Her movements gained speed. All sorts of thoughts flashed through her mind. If she managed to escape alive, no one would be able to do anything to her. Kumaresan would take her elsewhere to live. He would not want to live with these people any longer. He was not like them; he had never uttered a harsh word to her. He had only ever tried to be a constant source of comfort and confidence. No matter how difficult it was, she had to keep herself alive. In that instant, her heart was suffused with the desire to live.

‘Don’t go into the bush and get caught in there,’ a voice warned the others. ‘After all, where can she hide? She will have to come out eventually.’

‘I hope Nōndi does not return just yet.’

‘Let him come. What can he do? After doing something against the village, does he think he can talk his way out of it?’

‘If he comes back and starts objecting, perhaps we should take care of him too. Let’s go now. We can see about this in the morning.’

‘Yes, let’s take care of this in the morning. Where can she go? Who is going to come and get her out!’

‘But it is almost morning now.’

‘Why postpone this? Let’s get this over with.’

‘Uncle! The entire bush has dried up. It is only the thorns that look lush on the outside. Why don’t we set fire to the bush? We will smoke her out of there.’

‘And if she doesn’t get smoked out, she can burn and die inside. Yes, let’s set fire to it! That’s the best idea.’

‘That’s right. If we set fire from all sides, she will get steamed like a potato inside. Do it.’

Saroja’s hands scuttled like rats into whatever crevices she could find. She shrank herself and entered whatever spaces she could access. She didn’t feel the pain from the wounds on her body. She did not even think about her clothes being ripped to shreds. Or feel her hair getting caught in the thorns and tearing away. Dried leaves and twigs on the ground rustled and crackled, revealing her presence. Her legs had grown numb after being dragged over sand and stones. She was soaked in perspiration. Seized with the burning desire to save herself by burrowing herself into the sand, she now moved with great urgency.

The noises from the outside started again after a brief respite. She sensed a lot of action at the edges of the bush. Where had all these people come from? Were they the visitors who had come for the chariot festival? Or was her mind playing tricks on her, imagining a person for each sound she heard?