The last call
Chapter 1 – Andhera jo bolta hai
Raat ke 12:30 baj rahe the. Ghar ke andar sirf ghadi ki tik-tik aur khidki ke bahar hawa ki cheekh sunai de
rahi thi. Andhera itna gehra tha ki lagta tha chaand bhi dar kar chhup gaya hai.
Aarav apne kamre ke bed par pada tha, lekin uski aankhon me neend ka naam-o-nishaan nahi tha. Usne
phone uthaya, Instagram scroll kiya, fir WhatsApp khola—lekin dil ka khali pan kam nahi hua.
Uski maa ki maut ko teen mahine beet gaye the, aur us waqt se uske andar ek ajeeb si khaamoshi bas
gayi thi.
Har cheez usse maa ki yaad dilati thi.
Wo kursi jahan maa baith kar sweater bunthi thi.
Wo chhota sa mandir jahan maa diya jalati thi.
Wo chai ka cup jisme se maa kehti thi—“Beta, ek ghut toh le le, thoda taakat milegi.”
Aur sabse zyada—wo last phone call jo usne kabhi uthaya hi nahi.
Us raat, maa hospital me thi. Usne Aarav ko phone kiya tha. Screen par “Maa” ka naam aaya, lekin Aarav
doston ke saath online game khel raha tha. Usne socha—“Baad me baat kar lunga.”
Baad me… kabhi aaya hi nahi. Subah tak maa chali gayi thi.
Tab se guilt uske dil ke andar ek zehar ki tarah bas gaya tha.
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Chapter 2 – Phone ki ghanti
Us raat jab usne phone table par rakha, achaanak ek vibration hua. Screen glow kar uthi.
Aur jo naam usne dekha… uska dil ek pal ke liye ruk gaya.
“Maa Calling…”
Aarav ki ungliyan thandi pad gayi. Saans atak gayi.
Ye kaise mumkin hai? Maa to… teen mahine pehle…
Usne call ko ring hote dekha. Uske andar ka hissa chillaya—cut kar de! Lekin doosra hissa… maa ki awaaz
sunne ke liye taras raha tha.
Usne trembling hands ke sath call receive kiya.
“Hello…?”
Dusre side se ek awaaz aayi. Dheemi, naram, aur wohi awaaz jo Aarav bachpan se sunta aaya tha.
“Aarav… beta… darwaaza kyun lock kiya?”
Aarav ki aankhon me aansu bhar aaye. Uske gale se sirf ek lafz nikal paya—
“Maa…? Tum? Yeh… yeh kaise…?”
Lekin jawab me sirf ek ajeeb si khamoshi thi. Aur us khamoshi ke peeche ek awaaz… scratching sound,
jaise nakhun se lakdi khurach rahe ho.
Phir maa ki awaaz phir aayi:
“Main kabhi gayi hi nahi, beta. Main toh tab se… tere kamre ke bahar hi hoon.”
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Chapter 3 – Darwaaze ke us paar
Aarav ka dil tez tez dhadakne laga. Usne phone neeche gira diya aur dheere se apna sar darwaaze ki taraf
ghumaya.
Aur usne suna—woh khurachne ki awaaz ab phone se nahi, balki uske bedroom ke darwaaze ke us paar
se aa rahi thi.
“Krrrr… Krrrr…”
Jaise nakhun ki chot se lakdi kat rahi ho.
Uske pair thande ho gaye. Usne darwaaze ke paas jaane ki himmat nahi ki. Lekin awaaz barh rahi thi.
Aur phir—
“Tok… tok… tok…”
Darwaaze par kisi ne andar aane ke liye knock kiya. Dheere-dheere. Jaise intezaar kar raha ho.
Aarav ki aankhon se aansu behne lage. Uska guilt phir ubhar aaya.
“Maa… agar tum ho… toh mujhe kyun dara rahi ho?”
Kuch pal tak sirf silence thi. Phir awaaz aayi, ekdum kareeb se, jaise ab darwaaze ke andar se hi aa rahi
ho—
“Darwaaza kyun nahi khola, Aarav?”
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Chapter 4 – Yaadein jo rulaati hain
Aarav ke dimag me maa ki yaadein tezi se chalne lagi.
Woh din jab maa uske liye school bag ready karti thi.
Woh pal jab usne first prize jeeta tha aur maa uske liye kheer banayi thi.
Aur woh raat jab maa hospital bed par thi, aur usne call receive nahi kiya.
Uski rooh ko aisa laga jaise koi andheron me se usse kheench raha ho.
Wo awaaz… maa ki thi. Lekin usme kuch aur bhi tha—ek thandi si khokhli gunj, jaise zameen ke andar se
aayi ho.
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Chapter 5 – Room ke andar
Achaanak light flicker hui. Ek bar, do bar, phir band ho gayi. Room andhere me doob gaya.
Aarav ne phone ki torch on karne ki koshish ki, lekin battery dead thi.
Darwaaze ke neeche se ek halki si harkat hui. Usne dekha—kali lambi ungliyan andar aa rahi thi,
darwaaze ke neeche ke gap se. Ungliyan khurach rahi thi floor ko.
Aarav cheekh kar peeche gir gaya. Uski heartbeat tez ho gayi thi.
Aur tabhi—
“Aarav…”
Ye awaaz uske bed ke paas se aayi.
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Chapter 6 – Maa ya kuch aur?
Aarav ne dheere se torch jalaayi. Bed ke corner par ek shadow thi.
Wo ek aurat thi… uska silhouette maa jaisa lag raha tha.
Wohi kapde, wohi khadaav.
“Maa…” Aarav ke aansu ruk nahi rahe the. “Main tumhari call nahi uthaa paya tha… mujhe maaf kar
do…”
Shadow dheere-dheere hilne lagi. Aur awaaz boli—
“Main tumse naraaz nahi hoon, beta. Main toh sirf… akeli thi. Aur main chahti hoon… tu mere sath aa
jaaye.”
Aarav ke pair jam gaye. Usne apne aap ko pinch kiya—dard asli tha. Yeh sapna nahi tha.
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Chapter 7 – Andhera jo nigalta hai
Room me thand barh gayi. Ajeeb si mitti aur khoon ki smell hawa me ghul gayi.
Shadow dheere-dheere paas aayi. Aarav ko laga jaise uske andar ki saansein kheench rahi ho.
“Aarav… darwaaza khol de. Bas ek kadam… aur main tujhe apne paas le jaungi.”
Uske dimaag me maa ki asli tasveer aayi—hospital bed par muskurati hui, dua dete hue. Aur usne zor se
chillakar kaha—
“Tum meri maa nahi ho! Meri maa mujhe kabhi dara nahi sakti!”
Shadow ek dum se cheekhi aur hawa me ghul gayi.
Room me phir se khamoshi chhayi. Aarav behosh ho gaya.
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Chapter 8 – Subah ka sach
Subah jab uska dost Rohan aaya, usne Aarav ko floor par pada dekha. Darwaaza andar se lock tha, lekin
us par nakhun ke nishaan bane hue the.
Phone uthakar dekha gaya—last call list me ek hi naam tha:
Maa – 12:30 AM
Chapter 9 – Awaz jo wapas aayi
Subah ke dino me sab normal lag raha tha. Rohan ne Aarav ko uthaya, paani pilaya. Aarav ne sab kuch
batane ki koshish ki, lekin Rohan hans pada—
“Tu stress le raha hai. Ye sab tujhe hallucination hua hoga. It’s all in your mind, bro.”
Aarav chup raha, par uske dil ko pata tha—jo usne dekha, jo suna, wo asli tha. Usne darwaaze ke nakhun
wale nishaan Rohan ko dikhaye. Rohan ka chehra ek pal ke liye safed pad gaya, par turant usne kaha—
“Puraane ghar me to aise marks bante hi rehte hain.”
Din ka waqt nikal gaya, lekin raat ka khauf Aarav ke dil me behta raha. Usne socha—
Main agar firse maa ki awaaz sunu to? Kya hoga?
Usne raat ko phone band kar diya. Lekin 12:30 bajte hi, uske dead phone ki screen apne aap glow kar
uthi. Naam tha:
Maa Calling…
Is baar usne phone uthaya hi nahi. Usne bas taakiya me chhup kar aansu baha diye. Lekin uske kaan ke
andar se ek awaaz gunji—
“Beta, mujhe ignore kyun kar raha hai? Main tujhe lene aayi hoon…”
Aarav ka dil dhak-dhak karne laga. Usne dekha—andar ki diwar par nakhun se likhe shabd khud-ba-khud
ban rahe the:
“Darwaaza khol do, Aarav.”
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Chapter 10 – Aakhri Faisla
Aarav samajh gaya—yeh sirf maa ki rooh nahi hai. Yeh kuch aur hai, jo maa ki shakal lekar usse apne paas
kheenchna chahta hai.
Usne maa ki tasveer uthai jo mandir me rakhi thi. Tasveer ko gale lagakar woh ro pada.
“Maa, mujhe maaf kar do. Main tumhari call nahi utha paya tha. Mujhe pata hai tum mujhe kabhi nahi
daraogi. Agar tum sach me ho, to mujhe shanti dena… mujhe apna pyaar dena. Lekin mujhe khinch kar
andhere me mat le jao.”
Achaanak hawa tez chalne lagi, darwaaza zor-zor se hilne laga. Ungliyon ki khurach ki awaaz tez hone
lagi, jaise abhi darwaaza toot jaayega.
Aarav ne aankhen band karke maa ka naam japna shuru kiya.
“Om Shanti… Maa… Om Shanti…”
Aur tabhi, ek zor ki cheekh hui. Puri roshni ek pal ke liye kamre me chhayi. Jab Aarav ne aankhen kholi—
sab kuch shant tha.
Darwaaza apni jagah tha, nakhun ke nishaan gayab ho gaye the. Phone band tha. Aur maa ki tasveer se
ek roshni ki kirn nikal kar uske dil ko sukoon de gayi.
Aarav gir kar ro pada. Usne mehsoos kiya ki maa usse sach me maaf kar chuki hai.
Agli subah se uske phone par “Maa Calling” kabhi nahi aaya.
Lekin… ek raat usne apne sapne me maa ko dekha. Maa muskurakar keh rahi thi:
“Beta, main hamesha tere sath hoon. Tu chahe call uthaye ya na uthaye… mera pyaar hamesha tere paas
rahega.”
Aarav jaag gaya. Uske chehre par aansu the, par pehli baar un aansuon ke peeche ek halka sa sukoon tha.
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Epilogue – The Last Call
Aarav ne seekh liya ki guilt insan ke andar ke andhere ko aur gehra kar deta hai. Maa sach me usse lene
nahi aayi thi—woh uski apni darr aur guilt ki rooh thi jo maa ki shakal le kar saamne aayi.
Par us raat, jab usne maa ke pyaar ko yaad kiya aur us par vishwas rakha, usne andhere ko hara diya.
“The Last Call” Aarav ke liye sirf ek khaufnaak tajurba nahi tha, balki ek yaad tha ki maa ka pyaar maut se
bhi bada hota hai.
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THE END
