പോക്കർ ഗെയിം 2 [മാലതി ഡേവിഡ്] 529

N¼nNp«³.sWäv tWm¡nWn¶p.
“”””MmWn¶p^m{Sn A½t]msXm¸w NnXt¶mt«?”
“”””ASptk*tfmsW, NjnªNpt_kÀg§am]n AÑsâ f^\tlgw bm_p¡p«n Fsâs]m¸fm\v NnX¡p¶Sv. Fsâs]m¸w NnX¡m³ SpX§n]tlgfm\v AkÄ hz´w l^o^t¯]pw ASnsâ BWµ§ta]pw BUyfm]n A_n]p¶Sv. NjnkpÅnXt¯maw ASkÄ Sn^n¨pS^p¶pfp*v. C¶v WnW¡m]n AktamXv fm_n¡nX¡m³ b_ªm ASksa H^pbmXv tkUWn¸n¡pw. bNÂfpjpk³ Mm³ Wnt¶msXm¸fp*tÃm? fsäm¶pNqXn, Akant¸mÄ Cu NpXpwd¯ns` H^wPw Ss¶]m\v. F¶m]m`pw C¶s¯ Nm^yw MmWktamXv b_]pw. Wmsa Akta]pwNq«n Wfps¡m^n¡Â¡qXn tbm¡À sP]nw Nan¨mt`m?” N®n NphrSnt]msX Mm³ tImUn¨p.
“”””A½]psX {bmt]mPnNdp²n Abm^w Ss¶. A§sW]mks«” Ak³ b_ªp. ^m{Sn fq¶ptbÀ¡pfpÅ Bim^wkna¼n M§an^p¶t¸mÄ MmWktWmXv tImUn¨p, “”””A¯mj¯nWpfp³bv H^p sbPv tk\sf¶v tSm¶p¶pt*m?” Ak³ bm_pNp«n]psX fpOt¯¡ptWm¡n N®n_p¡ns¡m*v b_ªp, “”””bm_pk½ S^psf¦n ASpfmkmw”. AWpkmU¯nWm]n Fsâ fpOt¯¡ptWm¡n] AktamXv B]nt¡ms« F¶v S`]m«n. A`fm^n]nÂWn¶p knh-vNn]pw ^*pPvamÊpNapw S\p¯ skÅkpw AksaXp¯p. “”””A½]v¡Âbw Njn¨ms`´m? FWn¡pw bm_pk½¡pw fm{Stf PvamsÊXp¯pÅq” Ak³ Nan]m¡n. “”””bm_p¡p«n Aksâ fp³bn A¸w fUyw Njn¨m KmSns]m¶pw tbmknÔ Mm³ b_ªp. Hmt^m `mÀKv sbPv knh-vNn Njn¨p, Gs_ tW^sfXp¯p M§Ä A¯mjw Njn¨p. M§tamXv PpZvssWäv b_ªk³ fp_nt]änt`¡p tbm]n.

^m{Sn AXp¯pNnX¶v Aksat¶mXv b_ªp, “”””Npsªm^pbmXv k`pSm]n. Ct¸mjs¯ hwhm^kpw {bkr¯n]psfÃmw Nm\pt¼mÄ l^n¡pw dm`³ hm_pSs¶”. bNs`m^pbmXv b\n]p*m]n^p¶SpsNm*v AkÄ tW^t¯ D_§n. ^mkn`s¯ bSnkpWX¯¯nWv C_§pt¼mÄ AkWp\À¶pk¶p. M§sam^pfn¨p {bemShkm^n¡n_§n.
“”””MmWn¶s` ^m{Sn, AÑsW hzbvWw N*t½” WX¯¯nWnX]n Ak³ b_ªp.
“”””At±isf´pb_ªp?” Mm³ tImUn¨p.
“”””Fs¶ fp³bn bnXn¨pWnÀ¯n AÑsWsâ fpO¯pw sW©n`psfÃmw St`mXn. FWn¡t±it¯maw sbm¡fp*m]n^p¶p. bns¶, Fs¶ sN«n¸nXn¨p At±iw b_ªp, “”Sm¦vhv ssf Zn]À h¬’. H^pbmXptW^w Fs¶ sN«n¸nXn¨pWn¶tlgw At±iw f_ªptbm]n. F´m]n^n¡pw Aѳ Dt±ln¨Sv?” Fsâ N®oÀ f_]v¡m³ Mm³ bmXpsb«p.
“”””Wo At±it¯maw k`pSm]n kaÀ¶psk¶ ht´mgfm\Sv” Mm³ b_ªp. NnX¡_]n fm{SfÃ, KoknSwfpjpkWpw Fs¶ ht´mgn¸n¡`m]n^p¶p At±i¯nsâ `£yw. MmsWm^p AÔknlzmhn]Ã. bt£ C¶s`, N¼nNp«³.sWäv