The end of the river

He reached the end, unknowing, on the morning of May 31, 2025. The end is where the river, narrows and transfers its carriage into the great unknown ocean.

- BY ERNEST MACINTYRE

A chance sighting and attraction between two new entrants at a Peradeniya University gathering in 1955, in an early part of the river, is where this short story takes shape. Enclosed by a bend in the Mahaweli river and the Hantana range of mountains, on the other side, is where it grew. Two friends, four years. It all seemed to go quickly. 1959. They readied themselves to pass the final exam.

It is difficult to say what this residential place of learning resting within a bend in the Mahaweli gave to its occupants over three to four years. Lifetime partnerships? Sita was thinking about this after her last exam paper as she walked back to Sangamitta Hall to pack her bags.