Near the first tent, Parvati stops. There is no sign of life or light in the camp. She can still see by moon and starlight, though. Everyone is asleep. How will she find Maadhi here? She jumps, suddenly startled by the sound of twigs breaking. Someone is coming! A ghost? No, ghosts don’t make noises! Kolli devvas? No, they wear anklets. The gumma? Maybe! But she has to face whatever comes if Sundru is to be saved. She stands near a shrub with white flowers.

A huge dark man walks past, softly humming to himself and swinging a twig and a lantern. Not the gumma. A man. Well, she has to ask someone. She calls out. The man stands stunned for a moment. Then, raising his stick, he comes close, too close.

‘Please. I am Parvati, Rajegowda’s and Sundru’s sister, the headman’s daughter. My brother Sundru is very ill. Annaiah has asked me to bring Maadhi. Please can I speak to her?’ Parvati’s voice is shaking with fear. This man is so huge. Maybe he is the gumma?

The man looks at her for a moment and then begins to laugh. Suddenly, he reaches for Parvati’s hair and throws away the lantern and the twig. With horror, she realizes that he has consumed a lot of saraayi and screams loud enough to wake the dead. The man apparently does not care. He crushes her to his body and drags off the dupatta. Parvati screams and screams, ineffectually battling him as he roughly grabs her budding breasts and tears at her kameez.

Someone comes out of the nearest tent; there is stirring in several tents. Infants start to wail as men and women come out in several stages of sleep, some carrying lit lamps, others just scrambling out. Someone hauls the man off Parvati, shouting, ‘Karia, what are you doing?’ Then all chatter stops as everyone looks at Parvati, desperately covering herself with the dupatta, totally shocked.

One of the women finally asks, ‘Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here at this hour?’

Parvati starts sobbing. Then pulling herself together, remembering the state Sundru is in, she replies firmly, ‘I wish to speak to Maadhi.’

There is silence again.

A man comes forward and says, ‘I am Maadhi’s father. Why do you want her?’

Parvati looks at him with pleading eyes. He seems wise, calm, gentle. ‘My brother Sundru is delirious with fever. He has to play Kamadeva before the sun rises tomorrow. The festival rites have to be completed, or the village may be destroyed due to Kamadeva or Siva’s anger. Everyone is very scared. Annaiah said I must bring Maadhi to Sundru if he has to survive.’