Tango in the Country

Last holidays found the twins, Tammy, Tanya and their daschund puppy, Tango at Aunt Josephine's in Ragama. Aunt lived in a coconut estate in an old traditional house with verandahs and a garden all around the house. The garden had many fruit trees. Among them, were mango, papaw, guava, lovi, ambarella, nannang, orange and lime. Jak and del trees were in plenty too.

To help Aunt, she had a cookie and a gardener and three doggies. Wow! Three lovable doggies. All three, cocker spaniels, with their melting eyes and long droopy ears. Their names were Sooty, Blackie and Rock. Ragama, is small town, very near Colombo and the airport at Katunayake.

It is no surprise that the twins were always ready to visit this aunt. When Tango got down from the car, Rock came rushing towards him. Tango went a step back, bristling. Rock gave a short bark and came and sniffed Tango, who was growling. Then in a minute, Tango was wagging his tail. All seemed OK with the doggies. Then the other two came dashing to meet Tango, and after a quick sniff they woofed together and went running in the garden.

The twins gave Aunt Josephine a hug and gave her the gifts their mum had sent. Aunt was pleased, kept aside her sewing and chatted with the twins enquiring about their parents. She gave them a drink of thambili.

“Off with you, I know you want to go in the garden. The dogs are all friends. So they will accompany you,” said Aunt. “OK” shouted the girls in glee and went in search of the doggies. Of course, Tango was sniffing around a flower bush.

“Sure, he's found a lizard,” said Tan. “Maybe it's a frog,” laughed Tammy. “Hey! See this,” shouted Tan who was peering into an overgrown flower bush. She had found a bird nest and showed it to her twin. This nest had two wee white eggs nestling in it.

“Ssh!” whispered Tammy, “Don't move the branches, the parent birds may have gone in search of food. The nest will get disturbed if we go peeking too much.”

The dogs ran ahead and at the back, as they went walking along a cart track on the estate. Tango seemed happy with his new friends. After walking quite a distance Tan gave a gasp, “See there,” she said pointing at the ground under a big tree. “It's like blood.” They ran towards it. It was a gamboge or goraka tree. Its pods had fallen. They were vermillion and shining in the sun.

“I'am sure there must be cadju trees.” “Will there be cadju puhulang?” Puhulang is the fruit, reddish yellow in colour when ripe and looking decorative. Attached at the end of the fruit is the cadju seed, encased in a hard shell.

“Oooh! If so, we can collect some. Then dip them in salt and vinegar and eat.” “Yummy, mouth watering aint it? Must remember to ask where the cadju trees are.” By this time the dogs had run off in another direction. Tammy and Tan knew that Tango was in good company. Both of them came upon a hillock with rocks that seemed as if a cave was there. They clambered up. Tan clutched Tammy urgently and pointed towards the ground. They saw a slithering snake. They waited quietly thinking the snake will put up his awesome hood. But, the snake did nothing of the sort and it slithered into a crevice in the rock.

The girls heard the dogs barking and they ran towards the sound. It was at one end of the estate and beyond there lay empty paddy fields with grass growing in them. They saw a big calf and the dogs were around him barking.

“I wonder why?” “They don't attack usually.” The twins ran quickly to get near this bunch. Then they saw that two stray dogs were worrying the calf. Aunt's dogs were barking at the strays, trying to chase them away. Tango too. The two strays were snarling and growling at the other doggies.

The twins came up. Tan picked up a stick. When the strays saw this, they went silent. The other doggies took advantage of this and chased the two strays faraway in the open field. Tammy and Tan patted the big calf who looked puzzled. Then he bent his head to graze. The dogs came running back. Tango was way behind, running with his short legs, tongue out and panting. It was a long run for a dog with short legs.

Tammy and Tan took the dogs to a waterway running along the fields. There, they lapped up the water. Tam and Tan stayed there for a little while, mostly to give Tango a little rest. Of course, Tango was sniffing here and there and then he watched intently, the tiny fish in the water. All this was new to him. Then, he spied a dragonfly buzzing and went behind it jumping up to catch it.

“How exciting it is. There's adventure everywhere in the country,” said Tan.