Yeh kahani shuru hoti hai ek purani, tang si dukaan se jo do imaron ke beech dabbi hui thi—ek taraf bakery thi jahan se taazi bread ki khushbu aati thi, aur dusri taraf ek band tailor ki shop. Sadak pattharon (cobblestones) se bani thi aur wahan suraj ki roshni mushkil se pahunchti thi. Dukaan ke upar latakte hue board par likha tha: *Thorne Horology*.
Andar ka nazara kuch aur hi tha. Wahan cedar lakdi, tel (oil), aur "ruke hue waqt" ki mehak thi. Elias Thorne, ek boodha ghadi-saaz, apne kaam ki table par jhuka hua tha. Uske charon taraf 312 ghadiyan tick-tick kar rahi thin. Koi bade grandfather clock the jo andhere mein pehra de rahe the, toh koi chote cuckoo clocks jo sote hue pakshiyon ki tarah latke the. Har ghadi ki awaaz alag thi, lekin Elias ke liye yeh sab milkar ek symphony banati thi. Yeh awaazein use lagta tha duniya ko ghoomne se rokti hain.
Elias pichle 20 saalon se nayi ghadi nahi banata tha. Woh sirf purani ghadiyan theek karta tha. Jab log poochte, toh woh kehta, "Nayi cheez banana future mangta hai, aur main toh bas past mein jeeta hoon."
Achanak, darwaze ke upar lagi ghanti baji. Ek tez awaaz ne ticking ke shor ko kaat diya. Elias ne turant upar nahi dekha. Usne pehle ek 1920 ki carriage clock ka screw kasna pura kiya, phir apna loupe (chashma) utaar kar palta.
Darwaze par ek ladki khadi thi. Bahar tez baarish ho rahi thi, aur woh chatri (umbrella) jhaad rahi thi. Woh zyada se zyada 25 saal ki hogi, uske baal geele chestnut jaise the, aur aankhon mein ek ajeeb si umeed thi.
"Dukaan band hai," Elias ne bina dekhe kaha, uski awaaz mein sukoon tha.
"Board par 'Open' likha hai," ladki ne jawab diya aur andar aayi. Usne apne haath mein ek choti si cheez pakdi hui thi jo rumal mein lipati thi. "Aur mujhe bataya gaya hai ki ise theek karne wala sirf aap hi hain."
Elias ne gehri saans li. "Log bahut kuch kehte hain. Main ghadiyan theek karta hoon, chamatkar (miracles) nahi."
"Yeh koi chamatkar nahi hai," ladki ne counter par aakar kaha. Usne wo bundle sheeshe ki table par rakha. "Bas toot gayi hai."
Elias utha aur counter ke peeche gaya. Usne rumal khola. Andar ek silver pocket watch thi, jo kaale rang mein tarnish ho chuki thi. Uske peeche kuch khuda hua tha: *"E ke liye. Waqt ek tohfa hai, pinjra nahi."*
Yeh padhte hi Elias ka dam ghut gaya. Use woh ghadi pehchaan thi. Woh khudai (engraving) usne khud ki thi, 40 saal pehle, kanpte hue haathon se.
"Yeh tumhe kahan se mili?" Elias ne poocha, uski awaaz bhaari ho gayi.
"Meri dadaaji ki thi," ladki ne kaha. "Unka inteqaal pichle hafte hua. Marne se pehle unhone kaha ki ise aapke paas le aao. Unhone kaha aapko pata chal jayega ki yeh ruki kyun hai."
Elias ne ghadi uthayi. Woh barf jaisi thandi thi. Uske kaante (hands) 11:11 par atke hue the.
"Unka naam?" Elias ne poocha, halanki woh jaanta tha.
"Clara," ladki ne kaha. "Clara Thorne."
Elias ne aankhein band kar lin. Dukaan mein tick-tick karne wali 312 ghadiyon ki awaaz dheemi pad gayi, aur uske kaanon mein khoon daudne ki awaaz tez ho gayi. Clara. Uski biwi. Jisne jung se wapas aane ka intezaar kiya tha. Jisne is khamosh dukaan mein hasi aur sangeet bhara tha. Aur jo mar gayi thi jab woh yahin, kisi anjaan aadmi ki ghadi theek kar raha tha.
Usne pichle 20 saalon se uska naam zubaan par nahi laya tha.
"Main ise theek nahi kar sakta," Elias ne fusfusaya.
"Please," ladki ne kaha. Woh counter ke paas aayi par use chua nahi. "Dadaaji ne kaha tha yeh zaroori hai. Unhone kaha tha unke liye waqt khatam ho gaya, par aapke liye nahi."
Elias muda aur wapas apni table par baith gaya. Usne ghadi ka dhakkan khola.
Andar ka mechanism kharab tha. Par purana hone ki wajah se nahi. Gears (pahiye) aapas mein jud chuke the, zang (rust) se nahi, balki kisi crystallized resin jaisi cheez se. Aisa lag raha tha jaise jis pal ghadi ruki, metal ne aage badhne se inkaar kar diya ho.
"Tumhara naam kya hai?" Elias ne poocha, upar dekhe bina.
"Elara."
"Elara," Elias ne dohraya. Usne ek fine pick uthaya aur fused gears ko touch kiya. "Tumhari dadaaji... kya unhe takleef hui thi?"
"Nahi," Elara ne dheere se kaha. Woh khidki ke paas stool par baith gayi thi. "Woh neend mein hi chali gayin. Jaate-jaate woh aapke baare mein baat kar rahi thin. Us dukaan ke baare mein jahan bahut saari ghadiyan thin."
Elias ka haath phisal gaya. Pick ne main spring par kharonch maar di. "Main unse pyaar karta tha," usne kaha. Yeh shabd uske muh mein ajeeb aur khatarnaak lag rahe the. "Main unse waqt se bhi zyada pyaar karta tha. Aur maine usse barbaad kar diya."
"Unhe aisa nahi lagta tha."
"Woh akeli mar gayin," Elias ne gusse aur dukh mein chillaya, jaise yeh kal ki baat ho. "Main yahin tha. Main unki awaaz sun sakta tha. Par main in ghadiyon ko sun raha tha." Usne charon taraf faili ghadiyon ki taraf ishara kiya. "Mujhe laga main palon (moments) ko sambhal raha hoon. Par main bas unse chup raha tha."
Agla ek ghanta khamoshi mein guzra. Bahar baarish tez ho gayi thi. Elara use dekhti rahi, ek murat (statue) ki tarah sabr ke saath.
Jaise-jaise Elias kaam kar raha tha, kuch ajeeb hone laga. Jab usne fused gear ko tweezers se chua, toh uske haath mein thandak ki lehar daud gayi. Peeche deewar par latakta woh bada grandfather clock, jo pichle das saalon se 5 minute tez chal raha tha, achanak baja.
Woh ghante ki awaaz nahi thi. Woh ek ajeeb, be-suraa toll tha.
Elias ne haath peeche kheench liya. Gear par lagi woh crystal jaisi cheez dhadakne lagi.
"Yeh sahi nahi hai," Elias badbadaya. "Metal aise theek nahi hota."
"Shayad yeh metal nahi hai," Elara ne kaha.
Elias ne uski taraf dekha. "Matlab?"
"Dadaaji kehti thin ki is ghadi mein unka sabse khushpal (happiest moment) qaid hai. Unhone use wahan lock kar diya kyunki unhe dar tha ki kahin woh bhool na jayein."
Elias ne ghadi ko ghoora. 11:11. Unke pehle kiss ka waqt, isi dukaan mein, usse pehle ki jung use le gayi. Usse pehle ki khamoshi use nigal leti.
"Agar maine ise theek kar diya," Elias ne kaha, uski awaaz kaanp rahi thi, "toh woh pal beet jayega. Agar ghadi chalegi, toh waqt aage badhega. Agar waqt aage badha, toh woh mujhse aur door chali jayengi."
"Agar ghadi tooti hi rahi," Elara ne jawab diya, "toh aap yahin rahenge. Dhool mein. Bhooton (ghosts) ke saath."
Elias ne apni dukaan ki taraf dekha. Sach mein dekha. Usne dekha ki lamp ki roshni mein udne wale dhool ke kan (dust motes) kitne saalon se hil nahi rahe. Usne dekha ki konon (corners) mein chipke andhere kitne purane hain. Usne ek aise aadmi ko dekha jo ek aise museum ka curator ban gaya tha jahan koi aata hi nahi tha.
Phir usne Elara ki taraf dekha. Usme Clara ki thodi (chin) thi. Clara ki aankhein thin.
"Kya tum..." Elias shuru hua, par sentence pura nahi kar paya.
"Clara ke bacche nahi the," Elara ne kaha, uska sawal samajh kar. "Par unki behnein thin. Main unki virasat (legacy) hoon. Aur woh chahti thin ki aap jaanein ki kahani unke saath khatam nahi hui."
Elias ne wapas ghadi ki taraf dekha. Woh crystallized resin ab halka sa glow kar rahi thi, jaise andar koi roshni jag uthi ho. Use ehsaas hua ki Clara ne waqt ko rokne ki koshish nahi ki thi; unne bas us pal ko itna pyaar diya tha ki woh ruk gaya tha.
Lekin pyaar ka maqsad yaadein sambhalna nahi, balki aage badhna hota hai.
Elias ne apni aankhein ponchi. Usne apna sabse fine tool uthaya. "Theek hai," usne kaha, awaaz mein pehli baar umeed thi. "Chalo dekhte hain ki waqt ko wapas kaise chalaya jaye."
Usne dhyan se us crystal ko toda jo gears ko jakde hue tha. Jaise hi woh toota, ek halki si *tick* sunayi di. Phir ek *tock*.
Dukaan mein maujood baaki 312 ghadiyan jaise ek saath saans lene lagi. Grandfather clock ne dobara sahi waqt batana shuru kiya. Baarish ki awaaz ab shor nahi, balki sangeet lag rahi thi.
Ghadi ke kaante 11:11 se hate aur 11:12 par aa gaye. Waqt aage badh gaya tha.
Elias ne ghadi Elara ki taraf badhayi. "Yeh lo. Tumhari dadaaji sahi thin. Waqt pinjra nahi, tohfa hai. Aur ab humein ise jeena hai."
Elara ne muskurate hue ghadi li. "Shukriya, Mr. Thorne."
"Ab bas Elias," usne kaha, aur pehli baar 20 saalon mein, uske chehre par ek asli muskurahat thi. "Aur haan, dukaan abhi band nahi hui hai. Kya tum chai piyogi? Mujhe lagta hai humare paas baat karne ke liye bahut saara waqt hai."
Bahar baarish ruk chuki thi, aur badalon ke peeche se suraj ki ek kirne nikal kar cobblestone sadak par gir rahi thi. *Thorne Horology* mein ab sirf ghadiyan nahi tick kar rahi thin; wahan zindagi bhi dhadak rahi thi.