Smita runs through the sleeping countryside, with Lalita’s tiny hand in hers. She has no time to talk, to explain to her daughter that she will remember this moment for the rest of her life, as the moment when she made a choice, changed the course of their destinies. They run in silence, so as not to be seen or heard by the Jatts. When they wake up, Smita hopes that she and Lalita will be far away. There is not a second to lose.

Hurry!

They must reach the main road. Smita has hidden her bicycle there, in a bush beside the ditch, with a small bundle of provisions. She prays that no one has stolen it. They must travel several kilometres to reach National Highway 56, where they can get a bus to Varanasi, one of the famous green-and-white state buses that can be boarded for just a few rupees. They are uncomfortable, and unsafe – at night, the drivers are often high on bhang – but the ticket price can’t be beaten. It’s less than one hundred kilometres to the holy city. From there, they will find the station and board a train for Chennai.

Dawn breaks. The first rays of sunshine appear on the horizon. Already, on the main highway, the trucks are roaring by, and the din is terrifying. Lalita shakes like a leaf. Smita senses her fear: the little girl has never ventured far from the village. Across the road lies the unknown, the world, danger.

Smita pulls the branches away from her bicycle. It’s still there. But the bundle of provisions lies torn apart in the ditch, a little further away – a dog, or hunger-stricken rats have eaten their fill. There is nothing, or almost nothing, left. They will have to continue on empty stomachs. There is no other choice; Smita has no time to find something to eat. Soon, the Brahmin’s wife will lift the jar of rice before she sets off to market. Will she suspect Smita straightaway? Will she raise the alarm with her husband? Will they hurry after her? Nagarajan will know they are gone, already. No, there is no time to find anything to eat, they must press on. The water bottle is intact, they have that at least for their breakfast.