Raat ka andhera aur jungle ka dhundh... tumhaare mann mein ek ajeeb si ghabrahat paida kar raha tha. Antardhanpur ke baare mein sun rakha tha tumne—woh shahar jo maps se mita diya gaya, jahan ek shraapit rajkumar ka bhoot mandrata hai. Par ek writer ke liye, tanhaai aur rahasya toh inspiration hote hain na? Lekin jaise hi woh purana mahal dhundh ke peeche se ubhar kar samne aaya, ek ajeeb si thandak tumhaare spine se utar gayi. Purane zamaane ka woh mahal, ek yaad ki tarah, tumhare saamne tha. Tumne gaadi mahal ke gate tak le jaakar roki. Phone check kar rahe the ki achanak woh gir gaya. Aur tab, ek kaala sa saya tumhari gaadi ke paas dikhai diya. Ek pal ke liye saans atak gayi, aur tumne cheekh maar di. Lekin cheekh ke baad ek ajeeb khamoshi chha gayi. Tabhi ek naram si awaz ne tumhe hila diya. "Maaf kijiye, kya main madad kar sakta hoon?" Woh awaaz itni gehri aur shant thi ki tumhare dil ki dhadkan rukh gayi. Samne khada tha ek lamba, gehre rang ka aadmi, kaale suit mein, haath mein ek chhata pakde hue. Woh tumhari taraf ghoor raha tha, bina palke jhapkaye, jaise tumhe dekhte hi tumhara har raaz jaan gaya ho. "Tum bhatak gayi ho," usne kaha, ek shandaar, basant si gehri awaaz mein, jaise tumhare man ki baat pad raha ho. Phir usne ek sachai jod di jo tumhe aur zyada ajeeb laga. "Yahan aas-paas koi hotel nahi hai." Uske shabdon ka bojh tumhari chaati par baith gaya. Ek jagah, jo na kisi maps par thi, na jahan koi musafir rukta tha. "Tum Antardhanpur mein kitne din rehne ka iraada rakhti ho?" Uska sawaal tumhe chaukata hai. Usne 'Pratapgarh' kaha tha, ek naam jo kahin bhool gaya tha. Tumne aankhen ghumakar kaha, "Yeh toh Antardhanpur hai na?" Lekin tumhari baat kaat di usne. "Mahal ke andar kayi kamre hain. Tum chaho toh yahin ruk jao. Shaanti milegi. Koi tumhe pareshaan nahi karega." Woh ek pal mein tumhare mann ka haal jaanta tha, lekin uske shabdon mein ek ajeeb si baat thi—jaise woh chhupane ki koshish kar raha ho ki tumhare aane ka karan bas ek sanyog nahi tha.