Tales from the Walauwa

by Cat O'Logge

The other day Pala shouted loudly for father of the house. "Lokuhamu, Lokuhamu, ikmanin ,nna!" screamed Pala and father of the house dropped the newspaper he was reading and retying his sarong in great haste quickly went out into the garden (he also kicked Rudolphus accidentally). So while Rudolphus the poor idiot was whining away I slowly padded out after father of the house myself. Nothing like a good bit of drama to make one's day, I always say.

And there by the live hedge was a crowd of boys all looking rather guilty and shifty. One fellow had a cricket bat in his hand, but even that was being used to knock at something on the ground the fellow seemed to be staring very hard at. Pala had on one of his smug expressions, the one he always wears when he thinks he is in the right.

He proceeded to tell father of the house that he had caught all these boys creeping about the watta. Of course they had told him that they were only looking for their lost cricket ball, but no one can make a fool of this Pala who knew they were only there to pluck a few coconuts. He too had told them a few things, but it was only right to call Lokuhamu...

Lokuhamu on the other hand looked rather devastated, not at all like a person about to congratulate his faithful Pala for rounding up a band of merry thieves out to get his coconuts. In a very soft voice father of the house asked Pala to just let the boys go.

Even I was prepared to turn back because the drama seemed to have reached its end. But of course I had assumed all that thinking that Pala would do as father of the house told him to. But Pala pompously proceeded to give them his own little speech.

He turned to the boys and told them that just this once they could go, only because Lokuhamu here says so and that this Pala knew exactly what to do with thieving little monsters. At this point a rather small chap decided that it was high time for himself and his companions to be represented in this impromptu case and said that they had only come for their cricket ball and not for any coconuts or any other agricultural produce as certain parties seemed to think.

Father of the house was clearly very unhappy with the turn of events (he is a rather peaceful man, not given to whipping little boys and such) said that Pala had better go to the kitchen because Hamunona had been looking for him (as you probably guessed the idiot didn't go) and maybe the boys could just tell someone at the house before coming in to get cricket balls.

At this the fiery little fellow said that they had indeed asked Pala who had told them that he would break their bones if they set even one foot inside the walauwa watta. Father of the house went a brilliant pink when he heard this (much to my delight) and told the boys to see if they could find their cricket ball and turned back to go to the house.

Pala went after father of the house and scratching his head started his little tale of how he had really, (aththatama lokuhamu), thought that the boys were up to some mischief or the other... infact this Pala wouldn't trust them anywhere near the boundaries of the walauwa...

At this a rather tired father of the house turned to him and said that it is good to see youngsters playing together during school holidays like that, instead of getting into trouble with drugs and such. "podi koluwon,..." ended father of the house when he got to the front steps of the house. Personally I thought he could have been stricter with Pala. But I suppose the boys let him really have it by singing (out of tune like all little boys) a song about a goni billa breaking little boys' bones. Justice at last.