ONE

The sun was blazing overhead when Parvana and SULAYMAN stepped off the bus.

Beyond the tamarind trees that lined the road, all they could see were vast expanses of arid land. There were no houses anywhere in sight. With each searing gust of wind, the white summer heat spread over everything as if white saris had been flung across the sky. There was not a soul on the road. Even the birds were silent. Just an ashen dryness, singed by the heat, hung in the air. Parvana hesitated to venture into that inhospitable space.

'Step down with your right foot first,' Sulayman had said to her. She was now unsure whether he had said this in jest or if he had meant it. By habit, anyway, she had descended from the bus with her right foot first, but she was not sure he noticed that. The courage she had gathered until then suddenly vanished, leaving her feeling uneasy. When her feet touched the ground, she had prayed within her heart, 'Everything should go well.' She could not think of a specific god. She only knew the name of SULAYMAN'S family deity, Goddess Kali, but she would not have been able to confidently recognise Kali's idol in the temple. The only image of Kali that come to her mind was that of a goddess with widened eyes, terrifying teeth and her tongue sticking out. She could not pray to that Kali who only inspired fear.

Sulayman had already walked quite some distance. Parvana quickly found her bearings and trotted ahead to join him. Shifting the heavy bag to his other hand, he looked at her. Nothing here appeared new to him. He was used to navigating this place even in the dark.

He always walked with a spring in his step when he was here, and he felt the same way now. abut she was new. She seemed like a fertile crop of corn— perhaps a little withered and dull right now, but easily refreshed with just a few drops of rain. He noticed her struggling to keep pace with him and slowed down, conscious of how briskly he'd been marching ahead. The very sight of her took away his anxiety and brought him some calm. He could sense that, as a girl from a crowded city, Parvana was probably terrified by the emptiness of this place.

He looked at her face. A lock of hair had escaped her plait and swayed against her cheek. He longed to gently tuck it behind her ear. He tried to control himself, but his heart's desirous reach could not be checked. His gaze still on her, he smiled and said, 'During midday, not even a crow or a sparrow ventures out in this heat. This is not a big city like yours, just a little village. But wait and see. You will be amazed at how many different people live here. Don't worry about a thing. I an here.'

Sulayman had rehearsed his strategy several times in his head. He believed that every thing will go according to plan; it had to be.

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