confluence

अंगावर काळ्या कभीन्न मखमलीची शाल पांघरुन रात्र धीम्या गतीने सरकत होती. बोचर् या थंडीची मजा घेत ती गेस्ट हाउसच्या मागे पायरीवर येवून बसली. आजूबाजूला तो चिमुकला गाव शांत झोपला होता. काळ्या मखमली रात्रीवर चंदेरी कुसर काढत चंद्र दूर ढगांच्या आड खेळत होता. दिवसभराचा प्रवास, स्वर्गीय निसर्गात सोबतीने मिळवलेले क्षण, सगळ्या आठवणींनी सुद्धा एक प्रकारची मंद धुंदी चढल्यासारखी झाली. पण याहून जास्त धुंदी चढवत होता तो जवळच वाहणार्या ओढ्याचा गाज. पाणी काही दिसत नव्हतं, पण त्या काळ्या शांततेत जीव ओतत आपल्याच धुंदीत तो खळाळत चालला होता. तिच धुंदी वाटून टाकत. समोर दिसणार्या हिमरांगा जणू  हिर् यांची बरसात झाल्यासारख्या चमचमत होत्या. त्या चंदेरी महालात अनोख्या मधुर तालावर तिचं मन उडत होतं.

मागून हलकेच खांद्यांवर येवून विसावलेले दोन्ही हात तिने हळूच हातात घेतले. किंचीत भरू आलेले डोळे मिटून मागच्या मागे डोकं टाकत बिनधास्त ती त्याच्यावर विसावली. ओढ्याच्या गाजात अजून एक लय अलगद मिसळली. त्याच्या काळजाची धडधड. तशीच. बेधुंद.

                                      ******

Apparently this part of the world had slept. Even the scarcely spread flora and fauna had retired for the day.
She was asleep on his lap, like a new born baby, at peace. Looking at her calm face, he too wanted to drift away to the land of dreams. The road was good and bus was swift. But he was wide awake. Someone tugged  him just as he was dozing. It was the moon.
Moon shone brightly through the clear windows of the bus on his face. He looked up through the windows at the moon. The Moon shone brighter in acknowledgement.
 He softly asked the shape shifting heavenly body of the clearly lit sky why he looked so bright today. The moon wispered, '‘I want to show you a mosaic, look around you’'. He gazed out of the windows at the mountains. They stood tall, half side of them basking under the moonlight and the other half relaxing in the shadows. The peaks of a few mountains shone brightly than others, they wore a cap of pure white snow. Snow-capped mountains were full of pride, they engulfed smaller mountains in their shadows and laughed at them as they couldn’t see the moon. A rivulet gushed below the mountains. She seemed to be in a hurry, making a lot of noise while she scurried through the mountains. She never bothered about the mountains and their pride. she was always in a hurry. Sometimes they naughtily blocked her way and forced her to change her path. Sometimes she fought with the mighty mountains and had her way. But tonight, she was gleaming in the pristine moonlight as if she were a lady wearing a white and silver dress for her wedding. He saw her through the windows and she nodded by slowing down a little. The wind wanting to make its presence felt blew right on his face through a slit in the windows. So he acknowledged the wind by opening the window by half. The Wind was really excited and hugged him with his cold hands. He looked at the moon and said, "this is beautiful, your children are alluring".

He wanted to wake her up and introduce her to his new found friends. But that untroubled face of hers stopped him. It caught his attention. The moon was agitated for he lost his attention. Moon gleamed ferociously through the windows and his rays lit her face. She moved a little but was still in a deep sleep. he moved his hand closer to her head and kept her safe. The moon was amazed by her beauty and asked him who she was.
He stared right at the moon with a tinge of pride and more of happiness and said, "she is my celestial being. She lights up my darkest nights. She’s my moon"