Chapter 8 Summary

The villagers of Titlipur embark on their pilgrimage to Mecca. They arrive in nearby Chatnapatna, led by Ayesha and shaded from the sun by thousands of butterflies. In Chatnapatna lives the toy maker, Srinivas, who had once employed Ayesha. She had whittled dolls for him to make a meager living before discovering her powers as a seer. The zamindar, Mirza Saeed, accompanies the villagers in the hopes of making them see reason before they attempt to part the waters of the Red Sea. Saeed tries to talk Srinivas into helping him dissuade Ayesha, since Ayesha likes and respects Srinivas. Srinivas, a Hindu, believes that Ayesha looks just like the poster of the goddess Lakshmi which is on his wall. Srinivas refuses to help Saeed dissuade Ayesha. Srinivas feels called to join the pilgrimage and leaves his distraught wife and child to walk with...