Yiu Yi’s grandfather and the other elderly people were busy playing Mahjong. Smoking cigarettes, others were watching them play. Some were busy talking among themselves. Like every other day, C Hoi and Ho Fuk were loitering near the gate. Mok Min, Ho Chang Ho, Ah Fuk, K. P. Lee and few others were discussing a number of things, sitting under a neem tree. Yiu Yi’s older uncle had returned from the office with some news. Someone from Wing 1 had left the camp that morning. He was a prominent businessman who lived in Darjeeling and owned a string of restaurants, including one in Nepal. As he was a close friend of the king of Nepal, the king had requested the Indian government to release him. He was now leaving for America with his family. This news had been met with mixed reactions in the camp. Some were happy for him, some envious, while others just felt sad and dejected. Some of them were engaged in serious discussion to devise possible ways of escape. On the other side of the courtyard, some women were cooking in earthen kilns, burning dry leaves and twigs. There were some neem trees and thorny bushes in the compound. The women and the children collected ingredients from them and used them to cook.

Life in the camp was slowly acquiring the flavour of domesticity.

Slowly, the children were also getting used to life in the camp. Anjali, Mei Ho and Ko Fuk from Wing 4 often came to their wing. Yiu Yi and others, too, went over to theirs. The children from Makum were reunited again. They roamed around, played together and listened to stories. Only the children whose families had partly been left behind were sad and glum. But Yiu Yi didn’t brood. Hiding her sorrow, she took care of her little brother and Yunlin’s baby like a responsible guardian and also helped with the household chores.

Every morning, Wang Shu Shin and the other teachers from Makum School held classes for the children even though no one was really interested, including the teachers. One of Wang Shu Shin’s brothers had been left behind in Calcutta. One of Ling Kwang Tung’s brothers had also been left behind in Siliguri. Chow Chi Yong’s wife and the children had come but the rest of his family was still in Calcutta.

‘Letters have come! And this one’s for me!’

Waving a letter, Akong came running happily through the gate.

Instantly the game and everything else came to a halt. Everyone made a beeline for the gate. When they reached the office, it was noisy. Many people had come from the other wings, too.

The wing commander made them stand in a line. Mei Lin stood at the end. She was filled with anxiety.

Had Pulok received her letter?