And the Mountains Echoed

The narration shifts back three years, before Parwana’s marriage to Saboor. She is taking care of and cleaning up her twin sister Masooma, after she has soiled herself. Masooma is paralyzed. She can speak and feels shame at her mess, but she cannot help it. Masooma seems to know that she is holding her sister's life back, and she claims that she “deserves better than [her]” (53). The narrator describes the amount of work Parwana must do in taking care of the both of them.

The narrator moves into a flashback to illustrate the context of the sisters' relationship. Masooma was the perfect child and the only expected one. Parwana arrived unexpectedly and was a difficult baby. Masooma was loved by all, and as she grew, she became a beautiful young woman. Even young boys were enchanted by her. Both Parwana and Masooma knew this, although it was an unspoken truth.

In the past, Parwana secretly admired Saboor, even as a youngster. At a young age, he would tell the village tales, and he admitted that he would like to write down his stories one day. Parwana stole a leather journal to give to him when she felt the courage.