***
During the sumptuous wedding feast later that evening, a whole goat is roasted over an open fire of wood imported from Persia, and servants bring out platters of dried fruit cuscus, lemon-zested tobuli-salad, and eggplant baba-ghanoush. Dantes asks Raymee why she acted so vindictively toward Mumad.
She says, “Let’s enjoy this pistachio-stuffed date pie first.” Sipping on mint tea, she finally begins to explain herself. “I learned from your life story that I had a ‘Fernand’ on my hands, and my measures were not vindictive but rather protective; first, to kill his insistence on becoming my husband; and secondly, to keep him from harming you or me.”
“But, poor Dr. Omar — that is certainly revenge,” replies Dantes. “I cannot reconcile the sweet girl I thought you were to this cold woman you have become.”
“There are good reasons for my actions,” says Raymee, “but I will reveal only one now, and that is that these people only respect raw power. My performance tonight will put enough fear in them to enable me to control them.”
“I see the logic in that, and I also know how sweet revenge first tastes,” Dantes concedes. “Yet, I must warn you that revenge always recoils on its victor; and this, you know, I learned first-hand. Be careful, Raymee. The fruits of revenge are not always as pleasing as they look hanging upon the branch.”
The End
If you enjoyed Book II, please “hope and wait” for Book III to be made available soon.
Enjoy the opening verses to Book III Count I, as a sample of what is to come.
ENTERS SHERLOCK HOLMES
Thinking I had written the last account of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, it comes as quite a delightful surprise when London’s most celebrated detective calls on me one beautiful spring Sunday morning, in the twilight of my retirement.
“My dear Doctor Watson,” declares he, in a voice charged with a newfound gusto and electrical energy, “There is one last adventure from my youth that must be recorded for posterity.”
“What posterity?” says I, “Neither of us have children.”
“That is a different story. But we may circumnavigate the world to get back to that adventure of mine, too. However, the posterity that I reference is that of the Count of Monte Cristo, his heirs, and all of those that his life has touched. More precisely, I am referring to our literary posterity.”
“I read the book with great interest, and the subsequent news reports of how he rose to become the magnificent Sultan of Albania. But how can an adventure from your youth reach to so famous a persona without my knowledge? How can you keep such a singular secret from me all of these years?”
“ ‘Singular,’ most definitely. We can even call this case, ‘singularity itself,’ as this is the case whereupon I cut my teeth discovering my investigative powers, which shone more brilliantly than you yourself were privileged to witness through our countless adventures. What I never told you is that Conan Doyle was my best childhood friend, and his family invited me to join them on their vacation in Paris.”
“You mean to say that Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was your childhood friend, the very one that the Queen knighted recently?” Dr Watson asks.
“Yes, the very one. And he and his father play an integral role in this greatest of all adventures. What I am about to relay to you will change your perception of history and blaze a path to understanding the future.”
Dr. Watson opens a box carved of mahogany wood, intricately inlaid with pearls, and offers a Cuban cigar to his best friend, saying, “Tell me if these are not the finest smokes yet.”
While waiting for an answer, Dr. Watson asks, “Have you increased your dosage of cocaine? Because never have you been so electrified with energy!”
“Indeed, I am more electrified than ever, yet not from cocaine, which I now eschew. Rather, it is due to your good recommendation, and my excitement in knowing how you will respond to learning about this greatest of all adventures.”
Holmes, puffing as Dr. Watson lights his cigar, adds, “This is indeed the finest Cuban to date; however, it does not compare to the smoke you recommended.”
“Ahh-hah! Let me guess!” shouts out Watson. “You now stuff your pipe with Cannabis Sativa?”
“You hit the bull’s-eye, my dear Watson! Just wait until you see my lab, overgrown with various strains, together with my other amazing experiments!”
“I can’t wait to write down every detail. Let the story telling begin!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Who is The Holy Ghost Writer?
The mystery of the identity of the author is part of an international contest. The first person to discover the identity of the HG Writer, from the clues found in the several Count of Monte Cristo sequels, will receive a reward of $2500.
Submit what you believe to be the correct answer to [email protected], in order to win this reward, along with letting us know the clues that led you to discovering the identity of the author. Should the winner wish his/her identity to be known in the press, he/she may request same. Those that already know the author or have worked with him/her will not qualify. Good luck.
The Sultan of Monte Cristo: First Sequel to The Count of Monte Cristo Page 13
