‘We won’t face any trouble from there, will we?’

‘Nothing. Bhai Anna won’t come here again. Who is going to give them the news, then? If they hear of it from somewhere and come here, we can fake some tears and say we didn’t think she would do that to herself. No one has to teach you to raise a dirge! What can they do after that? They have no one here.’

Suddenly Saroja heard four or five more voices, and the distinct sounds of more people approaching over the pathway. She began to tremble in fear. Their plans seemed clear and decisive at one instant and then muddled and confused the next. They had gone to Tholur to find out about her! She had thought that all they would do was cast them out of the village and cut off all communication with them. They had clearly gone way beyond that.

Her mother-in-law had never said a kind word to her. Saroja also realized that she did not know where exactly Marayi went, or whom she met, when she went herding the goats during the day. Kumaresan did not think his mother was capable of inflicting any harm, but now Saroja’s body shivered in fear. She could not think clearly. The conspirators were whispering to one another now. Since the wind changed direction, she could not hear them clearly any longer. But what more did she need to hear?

She sat back down in that dark bush. The thorny plants that made up that bush closed around her and protected her. A short outgrowth of neem from within the thicket had spread its branches like an umbrella. Through its canopy, she could spot a few stars. Initially, she had been terrified to come here on her own even during the day. She would ask Kumaresan to accompany her and make him wait some distance away while she did her business. It had taken her some time to get used to coming here alone. Of late, there were moments when she felt safer among these wild bushes than trapped inside the hut on the rock. Before long, this spot had become a refuge where she could shed some tears in privacy and separate herself from all the things going on in her life. Kumaresan had told her several times that there were a lot of insects and bugs here. He even showed her an alternative spot out in the fields. But she had rejected it because she suspected that people could see her from the outside. This was the best spot.

So far, she had not seen any snakes. Rats ran by sometimes. Once, she saw a rabbit. It ran away in fear as soon as it noticed her. She didn’t know where this long stretch of bushes ended, but within its giant, outstretched arms she had found a haven. She had started to enjoy spending time here, sitting inside this private bower of sorts.