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| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Neluka was attending the estate creche where she spent a lot of her time cuddling dolls. On her way home, going past the superintendent's bungalow, she could see the superintendent's children playing on the lawn with toys beyond the reach of her family's meagre resources. At the annual Christmas party, Santa Claus doled out gifts to all the little folks, but Neluka always yearned to have a doll of her own. Another year sped by and Santa Claus could not satisfy her yearning. She prayed with the advent of every Christmas that her parents would buy her a doll, but she dared not ask, as, little as she was, she understood only too well the essentials her parents had to forego to keep her well-fed and healthy. Then, just before Christmas that year, her yearning commenced with renewed vigour, having seen the picture of a doll's house in the newspapers. She cut out the picture and asked her father to collect some knick-knacks to build her a doll's house,even though she didn't have a doll. A discarded tea packing case and its silver paper lining got her started. Her father made openings in the box for windows and doors and she cut up her crimson hair ribbons for curtains and pasted strips of cardboard together to serve as a table and chairs. But the house sadly lacked an occupant, which was beyond the means of her parents. The superintendent of the estate, on one of his morning rounds, dropped in at their house one day to speak to the supervisor. At once, his eyes rested on the doll's house and the emptiness within it. The superintendent asked whose idea it was and the supervisor called out to his daughter and asked her to say how she had assembled it. She explained excitedly and added she was hoping that Santa would bring her a doll to have the house-warming ceremony. The superintendent smiled and went on his way. The parents mildly admonished the child for having added the part about Santa as the parents knew fully well that Santa was none other than the Doray (superintendent) himself and the Doray may have thought that the child had been prompted by her parents. The incident was quickly forgotten by the elders. But the child kept yearning for that elusive doll to occupy her doll's house and even dreamt that she heard the chiming of bells, popping of bonbons and the usual Christmas clatter, all within her still vacant doll's house. It was soon Christmas eve again and Neluka made her unfailing Christmas wish before her parents tucked her in for the night. "Please God," she prayed incessantly "send me a doll for my doll's house this Christmas". She fell asleep with the prayer still on her lips. Christmas day dawned and Neluka heard the distant peal of the estate chapel bell. She got up hurriedly and rushed to the doll's house to see whether her prayer had been answered, but the house was empty. She sat forlorn by the doorstep and sobbed bitterly. Her mother came up to her and consoled her, saying she would save enough money to buy Neluka a doll next year. Just at that moment, a battered van rumbled up the road and stopped by their house and delivered a gift-wrapped large box. It was a box of Christmas cheer. Her parents thought it was a delivery at the wrong address, but before they could speak to the driver, he had driven away. The items inside were not things the family had set their eyes upon before. At the bottom of the box was yet another box with a cellophane cover and smiling through in gingham gown and with goldilocks was a cherubic doll. Neluka's shrill whoop of joy was one of ecstatic delight. The child's wish had been fulfilled and there were enough goodies to go with it for the doll's house-warming. But who was the donor of so generous a Christmas gift? No doubt it was one with a big heart. Neither the van nor its driver was sighted again in that region. But the gesture of that unknown hand had bestowed immeasurable goodwill among the dwellers on the estate that it was believed the good Samaritan was none other than the Doray of the estate. The child offered a prayer of thanks that evening in the estate chapel for the amazing grace that delivered her from her yearning. - L. M. Fernando |
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Neluka lived with her parents on an estate where her father was a
supervisor. Her father's salary was barely sufficient for food and
clothing, and toys for little Neluka was a luxury her parents could ill
afford.
