Chapter 16

"Who's binoculars is this?" Thasneem asked curiously when they neared the group of little boys who had been examining the binoculars instead of watching the waterfalls through it.

"It belongs to Umair," Saman said, looking up at the approaching kids.

"Umair, will you let us view the waterfall through it?" Thasneem asked him.

"Sure!" He said with a beam. "But you'll have to wait for your turn. Saman, Peter, Kaleel, Bilal and Karthik asked me before you did."

"We'll wait," Thasneem said and the children took turns in viewing the magnificent waterfall through the binoculars.

"Masha Allah! I've never seen anything more wonderful than this waterfall!" Maryam said with amazement a while later as she handed the binocular to Umair after sighting the waterfall through it as the last person who stood on the queue to borrow it. "Jazakallahu khairan for letting us borrow your binoculars, Umair!"

"Wa Antum fa jazakumullahu khairan," Umair replied with a smile.

"That's a long reply for 'jazakallahu khairan'," Maryam said with a beam. "What does that mean?"

"It means, 'And you too, may God reward you with goodness'." He told her. "My Mama taught me all the duas and the meanings of it when I was little."

"I thought that you are still 'little' Umair!' Mr James Carter, who had been listening to their conversation, said with a chuckle.

"My Mama says that I'm a big boy now, Mr Carter," Umair said, sounding polite. "She says that I have to be responsible and take good care of my little sister whenever our partners are not around."

"That's nice to hear that you are being a responsible big brother to your little sister." Mr Carter appreciated him with a pleasant smile. "It's almost ten-thirty now." He said as he checked his wristwatch. "You children better get inside the bus now."

"But Sir, we just arrived here only a moment ago," Bilal protested with a disappointed look on his face.

"We've been here for almost half an hour, Son." Mr Carter said with a smile. " I'll let you stay here for ten more minutes if you insist."

"Okay!" Bilal said, beaming at him. "How long would it be?"

"You'll see." Mr Carter said as he shuffled his wavy hair.

Ten minutes passed even before they realised it and the children had to head back to their buses even if they didn't want to leave the exotic waterfall which falls amid the magnificent mountain. They arrived at Lake Gregory fifteen minutes later than they had planned. "This lake is named after Sir William Gregory." Miss. Rose Harrison gave them a simple explanation of the place. "This is a prominent attraction used for water sports and recreational activities"

The children viewed the leisure activities of the visitors such as rides in swan-shaped paddle boats, normal boat rides, pony rides along the shore, water walking balls, watersports such as jet skis and windsurfing. The teachers didn't allow the children to take part in leisure activities because of safety reasons. They reached the Ambewela farm at noon and the children sighted the largest grasslands of Sri Lanka. They enjoyed watching the Friesian cows grazing on the widespread green meadows. The children were delighted to have their lunches on the grassland.

Thasneem, Mu'az and Maryam sat down on the meadow together with their lunch boxes. They had finally gotten a chance to share their meals as they did every day at the nursery.

"Hey, Neem!" Mu'az called her with hesitation as he saw his tour partner Bilal sitting alone on the field away from them. "Is it okay if I invited Bilal to come and sit with us here? He's my tour partner and I'm supposed to be with him."

"Okay," Thasneem said with a shrug of her shoulders. "You go and ask him if he would like to join us."

"Thank you," Mu'az said with a beam. "I thought you are angry with him for picking fights with you at the nursery."

"I don't like him much," Thasneem admitted. "But I don't mind him sitting with us."

Bilal decided to join them when Mu'az invited him. He sat beside Mu'az with a smile lit on his face. "My Mama has cooked my favourite curries." He told them. "But I don't feel like eating them. Can three of you finish my lunch instead?"

"You've got too many curries in your lunch box!" Thasneem said with wide eyes when she saw the various curries he had in his lunch box. "There's fried fish, chicken, beans, dhal, brinjal, potatoes, cooked mango and green peas. They look yummy though! Why don't you eat?"

"I just can't." He said with a shake of his head.

"Neem, our Mama has made noodles for us," Maryam said as she opened her lunch box. "Shall we exchange our lunches with him?"

"Okay." Thasneem agreed. "Do you like to have noodles, Bilal?

He nodded his head with a smile and they exchanged their lunch boxes, and Mu'az offered him one of the pancakes which the girls had given him. "This pancake tastes very delicious!" He said with wide eyes as he took a bite of it. "Jazakallah, Mu'az!"

"Neem and Maryam gave it to me." He said with a smile.

"Our Mama cooks tasty foods every day," Maryam told him rather proudly.

"We'll share our snacks later," Thasneem said when they had finished their lunches. "I'm so full now. I can't eat anything else."

"Okay," Mu'az said as they got up from the field. "Let's join the others now. I'm afraid, they might leave without us if we got late."

"I hope, you had a good time here children!" Mr Carter said when the young children gathered around him after lunch.

"Yes!!" The children chorused heartily.

"Did all of you enjoy watching the cattle here?" He asked them with a grin.

"Yes!!" They chorused again.

"Are you ready to leave now?" He asked them with a raised brow.

"No!!" The children said and shook their heads at him.

"Well, then I'll let you stay here for ten more minutes." He told them as he checked his watch. "And then you'll have to go back to the buses."

Ten minutes later, Mrs Anjali Kumaran read the name list of the children to make sure that all of them were there. And then the buses started to journey through the streets amidst the tea plantations and hills covered with cloud forests and reached the Haputale viewpoint at three forty-five pm. The children enjoyed sighting panoramic views from 1,750 meters above sea level. A while later, the teachers led them to the Olive restaurant a few yards away from the viewpoint where the children enjoyed drinking their favourite drinks such as milkshakes, cappuccino, hot chocolate, fresh milk tea and strawberry drink with potato chips and sauce.

And then the school buses headed towards the Rathnapura district to their final tour destination, Belihuloya. They reached Belihuloya thirty minutes later than the staff had planned, so the teachers couldn't allow the children to spend more time there. They guided the children towards the stunning Belihuloya river and led them back to the buses a few minutes later even though the children wanted to spend some more time in the beautiful riverbank.

The teachers read the name list of the children and took count of them when all of them got inside the buses. And then they got down from the buses to have a conversation with the bus drivers to discuss some issues.

"Hey, Maryam!" Thasneem said thoughtfully as she took her backpack, she had gotten weary of waiting for the bus to get started. "We still haven't given Mu'az's chocolates and cookies. Shall I go and give his shares to him?"

"No, Neem," Maryam said with wide eyes. "The teachers wouldn't allow us to get down from the bus now."

"But they are still down there, discussing something," Thasneem said in a bored manner as she glanced out of the window at the teachers and the two bus drivers who seemed to be concerned about something. "I'll be quick."

"Okay," Maryam said in an uncertain voice. "Then I'll wait for you near the doorway."

Both girls got up from their seats with their backpacks and went towards the doorway of the bus and Maryam watched Thasneem going out towards the boys' bus. She waited for her for a little while, but then something from the riverbank captivated her attention.