DISASTROUS SEPTEMBER : A NOVEL BY SKIFTER KELLICI

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.

DISASTROUS SEPTEMBER A NOVEL BY SKIFTER KELLICI

In memory of the 2981 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World

Trade Center, among them three Albanians: Frrok Camaj, Mon Gjonbalaj and Simon Dedvukaj.

PART I: May 20, 2001 around 9 AM

A long line of passengers waited to go through one of the Terminal B security checkpoints at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. An alarm sounded as a middle-aged man went through the metal detector.  He shrugged his shoulders with surprise and looked a little nervous. When the security employee asked him to walk through the metal detector again, he obeyed. The alarm went off a second time.  Therefore, he ordered the passenger to lift his arms above his head and spread his legs, while he patted him down with a wand.  A beep indicated an object in his jacket pocket. When the security employee asked the passenger to empty his pockets, he took out a small metal hammer. When the worker said he could not take the hammer on board, the passenger insisted it wasn't a weapon but a tool for carving small children’s toys.  The passenger’s shouting drew the attention of the other passengers. A few minutes later, two police officers arrived and

took him away. A medical examination confirmed he suffered from schizophrenia. After this incident, everything returned to normal, even

though the passengers were slightly shaken by the scene.

Two men with cups in their hands, who didn’t appear to be traveling anywhere, sat in the waiting area.  They watched the passengers as they prepared to board their flights and paid particular attention to the metal objects they carried.  They spoke in hushed tones.

"If we can make ourselves invisible and avoid getting caught like that idiot!" said Muhammad Ata, an Egyptian student.

"Don’t worry," said his friend, Marvan al Shehin, a student from the United Arab Emirates. "We don't have to

make ourselves invisible."

"Will we have weapons?!" Muhammad cried.

"Of course," said Marvan.

 "What kind of weapons?"

Muhammad sounded concerned. Marvan didn’t respond.

"Why don't you answer me?"

Marvan remained silent.

"You know a lot more than I do. You were close to Osama bin Laden, May God preserve him.  You know all about these weapons. Why won't you tell me anything?"

"Because I don't know anything," said Marvan. "Only Osama and Khalid Sheikh Muhammad,

his right hand man, know about them.  I can only imagine what they look like."

He smiled and reassured his friend everything would be fine.

"What matters is we will hijack the planes and wait for further instructions. This will be our greatest mission with Al Qaeda in the name of

Allah!"

Muhammad remained silent. He admired Marvan because he knew Osama bin Laden who had taught him how to hijack a plane. At the same time, he was proud to participate in this important mission.

▪Translated from the Albanian

By Carrie Hooper

Translator’s Note: I am thankful to Anitta Muharremi for her work on this project.

[Prepared Angela Kosta Executive Director of MIRIADE Magazine, Academic, journalist, writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, translator, promoter]