The Island of “O”

By Eva Fischer-Dixon

At age 25, the once Princeton University wonder boy, James O. Woodward was a successful stockbroker. He was a very wealthy, extremely handsome, well-dressed, and sought after bachelor in New York City. James, who was raised by his archeology professor aunt and uncle, had everything he dreamed of, with one exception: a life partner whom he could trust and love unconditionally.

Maggie I. Richardson, a self-confessed plain-looking legal assistant was working in a New York law firm where she was a subject of bullying by three of her attractive female colleagues for being a loner from Wisconsin. By chance, James and Maggie met in a bar where her colleagues took her for their amusement. James and Maggie made a slow, but successful progress in their relationship when they discovered a common interest: the love of ancient Egyptian history. James discovers that Maggie had a brother by the name of Seth; however, she refused to talk further about him when James inquired about her family. Unexpected events, one after another, took James and Maggie to Cairo, Egypt, where they encounter strange events on the Island of Agilika, events that could change the path of their lives forever. But first, they must survive the mysterious Island of “O,” as Osiris, an island that is nowhere to be find on any maps.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796014242

Eva Fischer-Dixon

I came into this troubled world during the early morning hours of June 17, 1950, in the city of Budapest, Hungary. I was the first and last child of my 41-year-old mother and my father who was 45 years old at the time of my birth. As I did not know any better, I could not possibly understand that we were living in poverty, as I was growing up with loving parents and there was always a bite to eat. My childhood was poor and saddened with tragedies. As a six-year-old child I witnessed the bloody 1956 revolution and received the first taste of true prejudice by those of whom I thought liked us, yet turned against my family. That tragedy did not match the untimely death of my beloved father when I was not yet seven years old, on February 14, 1957. My mother remarried in 1959 and our financial situation was upgraded from poverty to poor. After finishing elementary school I made a decision to earn money as soon as possible to ease our financial situation and I enrolled in a two-year business college (high school diploma was not required). I received my Associate Degree in 1966 and I began to work as a 16-year-old certified secretary/bookkeeper. During the same period I began my high-school education, which I completed while working full-time and attending night school. I discovered my love for writing when I was 11 years old after a movie that my childhood friend and I saw in the movie theater. We were not pleased with the ending and Steven suggested that I should write a different ending that we both liked. Voila, a writer was born. With my family’s encouragement, I entered a writing contest given by a youth oriented magazine and to my genuine surprise, I won second price. My desire to live in a free country and to improve my life was so great, that in 1972, leaving everything, including my aging parents behind, I managed to escape from Hungary during a tour to Austria, (then) Yugoslavia and Italy. I spent almost nine long months in a rat infested refugee camp, located Capua, Italy, while I waited for official permission to immigrate to the country of my dreams, to the USA. In 1975 I met and married a wonderful man, my husband Guy. Thanks to his everlasting patience, he assisted me in my task of learning the English language. He is truly my partner for life and I remain forever grateful to him for standing by me in some tough times. It is difficult for me to describe my love for writing. I cannot think of a bigger emotional joy for an author than to see a published novel in somebody’s hand and to see a story come alive on the screen. I yearn to experience that joy.

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Copyright © 2019 by Eva Fischer-Dixon.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/15/2019

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CONTENTS

Deities (not all) of Ancient Egypt

James and the Firm

Maggie and Friends

Memphis

The Russian Tea Room

The Sleepover

Search and Found

True Friends and Reality

Getting to Know Each Other

The Woodwards

The In-Laws

The Evil That Men Do

Getting Ready for the Honeymoon

Cairo, Egypt

Helene (Manning) and Jake Richardson, Part 1.

Helene and Jake Richardson, Part 2.

Helene and Jake Richardson, Part 3.

The Richardsons and Their New Friends

James and Maggie in Cairo

In the Egyptian Museum

The Fever

When It Rains, It Pours

The Unexpected Visitors

Family Secrets

A Journey Into the Past

The Disappearance

Seth Richardson

On the Island of Agilika

It Just Can’t Be…

The Island of Osiris

The Day of Reckoning

The Dinner Banquet

Only the Strong Survive

The Return

Epilogue

Deities (not all) of Ancient Egypt

Goddess Nut had one desire more than anything else; she wanted to give birth to children by her husband Geb, God of the Earth. Sadly, Ra, King of all Gods and Goddesses, the God of Sun and Creation (also known by other names such as Amun-Ra and Akmun-Rah) in his elderly wisdom knew that if Goddess Nut would give birth to a male child, that child would take over his power, his reign from him. He cursed Nut in such a way that she could not possibly give birth to any of the known 360 days of the year.

Goddess Nut became devastated. Encouraged by her husband Geb, she went to see Thoth, the God of Wisdom, Learning and Magic, and whose relation to Ra was very delicate, as Thoth was Ra’s son and who was in love with Nut. Thoth knew that once his father Ra cast a curse, it could not be changed or withdrawn, he himself had to come up with a plan how to help out Nut. He indeed developed a plan and he knew how to accomplish it.

Thoth, the God of Wisdom, Learning and Magic approached Khonsu, the Moon-God and dared him to a contest at draughts (light). Thoth won each and every game they played. The stakes got so high that Khonsu, who wagered heavily, could no longer play because he lost some of his own lights that he risked and lost in a last pitch effort to win at least one game. Thoth took the light that he won and turned it into five more days, adding that to the 360 days that his father, Ra created. Although, the light that Khonsu, the Moon-God had lost in the game was later celebrated in ancient Egypt in the form of a festival, the moon no longer was able to shine consistently in full capacity for a whole month, therefore, sometimes there are only quarter moons in the sky.

Goddess Nut was forever grateful to Thoth for his help and as soon as the first of the 361st day arrived, she gave birth to her first child, a boy, that they named Osiris. On the second day, Nut gave birth to Horus the Elder; on the third day, Seth followed him. On the 364th day, Nut’s first daughter Isis came into the world, and finally, on the 365th day, Nut’s last child and second daughter named Nephthys was born. Because they were all born on days that were not in the original 360 days created by Ra, they did not have any registered birthdays.

When he grew up, Osiris became a wise Pharaoh/God and he was beloved by the people of Egypt. Myth has it then when he was born, there were early signs of his coming greatness, as supposedly wonders began to happen around the country. A man called Pamyles was instructed by a voice at the holiest temple at the Thebes, on the River Nile (the place is now being called Karnak), that he must go out in the world to spread the news that Osiris, when he grow up will be a good, caring and great king, who will bring joy, happiness and prosperity to his people.

Ra, the Sun God was right, as Osiris reached a mature age, he took over Ra’s power and became the King of all Gods, as he reigned over the underworld. As it was customary, when Osiris grew up, he married his sister Isis, like his other sibling Seth who married their sister, Nephthys. Later, after his second death, Isis, his sister/wife had his body embalmed and it was then that his spirit traveled into Amenti, who was the King of the Dead in the ancient Egyptian mythology, although the underworld (later) was ruled by Osiris and by many other Gods as well.

Isis, the first daughter born to Nut has become the Goddess of Magic, Marriage, Protection and Medicine (healing). She became the wife of Nut’s first-born son, Osiris and it was known throughout ancient Egypt that their marriage was successful and a loving one. After out of jealousy Seth killed his brother, Osiris, Isis did not rest until she recovered his body and resurrected him using her magic. Seth found out and killed him again by dissecting him into pieces and each piece of his brother and ruling king of Egypt was thrown into the River Nile. The ever-hungry infamous Nile crocodiles, recognizing that the flesh in the water once belonged to a God, did not consume any part of it. For the second time in her life, Isis once again began to search for her beloved brother and husband’s body, but at that time she was not alone in her search, her sister, Nephthys, who abandoned her abusive husband Seth, tirelessly searched along side with her.

Many years passed by the time Isis was able to collect almost all of Osiris’ body parts, with the exception of one, which she was able to re-create by using her magic. After embalming Osiris’ body, Isis took it to a sacred place herself that only she knew. Their child, a son was born and he was named, Horus the Younger.

Nephthys was the second daughter born to Nut and her husband Geb. She became the Goddess of Commemoration and the Funeral of the Dead. Her marriage to her brother, Seth was not a happy one, as Seth was an evil God. After their child Anubis was born, in fear, that perhaps Seth would harm their own child, she took Anubis and entrusted him into the arms of her siblings, Isis and Osiris. On many pictures, Anubis is depicted as a jackal headed God.

Horus the Younger was the only child of Osiris and his sister/wife Isis. Knowing what Seth was capable of, Isis took him along with Anubis, who was entrusted into her hand by her sister, Nephthys, to an island not known to anyone. To make absolutely certain that Seth or any other vengeful Gods would not find the island, using her magic, Isis made the island float in the water from place to place to make it harder to notice. That is where Horus the Younger and Anubis grew up.

Osiris, although he was no longer among the living, sent his spirit to his son and taught him to be a great warrior, who could not only fight Seth in the physical sense, but also in the spirits as well. By the encouragement of his father, Osiris’ spirit, Horus eventually declared war on his uncle, Seth, and challenged him to a battle with their armies in the desert of the South. Horus was temporary blinded by Seth when he got close to Horus in the shape of a huge pig, which threw flames into the face/eyes of him.

Ra, who also happened to be Horus’ mentor, took him to a safe place, a dark room where his eyes healed some time later. As Ra departed back to the sky, Horus called upon his men and under his leadership, his army engaged war after war with Seth and his army, until they had their last and greatest battle at Edfu. To honor Horus for his victory, a temple was erected at the location of that battle, which is still standing in modern Egypt.

During the battle of Edfu, mythical and unnatural events took place when Seth turned himself into a huge red hippopotamus and Horus took the shape of a 12’ tall young man. He had a harpoon in his hand that was 30’ long and which had a 6’ wide blade. It caused the death of evil God Seth, as Horus cast his harpoon at the hippopotamus’ (Seth in animal shape) head, deep into his brain. That one cast of harpoon was enough to end the hatred that Seth, Horus’ uncle harbored against his parents, Isis and Osiris.

Of course, many years later, after Horus the Younger’s passing, he also traveled to the underworld where he met Seth again and continued fighting their wars again each other, a place from where no one has ever returned.

James and the Firm

James O. Woodward was an extraordinary young man. It was as simple as that. There was no other possible ways to describe him. His appearance turned heads of males and females alike, and when he spoke; his voice was clear, pleasant and self-assured. On one occasion a woman told him that he looked so great that Brat Pitt would hide in embarrassment if he ever met him. James replied with a shy smile by telling the woman that he would trade his looks with anyone if he could have just half of Brad Pitt’s talent for acting.

Actually he didn’t think that he looked like the actor at all, he accepted the complements just the same, as he accepted similar ones many times before. He was over six feet tall and his dark, almost jet-black hair controverted the startling blue eyes that grabbed the attention of any person whom he looked at, or remotely glanced at.

If anyone would know him as well as the owners of the financial firm, Diamant and Fenyvesi knew him, they would have thought that the two partners made up James’ story, because nobody would climb the corporate ladder as quickly, and as successfully as James O. Woodward did. Then again, his employers’ background spoke success no matter what angle anyone tried to analyze them, and analyzing is what every firm did when Julius Diamant and his European partner Mihaly Fenyvesi registered their firm on the New York stock market.

Julius Diamant was an up and coming young banker and financial advisor in Florida when he received an invitation to an investment symposium in Frankfurt, Germany.

During a social event he met Mihaly Fenyvesi, an Astro-Hungarian banker and investor, who had offices in Vienna and Budapest, and who was looking for possibilities in the US business world. The two young financiers chance encounter blossomed into a friendship and a financial partnership that leaped over bodies of water and entered into Wall Street’s well-established circle.

At first they were the joke of the financial community, and even to them their future didn’t look that promising. However, there were two things they never ceased to believe in; one was hope and secondly, they knew how important it was to be patient. Diamant turned to his clients in Florida and Fenyvesi turned to his European friends in the financial world and slowly, but surely, the two young men who opened their new headquarters in cramped offices in a New York City building, a block from Wall Street, were followed by their clients from different continents.

Diamant and Fenyvesi based their financial investments heavily on technology and nobody was disappointed. Their second annual investment earnings were over three hundred million dollars and the two men themselves earned respectable incomes. It was that time that they began to look for young and enthusiastic people to join their firm, and when they selected six young men and women, all of them accepted the entry-level job at their firm without any questions asked. The very first one to sign up was James O. Woodward, fresh out of Princeton with a Masters Degree in Economics. When they asked him how old he was, as he looked extremely young having a Masters Degree, James was almost embarrassed to admit that he was only twenty years old.

Diamant and Fenyvesi looked at each other during the interview and before James left their office, he had a job at the firm with the starting salary of $100,000 per year with a bonus percentage of the firm’s earnings. They couldn’t decide who was happier, James, or his new bosses, nevertheless, the two young financiers sensed something incredible in the young man.

After the fourth year at the firm of Diamant and Fenyvesi, James was a multi millionaire. Not a single person on Wall Street talked about or mentioned the firm as a joke; instead, they were looking at the firm as a fierce some competitor. James rose to the rank of Chief Advisor and Vice President, and for the first time in five years, Julius Diamant and Mihaly Fenyvesi finally took an extended vacation well knowing that their business was in good hands.

Of course, on the other hand, James did not have a vacation in years and it was unusual if he didn’t work at least 14 or 15 hours a day. His work habits and loyalty to Diamant and Fenyvesi were legendary in the financial circles and the temptations of joining other financial firms were constant. He just smiled when at social events that he had to attend; top heads of big name firms approached him. He always let them talk; he listened to them while his mind wandered in many different directions.

Rumors circulated in various ways about him of being a Rhodes Scholar, a Princeton wonder boy or an Oxford graduate, none of them were true; well sort of. James O. Woodward indeed graduated at age twenty from Princeton with a Master’s Degree at the top of his class, which made his aunt and uncle extremely proud since both of them were professors at Princeton, teaching Egyptian History and Archeology at the prestigious college. Although James always had been fascinated by stories that his Aunt Barbara and Uncle Christopher told him when he was tucked in bed as a young child, he elected economics as his major when he entered Princeton. His decision did not offend the people who raised him, but they were somewhat surprised, as they believed that ancient history and archeology was in his blood.

To his aunt and uncle it became clear that James possessed something very special, as one day, when he was barely five years old, they found him flipping through a book on Egyptian cryptology and he asked them to teach him to read the ancient Egyptian language. When they told him that he could not even read English, he picked up a book and began to read. Barbara and Christopher Woodward were astonished that their nephew, whom they raised from almost age two, could already read, as they had no recollection of ever teaching him. They asked him who taught him, the child just shrugged and answered that no one did, he just start reading. Next thing they knew, instead of reading bedtime stories to James, they began to teach him to read the three ancient Egyptian texts that were written in Hieroglyphs, Hieratic and Demotic. By the time James entered school, their wonder boy could read English and all three ancient Egyptian writings fluently, along with speaking the Arabic language. He quickly advanced in school and finished three years ahead of his peers.

James, he heard a man’s voice from the open doorway of his office. He glanced up and smiled.

What’s happening my man? He asked the young man standing there.

Do you know what time it is? Henry replied with a question of his own.

James glanced at his watch and took a deep breath. It happened again, as it happened just about every night, time got away from him. It was already six thirty in the evening and the office was officially closed for hours. Yet, he was still there working on the computer, going through hundreds of screens of information and data of their investors.

Did you forget? Henry asked again.

James stared at his friend and colleague and it dawned on him that it was the night when Henry’s bachelor party was taking place. There was no way that he could leave his work and when he looked at his friend, he saw hurt in his eyes. I am so sorry, said James.

Man, you have got to get a life, Henry replied disappointedly. James was his closest friend, he was asked to be the best man at his upcoming wedding. It was James himself who organized the bachelor party and he had the look on his face that Henry recognized. It was the I am sorry but I just can’t do it look. At least can you stop by later? He asked James. Man, you have got to take a break, this is Friday. Although it was indeed Friday, Henry was fully aware of the fact that James even worked on Saturdays and often on Sundays too.

James nodded and playfully crossed his heart. I will try to stop by. Everything is set up, all you have to do is just to show up, he told Henry.

Alright, his friend replied. Hopefully I’ll see you later.

James returned to his work and it took another hour before he finished, and then another ten minutes to print the new figures on the large network printer. As he stood there watching each page pop on the tray, he thought about his friend Henry, and it occurred to him that he haven’t had a date in several months.

It’s not like he never dated and he was not bitter about the fact that his latest girlfriend, whom he shared his Upper Manhattan apartment moved out without as much as saying goodbye to him in person. After all, she did leave him a note saying that for the three months they lived together, she only saw him a few times. She mentioned that it was obvious to her that he would rather spend his time with investors than her. She emphasized that she still liked him and wished him much happiness.

James knew one thing for certain, and he also believed one hundred percent, that one day he will see the woman who was meant for him, and he will now that in an instant when they meet. Childish thinking, he thought at times, but something inside him convinced him that someday he will be happy, or was there some kind of curse hanging over him? He recalled those mysterious ancient Egyptian texts he used to read as a child, and he remembered that some predictions felt so close to him, that sometimes he thought that perhaps they were written to him as some sort of warning. Warning about what? He wondered.

And of course, he never ceased to regret the day when he disappointed his beloved aunt and uncle by informing them that despite his deep interest in the field of Egyptology, and despite the fact that his own parents were archeologists, he was going to study economics. Yes, they were disappointed, and yes, they backed him up in any decision he decided upon. And there he was, the financial whiz kid, a twenty-five year old highly successful man who was unable to find the right woman in his life.

No, it was not like him to give up hope, but the signs were not promising. He did not care to go out with any of the possibly dozens of women with whom his various friends tried to set him up with, simply because while most of them were priceless, that was according to the person who introduced them, nothing clicked. No supermodels, no actresses, upcoming or already successful businesswomen was able to arouse James’ interest. Yet, despite all the unsuccessful dates, dinner parties or casual introductions, James was convinced that his heart and brains would give him some sort of signals when he met the woman of his destiny.

When the printer stopped, he collected the couple hundred pages and walked back to his desk with the large stack of reports. James placed them at the middle of his desk; he knew analyzing what he printed was going to be his first task for him the following morning. He turned off his computer and the lights in his office and made his way to the elevator.

James had two options and he weighed both of them. He was either going to join his friend’s bachelor party, or go home to get some rest. For days he planned to call his aunt and uncle whom he called Mom and Dad for a good reason, and he genuinely felt guilty for not doing so. Perhaps I’ll call them tonight, he thought. They raised him and gave him the best education that was