A Ghost from the Past

Thanuja smiled to herself as she took a deep breath and gazed around the garden. The air was fresh and new with the scent of jasmines blooming in the trees. The bougainvilleas danced in the breeze in bright hues of red, orange and purple. It was a bright, sunny, beautiful morning. She opened the mailbox and took out the mail. As she scanned through them one by one, a familiar, neat, small handwriting arrested her eyes. It was a long time since she had heard from Sister Anne at the orphanage. She quickly opened the letter and ran her eyes over the lines. Suddenly her heart stopped and a cold feeling crept over her.

She slowly sat down on the living room sofa and stared at the fish tank on the opposite side. The sight of the goldfish, peacefully swimming around, seemed to calm her and the traces of a smile appeared on her lips. She remembered Amal’s look of sheer joy when they had first brought the fish tank home. His beautiful dark eyes had shone with happiness.

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It was a typical weekend. Thanuja arrived at the orphanage at 10.00 a.m. as usual.

“Good morning Sister. Did you ask to see me?”

“Good morning, dear,” said Sister Anne, looking up from her desk. She pointed a chair, “Please, have a seat. I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes. We have three new children here, from the border villages. There have been more terrorist attacks around there. These children were separated from their families during the raids and they were wandering around, stranded when the army found them. It’s likely that the family members did not survive the attacks. The authorities think there is no hope of finding them.”

Thanuja’s eyes clouded over. She sighed. “It’s so sad. How can I help?”

“I want you to pay special attention to one of the children, a ten-year-old boy. He seems to be the most affected. I think he’s still in shock. He hasn’t spoken to anyone since he came here.”

“Oh, poor child. Where is he?”

“I’ll take you to them now.”

Thanuja followed her to the common room where the children were all playing. The noise was deafening. One small, frail boy sat in a corner watching the others, not joining in. He was as thin as a rail with dark hair and huge, dark, luminous eyes, which almost seemed to cover his face. Thanuja looked at him silently and he stared back at her. She was struck by the beauty of his eyes.

Amal stayed at her side the entire day. He did not say a word but followed her around like a faithful pet. That night she tucked him into bed, kissed his forehead and whispered good night smiling down at the tiny face.

“Don’t go.” He held her hand fast as she stood up to leave.

Thanuja turned around in surprise. He looked at her with pleading eyes. Those were the first words he had spoken.

“I won’t leave you,” she said softly. “I promise.” She kept her promise.

Several months later, Thanuja adopted Amal. He was her son now.

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The shrill cry of the baby brought her back with a start. Thanuja sighed, put down the letter and ran into the baby’s room. Baby Ruvini was almost a year old. It was time for her breakfast. Thanuja’s thoughts ran over as she fed Ruvini. She had to call Ravi. She needed him now.

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Ravi was the only person who had supported her decision to adopt Amal.

“Whatever you decide to do, I’m here,” he had told her in his deep, reassuring voice. She loved the sound of his voice. There was something very comforting about it. She always felt relaxed and calm whenever Ravi was around.

Everyone else in the family had been horrified by Thanuja’s decision. Thanuja’s mother was beside herself.

“How can you do something like this? You are not even married yet. What will people think?”

“Ammi, I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“It is wrong. You are adopting some orphan from a remote village. How do you know what kind of family he comes from?”

Thanuja did not reply. She looked at her mother silently. She knew she could not explain. Her mother would not understand. She would never understand.

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“What are we going to do Ravi? What are we going to do?”

“Thanuja, calm down. We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry, I’ll be home right away.”

“Ok. I’ll see you soon.”

Thanuja replaced the receiver slowly. She put her hand to her cheek and brushed away a tear. Ravi would be home soon. She picked up the letter and read it again. It was all there, written in neat, tiny handwriting. Amal will have to be told. How would he take it? How will he deal with the situation? He had put the past behind him. He had a new life.

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Thanuja and Ravi moved to Kandy with Amal soon after the wedding. A new town, a new life, a new beginning for all of them. They had been blissfully happy. Amal had blossomed under their loving care. Slowly and surely, the rest of the family began to accept him. His gentle, playful nature warmed everyone’s hearts. Everybody fell in love with Amal. Four years later after the birth of Ruvini, Thanuja felt that her life was perfect.

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Ravi stared at the letter lying on the coffee table. He looked up at Thanuja. His normally cheerful face was drawn. He sighed heavily.

“We must tell Amal tonight.”

“So soon?”

“He will have to be told sometime Thanuja. We can’t ignore this. Call Sister Anne and tell her we’ll be down in Colombo tomorrow.”

“Ravi, what are we going to do?” Thanuja’s voice trembled.

“I think we should let Amal decide”.

“But how can we? He’s just a child. We can’t ask him to do this.”

“Thanuja, we have to let him do it on his own. We can’t decide for him. It’s his life. He’s almost sixteen now. I know it’s a difficult decision to make but we can’t alter that. We can only support him and help him through this.”

That night Thanuja and Ravi sat across from Amal in his room. Amal looked at them anxiously. Thanuja looked at his beautiful dark eyes. My darling son, how can I let you go?

“Amma, what is it? What has happened?”

Thanuja took both his hands in hers and looked him straight in the eye. “It’s your mother, Soma, she’s alive.”

His eyes widened in shock.

“She’s at the orphanage now. Sister Anne sent me a letter. Your mother has been looking for you for a long time.”

The silence in the room was deafening. An eternity seemed to pass by. Slowly Amal found his voice.

“She … … … she’s alive? She’s alright? When … when can I see her?” Suddenly his eyes were shinning. A huge smile spread across his face.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to Colombo tomorrow.”

He threw his arms around both of them. “She’s alive. I can see her again. I can see my mother again.”

Thanuja kissed his forehead and smiled. “Yes, you can see her again.”


It was 11.00 a.m. when they drove up to the orphanage the next day. Amal was exited and nervous, his eyes full of expectancy. Sister Anne greeted them at the door. She looked at Amal and smiled.

“You are so tall,” she said, reaching up to stroke his head. “I can hardly recognize you. You look so different.”

Amal smiled at her shyly. His eyes were darting everywhere, searching. Sister Anne saw his look.

“She’s inside. Come with me I’ll take you to her.”

She led the way to her office and beckoned them in. Inside the room, Thanuja saw a thin, dark, feeble looking woman sitting nervously on the edge of her chair. Her face was worn and her eyes seemed tired. But, they were the same eyes, Amal’s eyes. The woman gazed at Amal.

“Putha!“ she gave a joyful cry and ran towards him. “Oh, my darling, darling son, how much you have grown!”

She hugged and kissed him and broke down in tears holding him close. Amal slowly put his arm around her. He seemed stunned. Tears sprang into Thanuja’s eyes. She felt Ravi’s firm comforting grasp on her shoulder.

Sister Anne whispered, “I think we better leave and let them talk to each other.”

She opened the door and motioned them out. At the doorway, Thanuja turned her head towards Amal and Soma. They did not notice the others leave.


Thanuja, Ravi and Amal stayed that night at the Mt. Lavinia hotel. Amal sat on the terrace gazing at the sea. Thanuja joined him. She gently laid a hand over his. Amal turned to look at her.

“She wants me to come and live with her again. She wants to take me home with her.

“I know,” said Thanuja.

“What’s going to happen?”

“We think it’s something you should decide on your own. You and Soma should talk to each other and come to a decision.”

Amal turned back to gaze at the sea.


The next morning Thanuja drove Amal back to the orphanage. He was to meet Soma again. She was waiting for him on the portico. Her eyes lit up with joy when she saw him. Amal and Thanuja got out of the car and went up to her. Soma looked at Thanuja with gratitude in her eyes.

“Thank you. Thank you so much for all you have done for my child. I can never repay you.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for,” replied Thanuja. “He has brought so much joy into my life.”

Soma nodded and started to weep. Thanuja turned to Amal.

“You two have a lot to discuss. I will come back in the evening.” She turned quickly and left. Amal ran up behind her.

“Amma! Wait!”

Thanuja tuned back to him. “What is it?”

“What shall I do? Tell me.”

“My darling, I know this is hard. It will probably be the hardest thing you ever have to do, but you must figure this out on your own.”

She saw the frightened look in his eyes. She smiled. “Don’t be frightened. Do what you want to do. Do what you think is right. Remember, whatever you decide, I’m here. I will always be here for you.”

She kissed him, turned and walked quickly back towards the car.