Rajjo walked through the day following the local tourist guide the hotel had arranged for her and the other two families who were on vacation. Today she wore glasses, hair tied in a neat plait. She had stuck on bushy eyebrows and false braces as a part of her disguise. In the mirror she felt like another person already. Now she just had to believe that, and no one would be able to spot her. She would cloak herself with the mist of the dawn and the shadows of the twilight. As Rajjo faded away from the image in the mirror, even she could not recognize herself. She reminded herself to be cautious as the eye of the enemy was sharp and shrewd.

The tour in the dilapidated mini-bus lasted a full day and Rajjo was glad for the distraction. Moreover, she could sit the whole time without talking. It was also a good place to hide in case someone was looking for her.

They made their first stop at a picturesque location. She stood at the top of a valley to take in the beautiful view. She could hear the guide’s voice. ‘Manali, a hill station at the altitude of 6726 ft in the Beas river valley.’ She drowned out the voice of the guide to listen to the valley. Did they have a message for her? It was quiet and serene. It was at peace. Rajjo smiled as she returned to her seat in the bus by the window.

Dark shadows loomed ahead as the sun was beginning to set in the orchards. Rajjo inhaled the scent of the apple trees and it went all the way to her belly, sharp and tangy. She remembered her mother smearing a delicious-looking apple jam on her bread and telling Rajjo how the first apple orchards were planted by the Britishers – who learnt it from her own great grandfather! The branches looked as if they would collapse under the weight of the fruits. The smell of the tangy jam on the soft bread made her mouth water. Rajjo sat on the roadside again, sipping some hot tea. She knew she was not going to see her village or her mother ever again. Rajjo could still remember the bell ringing in the temple behind ominously, with a deafening intensity – ‘They will come after you. Listen to your instinct…reach where you have to.’ Kuljeet’s husky voice warned Rajjo.