THE FINAL CROSSING
In this tale of self-discovery and adventure, we are connected with a history we’ve come to know as the cradle of civilization.
An Egyptian house servant is caught in a rendezvous with a woman above his social status. As punishment for his indiscretion, he is exiled to labour in the Nubian gold mines. He escapes and vows to return to Thebes but his attempts push him farther and farther away on a journey mired with cruelty, bloodshed and deceit.
Nenshi never lived the life of a servant. He had been raised like a son, in nobility, by an aging architect. He is well-schooled, a master hunter and enjoys spending time with his best friend who is not a servant. The impetuous and entitled Nenshi also hungers to be free. He convinces his master to grant his freedom but the petition is answered too late.
His life turns upside down as he is thrust into a world for which he had been ill prepared – one he could not have imagined existing. Riches can no longer protect him and his Egyptian lifestyle is as remote as the distant Pyramids.
Nenshi’s near death encounters with desert Bedouins; a gruelling trek across mountains with Persian nomads; a newfound love; and, the discovery of a new deity, redefine who he is.
In the end Nenshi learns of his freedom granted by his master and now he must decide whether to return to his homeland or start a new life.
LETTERS OF REDEMPTION
Work in Progress
When letters are written on behalf of a friend and then turn into your own expression of love, it ultimately leads to guilt and a search for how to end the dishonesty.
Roberto had never learned how to write. Maria didn’t know this because she had just met him before he was sent to the front lines of North Africa during World War II. Roberto asks a fellow-soldier, Antonio, to write letters to Maria on his behalf. The secret is well hidden and even after Roberto’s death in battle, as the war continues, so do the letters.
When letters are written on behalf of a friend and then turn into your own expression of love, it ultimately leads to guilt and a search for how to end the dishonesty.
Roberto had never learned how to write. Maria didn’t know this because she had just met him before he was sent to the front lines of North Africa during World War II. Roberto asks a fellow-soldier, Antonio, to write letters to Maria on his behalf. The secret is well hidden and even after Roberto’s death in battle, as the war continues, so do the letters.
Antonio’s dishonesty leads to guilt but the relationship he had created and nurtured over time prevents him from telling the truth. He has fallen in love. As the war comes to an end, Antonio must find Maria, plea for forgiveness and declare his love for her. Maria, who has also fallen in love with the man behind the letters, must decide whether to follow her heart or let Antonio go.
Letters of Redemption is a story of a man’s search for reconciliation from his transgressions. It is a story of a woman, torn between her hunger for independence and newfound love.
A hard life as a boy and a witness to the horrors of war as a young man have shaped Antonio’s values and have caused him to do things he later regrets. Maria, the only child of Sicilian parents, lives with the inequities of a male-dominated society. Their experiences are also life lessons that open a window to the possibility of a better life. Maria must find a way to break through the shackles of inequalities. Antonio must discover how to make his life better; how to be a better man.
AIR DEFENCE FIGHTERS
This article, which I wrote for DEFENCE, a UK magazine, is about the psychological and physical demands placed on a fighter pilot from the most sophisticated combat aircraft ever devised.
TOP GUN pilots are trained to withstand the challenges. But, is that enough to survive a dogfight?