The Call of Destiny

By Daniel Ndukwu

A COMPELLING STORY THAT ILLUSTRATES THE STRENGTH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT, YOUR SPIRIT!!

Percival was the carefree son of a loving family before his world was instantly turned upside down by the premature death of his father. He began a race against time across the fertile plains of southern Europe where he meets amazing people and forges bonds of lasting friendship.

Not all is well, as he continues his headlong flight to the east, he is set upon by thieves both large and small that seek to take his life by force and guile until he finally finds succor in the barren deserts of the Arabian peninsula where new challenges await him before he can claim victory and save the only home and family he has ever known and in the process achieve his own unique purpose.
Get a copy today and Join PERCY as he fights to stay alive against seemingly insurmountable odds while discovering what it means to truly sacrifice, love, and fight for what what you believe in!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Ndukwu
• Release date: Jun 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310152474

Daniel Ndukwu

I am an incredibly optimistic individual that loves the world and has been fortunate enough to see more good than bad. I have embarked on an amazing journey that has allowed me to meet the best and brightest the world has to offer. My unusually optimistic demeanor is evident in everything that I do and I want nothing but the best for myself and those around me.Do not hesitate to join my mailing list of connect with me via social media channelscheers!

Book preview

The Call of Destiny

By Daniel Ndukwu

Published by Daniel Ndukwu at Smashwords

© 2015 by Daniel C Ndukwu

All Rights Reserved

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Short excerpts from this book may be used for review purposes only

You may contact the publisher through email at [e-mail]

For the world

The world inspired me when I was scared and alone

I wish to do the same.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One – A Decision

Chapter Two – The Adventure

Chapter Three - Focus

Chapter Four – A Melding of Minds

Chapter Five - Challenges

Chapter Six – Growth

Chapter Seven - Distractions

Chapter Eight – The Final Frontier

Chapter Nine – Victory

Epilogue

Connect with Daniel Ndukwu

Introduction

Human beings are incredibly unique creatures in that we possess what is known as free will, the ability to choose the path we take in life. It is the one thing that separates men from beasts because like beasts; men eat, sleep, and procreate.

Some men take paths that lead to greatness and eternal recognition; they leap off the precipice of life and dive headfirst into the turbulent waters of choice and decision and realize that the depths of the ocean are eternally calm.

Some men, however, watch as their compatriots leap off the precipice and remain rooted to the ground shirking from what they know is a leap into unlocking their potential; paralyzed by fear, indecision, and doubt.

As humans, there are certain factors that are built into our societies, communities, and cultures that protect us from too much risk and hardship. After all, not everyone can be great; someone has to serve the mighty.

Indoctrination from Birth: from the time children leave their mother’s womb they are cuddled and fawned upon by their parents. As soon as these children can walk and talk the parents begin to plan out their lives, sometimes going so far as to choose the child’s calling in life. Anytime the child expresses a yearning for something higher or greater they are quickly told those things are not for people like us, or stop daydreaming and come back to reality, or any number of a thousand things that quickly turns their natural optimism into the most insidious form of pessimism: Self-doubt. These are the children that may grow into adults rooted to the precipice of life unable to take their own leap of faith.

Do not blame these parents, friends, and loved ones for doing this, they just want to protect their precious bundle of joy from the harsh realities of the world in which we live.

The fear of failure: No one wants to give their all for anything and still come up short. For this reason, being afraid to fail, equates to being afraid to try. Failing is one of the most natural things that can happen in a life well lived. Before anyone could ride a bike. With or without training wheels, it is almost a prerequisite that that they fall off a few times. The same is true for those that are attempting to reach a higher plane of achievement. Failing should not be avoided like the plague; it should be embraced and accepted as a necessary learning tool on the path to self-discovery. How many times you fall is not important, what is important is how many times you stand up. It is truly irrelevant that you fail the relevant part is what you learned from the failure and the insights gained that will better equip you to face challenges that you will encounter on your journey

The Fear of Success is often difficult to identify and for that reason is quite dangerous. I don’t deserve this, I didn’t work any harder than anybody else so why am I so fortunate? and so on and so forth. So many sabotage themselves on the cusp of success because the feel inadequate. Anything that has been worked for, sacrificed for, and truly desired is not something that should cause doubt and feelings of guilt even if the reward surpasses your wildest imagination. It is important to analyze what will happen when you succeed in that new endeavor to mitigate the unconscious fears that may be cropping up in your psyche. Fear is not knowing what to expect from the unknown so make it known, identify exactly what you are unconsciously afraid of and face it squarely, you will thank yourself for it later.

Lack of Focus: Inherent in all of us are great amounts of energy that come to our aid to achieve tasks large and small. This energy is commonly frittered away on meaningless tasks that bring us no closer to our desired goal. Since the goals are not clearly defined, energy is expended chasing a vague image of what the ideal reality is. Focus allows the massive amounts of energy available to coalesce into a focal point which makes achieving dreams so much easier and faster. Focus allows all traps of pseudo success (improving your circumstances marginally and then sitting back content with the new status quo while losing the drive to continue the journey) to fall away and lights up the endpoint with a blinding clarity. Chasing multiple dreams at once has been the downfall of many intelligent and energetic people over the years because there is a lack of the focus needed to accomplish any of those dreams individually.

Having elucidated the many obstacles to apparent success it is now time to accompany Percival as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery fighting these many challenges across strange lands, forbidding kingdoms, and enemy snares to achieve his own unique purpose!

Chapter One - A Decision

I’m sorry Mrs. Grigori; your husband is not going to make it.

Those were that last words Percy heard as he burst out the front door of the small house that served as the office of the only doctor that provided medical care for his village.

He jerked awake with a start and rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep from them, the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon and light up the endless plains that his family called home. This was the fifth time in as many days that the dream had come to him and he was tired of remembering it. His father was gone and his mother said that he was the man of the house now although he didn’t feel like much of a man, especially when she kept making a fuss over him as if he was a new born babe. Percy was a tall boy for his 16 years and had a well-developed physique gained from years of manual labor on his family farm. He had long flowing brown hair that he inherited from his mother and broad shoulders that promised to give him a figure that would intimidate lesser men when he fully realized manhood. His face was round and kind with deep set hazel eyes flecked with green set on top a slender pointed nose; creating an effect that invited anyone looking on him to impart all their problems onto his broad back.

Percival! his mother shouted from behind a partition that separated the large room in their house, Start the fire before the sun rises

Yes, mother. He grumbled, she was the only person that called him by his real name and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

As Percy piled wood into the fire pit and struggled to light it using the embers from last night’s fire he couldn’t help but look around and admire their ancestral lands. They were snuggled at the beginning of the foothills that later formed the forbidding Apennine mountain range to the east and northeast. To the northwest, west, and south spread beautiful plains of golden wheat that had been a part of his family since before the fall of the Roman Empire.

Over the last few generations their land began to dwindle and with it their affluence in society which finally resulted in their current squalor. He couldn’t think about this beautiful land without remembering how far his family had fallen so quickly; without remembering the stories his father used to tell him when he cuddled on his lap as a toddler. Stories of battle, glory, and fealty that marked the rise of his proud house but was strangely quiet about their fall.

You still have not started the fire? his sister Preye growled pinching his arm for emphasis

Mother is going to skin you alive. Preye was a year younger than Percival and a rare beauty; she was tall and slender and had a grace that queens and ladies only dreamt of. They shared the same set of hazel eyes flecked with green but where his face was kind and inviting where hers was striking and intimidating. she had a sweeping forehead that joined to a truly roman nose set atop a full mouth coupled with high cheekbones and an angular jaw. To crown off the image of an unapproachable beauty was a shock of thick black hair that cascaded past her shoulders to her waist.

Not if she doesn’t find out, help me with this sister. He told her with a smile playing across his lips. She never could refuse Percy’s natural charm.

Oh no you don’t Percy; I have my own responsibilities this morning

Suit yourself; I won’t bring anything back for you when I go to town if you don’t help me. At this she shouted and feigned indignation but was forced to help her elder brother with his job or take the risk of finding out whether or not his was an idle threat.

As they finished lighting the fire Percy rushed off to do his chores which consisted of feeding the livestock, checking for chicken eggs, and making sure that the traps set for wild animals were still functioning properly. While working, he kept thinking about the dream that was disturbing him. It was as if the dream was trying to tell him something and he could not understand.

Dreams do not tell stories; I am just trying to add meaning to something where there is none. He said aloud.

As he finished the last of his morning tasks he sauntered back home to eat a hurried breakfast before he went into town, a trek of about ten kilometers. He couldn’t wait to see Santiago and talk about his plans with him.

Why is everyone moving so slowly today? his mother shouted, she was a woman past her prime but it was easy to see the beauty that still shone through whenever she smiled. She had the same hair as Percy but where his eyes were hazel, hers were a striking sky blue, almost silver and her slender figure had grown plump over the years.

My son, there you are, eat quickly so that you can go to town and get us our weekly supplies.

Yes mother He replied by rote

Do you remember everything we need?

Yes mother, we get the same thing every week he said as he rolled his eyes behind his mother’s back which drew a fit of giggling from his baby sister Gladys.

Young lady, have you finished your food? his mother asked

No mother.

Then keep your mouth shut. This time it was Percy’s turn to laugh which made him choke as he was scarfing down the last of his food.

After eating, he donned his travelling sandals and carefully counted out the necessary money to get everything he needed. He had quickly learned that if he took too much money to the market then he would spend too much money, money that they did not have.

Goodbye mother, Preye, and Gladys, Im off!

Goodbye, Fare you well they replied in unison

As Percy started his journey, he slipped into a slow trot that he could easily maintain for the duration of the trip to town and allowed his concentration to slip from the road and into the recesses of his mind.

I will tell her tonight he thought to himself, we cannot survive much longer like this, we will starve or be run off of our ancestral lands within the next few years. He was thinking about what he was going to do to regain his family’s former glory. He had spoken to his father many times about it but all he ever said was,

My son you have life, why do you need anything else. Put those dreams of grandeur behind you and accompany me to the farm.

Not this time, Percy thought as he shook his head at the memory. This time it would be different if only he knew what he was going to do and exactly how he was going to go about it.

Hail, Percy! Santiago shouted from the center of the street leading into the town. Santiago was a squat young man a few years older than Percy, built like a bull, with a deep chest and a missing neck. He had a strong jaw and jet black hair that fell into his dark brown almost black eyes. His nose used to be straight before too many brawls had broken it too many times but that did not diminish the kindness in his face and his ready smile.

Hail Santi, Percy called back as he slowed down to a brisk walk, Come to join me on the last few kilometers of the road I see.

How is that beautiful sister of yours Percy, you know when I become rich I am going to marry her right?

Provided she accepts you and you can take care of her I have no objections friend.

"Spoken like a true friend," Santiago said as they clasped hands in greeting.

"Santi, I am glad I met you on the road, please lend me your ear and listen to my tale of anxiety."

For the past few nights I have been dreaming of the day my father passed away, just the last day of his illness. In the dream, I am running out of the office of the doctor and instead of taking the north road back up to my house I am running east always east. I think the dream is trying to tell me something but I do not know what.

That is not all that is troubling you Percy; I see it on your face. Santiago replied.

"My family is in dire straits, we have lost much of our land even before my father passed away and my mother needs to sell more to keep us alive, though she refuses to tell me. I fear that in the next few years we shall be beggared if I do not take measure now to prevent it."

"My dear friend, you have taken on the burdens of a man, so I shall give