A Flashback of the Day

After coming back from church last night, wishing everyone a Happy Easter, my sister's only wish was to watch The Greatest Showman. So, my mother and I took our seats next to her and watched, right in the dining table, with our dinners in front of us. It was past eleven when we got back to bed. The next day dawned: the last day of the holidays. It started quite alright, with mom, dad and I plucking down a several ripe papayas with the help of a bedsheet and a stout wooden pole. Then my dad went home to work, while the rest of us busied ourselves in our own work. I didn't note the time, but I did hear mom's phone ringing. Half absorbed in Pip's world, I hardly even noticed it. But my eldest sister got a call from dad, almost after the ringing of mom's phone stopped. She told mom to call dad immediately, telling something about the Kochchikade church, a church which I've known ever since I was small. My mom gave a call and went to see my eldest sister, and she sounded serious. I overheard her speaking about the roof being blown out. I thought it was the wind. I never expected it to be bombed. Everyone was calling. Most of them knew that we went there. Within those moments when we assured those horrified voices, we got to know the six other attacks. Now, everyone was paniced. Everyone was expecting curfew at any moment. Dad hurried to the supermarkets to do last moment shopping. He told us that there will be curfew from 6 pm to 6 am of the following morning. During this time, I heard a strange throbbing and hum, which lasted only a few seconds. After dad came back, we checked the news. Curfew had already started, and won't be lifted until further notice. Then there was something else. The 8th bomb explosion for the day: a housing scheme in Dematagoda, only a few kilometers from our home. The strange hum echoed in my mind, as all of us stared at our neighbouring building through the french windows of our home. We were staring at the grey wall of the tall housing scheme, which stood majestically in front of our veranda. 4/21/2019