ഗ്രാമ ദൃശ്യങ്ങൾ [മാലതി ഡേവിഡ്] 623

N¼nNp«³.sWäv tdm²yfm]n«nÃ. Njnª A©m_pkÀgfm]n Wo]m\nsSÃmw sI¿p¶sS¶v Mm³ ko*pw D_¸nt¨ms«””. N¼n]m] Np®]q^msS MmWkapsX fp`NÄ¡ptfs` Nfnjv¶p NnX¶p. Aksasâ fpOw fp`Nan`fÀ¯n¸nXn¨p sIknNan kn^`psNm*v C¡nan]m¡n.

Npt_¡jnªp, AkapsX G§`Xn AX§n]t¸mÄ Mm³ AkapsX sW©nÂWn¶v WnkÀ¶p. AkÄ bmSnSp_¶ N®pNtamsX sN©n, “”Npt_¡qXn A§sW NnXs¡Xm. MmsWm¶v AXp¯SnWv s_Zn]m]nt¡mt«””. Mm³ ko*pw AkapsX sW©n Nfnjv¶p. Np_¨pNjnªt¸mÄ AkapsX bq_nWNs¯ Fsâ Np®]n AkapsX fhn`pNÄ bSps¡ bSps¡ bnXnfp_p¡p¶Sv MmW_nªp; WWkv kän]n^p¶ AkapsX bq_nWN¯p {Ntf\ sNmjp¯ WWkq_p¶Spw. Aksasâ tSman bnXn¨psbm¡n b_ªp, “”Mm³ s_Zn, Wo]nWn SpX§nt¡m””. MmsW\oäp. Fsâ N¼n]m] Np® Ct¸mjpw AkapsX bq_n`m\v. AkapsX bmSnknXÀ¶ N®pNÄ Fsâ N®pNan tNmÀ¯n^n¡p¶p. “”Wo N®X]v¡msS sI¿\w. Wnsâ co`n§vhv fpjpk³ ASn`qsX FWn¡v km]n¡\w”” AkÄ bSns] b_ªp. MmWkapsX N®pNant`¡p tWm¡ns¡m*v BªXn¨p. sbm¶½]psX ko«n tN« AtS ‘¹Nv ¹Nv’ lÐw, tfQ]psX I´nNan Fsâ SpX]p*m¡p¶ lÐw. Btkl¯nWnX]n Fsâ ssNNÄ AkapsX fp`Nsa NqXpS tWmkn¨n^n¡pw. AkapsX sbm§nk^p¶ A^s¡«v AkÄ¡v NqXpS Np® Bklyfps*¶v b_]pN]mkpw. Fsâ A^s¡«v AkapsXSnt`¡v NqXpS NqXpS C_§nt¸m]n. fp`NanÂWn¶p ssNs]Xp¯p MmWkapsX A^s¡«v NqXpS D]À¯n¸nXn¨p. AkapsX bq_nÂWn¶pÅ h½ÀUw Fsâ Np®s] NqXpS sM^n¨psNm*n^p¶p. Fsâ A^s¡«nsâ fp¶_n]n¸v, NpWnªp MmWkapsX sIkn]n b_ªp, “”FWn¡nt¸mÄ k^pw””. AkÄ N®n_p¡n b_ªp, “”kt¶mt«””. AkapsX hvO`Ww FWn¡_n]m³ Njnªp, H¸w FtâSpw. Ct¸mÄ MmWm\v AkapsX sW©n ko\ptbm]Sv. t`mNw fpjpk³ sbm«ns¯_n¡p¶Sm]pw, MmWSn VqanNam]n b_¶pWX¡p¶Spw A_nªp. Npt_¡jnªp VqanNÄ tIÀ¶v ko*pw MmWm]n. Fsâ HmÀ½NÄ Sn^ns¨¯n. MmWkapsX km¡pNtamÀ¯p, “”WnWs¡m^n¡`pw f_¡mWmkm¯Spw FWn¡pfm{Sw S^m³ Njn]p¶Spfm] H^p h½mWw””. ASv SnN¨pw hSyfm]n^p¶p. Fsâ tSman`m]n^p¶ AkapsX Nm`pNÄ Ct¸msasâ A^s¡«v Ipän¸nXn¨n^n¡p¶p. AkapsX ssNNÄ Fs¶ AkapsX SpXn¡p¶ sW©n tIÀ¯pbnXn¨n^n¡p¶p. Mm³ N®pSp_¶Sv AkapsX knXÀ¶ fnjnNant`¡m\v. Fsâ bp_w St`mXns¡m*kÄ tImUn¨p, “”Mm³ WnW¡pS¶ Cu BUyh½mWw Wos]m^n¡`pw f_¡nÃ, DtÆm?”” Mm³ AtSs]¶v S`]m«n; Fsâ irU]¯nÂWn¶p k¶ D¯^w. Fsâ sW©n ^*pssNNapwAfÀ¯n N¼nNp«³.sWäv