‘They are all thieves. They see a meek people, they see a chance. They just want to take what is valuable and leave you nothing,’ the leader went on. It was possible he had given the same speech at several houses in Deogan, because he spoke rapidly.

‘All this protest, and going to court in Delhi and everything,’ said the leader, licking the rice and dal on his fingers, ‘is of no use. No use. The governments in Bhubaneshwar and Delhi will win. And you will have to defend what you have. People should fight for their homes. People should defend their homes and possessions. Don’t you think you should defend …’

The leader took a look around Korok’s one-room house. There wasn’t much to defend here, but he recovered bravely.

‘Don’t you think you should defend the village? Your hill? Your goddess?’

Korok immediately thought of Obotar, and those poor blue people throwing spears at the flying machines. That big tree, which was destroyed by the bombs from the flying machines, it would never grow again.

‘Sooner or later, Korok, you will have to take up weapons. That is going to happen,’ the leader said, going out and washing his hands and mouth from the water pot. The man wiped his hands on his shirt, came back inside and sat on the bed.

Korok had never touched a weapon in his life. He didn’t know what he would do if someone gave one to him.

‘Now, us Red Brothers, we think everyone is equal. Gond, Munda, Kondh, Odia. Everyone is equal. Men, women. No difference.’

Korok looked at the four men sitting on the bed, and the woman standing against the wall. She might be older, but it is possible the Red Brothers were like the police, and had ranks, and she was of lower rank. Otherwise, there was no reason to make her stand all this time. And they hadn’t even offered her the food. It just wasn’t right.

‘Yes. That’s what we are. Equals. And you will like it in the forest, when we fight the government. We have to take back the land and what they stole from us.’

Korok, who would be going to bed hungry, if he didn’t die of fright any minute now, nodded once again.

‘We will be back, Korok. The government will be back, and so will we.’

Then they walked out into the mist. There was no trace of them the next morning, and the policemen at the village entrance slept peacefully through the night, and Patnaik did not get to hear anything about it.