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REVIEWED BY YASMINE GOONERATNE EVERY STORY IN THE COLLECTION HAS MORE TO IT THAN AT FIRST MEETS THE EYE/ FAITH RATNAYAKE'S STORY 'MEETINGS', WHICH BEGINS THE BOOK, SEEMS AT FIRST READING TO BE ABOUT RAJU'S DISAPPOINTMENT WHEN THE COLOURFUL KITE HE HAS BUILT - THE JOY OF HIS LIFE - GETS TANGLED UP IN TELEPHONE WIRES AND SOAKED IN A DOWNPOUR, SO THAT IT HAS TO BE ABANDONED/ IN FACT, HOWEVER, THE TALE ENDS ON A NOTE OF CHEERFUL OPTIMISM, AS THE NARRATOR ROHAN - A BOY OF RAJU'S OWN AGE, FROM A MUCH MORE AFFLUENT HOME - LEARNS FROM HIS NEW-FOUND FRIEND A TIMELY LESSON ABOUT RESOURCEFULNESS AND THE TRUE VALUE OF POSSESSIONS: "WE STEPPED BACK ALONG THE PATH TO LOOK AT THE KITE AGAIN/ I COULDN'T HELP NOTICING HOW THE GLOOMY BLUE THUNDERCLOUDS SHOWED UP ITS BRILLIANT YELLOW/ RAJU FOLDED HIS THIN ARMS ACROSS HIS CHEST/ I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW CHEERFUL HE WAS/ I FELT ASHAMED, REMEMBERING THE AWFUL FUSS I MADE THE FIRST TIME MY BICYCLE TYRE GOT A PUNCTURE/ "CAN'T HELP IT," HE SAID WITH A CHEERY SMILE/ "LET IT BE, I CAN MAKE ANOTHER ONE/ MY MOTHER WILL MANAGE TO GET ME THE MATERIALS/ IT'S WORTH IT/" HE GRINNED CHEEKILY, SAID CHEERIO, AND RAN AS THE RAINDROPS CRASHED TO THE GROUND/ "WHERE DO YOU LIVE?" I CALLED AFTER HIM, MEANING TO BE POLITE, BUT HE HAD GONE