The Mistress of Spices

For the first time, Tilo looks in the mirror she bought at Sears without knowing why she wanted it. She sees a beauty so profound that it frightens her. Raven arrives and is amazed by her transformation, but he recognizes in her eyes that she is still Tilo. At her request, he takes her to visit Haroun.

Tilo enters Haroun’s house planning to give him red chilies to help him take revenge on those who attacked him, but when he tells her how Hameeda has been caring for him and how optimistic he feels about the future, she changes her mind. Instead, she gives him lotus root, “for a lifetime of passionate loving” (302). She had planned to use the lotus root for herself, and she feels a twinge of sadness in giving it to Haroun instead.

As the night progresses, Tilo becomes acutely aware of the ephemeral nature of her current form and the reality that her time is running out. She throws the package of red chilies into the bay, but they warn her that she has already unleashed their power and cannot undo it. Their destructive power will shake the whole city and impact everyone Tilo loves.