November 8. “Button, today’s the fourth day after Diwali but the noise of firecrackers continues to break the stillness of the night.

I was more or less confident that we would get to see Sadhu and Shabby after four days but that did not happen. We found four including Dushtu.”

“Were you happy to see them?”

“Very. Especially Dushtu. He’s a sweetheart.”

“I overheard you telling chotididi to wash her hands properly. Is something the matter? Is there a virus or something in the air?”

“There’s a malaria virus that’s killing off a lot of dogs. The virus is spreading rapidly and this morning’s papers said that ticks are the root cause. I am anxious because of the three we have at home.”

“Prevention is better than cure.”

“That’s the way I look at it.”