The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe by Romain Puertolas

Author:Romain Puertolas [Puertolas, Romain]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-385-35296-3
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2015-01-27T05:00:00+00:00

(Like this dog who is listening to this story right now, and whose glistening eyes are my only landmarks in this blackness? God Takes a Taxi will recount the tribulations of a young, blind suicide bomber, an Afghan terrorist by the name of Walid Nadjib, a few minutes before boarding an airplane to England. Why blind? Perhaps because I am in darkness at the moment. You only write what you know, after all. The scene will take place in Colombo Airport, in Sri Lanka. But, anyway, back to the story …)

The man felt increasingly nervous, repeatedly postponing his passage through the metal detector that separated him from the secure area by locking himself in the toilet. Hidden in the empty tube of his white cane were enough explosives to blow up the airplane on which he was about to travel. Nobody suspected blind people.

His plan was foolproof, but the man was now assailed by an unconquerable fear. It was not fear of death, because he was so convinced of the righteousness of his cause that it would be an honor to die in its defense. What worried him was the thought of being arrested before he was able to carry out his plan.

But he had thought of everything. He had spent six months fine-tuning every detail of his last journey. He had managed to get hold of a high-quality fake Sri Lankan passport and a real fake short-stay British business visa. He was wearing a gray, tailor-made suit and carrying a briefcase in which he kept the documents relating to his fictitious company, a car-paint firm that he was going to present to the car manufacturer Vauxhall. He was also carrying samples of the latest colors offered by his company, including puma red and tortoise blue. A myriad of color tones … carried by a blind man! But he had learned his role by heart, so he would be able to answer any question they asked him. He had done everything in his power. The rest was up to the will of Allah.

Without removing his black glasses, the man splashed a little water on his face. Had he not been blind, he would have seen in the bathroom mirror an elegant, clean-shaven old man. Nothing about him suggested he was about to blow up an airplane somewhere over the Arabian Sea, just after takeoff.

After feeling around on the wall, Walid Nadjib pulled a few paper towels from a large metal box and used them to dry his hands. Then, walking without hesitation, he made his way to security. He knew the route by heart. His cane had swept through every square inch. He had walked this way dozens of times, accompanied at first and then alone. Finally, he reached one of the two lines that led to the metal detectors, bumping into the person waiting in line in front of him, and then apologizing. He removed his belt. An airport employee came to his aid and helped him with the rest: his suit jacket and his briefcase.

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