At her father's instruction, Rati picks up the key and starts to open the door, but just then her father takes the key from her hand and opens the latch himself.
Taking the baby from grandmother's hands, he says,
"Amma, you don't worry. I'll take her to the head of the jungle."
After saying this, he signals something to grandmother, and she agrees.
Rati feels that everything is fine now, and after giving an angry look to her grandmother, she goes inside.
By 10 o'clock, when everyone is asleep on the terrace, her father quietly takes the baby from beside Rati and leaves with her uncle towards the jungle chief's house.
Rati doesn't realize anything.
In her dreams, Rati is happily playing with her new sister and Rama.
In the morning, when Rati wakes up, no one is there except Rama. She quickly goes to her mother and asks,
"Mom, where is my new sister?!"
Her mother deliberately ignores her, which hurts Rati deeply.
Again and again, she asks everyone the same question, but no one answers her. Instead, they ignore her as if she doesn't even exist.
Her father is also not at home. Now Rati's restlessness begins to grow.
She understands that something wrong has happened to her.
She is most angry at her father, but this is not the time to blame anyone or show anger. So, she quietly waits for the right moment.
Seeing Rati so calm, grandmother says to her mother,
"What happened? Why is she so quiet now?"
"I don't know. But it's good, isn't it, Amma ji?" her mother replies.
Just then, her uncle says,
"What's good about it, bhabhi? Don't you know what kind of storm comes after Rati's silence?"
Everyone keeps an eye on Rati. But Rati, like a queen, gets dressed, takes her bag, and goes outside. She sits under the mango tree, waiting for the bus.
When Rama wakes up and doesn't see Rati or the baby, she asks everyone about them, but she also gets no answer.
When Rama sees Rati sitting outside, fully ready and waiting for the bus earlier than usual, she goes to her and says,
"What happened, Rati? How did you get ready so early today? And where is our new sister? I've been asking everyone, but no one is telling me anything."
Rati feels suffocated, but she holds back her tears, keeping them in her eyes, and sits there silently.
Here in the jungle, after bringing the baby, they hold a meeting to decide what should be done with her.
After a lot of discussion, the gathering finally decides that the baby should be left at the same place from where she was taken, so that the witch can take her child back and not harm them. This is because they still believe that the baby belongs to that same witch whom they had once tied to a tree and left there to die.
All of them, filled with fear, go near the same well from where Rati had picked up the baby. Then one of the men takes the baby, performs some rituals, and leaves her there before returning.
Uncle is keeping an eye on Rati when her mother calls him inside for tea.
Grandmother is also busy preparing fodder for the cow.
Rama is getting dressed for school, and now Rati finally gets a chance to leave.
Rati quietly walks along the narrow paths of the fields and heads toward the jungle, where she sees the villagers finishing their ritual and leaving.
After they go, Rati slowly climbs down into the well with great care. She picks up the baby and comes back out.
The sky is covered with clouds. It feels like it's going to rain heavily today.
After coming out of the well, Rati starts walking along the same path that was forbidden for everyone to take.
But Rati feels no fear, because in her heart, all she wants now is to stay with her new sister at any cost—even if it means leaving her home behind.
When Rama comes out after getting ready, she doesn't find Rati there, so she goes to her mother and asks,
"Mom, where is Rati?"
"She was sitting outside, wasn't she?"
"No, she's not there."
Hearing this, Mother and Uncle quickly come outside to the courtyard, but Rati is nowhere to be found.
Grandmother also comes there after hearing the noise.
Now, Grandmother, Mother, and Uncle together start searching for Rati in the nearby houses, but no one knows anything about her.
Mother starts breathing heavily out of fear.
Uncle quickly calls Father and tells him everything,
"Bhaiya, Rati is missing."
"What do you mean she's missing? Where could she go? Look around—I'm coming right away."