Page 153 - Kolaj Sharodiya Review Edition

Adventures of Tom and Tommy

Swaranya Mukherjee (Age: 12 Years)

This story is about Tom and Tommy’s adventures. Tom reads in standard six and Tommy is his pet cat. Read on to find out and know more about Tom and Tommy’s adventures!

The potlatch ceremony

Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Tom in the coastal region of Europe. Tom’s father was a wild life photographer and mother was a sociologist. Both of them used to
travel places. At times, his mother/father would take Tom with her/him. Thus, Tom had developed a liking towards adventures. Quite often, he would dream about going on
adventure trips with his all-time partner Tommy, a pet cat. But for such a little boy, it wasn’t possible.

Finally the day came. It was vacation time. It was a bright sunny day. He and Tommy decided to go for an adventure trip on his father’s boat. Somehow, both of his parents
were out of station. Tom wanted to go for a boat ride to overcome loneliness. Being a coastal boy and belonging to a family where his ancestors were expert sailors, sailing a
boat was in his blood. He had similar experiences with his father also. So, there wasn’t any big deal to go on an adventure with a mechanized boat. Tom refueled the boat and
packed enough dry fruits and nonperishable food items for 2/3 days. The boat already had a tent for camping and solar cookers fitted in it. The plan was to go fishing and
explore some nearby islands. He did not forget to leave a note for his parents, assuming if he gets late by any chance. After all the arrangements were done, they started
sailing the boat.

After sailing the boat for almost a day, they finally managed to reach an island. Fortunately, for
them the island was not a deserted one. They met some people living on the island. The dwellers
were tribals but very friendly. That is exactly what he learnt from his parents. Those island dwellers
invited them to stay at their village for the night. Tom had no other choice, as it would soon be
dark. Upon request a few boys happily showed Tom and Tommy their island, before the sun set for
the day. It appeared so beautiful in the twilight and the air was amazingly fresh. Tom and Tommy
both loved the island and decided to stay in one of the huts at least one more a day. The tribal
boys happily welcomed them. Tom said to Tommy: Things are so different from how we live in the
city. Tommy purred in approval. He loved the local food and the tribal way of simple living. He
thought of taking some of the spices back home. While returning to his boat a day after, the tribal
boys came along to see them off. Suddenly, he saw a very different thing. He saw that the
people were burning their valuable things. He asked the new friends of his: Why are you burning
your valuables?” One of the tribal boys replied: “The name of our tribe is Kwakiutl and on this day,
we burn our valuable things to respect the equal social positions of all in the society. This festival is
known as potlatch ceremony.” The people of this tribe belonged to the American Indians, living in
the Northwestern coastal region of the US. People also prepare delicious dishes on that day for a
community meal.

Tom and Tommy were amazed after getting all this information. They took pictures with the tribal
people and also of the potlatch ceremony. Tom and Tommy enjoyed the time they spent with this
tribe. They promised their news friends to come again in future. They left the island for the next
unknown destination.