Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 29 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Shimmy’s eyes opened wide. “The surveillance on me has gone up a level?”

“Yes. We have two assessments. Either the bat’s system has gone totally haywire…” It was strange to hear these words coming from the bat, as if it was complaining about its own messed-up system, though Shimmy knew that whatever the bat said was not a product of itself; it was only an audio translation of Yang’s words, coming from wherever he was sitting.

“Or?”

“Or its conclusions are correct. Do you have any idea which of the two it would be?”

Shimmy stared at the Tanchum doll standing near the wall and and then at the bat. “Maybe it’s because I’m here, on the premises of your factory, and that makes it suspect that I’m a spy.”

“No.” Yang Yang was definitive. “We input the information that you came here for research purposes in partnership with us.”

“You can’t simply ask the bat what it thinks I am? Who it thinks I am?”

“We asked. It calls you by a code name, but for some reason, it won’t give details beyond that. I told you from the start, there’s a bug in the system here. And we expect that you, working together with us, will help us reach a solution.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 28 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

The problem was that Shimmy had forgotten how hard it was to get rid of the bat. All his verbal efforts at persuasion were ineffective, and his vigorous hand motions were useless. At one point, Christopher flew up so high it became a tiny dot in the sky, but when Shimmy squinted, he was still able to see it.

What was the point? It didn’t seem that anything was threatening his freedom. The situation was no different than it had been on his first visit, when the bat had accompanied him to the airport and then disappeared. The minute he would receive a message about an outgoing flight to Israel, he would go to the airport and make his way home, no matter how much that nudnik Christopher would film and photograph him.

Shimmy walked to the sidewalk, feeling foolish as he held the box with the oversized doll. What were people thinking of him? Or maybe they realized that when a man walks in a central industrial zone for toys in Beijing, holding a box with a huge doll, that doesn’t mean he plans to play house with it?

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 27 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

“How are you, Yaakov Shlomo?”

“Baruch Hashem, fine. Uh, is that you, Abe? This isn’t your regular number.” Yaakov Shlomo studied the note that was left on the pink runner on the hallway table:

Dear Abba,

There’s a container of vegetable soup in the fridge, and a plate with chicken and mashed potatoes. You can warm it up in the microwave. Love, Tzippy.

P.S. I wanted to be home this afternoon to warm up the food for you, but we have a school trip. Feel good!

“Yes, that’s why I called. Look, in the next two-three weeks, I won’t be available by phone, and I won’t be dealing with the hotline.” Rubinson sounded like he was in a hurry, or perhaps somewhat tense, to put it more precisely. “Do you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“So I’m giving you the number of a friend of mine who has agreed to manage the hotline for now. If you need something, call him, but only if it’s really necessary, because he’s only going to be dealing with serious glitches or things like that.”

“I hear. Is everything okay, Abe? Do you feel alright?”

“So-so. But Hashem is great, and He will help.”

“For sure. Be strong. Is there anything I can do to help you out?”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 26 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

“Abe?”

Abe Rubinson’s accountant did not usually call him for no reason, certainly not at half past eight in the morning.

“Hi, Alan, what’s doing?”

“I don’t quite understand what is going on,” Alan said slowly, “but I received an urgent message from…someone. Lots of inquiries and nosing around have been going on over the past day, about the sales and marketing of Moni, and his speeches. Someone is trying to find out who the owners are of the whole marketing campaign around him, and which account the profits are going into…”

“The IRS?” Rubinson paled without even realizing it. “But everything is supposed to be in order, isn’t it? I don’t think that anyone can have any complaints.”

“Absolutely, as far as taxes, you are just fine.”

“So what is it, then?”

“I don’t know who is nosing around in your affairs.” Alan was quiet for a moment, and then said, “But it looks like someone with power. With abilities, to put it more precisely. Could it be that someone at higher levels took notice of your business with Moni, and is looking for you because of it?”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 25 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

“Maybe there are flights out of China going to Turkey?” Zahava asked. “What if you go there, and we can meet up? I haven’t seen you in a long time, Shimmy.”

“Mommy,” Shimmy said patiently, “my passport was in my wallet.”

“So that means you can’t fly anywhere now?”

“Right. And as it is, you have no idea how limited I am. I was released the day before yesterday from the hospital, and I didn’t even have money to pay for a taxi to get to the Israeli embassy… Gedalya persuaded my unfriendly translator to take care of transportation for me, and he managed to transfer him money, even though money transfers from America have become very, very complicated. Gedalya also paid for two more days in the hotel, but those are over tonight.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I have a proposal,” her son replied vaguely.

“A proposal?”

“Yes, someone offered me to work for him for a short time until the matter with my passport is resolved, and until we can release money.”

“What does that mean, ‘someone offered me to work for him’?” Zahava rolled the words around on her tongue slowly as she opened a closet door. What was the weather in Turkey now? “Something legal?”

“Of course. Remember I told you about that flying robot that was following me?”

“Yes, the one that found you after your abduction.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 24 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

“Clarification with Roy Hand,” was the first line in the calendar of the CEO of CentraBank, Gene Preisler. Not just this morning, but every single morning for the past two weeks. The lights in the office went on when Gene opened the door at a quarter to five in the morning. He didn’t even get a chance to close the door behind him before Roy also entered.

“You sent me a message three minutes ago that there’s news,” Gene said, without sitting down, as he switched on his computer.

“That’s right,” the computer security officer replied. “And a minute ago I received a message from my colleagues at other banks that this new matter is affecting them as well.”

“And?”

“The hackers left a message…nine minutes ago.” He walked over to the computer on the CEO’s desk, and the huge screen on the opposite wall came to life with the message:

It’s a shame that now, instead of stopping and clarifying where you are going, you are becoming more frantic in your pursuit of materialism.

“What is this?” Gene stared at the letters. “Someone’s decided to preach to us?”

“It’s not ‘someone.’ Notice the scribble there after the words, at the end.”

“Their signature.”

“Or not. We have no idea who and how many people are behind this whole thing.”

“Has Charlie seen this yet?”

“I assume so.”

“Let him pass it on to his superiors. I have no strength for this anymore.” Gene sank into his chair, and then a second letter, sat up straight again. The journalists hovering around constantly could pounce on such a photo of despair. The fact that the hack was not only a problem with his business, but one that applied to the entire American government, made things better for him in a way, but on the other hand, much more complicated. The investigators were driving him nuts every minute with questions, conclusions, and declarations, especially since the theory they had latched onto seemed totally outlandish in his opinion.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 23 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Shimmy opened his eyes in a Chinese hospital. The military helicopter that had brought him here seemed like a blurry, hazy dream. But the soft mattress was very real, as was the IV line connected to his forearm. He sat up in the bed and looked around. If, just a few hours ago, his only desire was to get out of the hole he’d been thrown into, now, after three hours of deep sleep and some time to recover, he also felt the acute lack of his phone, wallet, and watch. Did the thieves actually think the watch was gold? It didn’t even look like gold; Batya’s parents were totally not on board with that kind of thing.

Two short policemen approached his bed. They asked him a few questions in broken English and photographed him from all sides, as if he was the offender and not the victim; then they disappeared.

Shimmy got himself together and davened, and then ate two cucumbers for breakfast. His tefillin were in his suitcase in his hotel, along with a few cans of kosher food that would quiet his hunger more than these scrawny cucumbers, but where was he and where was the hotel? He didn’t even know what province of China he was in now. Was he still in the Beijing area? Was Shio Ching up to date on what had happened to him?

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 22 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

The darkness on the mountainside grew thicker, and Shimmy discovered just how dark the world could be. Really dark. No lights from windows of buildings, no light from passing cars’ headlights. Thick darkness that enveloped everything. Somewhere above him, there were somewhat clearer skies; the road at the top of the mountain may have been lit up, but that light did not reach him. After exerted efforts to crawl, which included a scary fall and two smaller slides, he was about four meters higher than where he’d been when he first woke up, but it was still a far cry from where he had to get to.

He thought about Batya and about Shmuli. Did anyone know yet that he had disappeared? He didn’t call home every hour and a half, only once a day—and they’d already spoken that day. But his translator knew that he’d disappeared, and in that case, he should have updated Gedalya. If he had done so, then someone was surely searching for him already. The question was if they knew where to look—not that he had any suggestions to make on that front. He had no clue as to where he’d been thrown.

If his father was with him here, he would say that they were not alone, that Hashem hadn’t left them for even a moment. But if Tatty would be here, everything would look different. Not that he thought, chalilah, that it wasn’t true; he knew that Hashem was with him everywhere. But Hashem was also with those people who had disappeared, thrown to desolate places—the people who ultimately succumbed to dehydration and never returned.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 21 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Shimmy squinted and cautiously moved his aching head. What was this place? It certainly wasn’t a dream, even if he really wanted to hope that it was. Darkness enveloped everything, but the moon was still there, dimly lighting up the area, and he realized he was lying at the foot of a rocky mountain. His palms were both scraped and bleeding, and if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a big bump on the back of his neck, on the right side. His entire body was aching, and where was his phone? Gone. Wallet? Gone. Wonderful!

Slowly, he sat up, feeling his muscles protesting at the effort. Little pebbles slid down under his feet, and he tried to see where this place started and where it ended. About five feet behind him was a dark copse of trees, and it didn’t seem to be a residential area. But from above, he could hear a faint, monotonous noise that sounded like cars. There must be a road at the top of this mountain, but how was he supposed to climb up?

Same way you came down, the joke would go. But even with the pounding headache and fuzziness that filled his brain when he tried to remember what had happened before he woke up and found himself in this place, it was very clear to him that he had not gone down; he’d been taken down. Or, to put it more accurately, thrown down, maybe from a moving car. You didn’t want the amusement park and uncontrolled dizziness? You got it all anyway—big time.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 20 of a new online serial novel, If Anyone Is Listening, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

A phone call from Ruchi’s mother is very unusual, certainly at the hour that I am finishing my breakfast. I tense, especially in light of the fact that Yudi did not answer or return my calls a whole day yesterday.

“Good morning,” I say as I carry my plates to the sink, aware that I’m not able to suppress the trace of anxiety in my voice. “Actually, good evening to you.”

“Yes, yes,” she says. “How are you?”

“Baruch Hashem.” I hesitate for a moment. “What’s doing? Is everyone okay?”

“In general, yes, but I wanted to speak to you about the specifics.”

“Of course.” I move aside the jewelry catalog that’s been sitting on the counter since last week; my daughter’s neighbor told her that right now, her suppliers are struggling financially, and she isn’t up to opening new branches. “The orthopedist appointment was yesterday, right?”