Spring Break
The General
Fiction: Part 1 of 3
Andrew J. Wylie (NI), Associate Editor
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: A&E
The following article is the first in a series of three. It is an excerpt from a novel the author is writing. The book tells the story of a handful of people that are swept along as a small country undergoes change seeking rebirth and prominence on the world stage. The darker aspects of such aspirations are explored: violence as the nation frees itself from the shackles of its past, displacement of countless laborers from poorer countries seeking opportunity in a hostile land and illegal trafficking in persons.
All rights to publication, distribution and reproduction in any form belong to the author.
Burning trees release an acrid smell that lingers in the space above the nose and behind the throat. The wind brought this smell up from the valley to the garden of the General's home where he and his guest wait for the sun to set and the wind to shift. Evening's wind brings the crisper air down from the mountains and with it the sweeter aroma of the trees lining the falaj.
"This is a beautiful country. It is not a free country."
"That is a shame."
"No. It is not. You mistake a country that is not free for one which has no opportunity. This is not the case. We are in a land of opportunity."
"But not for everyone."
"Again, no. Equal to everyone. There is a limit to how far one can rise but the limit applies to all but one. There can be only one King. The inability to be King in no way diminishes the mobility of a man to achieve or exceed all his aspirations in wealth or power."
"What about a woman?"
"Do not complicate things. Again, your notions of equality are somewhat incomplete. Trust me. The women here are happy. And they can do as they please. Ours is a different kind of equality. A different kind of love."
The valley burned below. Peasants have no electricity. For cooking and for heat pits are filled with embers that offer the scent of poverty and happiness to the General's garden. Denizens of the valley slept well that night, content with their hard day's work and ever present hope. Their aroma lingered in the garden and tempted the pair to reflect on their own lives briefly; then it was swallowed by the guava, which burst ripe on the branches lining the impossibly green garden.
All rights to publication, distribution and reproduction in any form belong to the author.
Burning trees release an acrid smell that lingers in the space above the nose and behind the throat. The wind brought this smell up from the valley to the garden of the General's home where he and his guest wait for the sun to set and the wind to shift. Evening's wind brings the crisper air down from the mountains and with it the sweeter aroma of the trees lining the falaj.
"This is a beautiful country. It is not a free country."
"That is a shame."
"No. It is not. You mistake a country that is not free for one which has no opportunity. This is not the case. We are in a land of opportunity."
"But not for everyone."
"Again, no. Equal to everyone. There is a limit to how far one can rise but the limit applies to all but one. There can be only one King. The inability to be King in no way diminishes the mobility of a man to achieve or exceed all his aspirations in wealth or power."
"What about a woman?"
"Do not complicate things. Again, your notions of equality are somewhat incomplete. Trust me. The women here are happy. And they can do as they please. Ours is a different kind of equality. A different kind of love."
The valley burned below. Peasants have no electricity. For cooking and for heat pits are filled with embers that offer the scent of poverty and happiness to the General's garden. Denizens of the valley slept well that night, content with their hard day's work and ever present hope. Their aroma lingered in the garden and tempted the pair to reflect on their own lives briefly; then it was swallowed by the guava, which burst ripe on the branches lining the impossibly green garden.
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