The Bridge Home

That evening Viji expresses concern that the “waste mart man” (89) will search for them. Arul scoffs at the idea, discounting the man’s interest and ability. Viji feels silly for worrying. That night, however, they are awakened by the voices of two men on the bridge. They realize the trash collector found their shelter. Muthu helps Viji rouse Rukku and they run away from the men. Kutti bites one of the men.

Once off the bridge, Arul tells the girls to hide while he and Muthu lead the men away. Eventually, the boys return, and the children run in another direction looking for shelter. They climb over a wall. Safely on the other side, Viji realizes they are hiding in a cemetery.

In the cemetery, Rukku disappears for a time with the dog Kutti, then suddenly reappears as the other children frantically search for her. Though being in a graveyard is frightening to all the children, they acknowledge that their greater fear should be of the men who searched for them. They wrestle with where to sleep before deciding to sleep atop graves.