Mission to Goshen: Gold's Saga in Egypt

By Victor Olaoye

Assad Shebathai was sentenced to death for killing three henchmen who had abducted his son for the purposes of ritual and servitude, but he was also the only person to know the location of the familys gold of $300 million dollars brought from Israel. With no communication allowed with his family the gold was feared lost.

For years the Egyptian authorities, while trying to know the golds location used many ways and means, including espionage, intelligence device and even trick Assad into revealing its whereabouts, particularly one man who would stop at nothing in his quest to uncover the enigma.

Now with seven days until Assads execution, a six-man strong intelligence team, led by his son have little time to try and rescue him and retrieve the gold. But will the modus operandi of the genius prevail? Will the gold be found and will they be able to save Assad? Its a race against time...

An amazing adventure, delving into an unbelievable story of thriller, love, wealth, war, tradition, and intelligence know how... You might never think of hearing the sounds from death drums before!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: May 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543487602

Victor Olaoye

Hailed from the ancient Oyo royal dynasty in western Nigeria, Victor OLAOYE after his basic and higher educations in Nigeria then followed up in Canada and France where he lives. He is one of the rare genius of our era; An author, poet; he is a creative artist in illustrations and painting; in 1988, then a student of 20 years old, he staged the trial of Nelson Mandela at the (African House) National Arts Theatre, Lagos- Nigeria at the presence of many ambassadors and high commissioners including ambassador Victor Matlou, the first ANC Chief Representative in West Afria. He is a permanent artist member of Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture. Prime among his projects at the pipelines are books and films (FORBIDDEN CHAPTER - HOLY SIN IN EDEN)- (NELSON MANDELA - HARD WAY TO LIBERTY) Cool headed and easy going VICTOR is a passionate of peace nature and geen pasture.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Shebathais - Burning stem of a Blinded Love

By 1892, a famously wealthy prince and princess headed a great dynasty in the land of Hebrew, known as man of timber and calibre; SHEBAHAI was one among the notable personalities of his equality in wealth possessing.

Precious amongst his fortune was a treasure of raw gold worth three hundred million dollars which no-one ever knew the source of neither the hideout, except Abigail, the wife.

Prince and Princess SHEBAHAI were blessed with three children of differing ages by the time they were discovered: Assad twenty-five, Sara fifteen, and Aklem six years, respectively.

Nevertheless, life in that Jewish dynasty was never as splendid as that moment, when everything around them, even the fifty-two men and women working under the dynastic patrimony, were living on the wings of epochs.

However, an unbelievable coincidence or destiny encounter occurred by then between the female daughter of Prince SHEBAHAI and the son of his servants, when an hazardous love united the two yet to be matured, and whom for a long time were living next door to each other in that bull of a galaxy, but ironically in different altitudes, while Dowdy was living with his parents in the worker’s quarters, and Sara, the fortunate unique daughter of the multi-millionaire prince was living inside her parent’s temple of fortune.

There, she occupied a two-bedroom flat, in which she was living inside one and the second was designated for puppets. Unbelievable, no-one then could imagine that the daughter of the man of timber and calibre could one day fall in love with the son of her father’s servants, Abdulla and Leila, Egyptian by origin came to work as maid and maiden in the service of the SHEBATHAI after they left Egypt in search for another sphere. While Abdullah was in charge of dry cleaning and cooking, Leila was working as house maid in charge of interior cleaning.

Things become more serious between the two unknown teenage lovers at the moment Sara and Dowdy clocked fifteen and sixteen, respectively.

Dowdy, when speaking with friends sometimes refers to the past when Sara would pass food and some coins to him through the window but hardly imagined a common destiny forged towards the destination. However, with security guards always besides Sara, they hardly talked to each other, except during the Shebathai’s celebration of yearly thanks giving days; when children converged with parents to celebrate the feast of the new moon. Dowdy’s parents by then played the pioneering role in cooking and supervising. Obviously, that is the only free moment Sara profited to play with children of her age including the far nearer unknown future lover.

Nevertheless, by then Dowdy, overwhelmed by inferiority complex, even upon admiration and hidden feelings towards Sara, never dared move near as she was considered to a no-go zone. Meanwhile Sara besieged by the turbulence of love, saw her constraints reduced, but still hesitated about going or not towards him until finally she decided she wouldn’t be the first to step ahead.

Even though, often in the past they used to be seen sometimes at the time Sara accompanied her father, Haddad when strolling in the yard, then no-one ever anticipated hearing the voice from the united destiny, until when the two separated roots becomes one stem.

For a long time, they had been living that life of immaturity, until coincidentally, an occasion which they never failed to seize permitted for the first time, when they discover each other, and from there, the longtime hidden sentiments unveiled.

During that occasion, when eating and drinking were free for all, guests and non-invitees welcomed; it was also the custom when at least twelve different menus were served by twelve service men and women.

Nevertheless, as was tradition during that usual occasion, after serving the special invitees, servants of the households were equally guests of honour, because that was a day when normally they could eat many dishes they were unable to afford.

As the fiesta got to its heat stream, the children trooped out to thrill the invitees and that was the only occasion to watch them caressing the soil with talons.

At the end of each particular album, everyone returned to their seat before the next album was inserted into the Sanyo made megaphone.

Unconscious that Sara was eying him; Dowdy got a shock when for the first time he flanked at her and saw Sara’s eyes suspended at him.

And from there, eye contact became the game of distance.

However, captivated by the blowing vent of reciprocity, they both realised that things had become more serious than ever before. Dowdy, completely overwhelmed by Sara’s anticipation, now found that the girl whose piece of gown he could never touch in the past is now admiring and led him out of that illusion of inferiority complex which has been the obstacle hindering him, and then anticipated.

Nevertheless, at a point in time, the distanced eye contacts became effective as regards the dominating tempo and by then Sara constrained herself to change position; after downing all looks, she came and sat nearer to him.

She now wanted to hear from the horse’s mouth, then queried while laughing.

‘I can see for a while your eyes had not departed from, can you tell me the reasons?’

Dowdy, embarrassed, closed his eyes with his two hands.

‘Tell me, are you a shy type?’ Sara queried.

‘Somewhat, but not only that…’

‘Then which one?’

‘I was just sceptical to be the first coming to you.’

‘I see, for a long time you were hesitating to come nearer, even though you eagerly wished to. I came to bail you out,’ said Sara.

‘In fact, you really bailed me not only out, but in equality.’

‘I was hesitating to talk about my feelings to you; I imagined about what I would say and from where would I start?’

‘I was sure you were being misled, probably by the fake image of an inferiority complex,’ said Sara.

‘How do you know, tell me please.’ ‘Sara it seems you are reading my mind,’ said Dowdy.

‘No,’, ‘you are not a robot - it’s only robot’s minds that can be programmed and read. I think.’

‘You must be kidding Dowdy,’ I am not a mind reader’ opined Sara.

Suddenly, as the music changed to another rhythm, to the surprise of everyone on the festival’s gathering, they held each other and headed to the dance floor before going to the balcony where Dowdy had never stepped before in his life.

But suddenly the young man come out from under the veil of timidity and obliged to be himself, and then make the second move towards Sara, already in the winds of tension. Then, blunted by emotional feelings, he retorted, ‘for a long time I have been dreaming about this unbelievable moment.’

‘Dreaming about what?’ asked Sara.

‘About a moment like this when I can free myself from timidity and share my feelings with you.’

‘Sure? Sharing your feelings with me? Just don’t joke.’

‘I am Frank, I never joke.’

Then Sara couldn’t wait to query, ‘are you not Dowdy anymore, and since when are you Mr Frank?’

‘Ah! That’s right; you know as regards the differences between us I really felt sceptical to be the first to come nearer and approach,’ said Dowdy.

‘And why are you talking about differences? I have not seen any.’

‘But I have seen a wider one, I even imagined if I am not exaggerating by the time I decided to toast you,’ vowed Dowdy.

‘But for me, I repeated there is none,’ maintained Sara.

‘If you really mean this, I believe you, but let me tell you something…some prefer to be thrown into the lagoon instead of missing a beloved one,’ unveiled Dowdy.

‘What are talking about?’ queried Sara.

‘Sure, you are not drunk?’

‘I never drink dear,’ said Dowdy, while flanking at her and asked, ‘dear, I don’t know if I am permitted to finish my phrase.’

‘Go ahead and finish please,’ said Sara.

As Dowdy stuttered to talk, Sara intervened and said, ‘do I bail you out again?’

‘Please do, as many times as you observe I am holding in an impasse’, Dowdy uttered.

‘Okay dear,’ Sara opined.

Perplexed and astonished, Dowdy looked with admiration when he heard ‘dear’ from Sara and for the first time he then started stammering, unable to be fluent and audible, Sara stopped him.

‘Can you now stop stammering and talk to me?’ she asked.

‘You know it has been hard for me to disclose my hidden sentiment to you, believe me,’ Dowdy declared.

‘And why did you wait this long then before unveiling yourself? And what if another guy was faster than you?’ queried Sara.

‘Fortunately, no-one, I can see I am the lucky one.’

‘And who tells you there was no-one before you?’

‘Please don’t let me down inside the lagoon,’ said Dowdy.

‘You don’t have to, but truly there were some who had tempted their luck but to no avail.’

Eager to know Dowdy queried, ‘and what happened?’

‘Only they were not welcome,’ replied Sara.

Dowdy breathed out.

‘But this is just advice, next time don’t waste time before tempting your luck. It’s either you fail or you succeed, and the earlier you know your fate, the better instead of succumbing to hesitation or an inferiority complex as you may call it.’

Dowdy, for a while stood and meditated over it then voiced out, ‘Sara, you never believed I am the shy type! Please, forgive me if it is a sin.’

‘I have seen that in you and that is the reason why I was asking whether you drank before talking to me?’ stressed Sara.

‘No not at all, I am not drinking, but the feelings in me are just so strong that at a point like now I could not contain or harbour it in me, in fact it kept gnawing at me daily for long a while now,’ declared Dowdy.

‘And why is it now? I am still asking?’ queried Sara.

‘You are right, my dear, I would have attempted it before long but I believed I was being really restricted by that superiority complex as regards you and of course, for the fact that my parents were ordinary servants under your parents. Besides, I got scared and mindful as regards my parent’s fate should you shun me off and your parents react,’ confessed Dowdy.

‘You are making a mistake, let me tell you this bitter truth, you know upon my parent’s wealth; never one day would they impose the choice of friends or lovers upon us.’

‘Looking like one out of a nightmare,’ Dowdy stagnated, ‘you mean I can one day be accepted as son in-law by your parents, no, I am joking.’

‘Are you serious with what you have just said? So, you are joking with me?’ queried Sara.

‘No, never, I thought I was exaggerating by the time I made mention of son in-law,’ explained Dowdy.

‘Dowdy let me tell you about this thing, I don’t believe wealth makes a man.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘I mean money is never a solution to all andf has nothing to do with limpid love.’

‘Might be, but according to my premature vision of life, I think it’s only death that money can’t purchase, and this is the general view of all those that are not fortunate like you.’

‘You must be joking, but I believe it is the contrary of what you are saying my dear, as for me money has no genealogy, it comes towards those who has a slight chance of its visit…money is a visitor; if you don’t know I am just telling you this truth, and believe prosperity is diversified in various segments, some are prospered in money, others in longevity and many others like the gifts of wisdom and so forth.’

‘Then I can hope of been one of your future family member?’

‘And why not…? You are already if you keep on being serious.’

‘I am ever more than serious, even like you can’t ever imagine, Sara,’ Dowdy happily approved.

Sara shined her eyes at Dowdy for a long while, then unto Dowdy to damn his timidity and gazed back at her. And for a couple of minutes, sentiment discharging took over interdictions. The two, consecutively for a second time of its kinds, reciprocally took one step towards another while warming hugs and kisses clarified the genesis of a long way in togetherness.

Dowdy, over joyous, couldn’t hold back and declared, ‘I am stupefied, I just can’t believe it, am I in a dream or in reality?’ he queried to himself.

Sara jokingly asked, ‘really?’

‘No, I can’t believe it,’ he vowed while replying.

Dowdy, whose mother was nanny to Sara during their juvenility ever in life, dreamed of entering into the Shebathai’s Grand Lodge until that day - hazard or destiny made him to admit that the impossibility is an illusion. That possibility of entering into the Lodge seen by then like a mountain which can’t ever be climbed and which a blinded love virtually brought to foot stood.

And for the fact that the two grew up in various categories of life which didn’t border Sara instead adopted herself to the merit of love, is seen as a brutal surprise by their friends, who kept saying that they had never seen such a thing in the past, a situation when the daughter of a multimillionaire got lost in the arms of a poor servant’s son.

Invaded by the surprise events, Dowdy never believed about what he’s going through when the course of life takes over from that which initially was seen as a slipping ground… it was more than a nightmare. He then suspended his eyes on her as if looking at an angel.

Worried by the condemned eyes on her, Sarah queried, ‘why are you fixing your eyes at me? Am I not the same as you have been seeing?’

‘No, I am not sure of what I am seeing. I believe it not, am I in a nightmare I think?’ queried Dowdy.

‘It’s only you who can respond to your questions,’ Sara replied.

‘No, I am still not sure.’

‘Now you are seeing the signs of possibility,’ Sara declared.

‘That you, Sara, daughter of my parent’s master can one day be mine? I am still dreaming I think.’

Sara then warned, ‘don’t let yourself be captivated by doubt, I am for you, now just believe I love you for real, even when sometimes those days when I used to pass cake through windows for you, I personally never thought we could come this far.’ Flanking at him, Sara questioned, ‘have you ever fallen in love before?’

‘No, not really, except for having some friends in my school with those I usually joke.’ Dowdy said.

‘Jokes for real, hum! I can’t really believe that,’ reiterated Sara.

‘Believe me, please Sara, I can’t tell you a lie.’ Setting eyes on her, Dowdy asked Sara, ‘and you?’

‘Not really into deep relationships, very far paradoxical to what I am feeling with you, you know, let me tell you; there are many guys running behind in the name of love, but I didn’t believe it and later found out that some are only impressed by other things apart from me…’

‘Many other things like what?’ Dowdy queried.

‘I think like the wealth of my parents; while others believe their parents are also equal or above mine and that could attract me, but they later found out they were wrong and that it was a mistake of identity.’

‘Thanks, please just don’t mind them,’ retorted Dowdy.

‘But Dowdy, it is also hard for me to believe you never had a lover ever before,’ Sara asked.

‘Believe me Sara, the last mistake I can’t afford at this stage is to tell you a fallacy,’ concluded Dowdy.

‘And why,’ asked Sarah, while laughing.

‘I just have no answer to that question my dear, but just believe I love you.’

At that point, Dowdy made a step forward and asked to be permitted to kiss her. ‘Can I…?

Sara tenderly submitted her jaws and said, ‘it’s yours.’

Hesitatingly, Dowdy, while shaking and dared not hold her, Sara drew him nearer for a hug. Unable to hold his sentimental emotions he then burst into tears of joy, by then, Sara brought out a handkerchief to clean his tears.

Still in that bull of vivid imagination about the possibility of impossible, Dowdy kept saying, ‘oh my God, I can’t believe this, so mysterious in understanding.’

‘Tell me, and what’s mysterious?’ asked Sara.

‘That me, the son of that, no, I am moved to shed tears, I am dazzled,’ Dowdy vowed.

And as he was tracing the chapter of genesis which merged their way, Sara for the first time asked if she could come along to visit him in the boys’ quarters.

Even though, the two grew up in the same yard but in different universes, this was the first time mindless Sara would walk barefooted to enter the servant’s bungalow. Then Sara’s proposition stormed Dowdy who felt surpassed, but would not dare hesitate for what he never dreamed of and said, ‘do you mean this?’

‘Of course, I do,’ declared Sara and even before he finished talking Dowdy got up and said, ‘up we go, but mind you, my room is not rated even ten percent of that luxury of yours.’

‘That is not my problem,’ Sara emphasised.

Getting to Dowdy’s home, the two for the first-time broached issues in accordance to their juvenility and the Intriguing burning love; followed by jokes and laughter.

Sara completely comfortable while for the first time in that poor boy’s room made Dowdy to believe he had found an unconditional love with her. Dowdy who initially felt uncomfortable to let her meet his parents, doubting that could make her change her mind, but surprisingly by the moment they were about going out, Sara drew him and said, ‘take me to salute your parents.’

Astonished, Abdulla and Leila felt stupefied when seeing their everyday pet, and then geared up with enthusiasm to greet that little girl, once worried by juvenile delinquency and to whom they used to be nanny right from birth.

After going back with Sara to her luxurious apartment Still in that bull of unimaginable events about what they had seen, Leila, Dowdy’s mother, burst into jubilation while singing and dancing; then she intoned, ‘who is like you Yahweh… capable of bringing under the same roof the son of poor me to that of the royal diadem?’

Nevertheless, dream, nightmare, or reality, Dowdy failed to realise what was happening, seeing she who lived in a luxury apartment coming along with him in that tattered room, he couldn’t hold bursting into tears again and seeing him in that mood, Sara queried, ‘and why are you again in this weird mood, shedding tears all the time like a baby, oh I forget, you are still a baby pet to your parents, especially your mother,’ opined Sara.

Dowdy then lifted up his eyes and gazed at her, then confessed, ‘you know, Sara with you I still can imagine this extraordinary luck I am having, I believe sometimes that my often tears represent my profound gaiety, and the abundance of the love I owe you. Since the day you showed me your love I believe I am the most fortunate on earth. A dream I never had until day by day I am seeing it concretizing. I still can’t imagine after, you know my parent’s situation and the lowered level of our life; still you wouldn’t mind being mine.’

‘Come on Dowdy, money doesn’t make the monk,’ reiterated Sara, while furthering, ‘my parents, upon all our wealth never taught us to be arrogant, and besides, I personally believe love and luxury has nothing in common; so, I am prepared to stay with you whatever you are, wherever you live, and be very proud to follow you to your parent’s home, ‘stressed Sara.

Obviously by the time she decided to follow him down, Dowdy felt the heavens would fall and with confusion and perplexity, he never stopped thinking that Sara would let him down after seeing where he lived, but he later converted his hesitations into faith and authority over doubts and panic as that decision of Sara to follow him, which he thought would end their relationship later turned out to be the occasion for a stoning love.

Dowdy, while unable to hide his shocking surprise by Sara’s unconcerned comportment about their precarious way of living, opined, ‘I vow, the way I am feeling things now, just believe besides you, there is nothing more special in my life, In fact, without you my days will be ending in emptiness.’

‘But who knows the role you will play in my life in a future to come,’ evoked Sara.

‘Maybe, but I can’t see any worthy thing I could do to withstand what you have done by accepting me into your life and again without conditions.’

‘But you have been singing about loving me for quite a while and still I am waiting to hear what you are still hiding. Tell me the truth. Is this the first time you have fallen in love?’ queried Sara, ‘or will you tell me, you’ve never known any girl?’

‘No, I have never. This is my first time; it has never happened to me like this before.’

‘Please just hold on with your cinema view,’ replied Sara.

‘I am serious and frank Sara, let me just tell you this hard truth - my dreams are filled of your presence that you can never imagine. Anytime, anywhere, and whenever I keep my eyes opened or closed it’s only you I see,’ Dowdy insisted.

Sara, with laughter, responded, ‘I hope things would remain as this for a long time.’

He then gently approached to embrace her and to his surprise she reciprocally responded; and by the same moment, her mother Abigail, who wouldn’t like sending security guards behind her daughter, was just arriving to send Dowdy back into the boys’ quarters.

Slightly opening the cotton on them, Abigail said, ‘its late Dowdy,’ then she walked back into the master bedroom.

And from then, the two lovers were obliged to call it off for that night, then Sara moved nearer, embraced Dowdy and in an absolute emotional mood, they said good night to each other.

Abigail later called her daughter for some advice.

‘Sara, when it is getting late you have to discharge Dowdy whenever he is with you, you know your father won’t tolerate that, it’s too early for that now. You know he cannot be permitted to sleep here until probably after your engagement, and of course after a reasonable level of education.’

‘That, I am conscious of mum never worry, next time he will be gone before it gets too late,’ reiterated Sara.

The second day Dowdy could not withhold his emotional feelings and came to see Sara early, only just to tell her, ‘I love you.’

Knocking at the door, Sara watched through the door’s loop and, knowing fully it was Dowdy she jokingly decided to embarrass him, then she queried, ‘who are you and what do you desire?’

The poor boy sorrowfully responded, ‘it’s Dowdy, don’t you know me again?’

‘And what do you want?’ she further interrogated.

‘I am Dowdy, is that not Sara?’ She kept quiet and Dowdy became embarrassed, troubled and worried, he kept murmuring, ‘I don’t know what’s going on, Sara, are you hearing me?’

‘No,’ she said, while pretending.

‘You don’t want to see me?’ Hopelessly standing by the door, Dowdy perplexed, didn’t know what to do while Sara watching through the door’s loop, loudly burst into laughter.

Dowdy enthusiastically said, ‘come on Sara stop rendering me sad and crazy please…’

Then suddenly the polished wooden door opened and she fell into his arms and gave him some kisses. Dowdy breathed in and felt relieved; before they both advanced ahead to the couching chairs.

And from there, the imminent love enflamed, leading to endless unions between the daughter of the wealthy prince and the son of the servants.

Back at Dowdy’s home the day was still young