The chapter narrates a frantic search for Elsie who has gone missing in 1951 in the setting of Parambil.
The family and neighbors search the house and its surroundings, the stream, the canal, the blacksmith, goldsmith, and potter’s houses, and the dark roads and neighboring houses.
They also search the riverbank, nearby wells, and even a sacred spot bordering their property, feared for its said occupation by the serpent God; yet, they find no trace of Elsie.
Only Baby Mol appears unperturbed by Elsie's absence, an observation that chokes Big Ammachi emotionally.
Georgie goes to check the family home and the mountain estate but fails to locate Elsie. She receives an unpleasant treatment from Elsie’s brother who is apparently inebriated.
After a day of fruitless search, Shamuel finds Elsie’s neatly folded clothes and slippers along the riverbank, a chilling discovery that leads the family to inform the police and fear the worst.
Big Ammachi visits the spot where Shamuel found Elsie’s clothes and imagines Elsie’s final moments in despair, suspecting her weakness post-illness to have led her to underestimate the river’s strength and give herself to it.
Big Ammachi also discovers a drawing in Elsie’s nest and interprets it as a farewell message from Elsie, asking her to care for her infant in her absence.
Big Ammachi hides the drawing, deeming it a private message, and stores it with the family's genealogy records. She pulls it out from time to time in memory of Elsie.
The chapter concludes on a somber note with Big Ammachi accepting Elsie’s departure and the need for life to continue despite the loss.