A few months later the MahaAmbarawa postman arrived at Silibiris house.
As usual Silibiris was out gallivanting. The postman very officially handed over an important looking parcel to Siriyalatha saying it had come from the Land of the Queen, addressed to Silibiris. Siriyalatha accepted the parcel by signing with a thumb print. The postman hung around to see if she would open it in front of him. Instead she ran inside calling out... for her daughters. The postman peddled away disappointed.
As usual Silibiris was out gallivanting. The postman very officially handed over an important looking parcel to Siriyalatha saying it had come from the Land of the Queen, addressed to Silibiris. Siriyalatha accepted the parcel by signing with a thumb print. The postman hung around to see if she would open it in front of him. Instead she ran inside calling out... for her daughters. The postman peddled away disappointed.
The women turned the parcel around over and over. It was wrapped in strange looking brown paper, tied around with strange looking string and sealed with some strange looking brown hard stuff. They speculated what might be inside. Who would send this strange parcel? Why is it sent to Silibiris not Haramanis? If it was few decades later, they would have run away from the parcel suspecting it to be a bomb. This was not that era in Ceylon.
Kamala, the eldest daughter, suggested they take it to the school and ask Lokumahaththaya to open. Siriyalatha suggested they take it to the temple. Ultimately, they decided to wait until whatever the time Silibiris came home. He was the linguistic scholar in the family!
Silibiris got the news from one of the village boys that he had received a forigin parcel. The postman had spread the news not just in Ambarawa but in the neighbouring villages as well. He ran home. Siriyalatha shouted at him as usual for running around with indiscipline boys in the village. She gave him the parcel with both hands as if offering a Ata Pirikara to the temple monk.
Silibiris realized the sender was one of the men who had visited them a few months back to photograph the elephants. He carefully cut the string and unwrapped the parcel. All it seemed to contain was a book with a shiny cover. Silibiris suddenly realized the picture on the cover was vaguely familiar. Ammatahudu, it’s the mating elephants in Ambarawa jungle in a descent pose.
He thumbed the book excitedly. He pretended to read it to show off to his Sisters. Further in the book, there was a feature article about Ambrawa with many photos of the jungle, village the temple and best of all Silibiris and the friends diving off the Kumbuk tree into the weva with the local young girls bathing in the background. The woman rowing a boat plucking lotus flowers with setting sun behind her looked the best.
The men had also sent a letter, tucked inside the book with copies of some of the photos and to Silibiris delight a money order for Rs100.
Kamala, the eldest daughter, suggested they take it to the school and ask Lokumahaththaya to open. Siriyalatha suggested they take it to the temple. Ultimately, they decided to wait until whatever the time Silibiris came home. He was the linguistic scholar in the family!
Silibiris got the news from one of the village boys that he had received a forigin parcel. The postman had spread the news not just in Ambarawa but in the neighbouring villages as well. He ran home. Siriyalatha shouted at him as usual for running around with indiscipline boys in the village. She gave him the parcel with both hands as if offering a Ata Pirikara to the temple monk.
Silibiris realized the sender was one of the men who had visited them a few months back to photograph the elephants. He carefully cut the string and unwrapped the parcel. All it seemed to contain was a book with a shiny cover. Silibiris suddenly realized the picture on the cover was vaguely familiar. Ammatahudu, it’s the mating elephants in Ambarawa jungle in a descent pose.
He thumbed the book excitedly. He pretended to read it to show off to his Sisters. Further in the book, there was a feature article about Ambrawa with many photos of the jungle, village the temple and best of all Silibiris and the friends diving off the Kumbuk tree into the weva with the local young girls bathing in the background. The woman rowing a boat plucking lotus flowers with setting sun behind her looked the best.
The men had also sent a letter, tucked inside the book with copies of some of the photos and to Silibiris delight a money order for Rs100.
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