I couldn't understand any of their words, but the smiles and peace signs of the two girls were enough to get through to me

Suddenly, I felt a gaze from behind. When I turned around, two young girls were staring straight at me.

In a huge city like Mumbai, spotting a foreigner isn't all that rare. But maybe the sight of me wandering through their housing complex was still unusual enough to catch their attention. The moment our eyes met, they broke into wide smiles and ran over to me.

When I reached for my camera, they instantly threw up peace signs — as if they’d been waiting for that cue all along. Both of their hands were still stained with intricate henna patterns, their fingertips a deep orange-red.

They started talking to me, their voices bright and eager — but in a language I couldn’t understand. I stood there smiling, trying to follow along, until another girl walked by and jumped in with a quick translation in English. A bridge, just when I needed one.

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