Nagano ke paas ke pahadon mein Haru ek aam sa lakdi kaatne wala tha. Na koi afwaah, na koi kahani. Subah 5 baje ghar se nikalta, shaam tak kaam karke laut aata. Gaon ke log us par bharosa karte the, kyunki woh hamesha niyam follow karta tha aur bina wajah jungle ke andar tak nahi jaata tha.
Ek din sarkari order aaya—kuch purane ped kaatne the. List mein ek bahut purana cedar ped bhi tha. Haru us jagah pehle kabhi nahi gaya tha. Ped tak pahunchne ka rasta tang tha aur mobile network bilkul nahi tha.
Jab usne pehli baar kulhadi chalayi, awaaz normal nahi thi—lakdi tootne ki jagah, awaaz bhari aur khokhli si lagi. Usne kaam roka aur chhaal ko dhyaan se dekha. Andar se ek purana kagaz nikla, sadi hui rassi se bandha hua. Kagaz par haath se likha tha: "Is ped ko na kaato."
Haru ne kagaz jeb mein rakha aur kaam band karke wapas mud gaya. Raste mein use laga koi uske peeche chal raha hai, par mudkar dekha to sirf ped aur pathar the.
Gaon pahunchte hi usne forest office ko report ki. Agle din jab team us jagah pahunchi, ped kaat chuka tha—par Haru wahan nahi tha. Zameen par uske boot the, theek tarah se rakhe hue. Koi khoon, koi nishaan nahi.
Report mein likha gaya: "Missing. No evidence of accident."
Us ped ko kabhi dobara chhua nahi gaya
Aur fir...