In memory of the 2981 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, among them three Albanians
[Disastrous September, by the Albanian-American author, Skifter Këlliçi, takes place on two different days: May 10 and September 11, 2001. The novel tells the story of a well-known CNN reporter named Steve Ferguson, engaged to Jacqueline Cramer, a flight attendant based at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, the novel explores the lives of four Albanians. Besim Istrefi, Rrok Camaj, and Marko Muzaka worked as window washers in the Twin Towers. Sokol Kama, a journalist and writer, works in security at Logan International Airport. On September 11, 2001 just a few days before Steve and Jacqueline’s wedding, two planes, bound for Los Angeles, depart from Boston. Terrorists hijack them and crash them into the Twin Towers in New York. The author, who worked at Logan International Airport during the attacks, offers a gripping account of the tragedy and shows how it could have been avoided.]
By SKIFTER KELLICI
[Translated from the Albanian by Carrie Hooper]
In his office at CNN headquarters in New York, Steve waited for Jacqueline to call and tell him about the toast and good wishes for their wedding. Jim, Steve’s office mate, was reading something on his computer.
“Good job,” he said. “I really like this project and your title, The Eastern Communist Block’s Journey Toward the Atlantic. I like the part about Soviet immigrants, especially the one you named Gulliver. I also like your detailed description of the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and little Albania.”
Steve was flattered.
“Thank you,” he said. “As I worked on the project, I remembered a Soviet diplomat I interviewed several years ago, a huge fan of communism. He defended the regime and claimed Communism would triumph over capitalism. I saw him a few days ago. I hardly recognized him. He had lost a lot of weight and didn’t look well.”
“Did you talk to him?” asked Jim.
“Yes,” said Steve. “I asked him if he was here as a tourist. He said he had come to America as an economic immigrant. He thought his country would become heaven when in reality, it became hell. The diplomat smirked as he spoke. Now look at us, he said. We’re beggars in capitalist countries. I am going to interview him as well as Sokol Kama.”
“Didn’t you interview him when you interviewed the Albanian window cleaners at the Twin Towers?”
“Yes, I did. Sokol works with Jacqueline, and I invited him to our wedding.”
Just then, Steve’s cell phone rang, and his face shone.
“That must be Jacqueline. I was expecting her call. She is flying from Boston to LA.”
He knew something was wrong as soon as he heard her voice. She didn’t talk with excitement about a toast. Instead, she spoke slowly, as if she feared for her life. Her words came out as surreal jibberish which Steve repeated mechanically. His heart shattered into a million pieces.
“The terrorists will probably demand the release of prisoners, being held in the US. Just stay calm, okay?”
“What!!? The terrorists killed both pilots? They cut their throats with a pocket knife?! They hijacked the plane? You are flying back to Boston?”
He could not believe his ears.
“The terrorists will probably demand the release of prisoners, being held in the US. Just stay calm, okay?”
“I don’t think we’re going back to Boston,” said Jacqueline. “If we were, the sun wouldn’t be hitting the right side of the plane. I think we’re still flying west.”
Steve tried to reassure her.
“What!!? The terrorists killed both pilots? They cut their throats with a pocket knife?! They hijacked the plane? You are flying back to Boston?”
“The terrorists are not experienced pilots so they’re still figuring out how the plane works. They’ll probably have everything under control in a matter of minutes. Before you know it, you’ll be back in Boston. In the meantime, I’ll call Jay Clement at the FAA. Then I’ll call you back.”
“No,” she said, terrified. “I’ll call you. I don’t want the terrorists to know I called someone.”
“All right, Honey,” said Steve. “Everything’s going to be okay, I promise.”
Stunned, he hung up the phone.
“Did you hear that, Jim?”
Jim sat in silence, his eyes closed. Then he took out a small book and searched for Jay’s number.
Fatie, Sokol, Jay, Floyd, and Gary watched the security camera video, which showed the inside of every bag on the conveyor belt, but they didn’t see any knives or other weapons. Gary worried his company could lose its contract with the airport which would mean a loss of hundreds and thousands of dollars. How could Sokol and Fatie have let this happen? He thought.
Steve called Jay and told him about his conversation with Jacqueline.
“How is it possible there are no other weapons besides a couple of pocket knives?!” Jay shouted in disbelief.
He apologized to Sokol and Fatie for having accused them of negligence.
“I feel so ashamed,” he said.
Jay’s words took the weight of the world off Sokol’s and Fatie’s shoulders. Soon, Jay and Floyd left the checkpoint.
“How could the terrorists have killed two pilots and held everyone else hostage with only two small pocket knives?” Jay asked, shaking his head.
He wanted Floyd’s opinion, but a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind.
“Well,” he said finally, “We now know it is possible.”
“What do you think they’ll do now? Will they really go back to Boston or do they have some other sick plan?”
Gary followed Fatie and Sokol as they left the room.
“Thank God this wasn’t your fault. Otherwise, I would have lost the contract and hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“But they still got through security with those knives,” said Fatie.
“Yes, but that wasn’t our fault,” said Gary with a smile. It was Jay and the FBI who allowed the terrorists to take the knives on board. Now they must suffer the consequences.”
“Can you believe him?” said Sokol. “Two pilots are dead, the lives of our friends and other passengers are in danger, and the only thing he cares about is his business.”
“He really is something,” said Fatie.
The terrorists are not experienced pilots so they’re still figuring out how the plane works. They’ll probably have everything under control in a matter of minutes
Abdul continued to hold the knife against Greta’s throat. He had held it there for so long his fingers had grown numb. He felt her breath on his hands and Goosebumps on her body. He recalled the many animals he had killed and which his wife had cooked for dinner. He also remembered his firstborn child who had filled the house with joy and laughter after his parents’ passing.
Read: I will love you forever – Lyrical poems from Albania
Greta didn’t dare speak. This flight, her first one, was likely her last one. But hope never dies. Her moans expressed her desire to live. But in a matter of minutes, Abdul would fulfill his promise to bin Laden, Muhammad’s messenger on Earth, son of the Great Allah. He would go to heaven with Muhammad, Satem, Rashid, and Vail. He wished his wife and two-year-old son could join him. He could almost hear his wife calling, “Abdul, where are you? Come meet your son. He doesn’t know you, but he calls for you and wants you to come home! Don’t you hear him calling you?”
At the same time, another voice penetrated the depths of his soul: “You fool! Where is this paradise you believe in but doubt at the same time? You have questioned it ever since you were little. You listened to the Imam’s preaching about the afterlife and had so many questions. You wondered if it was the same as here with rivers, oceans, and people. Does it really last an eternity, you wondered. But you pushed these questions aside because you were afraid to ask them. And now you are scared because you think you’re going to heaven, but all you can hear is my voice telling you there is no heaven. None of you are going to heaven.” (Continues)
Click here for Part-1, Part-2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6, Part-7, Part-8, Part-9, Part-10, Part-11, Part-12, Part-13, Part-14, Part-15,
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About the Author
Skifter Këllici was born in Tirana, Albania and received a diploma in history and literature from the University of Tirana. He worked as a journalist, scholar, and sportscaster on radio and television. He is the author of several novels and nonfiction books, including the children’s books, “Memories of the Old Neighborhood” and “In the Footsteps” as well as the historical novels, “Assassination in Paris”, “The Murderer with the White Hands”, and “September Disaster.” He wrote the screenplay for “In the Footsteps” which won a special prize at the International Children’s Film Festival in Giffoni, Italy in 1979. He has lived in Boston, Massachusetts since 1999.
About the Translator
Carrie Hooper was born and raised in Elmira, New York. She has been blind since birth. She received a B.A. in vocal performance from Mansfield University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania. She went on to receive an M.A. in German and an M.A. in vocal performance from the State University of New York at Buffalo. After completing her studies, she spent a year at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden as a Fulbright scholar. Carrie currently lives in Elmira, New York. She taught German, Italian, and Romanian at Elmira College. She has a passion for foreign languages and in addition to the languages mentioned above, she is also proficient in Swedish, Spanish, and Albanian. Music also plays an important role in Carrie’s life. She teaches voice and piano lessons, gives vocal concerts, plays the piano and organ at a church, and sings in a community chorus. Carrie not only loves music and languages, but also enjoys poetry. She has published three books: “Piktura në fjalë” (“Word Paintings”), a bilingual collection of poetry (Albanian-English), “My Life in My Words”, and “Away from Home.” She has also translated texts from Albanian and Romanian to English.
[The book ‘Disastrous September is being reproduced in episodes with the consent of the author]
