Kuch saal pehle ki baat hai, ek garmi ki chhuttiyon wali shaam thi. Main Delhi ke ek shaant suburb—Vasant Kunj—mein rehta tha. Wahaan ek aisa pal guzra jo aaj bhi meri raaton ki neend uda deta hai. Tab meri umar 17 saal thi. Main apne maa-baap ke saath usi ghar mein rehta tha jahan main bada hua tha.

Mera naam Vikram Mehra hai, aur yeh hai us weekend ki sachchi horror kahani jab mere parents ne mujhe pehli aur aakhri baar ghar par akela chhod diya tha.

Mere parents—Rakesh aur Sunita Mehra—kabhi vacations nahi lete the. Har waqt ghar pe rehna, cheezein theek karna, ya safai mein lage rehna. Toh jab unhone bola ki wo ek lambi weekend ke liye Nainital ke paas kisi rishtedaar ke farmhouse ja rahe hain, toh main hairaan reh gaya. Lekin usse bhi zyada—main excited tha. Pehli baar, poora ghar sirf mera.

Obviously, maine turant apni us waqt ki girlfriend ko bulaya—Meera Joshi, jise main pyaar se MJ kehta tha. Thodi si naughty, thodi si fearless ladki thi. Mujhe hamesha uske saath rehkar excitement aur dar dono mehsoos hota tha. Shayad isi wajah se hum zyada din nahi chale. Par us weekend, sab kuch perfect lag raha tha.

Pehli raat, MJ ne backyard mein heated pool ki blue lights dekhi aur uski aankhon mein ek shaitaani chamak aa gayi. “Skinny dip karein?” usne kaha, ek dum devil jaisi smile ke saath. Maine pehle mana kiya—padosi dekh sakte the—but usne kaha, “Yeh chance baar-baar nahi aata!” Aur aakhir mein, maine haar maan li.

Thandi hawa thi, par paani garam tha. Hum paani mein masti kar rahe the, hans rahe the, aur taarein dekhte hue kiss kar rahe the. Sab kuch ek sapne jaisa lag raha tha. Pool ghar ke bade glass windows ke saamne tha, aur un windows ke through andar ka poora ghar chamak raha tha. Bahar se dekhne par lag raha tha jaise koi dollhouse ho—safe aur bright.

Lekin phir maine dekha.

Ek saaya. Living room ki door wali deewar par guzarta hua. Koi reflection nahi tha. Koi shadow play nahi. Woh move kar raha tha—jaan-boojh kar. Jaise koi chal raha ho.

Main turant freeze ho gaya. Khoon thanda ho gaya mera. Dheere se MJ ko bola, “Humein turant pool se bahar nikalna hoga.” Usne bina kuch poochhe follow kiya. Maine usse bola ki pool house mein chhup jaaye, light band kar de, aur ek dum chup rahe. Uski usual hasi-tamasha gayab ho gayi thi. Use bhi pata chal gaya tha—kuch toh gadbad hai.

Main andar gaya, towel se jaldi se sookha, aur jaise papa ne bachpan se sikhaya tha—control liya. Kitchen se ek bada knife uthaya aur har room check karna start kiya.

Tabhi asli horror shuru hua.

Sab kuch normal lag raha tha… lekin chhoti-chhoti cheezein galat thi. Ek dining chair thoda peeche tha. Ek photo frame tedha ho gaya tha. Coffee mug nikal ke rakha tha, jise maine use bhi nahi kiya tha. Koi tod-phod nahi, darwaze band, windows locked. Lekin kisi ka presence mehsoos ho raha tha.

Jaise koi chori karne nahi… rehne aaya ho.

Poora ground floor check kiya. Koi nahi. Sab kuch lock tha. Yeh samajh nahi aaya—agar koi tha, toh gaya kahan?

Aakhir mein maine police ko call kiya. Wo kuch hi der mein aa gaye. Pura ghar check kiya. Attic, closet, sab kuch. Lekin kuch nahi mila. No footprints. No break-in. Cops bole, “Ho sakta hai aapki presence se intruder bhaag gaya ho.”

Par mujhe pata tha… wo andar tha. Aur hume tab se dekh raha tha—shuruaat se bhi pehle.

Darr ke maare humne bedroom ka darwaza lock kar diya. Saare windows band, furniture se blockade lagaya. Knife mere haath mein tha. Neend aani mushkil thi.

Subah ke 4 baje, maine suna—floorboards ki awaaz.

Upar se… attic se.

Pehle laga imagination hai. Par phir wo slow, deliberate footsteps aaye. Pehle upar se… fir stairs se neeche. Koi nikal raha tha.

Main knife leke bed se kooda aur front door ki taraf bhaaga—darwaza khula tha. Aur bahar sirf andhera tha. Jo bhi tha, wo chala gaya tha.

Is baar police ko call nahi kiya. Kya faayda?

Agli subah, jab main kitchen gaya, tab asli horror samne aaya.

Ek bhi kitchen knife nahi tha.

TV, laptop, jewellery—sab waisa ka waisa. Sirf kuch choti electronics, papa ki do watches aur thodi cash gayi thi. Par sabse badi cheez—knives. Sirf knives.

Kyuuuuun?

Aisa lag raha tha jaise koi message chhod gaya ho. Ek silent threat. Jaise keh raha ho—“Agli baar main ready ho kar aaoonga.”

Jab mere parents wapas aaye, maine unhe sab kuch bata diya. Unhone ek baar bhi doubt nahi kiya. Unhone mere chehre par darr dekh liya tha.

Aaj tak mujhe nahi pata ki wo andar kaise aaya, police se chhup kar kaise bacha. Shayad kabhi pata nahi chalega.

Lekin kabhi-kabhi, jab raat ke 2 baje neend nahi aati… toh main sochta hoon…

Agar us raat maine window ki taraf nahi dekha hota… toh kya hota?