Nightmare along the River Nile : A Story of Twentieth Century Slavery

by Nelson, Suzanne E.

• ISBN13: 9781440172144
• ISBN10: 1440172145
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-11-16
• Publisher: Iuniverse Inc

Summary

Edgar is caught up in a nightmare he never imagined possible when his bus is stopped by the rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army, in northern Uganda. Along with other passengers, most of them students, Edgar is abducted and taken on a long journey to the rebel headquarters in the bush. Things turn even worse when, instead of being forced to become a soldier, he is sold into slavery. His life is changed forever. Edgar's friends learn of his fate and embark on a daring and difficult rescue attempt.With the help of a fellow captive, Edgar attempts a daring and dangerous escape, knowing that his re-capture would end in a fate worse than death. But will he succeed? The dramatic finale awaits you as you follow Edgar while he is being chased down by warlords whose mission is to return him to the slave owners and collect a large reward.The story gives the reader an insight into the pain and suffering that Edgar endures, and his unshakable faith and hope of eventually being free. Looking collectively at the people who are involved in Edgar's captivity and the ones who assist him, we are reminded that people are capable of good or evil, regardless of their color or creed. Through Edgar's story, the reader will come to understand the resilience that human beings can exhibit under extreme circumstances, the power of faith and the meaning of true friendship.

Excerpts

The bus slowed down. I opened my eyes and elbowed my young friend Rob. 'Hey, what's going on?' I asked. He stood up to peep through the front windshield and then quickly sat down, his eyes wide with fear. 'Oh no, I knew I should not have come.' I didn't wait to hear any more. I stepped over him and tried to look. We were stopped in a park near the road. There was some kind of roadblock, but something didn't seem right. A lot of thoughts started running through my head. Suddenly, something exploded very loudly, and I was thrown towards Rob. Another loud explosion followed, and then silence reigned all around. The bus headlights went off and it was suddenly very dark. 'What's going on, Eddie?' Rob asked. I didn't know what to say. I just put my index finger on my lips. 'Shh ... I believe we are in deep trouble,' I whispered. There was some commotion outside the bus, and then a powerful light emanated within the bus. The light moved silently from face to face, slowly going towards the back. These couldn't be the rebels. They were simply too cool. They didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry. Nobody dared say a word. it was the most frightening time of my life. 'Listen, everybody!' a male voice shouted in fluent English. 'I want you to walk towards the front and out of the bus, starting with the seat in the back. Now!' he finished harshly. People started walking out of the bus, and Rob and I followed silently. The man with a flashlight was standing next To The driver's seat. Behind him was another man with a pointed gun. I noticed a leg protruding from under the driver's seat and I recognized the clothing. it was our driver. My heart sank. Oh, my God. The explosions! the bastards had murdered him. But why? He had slowed down the bus as they requested, but they had still killed him. Suddenly, The reality of our situation dawned on me. These were the rebels. I prodded Rob to hurry up. I didn't want to see any more death. 'You! Stay!' a voice barked. I hoped it wasn't me they were calling and kept walking down the stairs. 'I mean you, going down the stairs, come back.' I turned around to face him, scared stiff. He motioned with a flashlight for me to climb back up, which I did. He kept looking hard at other boys and kept motioning the strong looking ones to stay behind until there were five of us. One woman tried complaining about her son, and they simply told her to go and wait for him outside. When she refused to go, they laughed and told her to take him. As the two were walking down the stairs, they were mowed down by bullets. The woman and her son fell outside the bus. 'Okay, everybody! That should be a lesson to you. We are not here to play around. Understand?' the man with the flashlight said. We all nodded, too dumbfounded to say anything.