Thimmakka roars with anger. ‘What kind of woman are you? He destroyed your sister, your cousin, your daughter and the daughter-in-law of this house! How could you, knowing everything, keep quiet? He is a curse on our village. He has controlled the village with his stories. We all live in fear of him. And now he is setting out to destroy Parvati and Sundru too.’

There is a deafening noise in the village, like a huge cock crowing. Thimmakka, Ajji, Bangari and the other women go rushing out of the house to see what new calamity has befallen them now.

One person totally ignores the noise. Honni has been trying to find a way to get the house to herself. She has ground sesame seeds and mixed it with honey. The potent concoction is a surefire traditional way to remove a baby, Bachchamma had said, while talking to young girls and women at Thimmakka’s school on how to handle unwanted pregnancies. She had also suggested a very hot water bath immediately after swallowing the concoction.

Today, with everyone obsessing about Sundru, the house is hers to do as she wills. Honni has directed the village girl who comes to help in the house to heat water in earthenware pots. She has taken the sesame concoction and swallowed it. And as everyone rushes out, Honni goes to the closed-up well in the courtyard. Her hot earthernware pots are placed just beside it.

Slowly, sensuously, as though daring the moonlight to watch her, she unbinds her long plaited hair. Honni feels the hot, hot water, that has somehow taken on the smell of Deyi Baidethi’s herbs, sliding down her body. Her body shudders as the concoction and hot water work and her lower limbs turn red before getting washed clean in the water.

As the hot smoke slowly curls away from her body, now white and empty, drowsy sensuousness swamps Honni, who begins to sing softly to herself. In his room, Sundru gets up. He walks into the hallway and, unaware of the unconscious Annaiah, moves slowly towards the source of the song in his head.

He sees Honni’s ebony hair clinging to her porcelain body and jerks forward to touch her shoulder. Honni slowly opens her eyes.

Maadhi and Parvati quietly walk into the village, still hand in hand. The soft tinkle of their anklets are the only sounds in the still night. The entire village seems strangely empty.