄ ]ncnbpÅXmWv. Fsâ X¦¡pSamWh³''
bPam\³ ]dªp Xocp¶Xn\p ap¼v Ase_v Hcp knwls¯t¸mse B«n³Iq«¯nsâ t\À¡p IpXn¨p. Ah³ ap«\mSns\ IS¶p]nSn¨p. BZyw I¼nfntcma¯nemWv Ip¯n¸nSn¨Xv. ]ns¶ Häss¡¡v BSnsâ CSXp]n³Imen ]nSn¨p. BSns\ Ah³ Imen ]nSn¨pbÀ¯n. BSnsâ XeIogv¡mw ]mSmbn. ]ns¶ AXns\ bPam\sâ apJ¯n\pt\sc Cf¡n¡m«n. DW§nb acs¡m¼pt]mse AXnsâ CSXpImsemSnªp. "avavam, avavam' F¶p Icªp sImWvSv ap³Im ap«pIÄ Ip¯n AXp \ne¯p hoWp. Ase_v DSs\ heXv ]n³Imen ]nSnIqSn. CSXp ]n³Im ]ncnsªmSnªp \nÝeambn Xq§n ¡nS¶ncp¶p. ASnaIfpw kµÀiIcpw `bkw{`a§tfmsS BÀ¯phnfn¨p. acs¡m¼¯ncp¶ ]nimNv CXpIWvSv kt´mjn¨p. Xsâ injys\ Ah³ A\ptamZn¨p. bPam\sâ apJ¯v Ccp«p Ibdn. s\än Npfnªp. H¶pw anWvSmsX XeIp\n¨p\n¶p. Aev]w Ignªv At±lw XebpbÀ¯n kzÀ¤¯ntes¡¶t]mse I®pbÀ¯n Aev]t\cw \n¶p. At±l¯nsâ apJs¯ NpfnhpIÄ adªp. ]ns¶ Ase_ns\ t\m¡n ]p©ncn¨p. F¶n«p ]dªp:
""tlbv,Ase_v! \n§fpsS bPam\³ Fs¶ tZjyw ]nSn¸n¡m³ D]tZin¨p. ]t£, Fsâ bPam\³ \n§fpsS bPam\t\¡mÄ Icp¯\mWv. F\n¡v \n§tfmSp ]Itbm hntcm[tam CÃ. F¶m \n§fpsS bPam\s\ Rm³ ipWvTn ]nSn¸n¡pw .Rm³ \n§sf in£n¡psa¶v \n§Ä t]Sn¨p; \n§Ä kzmX{´yw BKln¡pIbmbncp¶p. F¶m Ase_v! \n§sf Rm³ in£n¡pIbnÃ. \n§Ä kzmX{´yw B{Kln¡p¶XpsImWvSv \n§sf Rm³ kzX{´\m¡p¶p. \n§Ä CjvSapÅnS¯v s]mbvs¡mÅq.''
Zbmephmb B bPam\³ AXnYnItfmsSm¸w ho«nte¡pt]mbn. F¶m ]nimNmIs«, ]Ãndp½ns¡mWvSv ac¯n \n¶v XmsghoWp; ]ns¶ `qanbn XmWpt]mhpIbpw sNbvXp.