Summary

In “The Life Wheel,” Sarath and Anil identify Sailor at the third plumbago village they visit. His name was Ruwan Kumara; he had been a toddy tapper and, after breaking his leg, worked in a local mine. His family recalls that one day men came to the mine to identify rebel sympathizers, and he was taken away. Sarath goes to get supplies in Colombo but, after five days, he has still not come back. She begins to fear, once again, that he will betray her. Anil, desperate, calls Dr. Perera, who promises to send someone to take her to Colombo.

In Colombo, Anil gives a speech to a small auditorium full of officials, including military and police personnel trained in counter-insurgency methods. She no longer has Sailor’s skeleton but, using one of the other skeletons, decides to pass this one off...