Korok began to smile at this little speech, but he saw Anchita was furious, so he kept quiet. He did not ever get angry, not even a little bit. He knew happiness, in his garden. And he knew sadness, when his mother died, and he knew confusion, when his father was sent to jail. He knew hunger almost all the time. But anger? Not really.

‘So what should I do? What can I do against Sorkari Patnaik?’ he said.

‘Something. Anything. I never let anyone hurt me like that.’

‘Really? What do you do?’

‘If someone annoys me, I put chewing gum in their hair. I read a book once; it’s one of my favourites. There was this very special girl whose parents were mean to her. So she took some glue and put it on her father’s hat, and it was stuck to his head for days and days. You know that horrible Patnaik’s son studies in my class in school? He’s an idiot. Thinks he knows everything, like his father. All the other children think he is the prince of Balangir. Someday I will put chewing gum in his hair.’

‘So you got the idea of putting chewing gum on people’s hair from the book?’

‘Uff, no, Korok. I am saying, if someone hurts you, you give it back to them. You don’t sit in a corner and stare at the wall. Then what is the difference between you and your goat?’

There was an awkward silence.

‘I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I am sure your goat is very nice.’

‘She is very nice.’

‘Even if she doesn’t have a name.’

Korok’s limited imagination was at that moment filled with visions of Anchita in a big city in the east, going around the streets putting chewing gum on the hair of anyone who had ever annoyed her or been mean to her. Then he had another vision, of Patnaik’s son, a fat and very fair-skinned boy Korok had seen a few times in Balangir. Korok imagined him walking around town, with two constables protecting him, with chewing gum in his hair.

‘Now what are you laughing about?’ said Anchita. She sat on the bed. ‘But seriously, Korok, think about it. You can’t go and stand at the bridge every day. Those surveyors will be back. They are still in Balangir. My father called his office to complain about Patnaik. He was told that this is not forest department business because Devi Hills is not under the department. So these people will keep coming back. What are you going to do, get beaten up again? Do something.’

‘What can I do? Even Jadob mastor says he is not sure what can be done.’

There was a long moment of silence.

‘Anyway, you must rest now. And see,’ Anchita said, this time opening her backpack, ‘I got my computer. Do you want to watch a movie?’