Susanna: The New Way
USD 31,99
Format: 13.5x21.5
Number of Pages: 190
ISBN: 978-3-99130-358-9
Release Date: 15.05.2024
Susanna finds herself in another reality, where she meets people with unique abilities. In the new world she faces many problems and mysteries to solve. Confused and defenceless, she must summon up the courage to face all the trials in her path.
Acknowledgement
The idea for this book was amazing. It happened on June 21, 2022. My friend Julia came to visit me and we had an interesting conversation. We talked all evening about how tonight was going to be the shortest night ever and she advised me to ask the universe a question before going to bed. At first I didn’t take her words seriously, but after she left, my mother called me. And amazingly, she asked me to do the same.
I ended up listening to them and before I went to bed I asked the universe a question, “I wish I could dream tonight about my mission in this life. What do I have to do to be truly happy?”
And I had a dream. I was sitting in some bookstore and there was some big event going on. There was a line of people giving me my own book with a request to sign for it.
Immediately after I woke up, I called my mother and told her about my dream. I had loved writing before but I had never thought about connecting my life with writing. My mother urged me to start writing again. To write what I myself enjoy reading which is fiction, romance and not much humour.
All day I walked around trying to think of something and nothing came to mind. But in the evening, with absolutely no ideas I turned on my computer and imagined I was watching the most interesting TV series which I had created and which was being filmed in real time. I didn’t know what I was writing and about whom and I didn’t know where all the events would lead me. I wrote the book without having any idea what was coming next. At some point I realised it was too late but I couldn’t stop because I was curious to know what would happen next.
The first night I wrote four chapters. At 3 a.m. I opened the window to air the room and a bird flew in. Frightened, at first I thought it was a bat and in hysterics I waved it away. But when it sat down a metre away from me and watched without fear, I got a good look at it. It turned out to be a blackbird. With bated breath I watched it, trying not to move and after about 10 minutes, it flew out of the window and flew away.
From that moment on I realised that maybe this was a sign to me that I was doing the right thing.
First of all I want to thank my friend and my mum.
My mum supported me throughout the time I was writing. She waited every day for me to send her the next chapter. Her support has been a rock for me. She read the chapters over and over again with undisguised enthusiasm.
When I sent her the last chapter, she offered to help me. She wanted very much to be my personal editor. She helped me a lot with the editing of the book. She replaced some repeated words and corrected punctuation.
I want to thank her very much for her help and support.
After writing my first book I started looking for an agency that could help me. and I came across the Novum agency. Already the name intrigued me because in my book there is this Latin word. It did not seem like a coincidence to me and I was not mistaken.
The people in this agency take a very responsible approach to their work. Our correspondence was long but each time they asked me not to worry while waiting for the next response. That kind of concern for my already fragile nerves is worth a lot. I am very grateful to everyone who works with me on the same team and I am certainly grateful to my mentor who explains everything quickly and in detail.
I will continue my story with the same people I already work with. People are the most irreplaceable thing in our destinies. I appreciate absolutely everyone who contributes to the realisation of this fantastic story and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
PART 1.
1. Happy birthday Susanna!
Susanna was on her way back from school in a heavy downpour. It was as if the weather itself was either a warning or a blessing today.
She ran down the uneven path stepping in puddles and the discomfort of wet socks and sneakers only increased. A strong breeze seemed to penetrate all the way to her soul. The girl was angry with herself and couldn’t figure out if the weather was getting worse or vice versa.
Susanna was a complicated teenager. She rarely socialised with her peers, more often opting for older company. In primary school she shunned socialising with her classmates. She thought the pink tops and bow-tie headbands on the girls’ heads made them look silly, and glamorous Barbies. After all, it was the outward image that highlighted a person’s inner world.
She thought that if she wore white sandals, she would lose herself and her personality. She would begin to listen to snotty songs, run after smarmy boys and her dream would be to become a prom queen.
The girl had always considered herself unattractive and was not in the habit of long makeup in front of the mirror. She preferred to hide her red hair under baseball caps she’d been collecting for years. Every time she went to a thrift shop she had to spend a lot of time looking for an exclusive.
Her figure was different from that of her peers and despite her young age Susanna was very harmonious.
In the changing room the girls were paying attention to her, discussing something among themselves and were probably jealous and puzzled. Why was she hiding such a treasure under her oversized clothes? But that was not the only detail that attracted everyone.
Ocean-coloured eyes everyone tried to see but the girl did not communicate with anyone, so it was difficult to enjoy direct eye-to-eye contact. She had inherited this unique colour from her father. Her mother spoke of it often with nostalgia in her voice.
Soaked to the skin, she finally made it home. She wanted to take a hot shower and enjoy the solitude. But fate had decided otherwise …
Slamming the door, she heard her mother’s voice and her footsteps approaching:
“Darling, are you home already?”
“Yes, Mum! Today they let us go earlier than usual but I had to run fast!” She answered, taking off her wet sneakers.
“Oh, my God! You’re soaking wet! You need to change right away!” Gently smiling as she helped her take off her wet clothes she added: “Run upstairs, there on the bed you will find a gift!”
“A present? Mum, I told you no presents! Today is an ordinary day!” The girl objected, so as not to offend her mother.
“Not for you and not for me. A birthday is not every day!” And with a kiss on her cheek she added, “You only turn sixteen once!”
“I hope you won’t try to use the opportunity to change my wardrobe?” Susanna asked, smiling slyly.
Despite the ripped jeans and dirty sneakers, she didn’t want to change them for anything. Her mother had her own fashion boutique which she had run for over twenty years and every time she sent her off to school, she persuaded her to change her image.
Marilyn liked her job, though her daughter found it terribly boring but to her the boutique was a second home. She put her heart and soul into her shop and every corner told her that she was a very creative person.
Marilyn had the simple yet refined appearance of a fragile woman with a big heart. Her brown hair curled slightly and her green eyes reflected naivety and kindness.
“Sweetheart, I really thought about it but I know you won’t like the surprise …” She replied with a note of disappointment.
“You intrigue me!” And Susanna squinted mischievously and asked “What could I: possibly like?”
“Run up to your room and find out!” Mama smiled enigmatically.
She lazily got up to her room and tossing her red backpack into the corner of the room, she headed straight for the shower.
The hot water washed away her tiredness and made her think:
“What goals could I have? What kind of future could I have if I was interested in nothing more than drawing stuff? All the girls have already decided what they are going to become, imagining their future! Journalists, managers, fashion designers, architects, lawyers … And what am I among all these fashionistas? Maybe a waitress with a sad expression on her face? Somehow, that’s the end of my ideas … I’ll live my whole life and end up as a grumpy granny who never understood what she was young for … but who cares! I don’t care what happens! A granny is a granny, what’s wrong with grannies? Because they stink? So what? Even now, after the gym, I smell worse than a granny.”
The thoughts faded as soon as soap foam accidentally splashed into her eyes. “How could this happen? I washed it all off a long time ago!” she thought, turning off the shower and wrapping herself in a towel, she left the bathroom.
There was a blue gift box on the bed, tied with a red ribbon. Curiosity got the better of her and she carefully unwrapped the gift, trying to figure out what it was. “A vintage album?” wondered Susanna. “Strange … I never thought my mother would give me a sketchbook. She seems to have forgotten that I’m not into that kind of stuff anymore.” Looking at the leather-bound album with the beautiful silver clasp, she opened the first page, and exclaimed: “O… My God! It’s my father’s diary!”
In the upper left-hand corner, it was signed, “George Foster.”
“It’s important to pay attention to the signs the universe
is showing us. But there is something more important –
you have to be able to spot them in time.”
2. The realisation comes
when it is not expected
Susanna had never seen her father’s letters. Looking at each letter with interest, she unconsciously tried to find a resemblance to her own handwriting. With trembling fingers flipping through the pages of the diary, her eyes locked on a familiar name. Reading the entries, she tried to absorb every word.
May 12, 1999.
“… Back from the island, I sat in a cafe, thinking that my birthday would pass over a lonely eating of vanilla-glazed donuts and a hot cappuccino. But fate had decided otherwise! Today I met her … I think it was my destiny! The stranger was coming out of the institute in a light white dress and her brown, wavy hair was blowing in the wind … how was she not cold? She noticed that I was looking at her and smiled. This girl turned out to be so brave! I lost track of time as she approached me smiling radiantly …”
August 3, 2000.
“… I want to tell my secret! But I’m so afraid of losing her … I think she’d ask a lot of questions … and maybe my story could delight … but things are not as rosy as they may seem at first sight …”
October 22, 2001.
“We’ve been together for so long. I’m going to propose to her today. I’m so excited …”
19 December 2001.
“I have been called back to the institute and will have to leave the mainland. Something unforeseen and possibly dangerous is coming. I have to take care of the students and find out what’s wrong …”
February 16, 2002.
“I want to make Marilyn happy. She’s been so keen to open her shop! But what can I do except buy it? We see each other so rarely … She notices my mood changes but unfortunately I can’t tell her anything …”
July 8, 200
“A change has already begun at the institute. The stars are changing their position. It is an unusual phenomenon that I have yet to explore … I am plagued by nightmares and I am sure that my dreams carry some kind of message. I’d like to believe it’s for the good but I’m afraid it isn’t … I think I’m going mad …”
27 September 2005.
“Marilyn gave me the long-awaited news. She expected me to rejoice … but I fear and pray that my first-born will not be born on this day … If it happens, my child’s fate will be very difficult … Little has been revealed … but even this is enough to know – our world will change very much …”
Following that were the drawings. Looking at them, Susanna felt a sense of excitement and her intuition told her that her father’s death was not an accident. He was tormented by some kind of fear for the future. And this institute? The island? What was he writing about, anyway?
Mother had told her that father worked in a bank, was a good employee who was loved by the whole staff. She told stories of how they were invited together to fun corporate parties at his workplace. Had her mother deceived her all her life?
The realisation that this was the case made her face flush with the colour of resentment and self-pity. The resentment was overwhelming and the girl burst into tears. Leafing through the pages of her diary, yellowed by time and trying in vain to make sense of these strange drawings, poring over the fragile sheets faster and faster, a torn page from the book Alice in Wonderland fell into her lap. Lewis Carroll.” On the back was a letter:
“Dear Susanna!
Happy birthday to you! I think you have achieved a lot at school. I am sure you have good grades and you are truly happy! After all, a mother like Marilyn could only raise the kindest and smartest child.
I wish you the greatest success! I want you to live every day with a smile and a ringing laugh! Let nothing stop you to go only forward to your goals and dreams with your head held high! I have no doubt – your mother is proud of you!
I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you. I had to leave you because I had no choice … I asked your mother to keep this diary until your sixteenth birthday. She asked me for a long time what this notebook was and why you needed it. I managed to convince her that it was only for my beloved daughter’s eyes.
I really hope that one day you will forgive me, and perhaps understand …
Love, your daddy.”
Susanna clutched the letter to her chest as desperately as if it were the most precious artefact in the world.
Suddenly there was a feeling of guilt … What would her father be proud of if he were alive?
Her peers had turned away from her … no friends … her teachers weren’t exactly praising her … no art classes … no sports achievements, not even her own future! What can her parents be proud of!?
The guilt turned into despair … an emptiness was rapidly forming in her heart at the unfair concealment of the truth by her mother.
Outside the window the weather had deteriorated completely, the clouds were no longer grey, they had turned black. Lightning struck so close that the sounds of thunder rang out menacingly almost instantly. Large drops struck the glass frequently and rhythmically, like intrusive, uninvited guests.
“Susanna! Darling! Come down! I’ve made your favorite stew!” Mum shouted from the kitchen.
The girl glanced at the door with red, weeping eyes full of despair. Quickly she jumped up from the bed and ran down the stairs. Each step resembled a peal of thunder that sounded more terrifying than ever. The ‘inner hurricane’ seemed ready to tear down everything in its path and frighten even the most terrifying demons.
The idea for this book was amazing. It happened on June 21, 2022. My friend Julia came to visit me and we had an interesting conversation. We talked all evening about how tonight was going to be the shortest night ever and she advised me to ask the universe a question before going to bed. At first I didn’t take her words seriously, but after she left, my mother called me. And amazingly, she asked me to do the same.
I ended up listening to them and before I went to bed I asked the universe a question, “I wish I could dream tonight about my mission in this life. What do I have to do to be truly happy?”
And I had a dream. I was sitting in some bookstore and there was some big event going on. There was a line of people giving me my own book with a request to sign for it.
Immediately after I woke up, I called my mother and told her about my dream. I had loved writing before but I had never thought about connecting my life with writing. My mother urged me to start writing again. To write what I myself enjoy reading which is fiction, romance and not much humour.
All day I walked around trying to think of something and nothing came to mind. But in the evening, with absolutely no ideas I turned on my computer and imagined I was watching the most interesting TV series which I had created and which was being filmed in real time. I didn’t know what I was writing and about whom and I didn’t know where all the events would lead me. I wrote the book without having any idea what was coming next. At some point I realised it was too late but I couldn’t stop because I was curious to know what would happen next.
The first night I wrote four chapters. At 3 a.m. I opened the window to air the room and a bird flew in. Frightened, at first I thought it was a bat and in hysterics I waved it away. But when it sat down a metre away from me and watched without fear, I got a good look at it. It turned out to be a blackbird. With bated breath I watched it, trying not to move and after about 10 minutes, it flew out of the window and flew away.
From that moment on I realised that maybe this was a sign to me that I was doing the right thing.
First of all I want to thank my friend and my mum.
My mum supported me throughout the time I was writing. She waited every day for me to send her the next chapter. Her support has been a rock for me. She read the chapters over and over again with undisguised enthusiasm.
When I sent her the last chapter, she offered to help me. She wanted very much to be my personal editor. She helped me a lot with the editing of the book. She replaced some repeated words and corrected punctuation.
I want to thank her very much for her help and support.
After writing my first book I started looking for an agency that could help me. and I came across the Novum agency. Already the name intrigued me because in my book there is this Latin word. It did not seem like a coincidence to me and I was not mistaken.
The people in this agency take a very responsible approach to their work. Our correspondence was long but each time they asked me not to worry while waiting for the next response. That kind of concern for my already fragile nerves is worth a lot. I am very grateful to everyone who works with me on the same team and I am certainly grateful to my mentor who explains everything quickly and in detail.
I will continue my story with the same people I already work with. People are the most irreplaceable thing in our destinies. I appreciate absolutely everyone who contributes to the realisation of this fantastic story and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
PART 1.
1. Happy birthday Susanna!
Susanna was on her way back from school in a heavy downpour. It was as if the weather itself was either a warning or a blessing today.
She ran down the uneven path stepping in puddles and the discomfort of wet socks and sneakers only increased. A strong breeze seemed to penetrate all the way to her soul. The girl was angry with herself and couldn’t figure out if the weather was getting worse or vice versa.
Susanna was a complicated teenager. She rarely socialised with her peers, more often opting for older company. In primary school she shunned socialising with her classmates. She thought the pink tops and bow-tie headbands on the girls’ heads made them look silly, and glamorous Barbies. After all, it was the outward image that highlighted a person’s inner world.
She thought that if she wore white sandals, she would lose herself and her personality. She would begin to listen to snotty songs, run after smarmy boys and her dream would be to become a prom queen.
The girl had always considered herself unattractive and was not in the habit of long makeup in front of the mirror. She preferred to hide her red hair under baseball caps she’d been collecting for years. Every time she went to a thrift shop she had to spend a lot of time looking for an exclusive.
Her figure was different from that of her peers and despite her young age Susanna was very harmonious.
In the changing room the girls were paying attention to her, discussing something among themselves and were probably jealous and puzzled. Why was she hiding such a treasure under her oversized clothes? But that was not the only detail that attracted everyone.
Ocean-coloured eyes everyone tried to see but the girl did not communicate with anyone, so it was difficult to enjoy direct eye-to-eye contact. She had inherited this unique colour from her father. Her mother spoke of it often with nostalgia in her voice.
Soaked to the skin, she finally made it home. She wanted to take a hot shower and enjoy the solitude. But fate had decided otherwise …
Slamming the door, she heard her mother’s voice and her footsteps approaching:
“Darling, are you home already?”
“Yes, Mum! Today they let us go earlier than usual but I had to run fast!” She answered, taking off her wet sneakers.
“Oh, my God! You’re soaking wet! You need to change right away!” Gently smiling as she helped her take off her wet clothes she added: “Run upstairs, there on the bed you will find a gift!”
“A present? Mum, I told you no presents! Today is an ordinary day!” The girl objected, so as not to offend her mother.
“Not for you and not for me. A birthday is not every day!” And with a kiss on her cheek she added, “You only turn sixteen once!”
“I hope you won’t try to use the opportunity to change my wardrobe?” Susanna asked, smiling slyly.
Despite the ripped jeans and dirty sneakers, she didn’t want to change them for anything. Her mother had her own fashion boutique which she had run for over twenty years and every time she sent her off to school, she persuaded her to change her image.
Marilyn liked her job, though her daughter found it terribly boring but to her the boutique was a second home. She put her heart and soul into her shop and every corner told her that she was a very creative person.
Marilyn had the simple yet refined appearance of a fragile woman with a big heart. Her brown hair curled slightly and her green eyes reflected naivety and kindness.
“Sweetheart, I really thought about it but I know you won’t like the surprise …” She replied with a note of disappointment.
“You intrigue me!” And Susanna squinted mischievously and asked “What could I: possibly like?”
“Run up to your room and find out!” Mama smiled enigmatically.
She lazily got up to her room and tossing her red backpack into the corner of the room, she headed straight for the shower.
The hot water washed away her tiredness and made her think:
“What goals could I have? What kind of future could I have if I was interested in nothing more than drawing stuff? All the girls have already decided what they are going to become, imagining their future! Journalists, managers, fashion designers, architects, lawyers … And what am I among all these fashionistas? Maybe a waitress with a sad expression on her face? Somehow, that’s the end of my ideas … I’ll live my whole life and end up as a grumpy granny who never understood what she was young for … but who cares! I don’t care what happens! A granny is a granny, what’s wrong with grannies? Because they stink? So what? Even now, after the gym, I smell worse than a granny.”
The thoughts faded as soon as soap foam accidentally splashed into her eyes. “How could this happen? I washed it all off a long time ago!” she thought, turning off the shower and wrapping herself in a towel, she left the bathroom.
There was a blue gift box on the bed, tied with a red ribbon. Curiosity got the better of her and she carefully unwrapped the gift, trying to figure out what it was. “A vintage album?” wondered Susanna. “Strange … I never thought my mother would give me a sketchbook. She seems to have forgotten that I’m not into that kind of stuff anymore.” Looking at the leather-bound album with the beautiful silver clasp, she opened the first page, and exclaimed: “O… My God! It’s my father’s diary!”
In the upper left-hand corner, it was signed, “George Foster.”
“It’s important to pay attention to the signs the universe
is showing us. But there is something more important –
you have to be able to spot them in time.”
2. The realisation comes
when it is not expected
Susanna had never seen her father’s letters. Looking at each letter with interest, she unconsciously tried to find a resemblance to her own handwriting. With trembling fingers flipping through the pages of the diary, her eyes locked on a familiar name. Reading the entries, she tried to absorb every word.
May 12, 1999.
“… Back from the island, I sat in a cafe, thinking that my birthday would pass over a lonely eating of vanilla-glazed donuts and a hot cappuccino. But fate had decided otherwise! Today I met her … I think it was my destiny! The stranger was coming out of the institute in a light white dress and her brown, wavy hair was blowing in the wind … how was she not cold? She noticed that I was looking at her and smiled. This girl turned out to be so brave! I lost track of time as she approached me smiling radiantly …”
August 3, 2000.
“… I want to tell my secret! But I’m so afraid of losing her … I think she’d ask a lot of questions … and maybe my story could delight … but things are not as rosy as they may seem at first sight …”
October 22, 2001.
“We’ve been together for so long. I’m going to propose to her today. I’m so excited …”
19 December 2001.
“I have been called back to the institute and will have to leave the mainland. Something unforeseen and possibly dangerous is coming. I have to take care of the students and find out what’s wrong …”
February 16, 2002.
“I want to make Marilyn happy. She’s been so keen to open her shop! But what can I do except buy it? We see each other so rarely … She notices my mood changes but unfortunately I can’t tell her anything …”
July 8, 200
“A change has already begun at the institute. The stars are changing their position. It is an unusual phenomenon that I have yet to explore … I am plagued by nightmares and I am sure that my dreams carry some kind of message. I’d like to believe it’s for the good but I’m afraid it isn’t … I think I’m going mad …”
27 September 2005.
“Marilyn gave me the long-awaited news. She expected me to rejoice … but I fear and pray that my first-born will not be born on this day … If it happens, my child’s fate will be very difficult … Little has been revealed … but even this is enough to know – our world will change very much …”
Following that were the drawings. Looking at them, Susanna felt a sense of excitement and her intuition told her that her father’s death was not an accident. He was tormented by some kind of fear for the future. And this institute? The island? What was he writing about, anyway?
Mother had told her that father worked in a bank, was a good employee who was loved by the whole staff. She told stories of how they were invited together to fun corporate parties at his workplace. Had her mother deceived her all her life?
The realisation that this was the case made her face flush with the colour of resentment and self-pity. The resentment was overwhelming and the girl burst into tears. Leafing through the pages of her diary, yellowed by time and trying in vain to make sense of these strange drawings, poring over the fragile sheets faster and faster, a torn page from the book Alice in Wonderland fell into her lap. Lewis Carroll.” On the back was a letter:
“Dear Susanna!
Happy birthday to you! I think you have achieved a lot at school. I am sure you have good grades and you are truly happy! After all, a mother like Marilyn could only raise the kindest and smartest child.
I wish you the greatest success! I want you to live every day with a smile and a ringing laugh! Let nothing stop you to go only forward to your goals and dreams with your head held high! I have no doubt – your mother is proud of you!
I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you. I had to leave you because I had no choice … I asked your mother to keep this diary until your sixteenth birthday. She asked me for a long time what this notebook was and why you needed it. I managed to convince her that it was only for my beloved daughter’s eyes.
I really hope that one day you will forgive me, and perhaps understand …
Love, your daddy.”
Susanna clutched the letter to her chest as desperately as if it were the most precious artefact in the world.
Suddenly there was a feeling of guilt … What would her father be proud of if he were alive?
Her peers had turned away from her … no friends … her teachers weren’t exactly praising her … no art classes … no sports achievements, not even her own future! What can her parents be proud of!?
The guilt turned into despair … an emptiness was rapidly forming in her heart at the unfair concealment of the truth by her mother.
Outside the window the weather had deteriorated completely, the clouds were no longer grey, they had turned black. Lightning struck so close that the sounds of thunder rang out menacingly almost instantly. Large drops struck the glass frequently and rhythmically, like intrusive, uninvited guests.
“Susanna! Darling! Come down! I’ve made your favorite stew!” Mum shouted from the kitchen.
The girl glanced at the door with red, weeping eyes full of despair. Quickly she jumped up from the bed and ran down the stairs. Each step resembled a peal of thunder that sounded more terrifying than ever. The ‘inner hurricane’ seemed ready to tear down everything in its path and frighten even the most terrifying demons.
The sister is heartless and wicked
The sister is heartless and wicked
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