raat ka waqt tha Chand chup gaya tha badal ke peeche aur andhera cha gaya tha har taraf. Ek ajeeb si hawa chal rahi thi, jo dar aur darr se bhari hui thi. Ek purani haweli thi, jahan har kona bhooton ki kahaniyon se bhara tha. Us haweli mein sirf kuch log rehne aaye the, lekin woh bhi wahan se bhag chuke the, darr aur bhooton ki wajah se.
Ek aadmi, naam tha Raj, uss haweli mein jaane ke liye tayyar tha. Woh bina kisi dar ke, andhere mein kadam rakhta hua haweli ke darwaze par pahuncha. Darwaza kuch der tak khula raha, jaise woh usse andar bulane ki umeed rakhta hai. Raj ne apne dam par andar jane ka faisla kiya aur haweli ke andar pravesh karne ki koshish ki.
Andar pahuchte hi, Raj ne andhera aur sunsan mahaul dekha. Purane samay se sambandhit furniture, raste mein bikhar gaye kitabein aur bhooton ki chitrankit tasveerein uss haweli ko daravne banati thi. Raj ki dhadkan tez ho gayi, lekin woh himmat nahi hara.
Raj ne ek torch liya aur haweli ke kamre mein pravesh kiya. Kamre ke andar, woh ek purane mehfil khane mein pahuncha, jahan log kabhi haskar nachte the. Lekin ab, woh sunsan tha aur sirf bhooton ki siskariyan sunai deti thi. Raj ne haweli mein kuch aur logo ki awaz suni, jaise woh wahan maujood hai, lekin woh dikhayi nahi de rahe the.
Raj ka dhyaan ek daravni tasveer par gaya, jo mehfil khane ke samne latak rahi thi. Tasveer mein ek khooni aadmi dikh raha tha, jiska chehra itna bhayanak tha ki Raj ka khoon jam gaya. Woh tasveer se door hone ki koshish ki, lekin woh tasveer usse bhayanak andar khichti ja rahi thi.
Andar andhere mein Raj ko bhooton ki awaz sunai di, jaise woh usse bulane ki koshish kar rahe hai. Raj ne torch ki roshni mein idhar-udhar dekha, lekin koi nahi tha. Phir woh neeche ek khaufnak shor suna, jaise kisi cheez ka tod ho raha hai.
Raj ne apni taraf bhagte huye dekha, aur woh dekha ki purani haweli ke darwaze khul gaye hai. Woh tezi se bhage, par darwaze usse bhagne nahi de rahe the. Raj ne akhirkaar bahar aane ka rasta khoj liya aur woh bhagte bhagte haweli se bahar nikal gaya.
Woh ek raat haweli se nikal gaya, par uski aatma wahan reh gayi. Kuch dino baad, ek dusra sahasi aadmi wahan gaya, aur woh bhi haweli ke darwaze khole. Usne Raj ki aatma ko shanti pradan ki, aur haweli fir se sukoon se rahi. Lekin woh raat aur uski bhooton ki siskariyaan hamesha yaad rahi, ek raat jise Raj aur dusre saahasik log kabhi nahi bhulenge.
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