The Forgotten House: A Suspense Story

🌙 Episode 2 – The Locked Trunk

Subah ka waqt tha. Ghar ki khidkiyon se dhoop andar aa rahi thi, lekin purane pardon ki wajah se roshni bhi halki aur peeli si lag rahi thi. Anaya ne chai ka cup rakha aur seedhiyon ki taraf dekha. Kal raat ki awaaz abhi tak uske zehan mein ghoom rahi thi. Lekin woh ghabraayi nahi thi, uske andar ek ajeeb si curiosity thi.

Upar ka floor ghar ka sabse purana hissa tha. Ek kamra jo “storeroom” ke naam se mashhoor tha, saalon se band pada tha. Jab Anaya uske darwaze ke paas pohonchi, usne dekha ke zung lagne ke bawajood lock khula tha. Darwaza dhakel kar jese hi andar gayi, ek purani kitaabon aur kapron ki boo uska istaqbaal kar rahi thi. Har kone mein dher laga tha — trunk, purane bistar, almariyan aur kapron ke bori.

Anaya ne halki muskaan ke saath khud se kaha:
“Yahan toh puri ek kahani dafan hai.”

Uski nazar ek bade se lakdi ke trunk par padi jo almari ke pichhe daba hua tha. Tala zung aaya hua tha. Jaise hi usne trunk ko hilaaya, neeche se ek aadha jala hua kaghaz gir gaya.

📜 Burnt Paper

Anaya ne kaghaz uthaya. Us par kuch ajeeb alfaz the — jaise kisi ne ek raaz likh kar phir jalane ki koshish ki ho.

Kaghaz par likha tha:

“Haqeeqat mitti ke neeche dafan hai… agar yeh raaz saamne aaya, tou khoon beh jaayega…”

Aur neeche ke lafz aadhe jal gaye the. Sirf kuch tukde nazar aa rahe the:

“Saeed… saazish… gawah…”

Anaya ka dil tez dhadakne laga. Usne kaghaz sambhal kar apni diary mein rakh liya.

Neeche se kadmon ki awaaz aayi. Zayaan kamre mein aaya. Uski aankhen seedha trunk par ja rahi thi.

Zayaan Anaya ka cousin aur uske mamoo ka beta tha. Wo Anaya se 8 saal bara tha, reserve aur thoda serious mizaj ka. Anaya ke paida hone se pehle hi is ghar mein kuch hua tha, aur Zayaan us waqt chhota tha lekin sab kuch dekh chuka tha. Jab Anaya 2 saal ki thi tab uski nani ne ye ghar chor kar doosre sheher shift kar liya tha. Aur kyunki Zayaan isi ghar mein rehta tha, usse zaroor maloom hoga ke asal mein kya hua tha.

Lekin wo Anaya se sab chupata tha. Jab bhi Anaya ghar ke baare mein poochti, Zayaan baat badal deta. Abhi in dino wo aur uske parents Karachi aaye hue the, toh wo bhi yahaan Anaya aur uske parents se milne aaya tha.

“Tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?” Zayaan ne thoda tez lehje mein pucha.

Anaya ne kaghaz uske saamne uthaya. “Nani ne is trunk ko itna chupakar kyun rakha tha? Isme aisa kya hai?”

Zayaan ne pal bhar ke liye khamoshi ikhtiyar ki. Uske chehre par kuch kehne aur kuch chhupane ka mix tha.
“Nani hamesha mana karti thi iss trunk ko kholne se… aur iska ek reason hai.”

“Kya reason?” Anaya ki curiosity aur barh gayi.

Zayaan ne uski taraf dekha, phir bina jawab diye neeche chala gaya.

Shaam ko lawn mein baith kar Anaya diary likh rahi thi jab Mrs. Nigar aa gayi. Aaj woh ek tasla le kar aayi thi jisme naya banaya hua halwa tha. Unki aadat thi ke woh hamesha ek muskaan ke saath entry karti thi, lekin unki aankhon mein hamesha ek gehraai hoti thi — jaise woh doosron ke raaz jaan kar bhi chup rehne wali ho.

“Nayi jagah pehle din mithai honi chahiye,” unhone tasla samjhate hue kaha.

Anaya ne casually poocha: “Aunty, aapko Nani ke bare mein kitna yaad hai?”

Mrs. Nigar ne ek lambi saans li aur kaha:
“Tumhari Nani bohot mazboot aurat thi. Lekin mazboot log kabhi kabhi sabse zyada raaz chhupate hain. Ye ghar… inhi raazon ka gawah hai.”

Anaya ne phir trunk ka zikr kar diya. Mrs. Nigar ki muskaan is dafa halki si badal gayi. Unhone sirf itna kaha:
“Beta, kuch kahaniyan sirf sunnay ke liye hoti hain… kholne ke liye nahi.”

Aur woh chal di.

Raat ko sab so rahe the. Anaya diary likh rahi thi:
“Kal main trunk zaroor kholoongi. Shayed yeh ghar khud mujhe jawab dena chahta hai.”

Usi waqt khidki se ek saaya guzra. Jaise koi courtyard mein chal raha ho. Anaya ne turant jhank kar dekha — wahan koi nahi tha.

Screen dheere dheere dark hoti hai… aur bas trunk ka close-up saamne aata hai. Tala abhi bhi wahi hai, lekin jaise kisi waqt khulne ka intezaar kar raha ho.