Kiran raat bhar so nahi paaya.
Neend aati bhi toh wahi darwaaza, wahi awaaz, wahi chamak uske dimaag me ghoom jaati. Subah alarm bajne se pehle hi uski aankh khul gayi.
Sabse pehla kaam—
usne apna haath dekha.
Nishaan wahan tha.
Kal raat ke mukable ab zyada saaf, zyada stable. Halki si neeli roshni uske kinaaron se nikal rahi thi, jaise koi saans le raha ho.
"Great," Kiran ne dheere se kaha.
"Ab hallucinations bhi permanent ho gaye."
Usne full sleeves wali shirt pehni aur chupchaap kitchen ki taraf chala gaya. Maa already chai bana rahi thi.
"Uth gaya?" maa ne pucha.
"Aaj kuch thaka-thaka sa lag raha hai."
"Bas neend kam hui," Kiran ne jawab diya.
Wo jhoot bol raha tha—aur ye use pata tha.
School ka din ajeeb guzra.
Class me teacher bol raha tha, par Kiran sun nahi pa raha tha. Blackboard par likhe words uske liye bas shapes ban kar reh gaye the. Har thodi der me uska dimaag us jungle, us darwaaze ki taraf chala jaata.
Aur phir—
"Oi, hero!"
Aanya.
Wo uske saamne wali seat par baithi thi, eyebrow upar uthaye.
"Tu theek hai na? Kal se ajeeb behave kar raha hai."
Kiran ne forced smile di.
"Haan, bas thoda tired."
Aanya ne use ghur kar dekha.
"Jhoot bolna seekh le pehle."
Lunch break me, Kiran washroom gaya. Usne cubicle me jaa kar sleeve upar ki.
Nishaan ab react kar raha tha.
School ke lights ke neeche, wo halki si garmi chhod raha tha. Jaise kisi cheez par response de raha ho.
"Kya chahte ho tum?" Kiran ne dheere se kaha.
Usi waqt—
uske dimaag me ek image flash hui.
Library.
Old section.
Kiran ka dil zor se dhadka.
"Ye mera dimaag hai," usne khud se kaha.
"Bas stress."
Par uske paanv usi direction me badhne lage.
Library ke old section me kam log jaate the. Dhool, purani books ki smell, aur ek ajeeb si shaanti—bilkul us jungle jaisi.
Usne shelves scan ki.
Aur phir use mili.
Ek patli si, faded diary. Cover par koi title nahi tha. Bas wahi symbol bana hua tha—bilkul uske haath jaisa.
Kiran ki ungliyan kaanp gayi.
"Impossible…"
Usne diary kholi.
Pehla page likha tha:
"If you are reading this, it means the dreams have begun."
Kiran ki saans atak gayi.
Aage likha tha—
sapno ka zikr.
Darwaazon ka zikr.
Aur un logon ka… jo sapne aur reality ke beech chal sakte the.
Dream-Bounders.
"Ye sab kya hai…" Kiran ne book band kar di.
Tabhi kisi ne kaha—
"Tumhe ye nahi padhna chahiye."
Kiran ne jhat se mudkar dekha.
Wahan koi nahi tha.
Library bilkul khaali.
"Hello?" usne awaaz di.
Khamoshi.
Wo diary utha kar bag me daal li aur jaldi se bahar nikal gaya.
Raat ko, jaise hi Kiran ne aankhein band ki—
wo phir wahan tha.
Jungle.
Darwaaza.
Par is baar…
wo akela nahi tha.
Uske saamne ek aadmi khada tha. Lamba, shaant, aur aankhon me ajeeb si gehraai. Uske kapdon par waqt ke nishaan the, jaise wo is duniya ka hi nahi ho.
"Tum kaun ho?" Kiran ne pucha.
Aadmi ne halka sa muskuraaya.
"Main Elyon hoon," usne kaha.
"Tumhari duniya ka nahi… par tumhari kismat ka hissa zaroor."
"Ye sab kyun ho raha hai?" Kiran chillaya.
"Mere saath hi kyun?"
Elyon ne darwaaze ki taraf dekha.
"Kyunki tumne darwaaza suna,"
wo bola.
"Aur darwaaza sirf unhe sunta hai…
jo uske liye bane hote hain."
Darwaaza aur tez chamakne laga.
"Kiran," Elyon ne kaha,
"Ab peeche jaane ka raasta band ho chuka hai."
"Matlab?" Kiran ne pucha.
Elyon ki awaaz heavy ho gayi.
"Matlab…
Forgotten Realm jaag chuka hai."
Aur usi pal—
Kiran ne aankhein khol di.
Uska haath jal raha tha.
Aur nishaan…
ab sirf nishaan nahi raha tha.
Wo jawab ban chuka tha.
Kiran ne aankhein khol kar dekha—nishaan ab zyada tez chamak raha tha.
Uske liye ye sirf nishaan nahi raha, ek naya sawal ban gaya tha.