“Echoes of an Evening Walk”

write by [MR HASHAM]

Echoes of the Evening Walk

Sham dhal rahi thi, asmaan ne suraj ke peeche laal aur sunehri rang phela diye the. Aaliya apni beti Sana ka haath pakad kar purane kachay raste par chal rahi thi. Dono ki chaal halki thi, jaise waqt ko zara dheere karna chahti ho.

Raste ke kinare neem ka purana darakht tha, jismein unka bachpan basa tha. Aaliya ne muskurate hue kaha,

“Yehi wo jaga hai jahan main pehli dafa tumhari daadi se apne raaz share kiye the.”

Sana ne hairani se maa ki taraf dekha, jaise naye daur ki beti purane daur ki khamoshi ko samajhne ki koshish kar rahi ho.

“Maa… kya aapko kabhi darr nahi laga? Itni chhoti basti, itni zyada khamoshi?”

Aaliya ne gehri saans li, “Darr hamesha hota hai, beta. Lekin insaan apne darr se aage tabhi nikalta hai jab uske paas koi ho jo uska haath tham kar chale.”

Hawa me neem ki khushbu thi, shaam ki roshni dheere-dheere andheron me ghul rahi thi. Dono ne bina kuch kahe lamhe ki gehraayi ko mehsoos kiya — jaise walk ek safar nahi, ek silsila ho jo maa se beti tak barson tak chalti rahe.