by Gene P. Abel
John’s plan was the same for his before-tax investments, such as his IRAs, but he decided to split his after-tax investments in thirds. The first third would be converted to money market funds, the second third to gold, and the final third to short sales. He, too, would seek Dave’s advice on the timing and the stocks to be used for the short sales.
After they completed their outlines, Jerry suggested they call Dave to see if he was available for a videoconference. Jerry had installed this feature on his PC and thought it was an effective communication tool. John thought that was a good idea, and Jerry proceeded to call Dave. As it turned out, Dave was also considering his options and agreed to fire up his PC so they could have their videoconference.
It took a few minutes to get set up, and they began reviewing the two plans with Dave. He thought the plans were sound and agreed to act as their broker to implement their plans when the time was right. He told them he would begin sending them a list of potential short-sell stocks.
The summer passed quickly, and it wasn’t long before the cool nights signaled the onset of fall. It was peaceful both in world politics and on Wall Street. It was hard to believe that within six months the events in Jerry’s dream could take place. Dave conferred with Jerry and John, and as December arrived, he began sending possible short-sale stocks for them to consider.
In January there was a flurry of activity between the Palestinian Authority and Israel on a peace agreement. This process was viewed by some of the more radical elements in the Palestinian movement as a move to weaken the support for their demands for a separate state. This sparked a series of incidents between the Palestinians and the Israelis that ended with the death of several hundred people and massive demonstrations throughout the Middle East. The unrest was so serious that even countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemned the violence. They were especially critical of the level of force used by the Israelis. News of this spread like wildfire, and the president and European leaders were frantic to restore order to avoid what could become an all-consuming conflict. Stock markets all over the world reacted negatively to the events, and Wall Street experienced broad-based drops that ranged from 25 percent in the DOW to over 40 percent in the NASDAQ.
Although they had been planning to weather the storm, these events still troubled the three men. Had they misread the timing? Could all their planning have been for nothing? In the end, the president was able to forge a cease-fire that stopped the killing on both sides and got the two sides to agree to resume peace talks. By the first week in February, the financial markets recovered and the averages returned to just below their precrisis levels. For Jerry, John, and Dave, this scare only made them more certain that the predictions in Jerry’s dream were about to unfold.
23
The Prophesy
By the first of March, the men’s levels of anxiety were beginning to increase as the time for implementing their plans drew near. It was one thing to put a plan on paper and quite another to put it in place.
Though all three men had difficulty not showing the effects of their foreknowledge in their daily lives, Dave was affected the most because he knew how the expected events would affect his clients. In fact, implementing his own investment shifts had to be carefully considered. He couldn’t appear to be in possession of information on what was about to happen. It was a bit different from insider information of securities, however. Who would believe that anyone could know about an event like this? Nevertheless, Dave decided not to use the short-sale option and chose to use money market funds and gold. He had always thought that gold was ready for a move and would use this as a pretext for this shift. As for the use of money market funds, he wanted to reposition some of his investments and chose them as a temporary resting place until he purchased his new securities.
The first accounts to be changed were the retirement funds for their parents. This was rather simple, and there was no problem convincing their parents to buy the money market funds. After these accounts were converted, Jerry began to move his assets per his plan, and the cash balance in his brokerage account began to skyrocket. By the end of March, Dave and John had completed their plans, and Jerry was almost finished with a slightly altered plan. Jerry decided on 40 percent in gold, 50 percent for short sales, and the remaining 10 percent in money market accounts. The only steps that remained were the actual purchase of the gold and to complete the short sales.
Dave provided the final list of stocks he recommended for their short sales and advised them to buy the gold on April 5. He began to complete the short sales April 11 and placed the last short-sale transaction on the twelfth. By the close of business on the twelfth, the purchases and short sales were confirmed, and Dave faxed copies to Jerry and John.
At 10:00 a.m., a broadcast alert sounded followed by a bulletin crossing television screens. It said that at 10:30 a.m. est there was to be an announcement by a spokesperson representing OPEC and the Palestinian Authority. No other explanation was given, but this set off a round of speculation by the newscasters as to what this meant.
For the past several weeks, the news coming from the Middle East had been that the peace talks were expected to end without a resolution because of the same key issues that had prevented all other accords: the Palestinian state, the status of East Jerusalem, return of four million Palestinians to their former homes in Israel, the Jewish settlements, and the security of Israel. For a time, there did appear to be some movement on Israeli security, the four million Palestinians, and the outline of what would constitute the new Palestinian state. However, the question of East Jerusalem and control of the holy sites eluded agreement.
At 10:20, there were reports of new clashes between the Palestinian police and Israeli soldiers. The level of speculation rose as rumors that numerous heads of state from OPEC would be at the announcement. Jerry and John could not believe their eyes. Although they’d both said they expected the predictions in the dream to be true, there was always some doubt that it would actually take place. At that moment, the phone rang. It was John making sure Jerry was watching the events on TV. At exactly ten thirty the news on all major channels turned to the announcement that was about to be made.
A spokesman dressed in an Islamic robe stood at the podium surrounded by most of the heads of state that made up OPEC. Never before had this group been assembled to make an announcement. The representative took out a prepared statement, and the words that followed were the worst nightmare of both diplomats and industrial leaders throughout the world.
“An agreement has been reached between the OPEC nations and the Palestinian Authority to support the formation of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. Too long have the Palestinian people been denied a country of their own. If such an agreement is not signed by May 1, a unilateral declaration of statehood will be enacted. If the implementation and operation of the new Palestinian state is prevented by Israel, OPEC will suspend all oil shipments to the West until there is the full and complete cooperation by Israel and all other interested parties.”
At that, the group left the news conference without answering any questions. For the next few seconds there was dead air on the news networks.
The next announcement was that the president would address the nation. Reports were now circulating that the White House had learned of the announcement at 9:00 a.m. The next scene was the familiar Seal of the President followed by his entrance behind the podium. He proceeded to tell the American people that he had been informed about the announcement and provided with a copy of the statement that morning. He was unable to speak with the OPEC leaders prior to their announcement. He further explained that he had contacted the Israeli prime minister to advise him of the announcement. The prime minister had informed the president that he, too, had been given a copy of the statement at the same time the president had received his copy. The president wanted to assure everyone that nothing would be a higher priority than attempt
ing to find a solution to this situation. He didn’t take questions and left the podium at the conclusion of his statement.
By then, it was about 11:10 and their attention turned to their PCs and the market. Just as in Jerry’s dream, all hell was breaking loose in the markets. By 1:00 p.m., there was an announcement that the exchanges would close at two o’clock. Everything was unfolding the same as it had in the dream. The only difference was that Jerry wasn’t on the golf course, but he was with his boss.
The phone rang. It was Jackie.
“Have you been watching?” she asked. Her school had put the news on the TV system in the building. Except for Jackie, everyone stood dumbfounded.
The hope was that over the weekend something could be done to avert a potential disaster in the Middle East. Israel reacted with threats of military action should the level of violence increase or if the Palestinians were to try to occupy the areas included in the new Palestinian state.
John and Jerry just stared at each other in disbelief. How and why were we given this window to the future? Although they were glad they had protected themselves, they couldn’t help but wonder how many people would be hurt before this was over.
John said, “I wish your dream had lasted a bit longer so we would know the outcome of this crisis.”
Jerry responded, “Did you ever hear of the saying, ‘Be careful what you ask for’?”
Friday fulfilled the remainder of the dream’s predictions, and the markets were closed from 2:00 p.m. Friday until Tuesday to help restore order. In the week that followed Jerry, John, and Dave completed their investment plans and consolidated their gains into safe-harbor investments to wait out the Middle East crisis.
Jerry not only had protected his investments but also had a gain of 250 percent over his precrisis holdings. John was a bit more conservative but did achieve a 200 percent profit. Dave achieved a gain of 40 percent since he didn’t opt for short selling, and his gain came from the increased price of gold.
There was an unprecedented diplomatic effort by all world leaders to avert the crisis from starting a war. By May 1, face-to-face negotiations were underway between Israel and the Palestinians that were beginning to show real progress. It appeared that coming to the brink of disaster had enabled both sides to approach a solution with more flexibility and an understanding that a solution would take time. The tone of the negotiations had improved to the point where the OPEC leaders decided to abandon their threat to stop shipping oil to the West. Slowly, the world moved closer to precrisis normality, and by the end of May the market regained 60 percent of the loss suffered.
In addition to saving their assets, the three couples realized a sizeable gain, and they also learned how fragile life could be. Despite the brief look Jerry got of things to come, the future was still an unknown.
During the hot summer, a partial agreement began to emerge between the Palestinians and Israel. It defined the territory that would make up the new Palestine in exchange for absolute security guarantees to Israel. Israel pledged free access to the holy sites in Jerusalem. There was a proposal to relocate Jewish settlements in the occupied land that would become part of Palestine in exchange for reducing the number of Palestinians who could return to Israel. The balance of the Palestinians who had formally lived in Israel prior to 1948 would have the option to take up residence within Palestine.
Just as soon as this issue was settled, the negotiators would attack the last major obstacle to a lasting peace—East Jerusalem. Unlike the past, world pressure, agreement on the other issues, and the support of the Middle Eastern oil-producing nations enhanced the prospects for a final settlement and peace treaty. Everyone believed that if the Palestinian agreement was completed, peace between Israel and the remaining Middle Eastern countries would soon follow.
The Fourth of July, 2005, was indeed a time for celebration for not only the United States but also the world. For the first time in over two thousand years, a peaceful solution to the most perplexing and profound disagreement among some of the oldest peoples in the world could end. How prophetic: a settlement in the place that the god of all three major religions had chosen as his one special place on all the earth. Jackie and Jerry had a Fourth of July party to celebrate the birth of America as well as the most recent blessings that they and their friends were given by Jerry’s brief glimpse into the future.
© 2021 by Gene P. Abel
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First edition, 2021
Printed in the United States of America
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
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The Inn of Destiny | Gene P. Abel, author
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