Amen-Ra.
Chapter Three
B eckett sat on the deck of the ship that was taking them to England and read back over what he had written.
It wasn’t a bad start for a novel, he thought. His main character was a young man not unlike himself who was trying to decide what he wanted out of life. Unlike himself, the main character had seen a beautiful woman on board a ship taking him to his next adventure and fallen head over heels in love.
As the boat moved swiftly toward its next port, he looked across the deck and saw her standing there, dressed in a gown as blue as the ocean and an enormous hat trimmed in roses and feathers, her hair, which was a shade between red and gold, tumbling down her shoulders and blowing in the breeze. In that moment, he knew that he had found the woman he had been dreaming of his entire life.
Beckett wondered if people in real life really did fall in love that quickly. He was a bit of a romantic himself, but had never been that much in love. Still, he was writing fiction. He would go with the plot as it was progressing and see where it would lead him.
Two children playing caught his eye and he watched them for a moment. The boy took the little girl’s doll and she began chasing him. All this was happening as the children’s governess sat on a deck chair reading a book. Without thinking too much about it, Beckett wrote the scene into his story.
The little boy snatched the doll from his sister’s arms once again and rushed to the side of the boat, dangling the toy over the ocean as his sister cried out.
Realizing what the young boy was about to do, Beckett resolved to make the scene in his book end better.
The little girl threw her arms around her brother and begged him not to throw her doll overboard. After a moment more of teasing, the boy thought better of his actions and returned the doll to his sister, pausing even to wipe her tears away before running off on his own.
Beckett looked up from his leather bound book as the little girl continued to cry and as he watched, the little girl did exactly as he had written. She embraced her brother and implored with him to give the doll back. Beckett consulted his words again and then watched as the brother handed the doll back and wiped the tears off her face before calling out to another boy and leaving her alone.
The words of the market vendor came back to him. This book has the power to change lives.
Was it coincidence or his words, written in the book that made the little boy change his mind? He looked over at the little girl, now settled on a deck chair with the governess, happily cuddling her doll while the governess read.
Beckett stood up and closed the book. He walked to the side of the ship and gazed out over the ocean. The story was beginning to come together in his mind. That morning he had read in the newspapers about Egyptian discoveries near the gravesite of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. He had read before of curses attached to mummies and wanted his character to somehow be involved with an Egyptian curse. He would have the main character meet the beautiful girl he had seen on board, they would fall in love and then a number of strange events would occur. He turned away from the ocean and glanced again at the little girl. He opened the book and re-read his words. Shaking his head he told himself that of course he hadn’t changed the little boy’s actions. It was just coincidence, nothing more.
*******
“So how is the writing going?” Warren asked as he and Beckett strolled on the deck after dinner.
“I’m having a bit of writer’s block,” Beckett admitted. “I know what I want to write, I just don’t know exactly how to get there.”
“Three more days until we board the unsinkable ship,” Warren reminded him.
“Ah yes, RMS
Chapter Three
B eckett sat on the deck of the ship that was taking them to England and read back over what he had written.
It wasn’t a bad start for a novel, he thought. His main character was a young man not unlike himself who was trying to decide what he wanted out of life. Unlike himself, the main character had seen a beautiful woman on board a ship taking him to his next adventure and fallen head over heels in love.
As the boat moved swiftly toward its next port, he looked across the deck and saw her standing there, dressed in a gown as blue as the ocean and an enormous hat trimmed in roses and feathers, her hair, which was a shade between red and gold, tumbling down her shoulders and blowing in the breeze. In that moment, he knew that he had found the woman he had been dreaming of his entire life.
Beckett wondered if people in real life really did fall in love that quickly. He was a bit of a romantic himself, but had never been that much in love. Still, he was writing fiction. He would go with the plot as it was progressing and see where it would lead him.
Two children playing caught his eye and he watched them for a moment. The boy took the little girl’s doll and she began chasing him. All this was happening as the children’s governess sat on a deck chair reading a book. Without thinking too much about it, Beckett wrote the scene into his story.
The little boy snatched the doll from his sister’s arms once again and rushed to the side of the boat, dangling the toy over the ocean as his sister cried out.
Realizing what the young boy was about to do, Beckett resolved to make the scene in his book end better.
The little girl threw her arms around her brother and begged him not to throw her doll overboard. After a moment more of teasing, the boy thought better of his actions and returned the doll to his sister, pausing even to wipe her tears away before running off on his own.
Beckett looked up from his leather bound book as the little girl continued to cry and as he watched, the little girl did exactly as he had written. She embraced her brother and implored with him to give the doll back. Beckett consulted his words again and then watched as the brother handed the doll back and wiped the tears off her face before calling out to another boy and leaving her alone.
The words of the market vendor came back to him. This book has the power to change lives.
Was it coincidence or his words, written in the book that made the little boy change his mind? He looked over at the little girl, now settled on a deck chair with the governess, happily cuddling her doll while the governess read.
Beckett stood up and closed the book. He walked to the side of the ship and gazed out over the ocean. The story was beginning to come together in his mind. That morning he had read in the newspapers about Egyptian discoveries near the gravesite of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. He had read before of curses attached to mummies and wanted his character to somehow be involved with an Egyptian curse. He would have the main character meet the beautiful girl he had seen on board, they would fall in love and then a number of strange events would occur. He turned away from the ocean and glanced again at the little girl. He opened the book and re-read his words. Shaking his head he told himself that of course he hadn’t changed the little boy’s actions. It was just coincidence, nothing more.
*******
“So how is the writing going?” Warren asked as he and Beckett strolled on the deck after dinner.
“I’m having a bit of writer’s block,” Beckett admitted. “I know what I want to write, I just don’t know exactly how to get there.”
“Three more days until we board the unsinkable ship,” Warren reminded him.
“Ah yes, RMS
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