Sandeh

'I THINK THAT I AM SHREENATH.... I STILL THINK SO... FROM WITHIN WE ARE ONE AND THE SAME. SOMETIMES HE WORES THE MASK WITH MY NAME WHILE AT OTHERS I DO SO TO FOOL PEOPLE.' A JEEP PASSED BY SPEEDILY AND VERY CLOSELY. IT WOULD HAVE BRUSHED UP. 'THEY ARE OUT TO KILL US ' THE TERROR IN SHREENATH'S VOICE WAS UNMISTAKABLE. 'THEY ARE OUT TO KILL US IS THIS SOME KIND OF GAME THAT DESTINY IS PLAYING WITH US? IT WANTS TO KILL US TOGETHER; BOTH THE ORIGINAL AND THE DUPLICATE, ALONG WITH THEIR FIANC ES.' ONCE AGAIN THE JEEP PASSED BY. IT SYMBOLIZED A KITE SWOOPING DOWN FROM HIGH SKIES UPON ITS PREY. AS IT MISSES THE PREY IT GOES BACK TO GET INTO ACTION. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NOW? WE THREE ARE SET UPON THE JOURNEY. WHERE? NO ONE KNOWS. HOW LONG? NO ONE KNOWS. WE ARE MERE PUPPETS IN THE HANDS OF DESTINY. TEN BREATHTAKING STORIES EACH ONE CREATING DOUBT BEYOND IMAGINATION WHILE PILING UP THE TENSION. TEN STORIES THAT WOULD REALLY CREATE DOUBT SHADED WITH GAMES PLAYED BY HUMAN MINDS THESE STORIES TAKE US TO IMMEASURABLE HEIGHT AND FATHOMLESS DEPTH AT THE SAME TIME. MATKARI HAS ONCE AGAIN PROVED THAT HIS STORIES ARE NOT JUST ENTERTAINING OR PLEASING. THEY TAKE US BEYOND THAT WHERE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPREHEND. THEY ARE TERRIBLY FRIGHTFUL. THEY ARE MYSTERIOUS. THESE TEN STORIES ONCE AGAIN PROVE HIS COMMAND OVER WORDS AND THEMES AND EXCELLENT MANIFESTATION OF NOVEL IDEAS. THEY UNDERLINE HIS AUTHORITY IN WRITING SUCH DUBIOUS STORIES. 'मी श्रीनाथ आहे असं मला वाटतं... अजूनही वाटतं... आतून आम्ही एकच आहोत. कधी मी त्याच्या नावाचा मुखवटा वापरला- कधी त्यानं माझा मुखवटा घालून लोकांना चकवलं शेजारून एक जीप झपकन गेली. अगदी घासून जाईल इतक्या अंतरावरून दे आर आऊट टु किल अस.. श्रीनाथच्या स्वरात घबराट होती. दे आर आऊट टु किल अस - नियतीचा हा शेवटचा डाव आहे का- आम्ही दोघांनी एकत्र मरावं असा? ओरिजिनल आणि डुप्लिकेट या दोघांनाही, त्यांच्या प्रियतमेसकट नष्ट करावं, असा? जीप पुन्हा एकदा झपकन जवळून गेली... घार जशी झडप घालते आणि नेम चुकला की पुन्हा तयारी करण्यासाठी दूर जाते, तशी पुढं गेली... काय होणारेय आता? आम्ही तिघं- नियतीच्या हातची खेळणी... कुठल्या प्रवासाला निघालोय? कुठवर - श्वास रोखून वाचाल अशा या दहा कथा. प्रत्येक कथा जबरदस्त संदेह निर्माण करणारी. ताण शेवटपर्यंत वाढवीत नेणारी. मराठीतल्या, अगदी मोजक्या स्वतंत्र संदेहकथांपैकी या दहा. स