Whenever she stepped out after sunrise, she would notice that the entire place had been swept clean. Initially, she was filled with wonder at how much her mother-in-law managed to get done in the mornings. But now it filled her with dread—though she could not tell what exactly she was scared of. Was it the thought that she too would have to learn to do all of these tasks? Or was it because she wondered if she’d ever be able to brave the dark like a ghost? More than the tasks themselves, perhaps it was her mother-in-law’s ability to function with ease in the dark that terrified her? How could she live the rest of her life here in fear? The endless whirl of thoughts exhausted her.

‘Are you worried about the village council meeting?’ Kumaresan had asked her. ‘Let us see what they plan to do,’ he added consolingly. ‘I have talked to some men my age. They will speak in support of us at the meeting. The villagers won’t be able to do much . . . Why are we thinking about all that now?’

He drew her close to him. She liked how he smelled then. Whenever he opened his arms and drew her close, she curled into his embrace. ‘You’ll fit within the palm of my hand,’ he murmured. She was delighted by such talk. All she wanted was to just lie there against him. Nothing more. Why did everyone want to separate them? Often these thoughts encroached upon her mind, unsettling her, and try as she might she couldn’t get rid of them easily.

She did not know what time it was when she woke up suddenly, but she was unable to go back to sleep. She wanted to step outside, but she did not have the heart to wake Kumaresan. Lying beside him, she watched him sleep, his body taking up most of the space on the cot. She placed her head on his chest and lay like that for a little while. She had barely closed her eyes when she heard her mother-in-law outside. Every time she tried to close her eyes, they burned with the strain of having wept so much. Yet, she was too scared to venture out on her own. It would be a while before the day dawned properly. Marayi had only fetched four pots of water so far to fill the pitchers in the house. She would definitely do six or seven more rounds. Saroja lay awake, feeling listless.

Suddenly a dog started barking. She realized someone new was approaching their house. It would be good if her mother-in-law returned and dealt with the visitor. Otherwise, she’d have to step outside. What would she tell them? Would Kumaresan wake up now? While she was contemplating all this, she heard a strong male voice boom, ‘Shoo! Don’t you know a local person from a visitor from outside?’