Tuesday, July 4, 2006, 00:00 - Stories
***This is a fictional story, No offence to Kenya, Kenyans, Tribesmen, Egyptians, the Irish, and Guinness beer***
A Naveed Rabbani Short Story
Chapter 1
It was like any other night aboard the USS Kenya… We were all a bit dazed from the alcohol and the feast, but I still remember the incident like none other.
Of course we were feasting when it all happened; that's just my luck. The whole crew was ecstatic; the USS Kenya was full of the young blood that gave it its energy. Everyone was glad to help out with the war effort against Egypt; we had to protect Mother Kenya, but the reality of war had not struck us yet.
Nobody knows exactly what happened, but an alarm went off during dessert. I watched as Shamus Madigan, a recovering alcoholic, slipped in a few bottles of hard liquor. They were small bottles, no bigger than one's palm. Michael Caber, the only Scottish and Kenyan crew member amongst us half Irish half Kenyans, skipped dessert and selflessly took his post at the radar. Shaun Fagan, Patrick O'Flaherty, and our captain, MacKenna, were all conversing, while I, Keiran Furlong, sat on the other end of the table. I was second officer of the submarine, after MacKenna and O'Flaherty, and probably the only serious crew mate aboard the doomed submarine.
Suddenly, we were hit. Caber yelled from his post, something was fast approaching on the radar screen. The whole submarine shook as the vessel filled with ocean alarming quickly. We ran frantically to patch the hole and close the compartment, but there was no chance. Just our luck, at that same moment the waves tossed and turned us, as if the submarine were merely Neptune's toy. The violent shaking sent me out like a light. My eyes slowly obeyed to my fatigue as my bruised, helpless body sank into the deep.
* * * * *
"Bloody hell! Wake up, before it's too late, lad." Cold hands shook me, much like the gripping hands of death. No, it was only Shaun. But that was the problem, there was only Shaun; Shaun and I stranded, all alone.
"Where are we?" I inquired slowly getting up, rubbing my hand against my bruised forehead.
"Ye went oot like a light during the crash. We're stranded, lad. Stranded and done for on some gosh forsaken island. There's no communication and I haven't spotted any life for miles… nothing but us."
"Have you actually tried looking?" Shaun was the king of exaggeration.
"Well…"
* * * * *
Only a few hundred meters away, on the bend of the mountain lay two other crew members. Shamus and Michael limped across the rocky terrain struggling to find a way out, if only I had known at the time.
Things seemed hopeless, there was nothing but barren rock as far as the eye could see. Suddenly, though, there was a rustle in the bushes.
"Shamus?" Michael's voice quivered as he turned around shaking.
"Twasn't me," Shamus responded, feeling his pocket for the two mini bottles of alcohol he slipped in during his last seconds aboard the lost submarine.
"Never mind it, then, just a slight breeze is all it was." Michael was always the jumpy one, the suspicious Scott.
Four men emerged from the wild plants, tiptoeing with care towards the unsuspecting outcasts. They were dangerously armed with blunt spears and their ferocious faces were painted carefully with only the finest home made face paint. One of the tribesman, probably the higher ranked, for he had the most extravagant face paint, looked to the other three echoing their orders in his mind… leave no survivors.
They acted swiftly. A warm hand grabbed Michael and twisted him around while a blunt spear placed strategically on the head meant lights out for Shamus.
Chapter 2
I searched our cashew infested death trap of an island and realized that Shaun was right. There was nothing as far as the eye could see, nothing but cashew bushes and oddly shaped rocks.
"We're cooked," Shaun whispered, was he crying?
"Now, now, don't be too sure." I thought of our other crew mates, Shamus, Michael, MacKenna, where were they all? This island couldn't be too big, they had to be around here somewhere. "I say we take a walk, we're bound to find something."
And so we headed out, not before I took a few cashews, I had to surrender to the commands of my grumbling stomach, first. We moved at a quick pace, similar to the panicky gait of a marooned pirate who knew he was done for.
An hour later, and our surroundings hadn't changed. So, we changed our direction and worked our way up the mountain now instead of around. The abundance of cashew bushes seemed familiar though. Kenya's number one export is cashews, so we couldn't have been too far from the Kenyan port we started in.
I glared at a cashew bush, engaging in a staring contest that I couldn't win. When suddenly it moved; was it my tearing that impaired my vision? Or was the bush actually moving.
My questions were answered quickly. A gang of three tribesmen sprang to life from the swaying bush, equipped with arrows and spears. Suddenly from the back two more sprang out. Before anyone would have noticed me, I myself took refuge in a nearby bush. Shaun, however, was not so lucky. He saw my mad sprint for coverage and eyed me with disgust. The five face-painted terrors roped him and took him away, jutting the blunt ends of the spears at his back (ironically both ends of the spear were blunt). Shaun looked back at me and mouthed something, something like "how could you?" or "you jerk!" either way, it wasn't important. But I had to run, I had to save myself.
You selfish fool.
Chapter 3
Was it safe to come out? It seemed like a lifetime that I was stuck in those bushes. I couldn't help but feel remorse for abandoning my comrade, but I comforted myself. Reasoning that I could do more for him outside of captivity, and so I emerged from the bushes and began to plan away.
How to get off this bloody island…
* * * * *
The tribesmen moved swiftly through the mountains; you could tell they knew their way around this death trap of an island.
They reached some sort of shack at the top of the mountain. Someone undid the heavy ropes binding Shaun, and shoved him into an empty cell. Welcome to prison.
"Welcome to the club, mate," Shamus called from the nearby cell. An odd reunion.
Shaun turned around in amazement, "I'm not alone, I see."
"Buggers got us, too, no worries lad. But where's Keiran?"
"Bloody traitor fled and left me to die."
"Och, you know, on a lighter note, I managed to slip a few bottles of that hard liquor before our submarine went down." Shamus reached for his pocket and pulled out two mini bottles. "We are down in the dumps, but there's three of us, and only two bottles and—"
"No, Shamus, save it for a better time, we may need it later," Shaun interrupted him mid sentence. He wasn't too pleasurable during times of stress.
* * * * *
The night passed away slowly, as the sun poked its bright head from behind Mount Kenya. I had found a cave to crawl in the night before; it was much too dark to see what was inside. Upon sunrise, light streamed in and I opened a tired eye only to find I had slept in a cave full of skeletons. I struggled to get to my feet, panicking as I stared at death. Two rotten bodies and a cashew gun, with one bullet left lay in front of me. I had nothing to work with, so I picked up the weapon, hoping it would come in handy. A bad start to an interesting day.
For several hours I sat lamely by the coast waiting for help, when suddenly an off-shore Egyptian vessel caught my eye. At the time Kenya and Egypt were at war, and our submarine was sent out on a mission to further the war effort, but perhaps the enemy ship I was glaring at was the only way to save myself. I could do more as a captive in the Egyptian ship than a wanderer on this island. So my mind was set, I had to get the ship's attention. After a few minutes thinking time I pulled out my cashew gun and aimed it perfectly at the vessel's side. With a great bang, I watched my cashew arc in the air and finally dent the side of the enormous vessel. The captain awoke and within minutes I was taken captive aboard the ESS Cleopatra. However ironic it would seem, maybe turning myself into the enemy was for the best of things. Now I was finally off that forsaken island, but my situation as a prisoner aboard a foreign ship in the middle of nowhere didn't seem much improved.
I went to bed that night as a prisoner of war.
Chapter 4
Shaun, Shamus, and Michael were awoken the next morning by the refreshing sounds of whips and labor. They were dragged out onto the rocky fields that were the tombs of so many prisoners. The three crew members were forced into hard labor in building the tribe's shrine for their God, Zorgoth. It was soon sacrificing time, and they needed the shrine to be made in five sunsets. So far, progress was not good.
The prisoners wore a hopeless expression on their worn faces. Work was hard and the hours were long as everyone chopped away and shaped the lumber that would make up the wonderful shrine.
* * * * *
Miles away, out at sea I sat in my lonely cell aboard an unfamiliar Egyptian ship. The ship was making its usual patrol around the islands, keeping watch for the Irish armada it was battling against. My country stood little chance in winning this war, and if we failed Kenya would fall to the Egyptians once and for all.
The Egyptian crew displayed an unmatched hostility towards their prisoners, unfortunately, I was no exception. A crew member approached me with disgust and threw me my breakfast for the day, stale bread and rotten butter; the monkeys aboard got better food than I.
Suddenly, chaos struck the ranks of the crew. Egyptians ran and yelled back and forth, confused seamen took their battle stations and it wasn't long until the horrifying, low, ringing sounds of the cannons echoed across the sea. Cries of pain and the yells of commanders filled my ears, and piercing cannons broke the ship's walls.
"What's going on?" I yelled in all the tumult.
"Yours truly, Irish navy is here. It's about time we taught your people a lesson."
I sighed, in the background I heard a panicked henchman explain the situation to his captain, "We're outnumbered and outmanned. We've got to abandon ship." This was quickly followed by another cannon, right on target, and now terror filled the Egyptians. There was a yell, and quickly everyone made a mad dash for their lives.
Abandon ship!
A crew member passed by and looked back at me, "Sucks to be you." He gave me a toothless, malicious grin and jumped off with the rest of the crew, making sure to leave his cutlass behind. The ship was filling up with salt water, and it was sinking fast. There I was with water up to my knees all alone as a prisoner in the enemy's ship. Just my luck.
Chapter 5
My three comrades still on the island were ushered back to their jails. One day made a big difference. The wooden shrine, with glass ornaments, was really coming together. No one could tell what Zorgoth looked like, just yet, but rumors were that He was a giant goat. Shaun and Michael stared at their work proudly while Shamus planned his way out.
"What is it that be eatin' you up, lad?" Shaun looked over to Shamus in the cell across from his.
"Just think of a way to get oota here. And I think I've got an idea." The others gave him an interested look. "I slipped two little bottles of alcohol from the day of the feast into my pocket, and I still have them. If we can get a fire going, maybe I can create enough chaos to get us out of here."
"Brilliant!" Shaun called out; he had watched too many Guinness commercials aboard the submarine.
"I've got an idea…" Michael was back to his old mysterious self. He slipped off his shoe, and ripped off the bottom, rubber part of it, to expose the metal sole inside. He slipped the piece of metal out and rubbed it against the iron cell bars. "If we keep this up, we'll get a small flame going. You try it out." Sparks rained upon the cell's floor.
Shamus took off his shoe and mimicked Michael's actions. Soon he got enough sparks and heat to get the smallest fire started. It's all they needed. Reluctantly, he opened one of his mini bottles of liquor and put them in the shoe, he slipped the other one back in his pocket. The shoe was now ablaze, and the flames were growing quickly. His throw was aimed meticulously, and was right on target. Soon enough the giant goat shrine erupted in flames.
The tribe members yelled commands to each other, and ran to put the flame out. The liquor spread the fire too fast, and they couldn't control it. In an act of desperation, they went to the jails and freed all the prisoners so that they could help control the sacrilegious fire. Shamus, Shaun, and Michael took advantage of the situation, and quietly slipped away into the bushes under the cover of the night, but before leaving Shaun took a glass ornament that was once a piece of the shrine as a souvenir.
* * * * *
What I learned over the past few days is my bad luck was no match for my sharp wits. As the cold sea water began to envelop me I had to think up a plan fast. I sketched a crude escape plan and began right away. After a stretch and a half I reached the cutlass that the toothless crew member left behind, the water was now up to my waist. In my final minutes I chopped away at the floor boards above me and pierced the wooden roof. It was not a big enough hole for my whole body, but that didn't matter anymore. The water was up to my neck, and I could no longer get enough power to force the hole bigger. In my last attempt at survival, I took off my white over shirt; don't get excited, the Irish navy uniforms required me to wear two shirts, and put it on the end of my cutlass. The water now reached past my nose; I could barely see. In a blinded chaos, I thrusted my cutlass through the hole in the roof and waved about my white shirt, hopefully my surrender flag would be noticed by the Irish ships around me.
A crew member aboard the I.N.N. Guinness, a nearby Irish warship, caught my shirt on a cutlass. He informed his captain immediately, "Sir, a surrender flag, there must have been an Egyptian that didn't flee his ship. Should we take him aboard as a prisoner?"
"Spend all that energy for one lousy Egyptian? Of course not! Fire the cannons at him."
The crew quickly complied and the Irish shot their cannons at me. One cannon ball hit the target and ripped through the prison cell, missing me just barely.
I took advantage of the situation, and quickly swam through the conveniently large hole created by the deadly cannon, which sped by me just seconds ago. I clumsily left my captivity and made a mad swim for the water's surface. I poked my head out, and the Irish ships quickly noticed my familiar uniform, as each one threw me a life line. Perhaps my luck was turning around.
Chapter 6
I was quickly brought on board the smallest of the warships, the "midget of the sea." However, its light weight made it unbeatable in a race, and we raced warships all the time. After a talk with the captain, I told him the situation of the crew, and he agreed to hand over control of the ship to me, in order to rescue my imprisoned brethren. I soon set sail; it was awkward being all alone, but the small, cozy ship made for easy navigation.
I would be at sea for two days until I successfully retraced my path back to the island. I took advantage of all my free time and did a paint job. Renaming the ship to the USS Kenya, the name of our old submarine. Now I could only hope that my comrades were still alive on that forsaken island.
The sun was quickly setting on the third day, when I caught a glimpse of land.
* * * * *
Two days and two nights passed, there was nothing to live on but cashews and goat meat and the fugitive crew members were in a perpetual state of fear. No one wanted to return back to the sub par prison conditions. Shaun and Shamus conversed by the fire, as Michael kept an eye out on the shore.
Suddenly, the familiar form of a ship caught his eye. He focused on the horizon, and surely there it was, their miracle. Michael always had a sharp eye, and distance was no match for his acute sense of site; he read aloud the side of the ship, "USS Kenya. It can't be." He stuttered in disbelief. "We've got to get its attention. Now!"
The crew members seemed disheartened as they were lost for a way off the island. They would have yelled, but then the patrolling tribe would have caught them. Shaun was the first to act, this time. "Of course, I've got it!" He pulled out the glass ornament he picked up from the shrine, and positioned it perfectly so that it reflected a piercing beam of light through the windows of the captain's deck.
"Och, Zorgoth is with us, now, lads!" Shamus exclaimed facetiously.
* * * * *
I rubbed my eyes, as if to protect them by the bothersome rays that pierced my captain's deck. What a rude awakening. I shielded my eyes, now fully awake, and realized the true source of light. It couldn't have been. If what I saw was truth my comrades had survived and were now patiently waiting on the island's shore. Overcome with joy, I blew the horn of my ship letting them know that I was coming to their rescue. Little did I know, my careless act gave away our positions to the patrolling tribesmen. We were ripe for the capturing now.
I drifted dangerously close the shore, when I pulled down one of the emergency row boats, and rowed the rest of the way to the island. When finally reaching land, I hastily pulled my row boat ashore, making sure it would be there for my trip back to the USS Kenya with my three other crew members. As I was cautiously slipping my row boat on land, a pack of tribesmen snuck up behind me, and upon turning around, they conveniently knocked me out with one hit of their deadly spear. I fell lazily to the ground, unconscious and unsuccessful.
Chapter 7
I awoke just minutes later, to the chaotic sounds of war. To my left I saw three of my crew mates, Shaun, Shamus, and Michael, to the right were the fleeing tribesmen, and behind me was my rowboat now ablaze because the tribesmen set it on fire. The only way back to the ship now was a tedious swim. At first this made no sense, but it finally struck me. My comrades came riding in on their valiant goats, armed with heavy branches. Their surprise attack drove the tribesmen back into the forest, where they were regrouping. Michael assisted me in getting up, and explained everything to me. He showed me the glass ornament Shaun used to get my attention, and explained Shamus' fiery shoe. Suddenly, Shamus rode by me, and the last of his tiny liquor bottles fell from his pocket. I made a swift grab for it, there was no reason a recovering alcoholic, like himself, should have this. He gave an innocent smile and explained he was saving it for celebration… a likely story.
An unexpected wave of arrows came from the forest. The tribesmen were almost fully regrouped and were on the brink of their counter attack. There was no way we could make a mad dash under such heavy fire. I had to think quickly.
I reached for my cashew gun I had found so many days ago in the mysterious cave, and reached for a nearby cashew. Taking the mini liquor bottle I just confiscated, I poured it on the cashew, and down the barrel of my firearm. I lit the end of my weapon on fire, by using the flames of my burning row boat, and shot my cashew at the forest. The burning nut soon had the rest of the trees burning. The forest fire forced the tribesmen to give up their positions. In all the chaos, I threw my cashew gun, towards the tribe, as my crew members sent their goats rushing forward. These distractions bought us enough of a head start. We made a mad dash to shore, and dove into the refreshingly cool water. Our ship was only a hundred meters away.
After a tiring swim, we climbed aboard with much difficulty. Our miracle was hard earned. We waved back at the tribesmen, still on shore, battling the forest fire.
* * * * *
We were free men for a very short period of time when Michael looked back at the island, as we got the ship's engine started, and he noticed an impressive smoke stack at the top of the island's mountain. I decided to head back and give the other side of the island another look. After all, we were missing three other crew members.
Reluctantly the crew helped me navigate around, and on the other side we were confronted by our captain, MacKenna and his first mate, Patrick O'Flaherty, who were riding their goats down the mountain, escaping the tribe at extraordinary speed.
They soon joined us aboard. No one knew where our seventh crew member was. 'Twas a shame that ol' Flannigan was a spy after all… we decided to carry on without him.
* * * * *
It was all smiles that night, during our first feast aboard the new ship. MacKenna was back to his old position as captain, Patrick as first mate, and me as second. Even though we were a man down, the smaller ship was easy to navigate, so we turned out fine. It was going to be a long trip back to Kenya, but at least we were all off that bloody island.
It nagged me though, throughout the night, that I received almost no praise and no credit from my crew members for my valiant efforts in rescuing them. I truly was the unsung hero, or so I thought. But a quick look around, proved me wrong. I looked over to my three closest comrades, the ones who had saved my life, Shaun, Shamus, and Michael. They all gave me smiles of appreciation, and it suddenly hit me. I wasn't the hero tonight, no, not at all. It was all of us that were the heroes.
We were the unsung heroes.
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Monday, July 3, 2006, 17:32 - Stories
Yes, the story is now officially FINISHED. That's right edited and done. The Kenya Story: Unsung Heroes will be coming out tonight at MIDNIGHT. It is the second installment of our young lads aboard the USS Kenya.Just a bit of overview on the story. We strongly recommend you read The Kenya Story first, you can find the link on the right side under "Kenyan Chronicles" before reading the Unsung Heroes, and reading anything past the disclaimer.
Praise for the Unsung Heroes:
"A masterpiece of suspense and wits"
-New York Times
"Short story of the year!"
-Chicago Post
"It kept my eyes glued to the screen until the last '<br>'"
-Anonymous Webmaster
"A great puzzler, kept me on my toes 'til the very end"
-Washington Post
You've heard it from the best. Now buckle up and get ready for the full adventure! Unsung Heroes is coming out this night at midnight!!
*praise for the unsung heroes may or may not be true
DISCLAIMER: Anything beyond this point may provide spoilers for the FIRST Kenya Story, please read that before reading on
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In the Unsung Heroes, we learn the story of the four other crew members that come and save MacKenna in the end. So, the story takes place on the same island, during the same time as the first Kenya Story. Therefore, it is crucial you read that story first, and you can see how those stories tie together. Anyway, hope you enjoy the read!
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Sunday, July 2, 2006, 17:57 - Announcements
Alright, back by popular demand (even though it never left) is the clue for the golden cashew contest!! Yes, the coveted clue.Here goes nothing: make sure to check all the pages of the site, and especially scrutinize the entries. They'll play an important part. Keep in mind, you're looking for a link to the golden cashew page, it's the only way to find it, unless you want to sit down and just guess the url (this is not recommended the url has about 5 random numbers attached to a random name).
Best of luck to you all, if you've got any questions, just leave a comment. The contest will go until the first two people have found the page!
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Sunday, July 2, 2006, 17:04 - Announcements
Yes, it's done, it's done!! Well, almost at least. I finally finished writing the story, now just a day or two of editting, and this baby will be published on thenr.net.Just stay with me here for a few more days, and I promise, the Unsung Heroes will be here on thenr.net. I was really determined today, and sat down for about two hours, to finish the story up. I wrote 4 chapters in all today, around five pages on Microsoft Word.
I'm pretty excited about this baby. Although it's a little longer than the first Kenya Story, it's got a bit more plot. A lot of puzzles that our main characters must battle through. If you like puzzles then you'll love the upcoming story. I tried my best to make the sequel as suspensful as possible, and I think at times it really gets your heart beating, perhaps faster than in the original. And I know it's really hard for a sequel to live up to its original, but I'm thinking the Unsung Heroes did a nice job of that.
Hope you all enjoy the story when it comes out!
NEW UPDATE: The Kenya Story: Unsung Heroes will be released tomorrow midnight, Tuesday July 4th, at 12:00 AM.
Consider it my 4th of July present to you all (just kidding). Hope you all enjoy the holidays.
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Saturday, July 1, 2006, 23:38 - General
So two great World Cup games just went down in history today.Portugal eeked past England, going 0:0 after 120 minutes of play and then going into penalty kick shoot outs. Ricardo, the Portuguese goalie, stepped up and touched ALL of England's four shots, saving three of them. On the other side of the pitch, Portugal made three of five, and C. Ronaldo ended the game, putting the last penalty kick in for Portugal making it 3:1 in PK and 0:0 in regular and extra time play.
An hour or so later, we were all enchanted by France's upset (at least, I was) knocking out Brazil, and preventing them from winning yet another title in a row. Thierry Henry scored the game's only goal. The shot was assisted by Zidane, who will be retiring after this year's world cup.
Well, today's outcomes pleased me, unlike most of the world cup. But when you're rooting for the underdog one shouldn't expect much success.
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Now, unto the next round. The next two matchups for the semifinals are as follows: Germany vs. Italy and Portugal vs. France. The games will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
My thoughts on the games.
Germany vs. Italy - Germany will win, it'll be ugly, I'm thinking by one goal (2:1). Germany will power-house it and score first.
France vs. Portugal - France will impress us all again, winning by 2. This game's going to be a cakewalk for our feasting Frenchies (2:0)
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Now looking back unto what is done of the world cup. It's too bad my buddies at Trinidad and Tobago couldn't score a goal this world cup, I'm still glad they made it though! Surprised at Ukraine advancing so far, it was their first time qualifying. I'm still bitter about the Italy vs. Australia game... who calls penalty kicks in the last seconds of stoppage time? And I've also noticed a consisten lack of goals in all of the games. Oh well, at least they're keeping the scores close and the games suspensful.
It's all going by too fast, they should extend the world cup by another month, add another 32 countries, I don't want this to end.
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Go ahead and leave your comments about world cup 2006, and tell me what you think of my picks. I won't bother guessing the final match, I'll wait 'til Wednesday to tackle that bugger.
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Sunday, June 25, 2006, 14:02 - General
Okay, so no one has quite found the golden cashew yet. So, I'm willing to perhaps give a clue, and I'm thinking of extending the contest to second place. So after the first two people find it, then I'll give away the answer.Anyway, don't forget the contest is in full bloom, and don't give up too quickly. Need any help finding it, or have any suggestions? Please go ahead and comment!
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Saturday, June 24, 2006, 02:04 - Announcements
IT IS OFFICIAL!The golden cashew contest begins now!!
Very simple game rules.
You must find the golden cashew page. There will be a link to it somewhere on the site. The link will be placed in an obscure area, so make sure you check every page carefully.
Once you have found the link, click on it, if it's the right link it will lead you to the golden cashew page. Once you have found the page, there will be instructions on it, that will tell you to email me the URL. The first person to email me the URL of the golden cashew page will be the winner.
Check the right column for updates and clues on the golden cashew, and for our winner. I might take two winners, and let you play for second place, but for now, the first person to send me the URL is the only winner. (hope this makes sense)
Best of luck, everyone. If you've got any questions just comment on this article.
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KENYA STORY UPDATE: I'm now on chapter 4 of the Unsung Heroes :) It's coming along now.
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