The writer gives life to a story, the reader keeps it alive.
The Guild Master’s General has to set a course for Abouna Panak, so that he can fulfil his destiny. He has come to take Abouna’s mother on a journey, that will separate her from her son. (Read Part One Here) This episode is dedicated to everyone who has supported these stories over the years. Thank you.
(This story is the first in a long series, which will continue on into the New Year. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading!) Farokh has lived with his uncle Antun, after the death of his father, Eric. (The absence of the rest of his family, Alexand, Heyem and Inajda, haunts him). He spends a lot of his time wandering the streets, dreaming of escaping his claustrophobic village. He has just turned fifteen and is waiting for a chance to ride to India so he can join the army to be with his favourite sister, Alexand. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
Born in Egypt, Xan (Alexand Medani) was told by his mother, that his father was an Irish immigrant, who left her before he was born. He enjoyed a happy childhood, as despite her youth, his mother adored him. Unfortunately when he was seven, Egypt was declared a death camp, by the military. Xan’s mother managed to smuggle him across the Red Sea, to Saudi Arabia. They were separated on the journey and Xan never saw her again. As an orphan, Xan lead a nomadic life, wandering across country, never staying in one place for too long. He tended farms, begged and found food and shelter whenever he could. At the age of thirteen, whilst working on an apple farm in Iran, he began to lose his hair. The owners of the farm saw this as a bad omen, and he was chased away and told not to come back. Hungry and frightened, the teenager wandered the land trying to hide his alopecia from people. CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
After falling on harder times, Molli needed to make money fast and is now an exotic dancer in a seedy little nightclub in Toronto. (The Masked Man, refers to The Guild Master’s General.) CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
There’s a knock at Margaret’s door, but it’s 2 in the morning and she likes sleep. She has a knitting needle in her hand and an angry temper. If it’s another bleeding highwayman she’ll show them they can’t mess with an old lady in a bad mood. (CLICK HERE for next chronological story)
Abouna Panak’s life is going to change more than he can imagine. He has been left an orphan at the age of ten, but has no time to grieve for his mother’s loss. After he discovered his mother laying in the kitchen, with a suicide note, he was greeted by a very dubious man. Abouna has no other living family. His mother never told him why. The man in the balaclava isn’t responsible for his mother’s death, in fact his mother seemed to trust him. Who is this Guild Master’s General, and why would Abouna’s mother wish for him to travel with him after her death? CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
Inajda Rekaya (Ee-n-eye-da) is seventeen years old, but has joined the army to support her husband, Eric and twin Daughters, Alexand and Heyem. She doesn’t realise that her decision will not just save their lives, but change the future of her family. Special Thanks to Imran Malik for helping me with translating English to Hindi. (The Hindi reads, “It’s open!”) This story also features, Katherine De Somme. CLICK HERE for next chronological story. A Spanish version is now available, translated by Hernán Jara Droguett.
Eldenath Balsara is an orphan. She doesn’t know who her father is and her mother was put in ‘The Bad Thing Box’ for being ‘evil’. She has a new mother, who is a matron in The House of Plenitude and Mirth. Eldenath has to un-learn the Bad Things taught to her by her old mother, like reading big words and looking at paintings and singing in the shower and listening to music. (See issue: 17) She is about twelve years old here. (A Spanish translation is now available, by Hernán Jara Droguett.) CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
Images, story and characters, © Cheryl Moore
Anesidor Sumian dreams of escaping from a gradually shrinking world and the confines of a disapproving society. Her story begins with a wish and is set over a century before her first appearance in my series of novels. (A Spanish translation is now available, by Hernán Jara Droguett.) CLICK HERE for next chronological story.
Images, story and characters, © Cheryl Moore