The boys parted to give way for Muthu. Muthu continued to try to hide, but one of the boys turned around to pull him by the shoulder to push him forward.

The moment Muthu was in the front, Bacha, who was standing behind him, said: “Maybe the schoolboys broke it?”

“How could the schoolboys break it?” Khader said. “They can’t be throwing stones in the junction in the middle of the day, can they?”

“No, that’s not possible,” said Bacha.

“It is very busy at the junction till two at night.”

“That’s true.”

“So how could it be the schoolboys? You think they set an alarm to wake up after two so they could throw stones and break the sign?”

“No, you are right. It couldn’t have been them.”

Khader looked Muthu in the face. “What were you murmuring? Tell me.”

“I was wondering if it could be some bird that broke it,” Muthu replied.

All the boys broke into laughter. Muthu’s face went red with embarrassment. Khader glared at the older boys. “You won’t speak, but you will make fun of the one who does? Muthu, don’t worry about them. Go ahead, tell me.” Khader pulled Muthu by his right arm, bringing him closer.

“I was saying,” said Muthu in the most tentative voice, “it could have been a kite or an eagle that broke it.”

“Dei! Earlier you said it was a sparrow!” said Aziz from behind.

Muthu whipped his head around and shouted, “I never said it was a sparrow.”

“Hey! Hey!” said Khader. “All of you, go back and stand behind your counters.”

All the boys did as they were told and stood looking at Muthu.

“Hey, Muthu, why are you looking at them? Look at me and tell me. How could a kite or an eagle break the store sign?”

“So an eagle comes flying . . .” Muthu began.

“OK. It comes. Then what happens?”

“It comes and sits near the store sign.”

“OK . . .”

“It is red, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“The board.”

“That’s right. It is bright red in color.”

“So it looks like a banyan fruit, or like red banana.”

“Right.”

Two of the boys clamped their hands over their mouths and ran toward the back of the store; they couldn’t hold their laughter.

“So you were saying the eagle might think it is a ripe fruit,” Khader said. “What happens then? Why are you looking at them? Talk to me.”

Muthu’s face flushed red again. He started speaking fast. “So because it thinks it is a ripe red fruit, the eagle starts pecking at it. The other birds see it and think this bird has found a fruit. Then they all join together and keep pecking at it.”

“There’s a logic to what you are saying,” said Khader.

Muthu found that encouraging. “So all the eagles broke it by pecking at it all at once,” he finished.