Arav, kabir or meera vahan se bohot mushkil se bach ke apne apne ghar aa gye the..
Unko aane main bohot late ho gya tha.
Raat kaafi beet chuki thi.
Aarav apne bed par leta hua tha, lekin neend usse koson door thi. Uski aankhein khuli thi… par uska dimaag kahin aur tha.
Vo room…
Vo screens…
Aur sabse zyada...
👉 "Welcome to The Archive."
Usne apni aankhein zor se band ki, jaise ki vo sab kuch bhool jaana chahta ho.
Par jitna vo bhoolne ki koshish kar rha tha… utna hi sab clear hota ja raha tha.
"Yeh sirf ek jagah nahi thi…" usne dheere se khud se kaha,
👉 "Yeh kuch aur tha."
Uska phone side table par padha hua tha.
Ek second ke liye usko aisa laga jaise vo phir se vibrate hua ho.
Aarav turant uth kar baith gaya.
Usne jaldi se apna phone uthaya or usmain dekha lekin...
Screen OFF thi.
Koi notification nahi.
Kuch bhi nahi.
"Main overreact kar raha hoon…" usne khud ko samjhaya.
Lekin uska dil maan nahi rha tha.
Agli subah.
School ka environment usual tha—same noise, same routine… lekin Aarav ko sab kuch alag sa lag raha tha.
Jaise woh kisi aisi cheez ko dekh chuka ho jo baaki duniya se chhupi hui hai.
Kabir uske paas aaya.
"Kal ke baare mein socha?" usne dheere se poocha.
Aarav ne sir hilaya. "Sochna band hi nahi ho raha."
Tabhi...
"Aur sochna bhi nahi chahiye."
Dono ne ek saath mudkar dekha.
Meera unke peeche khadi thi.
Uska expression serious tha.
"Kal jo humne dekha…" usne dheere se bola,
"woh normal nahi tha. Aur tum dono usko ignore karne ki sochna bhi mat."
Kabir ne halki si smile di. "Ignore karne ka plan toh waise bhi nahi tha."
Meera ne Aarav ki taraf seedha dekha.
👉 "Woh awaaz… usne tumse baat ki thi na?"
Aarav ek second ke liye chup raha… phir dheere se bola,
"Haan."
"Sirf tumse?" Meera ne poocha.
Aarav ne sir hilaya. "Pehli baar… haan. Lekin kal… toh sabne suna."
Kabir ne add kiya, "Aur usne humein warn bhi kiya."
"Mat dhoondo…" Meera ne dheere se repeat kiya.
Teeno kuch seconds ke liye chup ho gaye.
Phir Meera ne seedha kaha...
👉 "Phir bhi hum dhoondenge."
Lunch break ke baad teeno school ke ek quiet corner mein baith gaye.
"Ek cheez clear hai," Kabir ne bola, "Yeh Archive koi normal system nahi hai."
"Yeh sirf data store hi nahi kar raha," Meera ne add kiya,
"Yeh react kar raha hai… jaise yeh humein dekh raha ho."
Aarav ka dil thoda tez dhadakne laga.
"Par kyun?" usne poocha.
"Hum hi kyun?"
Kabir ne Aarav ki taraf dekha.
👉 "Kyuki tu connected hai."
Silence.
"Connected… kaise?" Aarav ne dheere se poocha.
Kabir ne jawab dene se pehle hesitate kiya.
"Kal screens pe jo images the…" usne slowly bola,
"unmein se ek… familiar thi."
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya.
"Tumne bhi notice kiya?"
Meera ne confuse hokar poocha, "Kya?"
Aarav ne dheere se kaha—
👉 "Woh mere dad the."
Meera shock mein uski taraf dekhne lagi.
"Are you sure?"
Aarav ne aankhein neeche kar li.
"Main galat nahi ho sakta." or "iss chiz main toh bilkul bhi nahi".
Kabir ne sir hilaya. "Mujhe bhi wahi laga."
Meera ne kuch seconds tak kuch nahi bola.
Phir usne deep breath li aur seedha bola..
👉 "Toh phir yeh coincidence nahi hai."
Aarav ne uski taraf dekha.
"Yeh sab tumse connected hai," Meera ne continue kiya,
"Tumhare past se… tumhare family se."
Shaam ko teeno fir se mile.
Is baar plan clear tha.
"Hum wapas jaayenge," Kabir ne bola.
"Par is baar bina soche samjhe nahi."
Meera ne sir hilaya. "Hum observe karenge. Samjhenge."
Aarav chup tha.
Uske dimaag mein sirf ek hi cheez chal rahi thi...
👉 "Agar mere dad ka isme role hai… toh kya woh abhi bhi…?"
Usne apni soch wahin rok di.
Raat hone tak woh wapas us jagah pahunch gaye.
Same broken structure.
Same silence.
Lekin is baar.....
Unhe pata tha ki andar kya hai.
Aur shayad…
👉 Andar jo bhi tha usko pata tha ki woh aa rahe hain.
Woh dheere dheere andar gaye.
Har kadam sambhal ke.
Is baar sab kuch aur zyada clear lag raha tha.
Jaise woh jagah unhe allow kar rahi ho.
Room tak pahunchte hi teeno ruk gaye.
Screens OFF thi.
Sab kuch bilkul still.
"Kal yahan sab active tha…" Kabir ne dheere se kaha.
Meera ne ek kadam aage badhaya.
"Let's see if it still is."
Jaise hi usne screen ko touch kiya...
Flicker.
Ek screen ON hui.
Phir dusri.
Phir saari.
Aarav ka dil zor se dhadakne laga.
Images phir se chalne lagi.
Faces… emotions… chaos…
Aur phir...
Ek screen freeze ho gayi.
Same face.
Same aadmi.
Aarav ke haath kaanp gaye.
👉 "Dad…"
Room mein silence chha gaya.
Tabhi...
👉 "Sach chhupaya nahi ja sakta…"
Wahi awaaz.
Aur is baar…
Aur bhi paas.
Meera ne turant kaha, "Kaun ho tum?!"
Koi jawab nahi.
Sirf ek aur line.
👉 "Tumhe sab yaad aa jayega…"
Aarav ka saans ruk gaya.
"Yaad…?"
Uske dimaag mein achanak ek flash hua..
Ek unknown jagah…
Wahi symbol…
Aur ek awaaz.
👉 "Archive complete nahi hua hai…"
Aarav peeche hat gaya.
"Guys…" usne panic mein kaha,
"Mujhe… kuch yaad aa raha hai…"
Kabir aur Meera uski taraf mud gaye.
"Yaad?" Kabir ne poocha.
Aarav ne apna sir pakad liya.
"Yeh pehli baar nahi hai…" usne dheere se kaha.
Room ki lights suddenly dim ho gayi.
Screens glitch karne lagi.
Aur ek last line flash hui—
👉 "Aarav – Memory Log Detected."
Teeno freeze ho gaye.
Meera ne dheere se kaha...
"Yeh system… tujhe pehchaan gaya hai."
Aarav ne screen ko ghur kar dekha.
Uska dil zor se dhadak raha tha.
Ab usse ek baat samajh aa chuki thi...
👉 Yeh sirf ek mystery nahi hai.
👉 Yeh uski story hai.