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There never were, since the creation of the world, two cases exactly parallel

‘Theodore & Hussaini’ is a short story/sketch/treatment that uses a parallel narrative structure. Two young boys of different nationalities and points in history, flee their homes due to religious persecution and find themselves aboard a boat toward the promised land, Australia. Specific details of the boat journey are derived from interviews with asylum seekers, refugees, and my grandfather whom has spent many years researching our family’s migratory journey to Australia.

Theodore & Hussaini

1841,
A German Royal Guard pounds at the door.
Two Prussian heavies stand by his side.
One’s holding a half-rotten plank of lumber, the other a three-inch nail.
The Guard pounds again.
“Filthy Lutheran maggot, we’re here for your pledge”.
Silence bellows.
Theodore, a small German village boy is inside, about to sneak out the back window.
With a nod, the Prussian heavies move in.
Weapons raised,
The door swings open suddenly.

1999,
An Afghani boy named Hussaini answers the door.
“Can I help you?” he says in Farsi.
His loose traditional clothing flapping slowly in the breeze.
A masked man removes his turban and raises a weapon.
“Taliban!” screams the boy, and slams the door shut.
The assailant aligns his shoulder and charges at the door.

1941,
The German Royal Guard bursts through the front door.
The house is empty, the back door wide open.
Wind billows furiously through the open windows.
In search of Theodore, the heavies destroy the house,
The young Lutheran choir boy is no where to be seen.
Frustrated, the head Guard removes the pistol from his holster,
and points it purposefully at a wooden statue of a Lutheran archangel.

1999,
Smoke and dust fill the air.
The Taliban offload a fresh round of ammunition inside Hussaini’s house.
Thankfully the Afghani boy has escaped, and is now hiding in the neighbour’s farm.
There is only one choice for young men like Hussaini.
He must flee this place, or stay and fight alongside the Taliban.
Sadly this is a regular occurrence in Afghanistan.
Family’s pay their life savings to hide their eldest sons from the Taliban.
Hussaini’s family has already arranged to smuggle him out of the country.
They were hoping it wouldn’t be for another three more months.
Hussaini leaves tonight.

…………. several months pass

1941 Hamburg,
After weeks of consulting an underground Lutheran priest,
Theodore will flee this place.
The King of Germany has banished all Lutherans from Germany,
in favour of his new Catholic friends,
the ones with gold and pretty paintings.
More importantly, any Lutherans who stay behind, will be hung.
There is a boat load, the last of the Lutherans.
They will depart Germany tonight,
in favour of a new beginning, a foreign land,
a place called Australia.

1999 Bali-Papan (Indonesia),
Hussaini awaits in darkness,
Hiding in silence, along a moonlit shore.
The past months have been taxing, but thankfully Hussaini is here.
One boat ride from the promised land.
He’s passed through four countries legally to get here.
Technically Hussaini is on holidays, just out for a midnight swim.
In a few moments, serendipity will strike.
A boat will arrive, and fulfill his dreams.
Heavenly paradise awaits Hussaini,
a place called Australia.

…………. excerpt from the boat journey to Australia

Theodore woke gingerly, his curls full of vomit. An atmospheric sting binds rancid noodles to the forehead of a stranger who lay beside him. Limbs remain tangled while the crew maintain their slumber. The heat of the night has subdued, and its now safe for Theodore to slip away. He hasn’t seen Hussaini since their boat nearly capsized last night.