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Children
Mission possible
 By Uncle Sachi and Aunt Ruwi
In ‘Kid’s Den’...
Four children, Pramodaka, Nalaka, Champika and Chinthaka, go on a
trip to the woods with their parents for their school holidays. In the
middle of the night the children are awakened by a strange noise. On
following their dog, Scooby, Chinthaka is snared by the spell of the
‘luring stones’. Pramodaka departs with Ruwi, a pixie, to recall a book
of spell to cast off the spell while the others remain behind with
Sachi, a gnome. A storm breaks and the kids are scattered. A sleeping
spell is unleashed and all the unmythical creatures including the
children fall asleep. Strangely Pramodaka is the only one awake.
Meanwhile Sulo, the goblin who is always trying to make trouble for
the mythical creatures, comes up with a nasty plan. She rushes off gang
up the rest of her pack and reveals an age old secret.
However the group discovers that it is not only Sulo’s secret that is
uncovered by the storm. Something dark and deadly had been hidden in the
depths of the earth waiting to release itself and return for revenge...
(‘Return of the Kids’ is the sequel to ‘Kid’s Den’)
Jay considered Sachi’s suggestion.
 Ruwi looked doubtful.
“Again? I have never heard of an Act of Virtue done twice in one day.
Isn’t it performed rarely and only by beings of courage?” she asked.
Jay nodded.
“What you say is true but there is always the first time,” he smiled.
“This might be the first for you both too.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth there was a sudden crack
of lightening. Ruwi jumped and looked up. Dark clouds have gathered in
the sky which had been clear only minutes ago. That was strange!
“It looks like it is going to rain,” the man informed them nervously.
“We had better do something quickly.”
“Wait. Don’t take shelter. This is what had been in my mind all
along!” Sachi’s cry heeded them. They turned back to look at him. His
face had broken into a smile.
“What do you mean?” a puzzled Ruwi asked.
“It’s the rain. It is a sign. This is how we will perform the Act of
Virtue. Listen...”
He glanced at the sky. Sure enough a large, black cloud was directly
above them. It will be a matter of minutes before a pour down.
“We all stand in a circle around the kids. We will hold hands and
meditate to clear our minds. If we stay dry when it begins raining that
means our mission will be a success,” he explained.
As they were gathering to perform the deed a short, greenish creature
was making its way across the land some way ahead. It was Balthazar. He
kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure that the coast was clear.
He had a fright when he thought that the kid had seen him but he had
managed to lose him in the end. Balthazar was not prepared to face
Pramodaka - yet! He took another step and gasped. Something jabbed him
from behind and he went sprawling face down. Before he knew what was
happening the invisible force had taken possession of him. Fear gripped
him.
To be continued
Proud to be Sri Lankan
Dear Children,
 We are about to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of our country’s
independence.
It is a day that we like to talk about with pride and joy.
Our national flag or the Lion flag will be fluttering from every
building and house to the singing of the National anthem.
Independence Day celebrations this year are held at Buttala,
Moneragala.
The 2011 Deyata Kirula exhibition is also been held in Buttala,
Moneragala in line with the Independence celebrations. This exhibition
which begins tomorrow will end on February 10.
Children, the Deyata Kirula exhibition will be a novel experience for
visitors to gather knowledge about our country’s progress.
So, try and make it to Buttala to view this innovative concept. It
will be a once in a lifetime experience.
Do not miss this golden opportunity.
Bye for now. Have a pleasant week ahead.
Aunt Anji
AWS Academy awards ceremony
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One of the award winners Oshadi
Hettiarachchi with her prize |
The awards ceremony of the AWS Academy of English Language, Speech
and Drama was held recently at the Ramakrishna Mission Auditorium,
Colombo. Head of the UK Trade and Investment British High Commission Sri
Lanka and Maldives Janet Ford was the chief guest at the ceremony.
AWS Academy of English Language Speech and Drama Principal Anne
Wijesinghe thanked the Chief Guest Janet Ford, AWS teachers and the
organising committee headed by Janaki Silva for their dedicated work to
draw up the curriculum and methodology. The principal also congratulated
the students who won awards.
READ A BOOK WITH ME...:
Object value is in beholder’s eyes
Hello Dear Friends,
Here are some questions for you: Do you ‘look before you leap’? Do
you believe that ‘in unity there is strength’ and that ‘birds of a
feather flock together’? These are some common expressions used in
English. If you know languages other than English you should be aware
that there are similar expressions in those languages too. (eg in
Sinhala ‘Samagiya balaya we’, ‘Pannina pera sitha balanu’) From where do
you think these expressions have come?
 Some people believe that we got these from tales told by Aesop, a man
who lived in ancient Greece. In books it’s said that Aesop was born
around 620 BC, had been a slave for sometime and was released from
slavery because of his wisdom and wit. Once he was freed, he is said to
have moved to Athens where he earned a name as a man who spoke on behalf
of the ‘common people’.
This angered the ruler of Athens, who was against free speech and as
a result he executed Aesop. However, the tales believed to be told by
Aesop are still popular all over the world and they are published in
many languages.
Aesop’s Fables is a collection of very short tales, usually followed
with the moral of the story. There are more than 200 fables in the
Penguin Popular Classics edition selected and adapted by Jack Zipes.
This collection carries stories about animals, human beings, the sea,
rivers, planets and even pots and pans. Of these stories and morals
accompanying them there will be stories you like and dislike, morals you
may or may not agree with. It’s exciting to read them and see what you
want to accept and reject.
It’s all up to you. For example, I agree that ‘sometimes one man’s
toil is another man’s profit’ the moral of the story ‘The Lion, the Bear
and the Fox’, but I do not agree with the moral of ‘The Raven and the
Swan’, that ‘Change of scene cannot bring about a change of nature’. You
can also come up with your own little fables and morals, things you
believe in and want to share with others. Furthermore, if you are
interested you can try to find out similar stories by other people as
well.
When you read Aesop’s’ Fables you will realize that some very popular
tales you have heard and read such as ‘The Country Mouse and the Town
Mouse’, ‘The Fox and the Grapes’, ‘The Crow and the Pitcher’ and ‘the
Lion and the Mouse’ are from this collection. Till we meet next time
here’s something for you to think about, ‘Those who are caught are not
always the most guilty’ Bye for now
Gayathri
My pet
My pet’s name is kitty
It is very beautiful
It is white in colour
It likes to drink milk
Kitty likes to play with me
It can run very fast
I love my kitty very much
M R M Shazny, Welamboda , Ambagastenn
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Little
children of the nursery school attached to Joseph Vaz
Foundation Grandpass, Colombo 14 presented a dance item at
their annual concert at Elphinstone Hall, Maradana, Colombo
recently. Picture by A Maduraveeran |
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