The deja vu moment

The whole Cid team was giving their final salutes to their martyrs with their tearful eyes. They had lost their two brave and beloved officers.

"May God rest their souls in peace!" Abhijeet prayed with his eyes closed.

Tarika didn't care to rub her tears continuously flowing out of her eyes.

"Aisa kyun hua Abhijeet? Dono ek dusre se dil hi dil me pyar karte rahe par ek dusre se kehne ke liye waqt hi kam pad gaya. Sari zindagi ek sath jeene ke sapne dekh rahe the lekin wo sapne pure hone se pehle hi..." And she couldn't speak further.

"Kuch logo ke naseeb me sath jeena nahi, sath marna likha hota hai Tarika!" Abhijeet said crying in a low voice.

"I just wish, agar insaan ka dusra janam hota hai to, Daya aur Shreya agle janam me jaroor mile aur humesha sath rahe. They are meant to be together!" Tarika said with a painful smile and tears trickling down her cheeks.

16 years later

Matheran, a forested area surrounded by hills.

A group of some 10th standard students were roaming around in the forest. They were on their educational tour organized by the school management.

The teenage boys and girls were amused by seeing the beautiful waterfalls and never-seen-before views of the forest.

Some girls were walking and chatting merrily in a group. One of them was struggling with her long hair.

"Oh God! Meri hairpin kahi gir gayi. Kisi ke paas extra pin ya hairband hai kya?" She asked her friends.

"Nahi yaar Neha, extra to nahi hai humare paas. Trisha tumhare paas hoga kya?" Another girl said looking at the tomboyish girl of their group.

The girl named Trisha, having shoulder length hair, started laughing. "No way, I don't keep so much of hairpins and hairbands. Neha, why don't you cut your hair. I mean mujhe to dekh ke hi hairani hoti hai, ladkiyan itne lambe baal sambhalti kaise hai. Mujhse to kisi janam me nahi hoga. I love short hair. So comfortable and also make you look cool" She said proudly moving her hand through her hairs.

"It's ok Trisha, tumhare samajh me kabhi nahi aayega. Girls need to look hot not cool" Said Neha trying to make her hair into a bun.

Trisha laughed adjusting the cap on her head. The girls were walking when their guide called them.

"Girls, take care! Waterfalls may be dangerous."

"Ok sir!" Said the girls and walked ahead.

They went near a waterfall.

"Wow, so beautiful, chalo chalo photos click karte hain!" Said one of the girls excitedly and they started clicking pictures.

"Kitni khoobsurat jegah hai ye, pata nahi kyun but mujhe ye jegah kuch jani pehchani si lag rahi hai!" Trisha said astonishingly looking around.

"Kya tum bhi Trisha, kal sir ne projection room me yaha ki Kai sari tasveere dikhai thi. Isliye tumhe aisa lag raha hoga!" Said Neha and turned to Riya, "Hey, Riya kal wo serial me kya hua? Maine suna koi naya track introduce hone wala hai."

"Oh han, I am so excited yaar. You know, ab show me Punarjanam ka track start hone wala hai. Interesting na?" Riya said excitedly.

"What nonsense?" Said Neha. "Stupid concept. It's so superstitious!"

"Kyun? Tumhe Punarjanam me yakeen nahi hai?" Riya asked.

"Bilkul nahi, aisa kabhi ho sakta hai kya? Arey, ek baar jo insaan mar gaya wo phir se paida kaise ho sakta hai. Kuch bhi dikhate hain ye filmo me aur TV shows me.!" Said Neha.

Trisha was lost in her thoughts. She broke her silence, "Kyun nahi ho sakta? Hum is universe ko kitna jaan paye hain. Itni jyada scientific progress aur research ke baad bhi just 5% or even less I think. Hume nahi pata universe me ek nayi life ki creation kaise hoti hai. Hume ye bhi nahi pata ki marne ke baad insaan ka kya hota hai. Wo sare log jo mar jate hain kaha jate hain, Unka kya hota hai? Humare paas sirf hypothesis hai. Kuch imaginary concepts hain. Aur unke galat hone ki jitni possibilities hain utni hi sach hone ki bhi. Shayad insaan ke dobara janam lene ka concept bhi sach ho. According to thermodynamics energy can neither be created nor ne destroyed. It can just be transformed from one form to another. So life is also just a form of energy, right? So we can apply this law on life too."

As Trisha finished she found all her friends staring at her awestruck.

"Tum log mujhe aise kyun dekh rahe ho? Main sirf apni opinion share kar rahi hu. I am not saying ki aisa hota hai, I am just saying ki aisa ho sakta hai." Trisha said.

Her friends started laughing. Neha turned to Trisha with a serious look on her face.

"Trisha, tum isse pehle kabhi Matheran aayi ho?"

"Nahi!" Trisha said with a nod.

"To abhi tumne kaha ki tumhe ye jegah jani-pehchani lag rahi hai. Lekin tum to yaha pehli baar aa rahi ho. Kahi aisa to nahi ki tum apne pichle janam me yaha aayi ho. Aur ab ye tumhara dusra janam ho. Yaad Karo dekho, tumhe kuch black and white visuals dikhte hain kya?"

Trisha hit her friend for making fun of her, "Shut up Neha! Aisa kuch nahi hai, majak karne ki bhi had hoti hai."

All the girls started laughing.

"Achha, suno, kisi ko pata hai boys ki team kaha hai?" Riya asked naughtily.

"Kyun, boys se kya matlab tumhe?" Trisha said with a glare.

"Oh come on Trisha, tum to chup hi raho. Tumhe kya lagta hai main itna makeup kiske liye kar ke aayi hu. Agar boys ne dekha hi nahi to kya fayda?" Riya said.

Trisha slapped Riya's head with a giggle.

"Aur wo naya ladka, jo last week join hua hai, kya naam hai uska, Yes, Arjun, my god kitna handsome hai!" Riya said dreamily.

Trisha rolled her eyes annoyingly, "main tum logo ko aur nahi jhel sakti. Tum logo ko ya to stupid TV serials ke bare me baat karni hai ya phir boys. Main chali." She said moving away from there.

"Kaha ja rahi ho akele Trisha? Sir ne group me rehne ko bola hai!" Neha said.

"I know that, main kahi door nahi ja rahi, yahi paas me hu." Trisha said and walked away from her group.

She came at a distance and found the group of boys from her class playing paintball.

She made a face. "Ye kaha aa gayi main? Inse to door hi rehna behtar hai." She mumbled and turned to go from there but suddenly her foot twisted and she fell down.

"Aahh!" She let out a painful scream as she injured her palm.

The boy, Arjun who was having fun with other boys saw her falling and he immediately rushed towards her.

"Shreya, are you okay?" He asked supporting her to get up.

Trisha looked at him astonished.

Arjun held her hand in his hand and took out a handkerchief from his pocket. He started cleaning the blood oozing out of her injured palm.

Trisha was already lost in him. Arjun tied his handkerchief on her hand and looked up at her. "It will stop the blood flow." He said looking into her eyes.

Trisha felt goosebumps as their eyes met. She smiled, "Thanks! But mera naam Shreya nahi Trisha hai."

"Oh, I am sorry. Maine tumhe Shreya bola? Mujhe pata hai tumhara naam Trisha hai but muh se pata nahi kaise achanak se Shreya nikal gaya. Anyway naam me kya rakha hai!" Arjun said winking at her.

Trisha laughed, "haha, right!" She looked up at him, "Tum paintball khel rahe the?"

Arjun smiled sheepishly, "han wo kya hai na mujhe pata nahi kyun but gun chalane ka bahut craze hai. Ab real gun to hai nahi mere paas to bas..." He said looking at the airgun in his hand.

Trisha laughed at him.

"Chalo,Take care!" Arjun said taking a last glance at her face and left.

Trisha's friends saw her talking to Arjun. They approached her to pull her leg.

"Kya baat hai Trisha, hum boys ka naam lete hain to tum irritate ho jati ho. Aur abhi khud has has ke baate kar rahi thi Arjun se. Usne tumhara hath kyun pakad rakha tha? Kya chal raha tha ye sab han?" Riya asked.

Trisha smiled, "wo to bas mujhe ye rumaal dene aaya tha. Galti se main gir gayi thi aur mere hath me chot lag gayi thi to bas. He is really sweet by the way!"

Her friends started gossiping but Trisha again got lost in her thoughts.

"Maine agar kisi ko bataya to koi yakeen nahi karega aur sab bas mera majak udayenge. But I just experienced deja vu. Jab Arjun ne mera hath pakda aur mere hath pe rumal bandhi to aisa kyun laga ki aisa pehle bhi kabhi ho chuka hai. Isi jegah pe, Matheran ke isi jungle me. But main to yaha pehli baar aa rahi hu aur Arjun se bhi pehli baar baat ki hai. It's so strange!" Trisha wondered touching Arjun's handkerchief tied on her hand. She could still feel his touch.

On the other side Arjun was also bewildered.

"I don't know why but I have a feeling ki main Trisha ko pehle se janta hu. Uski aankho me dekh kar aisa nahi laga ki pehli baar uski aankho me dekh raha hu. Aisa lagta hai jaise uska hath pehle bhi pakad chuka hu. But main to usse pehli baar baat kar raha tha. Aur maine use Shreya kyun bulaya ye jante huye bhi ki uska naam Trisha hai." he was puzzled. He closed his eyes and saw Trisha's magical eyes staring at him.

o-o-o The End o-o-o