Some of you are aware that my next novel is nearly complete. One challenge of moving towards a publication date is discovering if there are pockets of interest for the work and where to find them. There are many strategies for this, but I want to test out an old approach, “serialization”. So for a few posts now, I’ll paste in the text from a few chapters at a time and see if anyone enjoys seeing fiction in serialized form just like in the old days where newspapers and magazines would serialize works of fiction.

Part I Introduction

The Eyes of Gehazi refers to the most important symbolic element of this work. Gehazi was an unimportant, barely noticed figure in the ancient Northern Kingdom of Israel, a small place wedged between great powers and jealous neighbors. He is notable for two things, however. First, he was the manservant of a great prophet who was active and involved in many of the most noteworthy events of the kingdom, and second, he committed a major error that has been passed down throughout history. Gehazi’s eyes were witness to powerful political works, but just as important, they saw his own undoing and, we hope, his redemption.

A Quick Note From a Cursed Old Man

After a great deal of consideration followed by multiple years of procrastination, I have finally determined to narrate my story to my grandson, Eli, before the curse appears on his body. Unlike me, Eli has had the good fortune of possessing a clear and organized mind and having been well-schooled, so I’m confident that he will execute this task well and thus tell my story to those who need to hear it. I have greatly enjoyed watching Eli’s progress on this task and believe that he might even find some pleasure in the organizing and capturing of my words. My hope is that this work will not be viewed as simply a self-absorbed recounting of my life, but rather, that it could be helpful for others who desire to avoid my devastating failures. Of these the reader will be able to read at their leisure. I pray that their judgement won’t be overly harsh. The reason that I feel urgency to finally share my story is that I’m confident that not much time is left to me in these, the last few years of my long and difficult existence. I can assert with confidence that my tale is certainly an unusual one. It staggers between long periods of bored idleness to moments of panic and ranges from the dark-grey of despair to the lightest shades of joy – that state that always danced so enticingly just out of my reach. Looking back at the times where the grey dominates the tale, I cannot determine if the fault is mine only or if The God simply marked me for failure. I remain grateful to have led an existence connected to many great and memorable events and people of my era. I have to admit, though, that the meaning and purpose of my own involvement is still elusive. Perhaps this is the case with all of us in this life? I pray to The God, who has both wooed and tormented me, that my grandson Eli will receive wisdom that I, in my pride of mind and weakness of character, have failed to gain. Perhaps greater wisdom will help him reconcile himself with our family’s curse and his future pain and struggles. Please forgive my vanity, for I now realize that I have been disrespectful to you, the reader, by not properly introducing myself as Gehazi of the old tales. This will not be the last time that I fail to contain my thoughtless rambling, I fear. Many elements of my story might sound familiar, for as I have noted, I was once a very small part of the great tales and legends of my people. Yes, of course, I imagine that the future might view me as a crude and selfish villain, but there was a time where I was connected in fundamental ways to activities involving mighty kings and our nation’s most powerful enemies. I hope you will receive this, the story of my life, with the understanding that my great failure did not color my whole existence. Perhaps there is more to come for even one such as me, for I recognize that The God does not work in ways that any of us can easily fathom. Please try to listen to the story and not the voice of a broken, disillusioned, and chastised old man, who still does not understand.