Since returning from Vancouver, Sripathi has struggled to write his letters to the editor. Nirmala has been busy getting the house in order and taking care of the child. At the moment, while Sripathi sits on the patio, Nirmala is trying to get Nandana ready for school. Sripathi watches the neighborhood. It’s water day again, but while Sripathi was away, Arun took over responsibility, and so now Sripathi doesn’t help out anymore. Nandana still hasn’t said a word.

Since his return, Sripathi has grown increasingly superstitious. He avoids going out during the evil hours, for example, or he makes sure to burn all hair and nail clippings, anything to do with him, so that someone cannot collect them and use them to cast an evil spell over him. He has begun to hallucinate, too. Nirmala has gone downstairs to prepare breakfast and hollers up to Sripathi to send Nandana down. He cannot find her. The family looks for her. This isn’t the first time she’s disappeared. Early, she had tried to walk to the train station, but Karim the Mechanic found her and returned her to

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