പോക്കർ ഗെയിം 2 [മാലതി ഡേവിഡ്] 529

N¼nNp«³.sWäv AkÄ¡nt¸mjpw Nn«p¶p*v. AkÄ¡ptk*Sv H^m\nWpfm{Sw sNmXp¡m³ Njn]p¶Sm\v. Wo]Sv sI¿v” MmWktWmXv b_ªp.

AksW\oäv AkapsXAXp¯n^p¶p. bns¶ AkapsX ssNbnXn¨v Aksâ Np®]n bnXn¸n¨p. AkapsX N®pNan tWm¡n Ak³ tImUn¨p,
“”””MmWnSv bm_pk½]psX Npªn¸q_n skt¨mt«?” AkÄ S`]m«n, N®X¨pNnX¶p. AksWm^p S`]n\s]Xp¯p, AkapsX A^s¡«psbm¡n ASnWXn]n k¨p. knXÀ¶ Nm`pNÄ¡nX]nÂ, S`]n\ sbm¡n] A^s¡«nÂ, AkapsX bq_v AÂbfm]n km]vSp_¶v Aksâ Np®¡v hzmPStfmSn. ^*pkn^`pNÄ AkapsX WWªpNpSnÀ¶ bq_nWpÅn NX¯n skan]ns`Xp¯n«p bSps¡ kn^`pNÄ knXÀ¯n, ASnWnX]n Wq`pNÄ SoÀ¡p¶ sNmjp¯ WWkv AksWWn¡v Nm\n¨pS¶p. Mm³ In^n¨ptbm]n. AkapsX Nm`pNÄ¡nX]n fp«pNp¯n]n^p¶v Np®]psX Aäw bq_nt`¡v bSps¡ NX¯n. WWªp NpSnÀ¶n^p¶SnWm C_p¡fpÅ AkapsX bq_nWN¯p dp²nfp«nÃmsS ASv NX¶p. A^s¡«pSmjv¯n, Np® fpjpk³ AN¯pNX¯n]tlgw AksWs¶ tWm¡n¸_ªp,
“”””A½ kn^`pw kjpSW§]pw sNm*v bm_pk½]psX Npªn¸q_nsW k`pSm¡n]n^n¡p¶p, Wµn” Mm³ In^n¨ptbm]n. AkÄ Wm\wsNm*v N®pSp_¶nÃ. AkapsX NÃn¨ fp`NapsX N®pNan fm_nfm_n Ip*fÀ¯ns¡m*v Aksâ A^s¡«v I`n¨pSpX§n. Aksâ Wo*pNW¯ Np® AkapsX bq_nsW DjpSpf_ns¡ AkapsX ^SnNqKW§Ä, BUyw Smjv¶pw bns¶ NqXpS`p]À¶pw fpj§n. MmsW\oäv AkapsX kmsbm¯n.
“”””Smsj Np«nNrgv\³ tNÄ¡pw” Mm³ b_ªp.
“”””A]mant¸mÄ tSm«¯n`tà sNm¨t½” AkÄ In^n¨p. S`]n\ k¨p]À¯n]n«pw Aksâ D]^p¶ A^]v–s¡m¸w AkaptXSpw D]À¶psNm*n^p¶p. AÂbwNjnªp, AksWIpän¸nXn¨psNm*kapsX A^s¡«v WnÝ`fm]n. AkWpw AkapsXbp_¯p AfÀ¶pNnX¶p. AkWv k¶n«nsöv FWn¡_n]mw. sW©n NnX¡p¶ AksW AkÄ fp_psN bnXn¨n^p¶p. Nt_¡jnªp AkapsX bnXnkn«t¸mÄ Ak³ D]À¶p fp«pNm`n`n^p¶p. Ak³ AkapsX bq_nÂWn¶v Np®]q^n FsâtWs^ Sn^nªp. ASt¸mjpw sbm§n]mXn Wn¡p¶p. AksWs¶ tWm¡n b_ªp,
“”””tcmÀSv B³Zv `mhv–_v tgm”. AkapsX fpXn]pw NknapNapw St`mXn, B N®pNant`¡v tWm¡n, Ip*pNÄ knXÀ¯ns¡m*k³ b_ªp,
“”””bm_pkt½, sscW tgm SpX§t«?” AkÄ Wm\n¨p N®X¨p. Ak³ ko*pw Np® bq_nt`¡pNX¯n AXp¯ tgm SpX§n. Aksâ A^s¡«nsâ làn Abm^fm]n^p¶p. b`t¸mjpw A^s¡«pNÄ S½n`Xn¡p¶ “”¹Nv ¹Nv’ lЯn AkapsX Wn`knan fp§nt¸m]n. Aksâ k^kpw AXp¯Sm]n N¼nNp«³.sWäv