The Bridge Home

The sisters walk out of the teashop into the street as the sun is going down. Viji begins to realize how isolated and poverty-stricken they are. Sitting down in the street and refusing to move, Rukku encounters a friendly puppy, whom she names Kutti.

As they walk about in the city looking for a place to sleep, Kutti follows them. They see other groups of children, some of whom have found where they want to sleep that night. Walking toward the river, they see an abandoned bridge. On it they discover a cleverly made shelter where others are camping. A younger boy named Muthu approaches them and tells them to leave before his gang arrives.

A somewhat older, taller boy named Arul shows up. Like Muthu, he has a sack and a stick. While he proclaims the bridge is his and orders the girls to leave, Viji senses he is tacitly giving permission for them to stay. The two boys stay inside a makeshift tarp tent. The girls sleep on a sheet on the bridge itself.