"A¨³ R§tfmSp IpÀ_m\bv¡pÅ ]m«pIÄ eoUv sN¿m³ ]dªp.'þ cmhnse ]ÅnbnÂ\n¶p aS§nsb¯nb a¡fpsS \mÂhÀ kwLw Cu hmÀ¯ Adnbn¨t¸mÄ ssj\n¡p kt´mjw sImWvSv Ccn¡m³ tase¶mbn! km_p ]d¼nembncp¶p. ho«nse H¨¸mSv tI«v hnhcadnbm³ F¯nbt¸mÄ Cfbh³ jn_p HmSns¨¶v Nm¨s\ sI«n¸nSn¨p.
""F´mSm ]ntÅsc hntijw?''. ""ssZhw \½psS {]mÀ°\ tI«p km_pth«m'' ssj\n Adnbn¨p.
Ip«nIÄ hnhcw ]dªt¸mÄ km_phn\pw kt´mjaS¡m\mbnÃ. ""shcnKpUv, I¬{KmNptej³kv!'' km_p Ip«nIsf A`n\µn¨p.
""ChnsS \½Ä kwKoX ]cnioe\w \S¯pt¼mÄ ]pds¯hnsSsb¦nepw H¶p ]mSm³ Ahkcw e`n¨ncps¶¦n F¶v B{Kln¨pt]mbn«ntÃ? Ct¸mgnXm, B kz]v\w ]qhWnbm³ t]mIp¶p! '' s\_phpw Xsâ kt´mjw ad¨ph¨nÃ.
""]m«pIÄ ]mSn t\m¡m³ CubnsS Ipd¨p Znhk§fmbn ChÀ¡v DÕmlw Ipdhmbncp¶p'' þ ssj\nbpsS \nco£Ww.
""kmcanÃ, C\n AhÀ¡v DÕmlambncn¡pw'' km_p kam[m\n¸n¨p.
A§s\ IpÀ_m\bpsS Km\§Ä Ip«nIÄ H¶ptNÀ¶v ]mSn ]cnioen¡m³ XpS§n. an¡ Km\§fpw AhÀ¡dnbmhp¶Xmbncp¶p. F¦nepw H¶n¨p ]mSn Bem]\ssien sa¨s¸Sp¯m³ km_phpw ssj\nbpw Ahsc klmbn¨p.
Nm\epIfnse dnbmenän tjmIfn ]s¦Sp¯v Ip«nIfpw bphP\§fpsams¡ t]scSp¡p¶Xp ImWpt¼mÄ km_phn\pw ssj\n¡pw tXm¶mdpWvSmbncp¶p, X§fpsS Ip«nIÄ¡pw C§s\sbms¡ ]mSn¯IÀ¯v t]scSp¡m³ Ignªncps¶¦n F¶v. A{Xbpsam¶pw DbÀ¶nsænepw AhÀ¡p ]mSm³ Hcp \ÃthZn e`n¨mepw aXnbmbncp¶p ]ns¶. C¡mcyw a\Ên h¨p {]mÀ°n¨p. AXnsâ ^eambn«mImw Ct¸mÄ hnImcnb¨³ ]mSm³ Ahsc hnfn¨Xv. GXmbmepw Cu ]pXnb ImÂhbv]v B IpSpw_m´co£¯n Hcp ]p¯\pWÀÆv Dfhm¡n. kÔym{]mÀY\ Ipsd¡qSn lrZyhpw at\mlchpambn amdn. GIm{KXtbmsS {]mÀ°n¡m³ Ip«nIÄ¡v DÕmlambn.
""Hcp IW¡n\v Ip«nIÄ¡v C§s\ Fs´¦nepw IgnhpIfpsWvS¦n Imcy§Ä F{X Ffp¸ambn!'' km_p \nco£n¨p.
""AhÀ X½nepÅ kvt\lhpw ASp¸hpw IqSnhcp¶Xpt]mse tXm¶p¶p F\n¡v'' ssj\nbpsS A`n{]mbw.
""kwKoX¯n\v A§s\sbmcp AXv`pXiàn DWvSv ssj\n.'' km_p ASnhcbn«Xpt]mse ]dªp.
A§s\ ÌmÀ knwKÀ ]cn]mSnbn kn\nam Km\§tfmsSm¸w `ànKm\§fpw Ip«nIÄ Be]n¡m³ XpS§n. km_phpw ssj\nbpw AXymhiyw thWvS Xncp¯epIfpw \nÀt±i§fpw \ÂIn.
Ip«nIfpsS IpÀ_m\bv¡p eoUv sNbvXp ]mSm\mWv AhÀ¡v £Ww e`n¨ncn¡p¶Xv. \¶mbn ]mSnbm ]Ånbn ]mSm³ AhÀ¡v IqSpX Ahkc§Ä e`nt¨¡pw.
]Ånbn ]mSpt¼mÄ {i²nt¡WvS Nne Imcy§Ä km_p Ip«nIÄ¡p hniZoIcn¨p sImSp¯p. ""sNdp¸¯n Rm³ ]Ånbn ]mSnbn«pWvSv. AhnsS s{]m^jW S¨nt\¡mÄ {]m[m\yw `ànck¯n\mWv. BÄ¡mÀ¡v `àn hÀ[n¡p¶ coXnbn ]mSWw ''þ km_p ]dªp.
""]t£, ]ecpw A§s\bÃtÃm ]mSp¶Xv'' s\_p kwibap¶bn¨p.
""AÃ. F¶pam{XaÃ, BtLmjamb ]m«pIpÀ_m\Ifnepw aäpw HcpXcw ASns]mfn ssÌenemWv KmbIkwL§Ä Km\§Ä ]mSp¶Xv.''
""AXpsImWvSmhmw. ]e BtLmjamb IpÀºm\Ifpw BfpIÄ¡p hnckambn tXm¶p¶Xv'' ssj\n Iq«nt¨À¯p.
F´mbmepw, km_phnsâbpw ssj\nbpsSbpw \nÀt±i§Ä Ip«nIÄ¡p klmbIambn. `ànkm{µamb ssienbn Km\§Ä Be]n¡m³ AhÀ ]cnioen¨p XpS§n. tI«paSp¯ Km\§Ä Aev]kzev]w Cw{]sshkv sNbvXp at\mlcam¡m\pw km_p Ip«nIsf ]cnioen¸n¨p.
hnImcnb¨\v km_phnsâ IpSpw_s¯¡pdn¨v \à aXn¸pWvSmbncp¶p. Ip«nIÄ \¶mbn ]mSpsa¶pw A¨\dnªncp¶p. Ip«nIfpsS IpÀºm\bv¡v \¶mbn eoUv sNbvXp ]mSm³ ]änb BÄ¡msc At\zjn¡pt¼mÄ km_phnsâ Ip«nIfpsS Imcyw Xs¶bmWv BZyw A¨sâ HmÀ½bn h¶Xv. A§s\ Ahsc hs¨m¶p ]co£msa¶v A¨³ Xocpam\n¡pIbmbncp¶p.
A¨sâ Xocpam\w XnI¨pw icnbmbncp¶psh¶v ]ntä RmbdmgvNs¯ IpÀ_m\ Ignªt¸mÄ Xs¶ hyàambn. s\_phpw tkm_phpw jm_phpw jn_phpw tNÀ¶v IpÀ_m\bpsS Km\§Ä at\mlcambn Be]n¨p. BZyambn ssa¡neqsS ]mSp¶XntâXmb ]XÀ¨tbm CSÀ¨tbm AhcpsS i_vZ¯n DWvSmbncp¶nsöXmWv FÃmhscbpw A¼c¸n¨pIfª kwKXn. IpÀºm\ Ignªt¸mÄ A¨³ Ip«nIsf hnfn¨v {]tXyIw A`n\µ\w Adnbn¨p. ""\n§Ä kwKoXw ]Tn¡p¶ptWvSm a¡tf?'' A¨³ tNmZn¨p.
""CÃt¨m. ]t£, R§Ä Cu Ah[n¡me¯v ho«n Nm¨sâbpw A½bpsSbpw t\XrXz¯n ]m«pIÄ ]mSn ]cnioen¡p¶pWvSmbncp¶p''þ s\_p ]dªp.
""sImÅmw! Ah[n¡mew C§s\bmWv sNehgnt¡WvSXv.'' A¨³ t{]mÕml\ hNÊpIÄ hoWvSpw sNmcnªp.
IqSmsX, A¨³ C§s\sbmcp amÀK\nÀt±iw aäp Ip«nIÄs¡Ãmw \ÂIn: ""Cu Ah[n¡me¯v \n§Ä \n§Ä¡pÅ Fs´¦nepsamcp Ignhv IqSpX sa¨am¡m\pw hfÀ¯m\pw DÕmln¡Ww. \½psS KmbIkwL¯nsâ ]pXnb eotUgvkmb s\_phns\bpw Ahsâ A\pP·mscbpw t]mse!''
ASp¯e¡¯nÂ
(kÔym{]mÀ°\bv¡v Hcp {Iahpw Nn«bpw)