Mei Lin took a clip from her hair, and some vermillion from her parting, and drew the red lips of the doll. The children gathered around her, looking on with interest.

‘Make her look like a bride,’ Mei Ho said.

Putting a dot on the doll’s forehead with vermillion, Mei Lin smiled and asked, ‘Isn’t she beautiful?’

‘Now we have to find a bridegroom for her,’ one of the children said.

‘Let’s wet her face with water,’ someone else said.

‘What for?’

‘She will look as though she’s been weeping. Mei Fung ache weeps all the time because her groom is not here. Our bridegroom is also not here. He has also been left behind in Makum.’

‘Yes, with Pulok dada.’

‘Pulok dada has hidden him.’

‘No, they are in the cowshed. Eating dry roti and sabzi. And weeping.’

‘Ananta dada and the others will beat the bridegroom.’

‘I’ll give this to Maa. She has written that she will come soon.’

‘Come with me, Yiu Yi. I’ll comb your hair properly,’ Mei Lin said, rumpling Yiu Yi’s hair.

‘All of you wait here, I’ll give you some sugar,’ Ho Wang’s wife told the children.

And the children stayed back.

As she left with Mei Lin, Yiu Yi told her friends, ‘After a while, come to Ameng ako’s room. Grandpa said that he will come there and tell stories.’

In her room, Mei Lin combed Yiu Yi’s hair and used hair clips to keep it in place. She then wiped her face clean and rubbed a bit of coconut oil on it. Mei Lin’s eyes filled with tears. Where was the little fairy in her beautiful satin dress who ran around with her ponytail tied up with red ribbons?

The heat of Rajasthan had burnt her up. The absence of her mother had burnt her too. She didn’t share her agony with anyone.

‘Mei Lin – Mei Lin –’

Mei Lin came out from her room. Tung Chin was waiting outside, glowing with happiness.

‘There is good news for you. There’s a letter from Pulok!’

Mei Lin stood speechless as Tung Chin handed her the letter, which had come enclosed with his mother’s letter.

‘I’ll come back later,’ Tung Chin said. She had been unwell for the last few days. The discomfort of everyday life would often nauseate her. She was losing her appetite too and had started to skip her meals now and then. But her senses were now on alert.

Mei Lin went to her room and sat on her bed. With trembling fingers, she opened the letter.

It was Pulok’s handwriting indeed!

She wiped her tears and, after composing herself, started reading.