പൂതന [Mango] 659

N¼nNp«³.sWäv A_nªntÃ? AkX sN«nt]m³ k¶v Aka knant¨m*v tbm]n. sNmt_ Wmam]n…””
Wn^ml tSm¶n. “”””Hmiv… MmW_nªnÃ… W¶m]n… AkÀ S½n`pÅ {blvW§Ä Hs¡ SoÀt¶m?”
“”””B.. BÀ¡_n]mw… Ak³ k¶v knan¨v, Akav tbm]n. AkanknX F{S Wmsa¶p sk¨v Hä]v¡n^n¡pw? sNm¨p sb®tÃ?” AkÀ In^n¨p sNm*v b_ªp
“”””kngv\pNpªp N`ym\w H¶pw Njn¡\ntÃ?” AkÀ Im]¡pÅ skÅw AXp¸n sk¨n«v Fsâ tWs^ Sn^nªp Wn¶v tImUn¨p.
“”””tWm¡p¶p*v A¡m” Mm³ b_ªp
“”””tWm¡n tWm¡n tW^w Na]Ãv… Cu {bm]¯n sN«\w. CWn]pw k]Êm]n tbm]m bns¶ Fs´^nWv?”
Mm³ In^n¨p
“”””In^n¡m³ b_ªSÃ. C¸ bpÅ]v¡v sN«m³ bän] {bm]w B\v. l^o^w H¡ kaÀ¶v Wà kn^nªv…. C¸ sN«n]m bpÅ]v¡v hpOn¡mw.” CSpw b_ªv AkÀ Fs¶ AXn fpXn tWm¡v `p¦n¡p fpNan NqXn Nk]v¡nX]n sIm_nªp. bqäns` t^mf¯n `p¦n D_]p¶ lÐw Mm³ tN«p F¶p tSm¶nt¸m]n FWn¡v. Nm`nWnX]n H^p AW¡w. bqSW bq_v sIm_n]p¶ N¿nt`¡v Mm³ tWm¡n C^p¶p tbm]n. “”””bpÅ C^n¡o… Mm³ H¶v sbXp¯n«v sk¡w k^mw. fp«o«p k¿!” Fsâ fpO¯p tWm¡n b_ªn«v AkÀ C_§n Npan fp_n]nt`¡v tbm]n. Ak^psX Np`p§n sS_n¡p¶ I¡ sNmSw tWm¡n F´p sI¿\w F¶_n]msS C^p¶p tbm]n Mm³. Fs¶ Nm\n¡m³ tk*n Ss¶]m\v fpSp sbm`]mXn bq_v sIm_nªSv. H¶v tbm]n tWm¡n]mt`m. bän]m fq{Ssfmjn¡p¶ ho³ Nm\mftÃm. Npanfp_n¡Xp¯p Ss¶ H^p Nn\À D*v. Mm³ sfsà F\oäv, Nn\_nWXpt¯¡v WX¶p. Npanfp_n kmSn AX¨n«nÃ. AN¯p Wn¶pw fq{Sw Ioän sS_n¨p S_]n kojp¶ lÐw tNÄ¡mw. Nn\änWpÅnt`¡v tWm¡m³ F¶ kymtKW AkntX¡v sI¶ Mm³ Npanfp_n]psX kmSn kjn ANt¯s¡m¶p F¯n k`nªp tWm¡n. `p¦n A^ ks^ sS^p¯p N]än sk¨v, sW]v sNmSw bnaÀ¯n sk¨n^n¡p¶ bqSWs] N*t¸mÄ Ss¶ Nm`nWnX]n ^àt]m«w NqXn. Np® fpjp¯p k¶p. B sNmjp¯p^p* skap¯ SpXNÄ¡v Fs´m^p NWw! H¶p NpWnªp tWm¡n]t¸mÄ I´n Im`nWXn]n B fpjp¯ bq_nsâ bmanNÄ N*p.B bmanNÄ¡nX]n Wn¶pw fq{Sw làn]n Ioäp¶p. Hjn¨p Njnªv AkÀ d¡än Wn¶v skÅw FXp¯v bq_v NjpNm³ SpX§n]t¸mÄ Mm³ fm_n Nn\_ntWmXv tIÀ¶v Wn¶p. bp_¯n_§n]t¸mÄ Fs¶ N* AkÀ In^n¨p sNm*v tImUn¨p, “”””F´v?… bpÅ]v¡v sbXp¡t\m?”
“”””tk… tk*… Mm³ sk_psS… Nn\À H¶v tWm¡m³… k¶Sm”
“”””St¶? Mm³ knIm^n¨v sbXp¡m³ k¶Sms\¶v. N¼nNp«³.sWäv