Summary

The ninth chapter is titled “Kilo Jire.” Tilo has recently begun having thoughts for which she has no experience. For example, she feels the silence “ringing … Like old fluorescent tubes,” though she has not experienced that sound herself. She is not sure if these are the thoughts of those who pass through the store, or if she is becoming this connected to Raven. She touches things Raven touched, hoping her sight will show where he is now, but gets nothing. One of the rules for the mistresses is that they are not to know what is happening in the outside world. They are only to deal with those who come to them directly. Tilo, who has broken so many other rules, has obeyed this one. She has not even read the Indian newspapers delivered regularly to her shop. After Raven leaves, she places...