Our house was situated in a coconut land of 2 acres, my mother got as dowry from her parents. It was narrow and long strip, rising up half a distance and balance falling down ending up at a stream.Our house had been built on ground levelled, midway between uphill. There was a feeble coconut tree on the elevated area behind the house, a huge jack tree in front and atamba tree bearing tiny fruits having the shape of a mango by the side of the house on the adjoining land. Atamba fruit had very sweet taste. In atamba season, most of my leisure time was spent under the atamba tree, searching and eating ripe and fallen atamba fruits.Beyond the stream at the end of our land was another flat area, beyond which was another hilly area fully covered with wood, cinnamon bushes and naminan plants which bear bunches of fruit on the trunk ,about one or two feet above ground.

I used to climb the hill with my neighbour friends, eating naminan fruits and cinnamon barks, watching various types of colourful birds and rabbits running away from us. There were lot of iguanas creeping here and there.


Expending what had saved during last number of years, my father laid a foundation for a large house, adjoining our existing two roomed house. The foundation was just lying facing heavy rains and hot sun for another number of years with broken blocks here and there. I was fond of running on the foundation like a train, shouting who————-kuchu kuchu kuchu kuchu kuchu kuchu kuchu kuchu.

The entire area surrounded the house was my kingdom.