RETURN OF THE MALYA’S

RETURN OF THE MALYA’S

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

19/III/2023

Let me reveal a secret to you all. Mr & Mrs Malaya are here in town. Shhhhhhhhh! Please don’t tell anyone or else we would be taken to task. All those hush-hush kinds of organisations holding a lens have already got their hands full. I should not add to their worries.

Can you believe it, the Malya’s have changed their tastes. From drinking the king of good times and eating fish, they are now after all those who change colours. Maybe, their stay in other countries has brought about this acquired taste.

That’s what has brought this pair back to meet us in the Suncity. It was in Alibaug where they had the Malya mansion behind our house. Those days they were not under any police scanner. They lived life king size. They trusted us then and we hope they still do.

It was party time. Mr and Mrs Kingfisher arrived with a bang. Yesterday, I thought it was an unexpected visit. Sometimes it happens that you drive in the wrong lane but find an eatery which serves fantastic treats. This must have been the same kind of visit.

Today, when I found both of them back again, there had to be something. A thought passed my mind that their staple diet is fish, hope they haven’t spotted mine. However, they were in for a different snack. Yesterday, it was a well camouflaged juicy lizard clinging to a tree trunk.

It was when it dived down to kind of ‘pluck’ the lizard off the bark that one noticed it. Once in the tight grip of its beak, it flew to a perch on the Almond tree. A knock to the left and then to the right and a pause, just to gauge whether the prey was dead. Once confirmed that the lizard was ready to be gobbled, it was sucked in head first.

Today, the snack changed. Mr TikTok the Chameleon exposed himself. The keen Kingfisher’s eye picked him up from between the pots. Ms Malaya swooped, a short hover and then the dive. TikTok was too stunned to even react. Off it went with a wriggling chameleon in its mouth.

TikTok’s tail twisted and twirled but it was too late. The struggle was short lived and poor met the lizard’s fate and disappeared down the Kingfishers gullet. Its long tail took some time to go in. Ms Malya, shook her head and ruffled her feathers to make space. Inch by inch it was good bye Mr TikTok.

The only song that strikes my mind to welcome the King of Good times is Ooo la la la la ley oo. Yes, you sang it right. People from the snooping agencies please stay away. This Mr and Ms Malaya are Kingfishers of our colony. Will they understand? I wonder!!!!!!!!!!!

JAI HIND

©® NOEL ELLIS

Comments

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