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Part 72: Where All Journeys Grow

Chapter 22: Cairo

V2.0 – 10/09/2025

I’ve heard my whole life practically about the effects of captivity on people, what they call ‘Stockholm syndrome’, but to experience it for oneself seems wholly different. During the weeks I had spent aboard this ship as a prisoner, I had been treated very well by my captors. I had everything I could ever need: food, clothing, a comfortable bed, exercise, and companionship with the other prisoners. It felt more like a cruise than slavery to me.

I had become almost fond of Osiris during the many times he had summoned me to work out details of my new identity as an Israeli businessman named Celeb Feldman. I had no idea that there existed such an elaborate and modern method of slavery in the world. Osiris had access to hacking technology and via that powerful form of digital manipulation had ensured that my former identity was all but erased and my new identity was taking shape.

As the weeks passed I was becoming more and more Caleb Feldman. Osiris made sure that we spent time each day learning about our new lives and the cultures that we now belonged to. We were even given basic language classes. It was incredible how much thought went into this dark business, even more incredible that I had somehow found my way into the heart of it all.

My mission to climb a mountain to a place called Meribah seemed almost like a fading dream. I hadn’t had much contact with God since I’d been captured. Life aboard ship was eventful and almost purposefully full of activity. I lived in a room with 14 other people. Captivity had bonded us together almost like a family. We discussed our new identities with each other. We called each other by our new names as we’d been instructed to do.

Any hope of returning back to our homes had faded as the days had passed. We were told that if we tried to escape and somehow returned to our homes and families we would find our identities erased. Our previous lives were no longer possible. Our families had been told that we were dead, and documents proving that fact had been fabricated and delivered to them. It was all so tidy, our removal from existence and our transformation into these new people who would serve those with whom we’d been sold to.

As I watched Port Said come into view through the small window in our prison cell, I thought back to the weeks and months that had brought me here. I calculated that since that day in my house when God told me to sell everything and “Go” it had been at least three months, two of those spend aboard cargo ships at sea.

Had I ever been anyone other than Caleb Feldman? Andrew’s life seemed so distant now… God would have to do a miracle to set me free from all this. Deep inside I knew that this was God’s plan for me, but I felt so disconnected  from that fact somehow. I felt numb to the spiritual world, so real and pressing the events taking place in the natural realm felt to me.

There truly wasn’t any going back now.

I looked out the small window at the looming port and the docked ships. It looked like a whole other world. Our ship slowly drifted closer and closer until we were tied up alongside another massive ship. All we could see now out our small windows was the tarnished green hull of the other ship. It did not make for a pleasant view.

Then we waited, almost in silence except for the noises that drifted down to us from the busy port outside. We ate dinner and slept another night away. We ate breakfast and waited for our fates.

Sometime before lunch the guard came to the room and took away one of the other prisoners. Then sometime late he returned for another. One by one we were being led away to wherever we would find ourselves next. I tried to encourage the other prisoners to be strong, told them about Jesus as best I could, and prayed for them if they allowed me to. My faith felt such a weak thing in the here and now.

The guard opened the door and called out my name in broken Arabic, “Caleb Feldman.”

I said goodbye quickly to the others and was led away down the corridor to the room where Osiris waited for me behind his desk.

He looked up at me as I entered. “Ah, Caleb. Here are your documents.” He said handing me an envelope. I took it from it and opened it. Inside was my new passport, ID, and bank cards, all with Caleb Feldman on them. I took the passport out and opened it up. It was strange to see my face looking up at me with my new name written next to it. I was truly Caleb Feldman now.

“Remember all we’ve gone over about your new identity.” Osiris instructed me, “Make sure that you stay as quiet as possible in transit to your new owner.”

A man stepped in the door I had not seen before.

“This is Aaron.” Osiris introduced the man to me, “Aaron this is Caleb Feldman.”

The man put out his hand to me, and I shook it. He was shorted than me, dressed in a gray suit with a red tie. He had black hair and tanned skin.

“Nice to meet you Caleb.” Aaron greeted me in Hebrew, my new language.

“And you as well.” I told him in Hebrew as best I could.

Aaron smiled at my attempt at the language and said, “Better stay quiet for now.”

I nodded to him.

Aaron turned to Osiris and said, “The final payment has been transferred to you.”

Osiris typed on the laptop and nodded saying, “Very good. He is all yours.”

Osiris then turned to me and said, “Aaron is here to take possession of you. He will take you to where you are going now.”

“Let’s go.” Aaron told me, motioning me to follow him.

I followed Aaron through the corridors, up the staircases of the ship, and out onto the rear deck where a helipad was situated. With the sun shining off it blinding my eyes, I saw the very luxurious helicopter that sat waiting for us.

“Make sure you duck.” Aaron yelled to me over the roar of the engines of the helicopter.

I ducked and followed him across the helipad and climbed up into the helicopter behind him. The interior was just as luxurious as the exterior had been. The seats that we climbed into were made of a dark tan leather with gold trim. They were wide and spacious. Aaron took his seat across from me. I buckled myself in and put on the headset that Aaron handed me. The headset blocked most of the noise of the engines and allowed me to easily hear the other occupants of the helicopter.

Aaron turned and gave the pilot the thumbs up to take off then turned to get buckled into his seat. He made sure that his suit was straight beneath the metal buckle, then he put on his own headset.

I looked out the large window and saw the entire port stretching out as far as I could see. Cargo ships were loading and unloading their cargo. People were everywhere going here and there. Dust seemed to sit atop it all like a blanket. So this was Egypt. It was incredible. It was far more expansive than the Port of Virginia had been. From what little I understood of the geography of this area of the world, Port Said was right on the mouth of the Suez Canal. Cairo was inland from here, hence the helicopter flight.

“Mr. Zaryan is waiting for us in Cairo.” Aaron told me through the headset.

“He’s the man that purchased me?” I asked him.

He nodded at me then said, “I am his chief of staff. You’ll report to me now as you serve Mr. Zaryan.”

“I’ve never been a slave before.” I told him.

He gave me a small smile and replied, “You’ll catch on quick.”

“What will I be doing?” I asked him as the helicopter lifted from the deck of the Sekhet Royal and flew inland toward Cairo.

“You’ll learn all that in time. For now just enjoy the flight.” He said turning his attention to his window and the landscape flying by below us.

I watched in amazement as the city below us flew by. The helicopter flew much faster than I would have thought helicopters could fly. We sped over the city and were soon flying over nothing but sparse roads and desert sands below. The hum of the engines was relaxing. It was nice to not be onboard a ship anymore, although I still felt as if I could still feel the swaying of the deck beneath my feet.

“Have you ever been rich before?” Aaron asked me as he pulled a bottle of something and two glasses from a drawer beneath his seat.

I shook my head at him. He opened the bottle, poured me a glass of the clear liquid, and handed it to me. I took it and sniffed it. It was Champagne. He poured himself some in the other glass and held it up towards me.

“To your new life, Mr. Feldman.” He toasted.

I clinked my glass against his lightly and said, “To my new life.”

I took a sip and felt I somehow betrayed my calling with the action.

Was there anyway away from this situation? What would life in the service of Mr. Zaryan be like. Would I be asked to do things that compromised my faith in Jesus? A million questions flooded my mind as I drank the Champagne and watched the scenery passing by below.

I was grateful that I had found myself in this strange rich kind of slaver rather than the poor kind, then hated myself for thinking that thought. I handed my empty glass back to Aaron and he put them both back in the drawer.

“How long is the flight?” I asked him through the headset.

“A little over an hour to Cairo.” He replied.

I nodded at that. I watched him settle in and close his eyes. He was no stranger to travelling like this. I wondered if I should try to get some sleep if I could, but all this was so new I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

I turned my attention to the spiritual realm and saw instantly what I couldn’t perceive before. The Dark One sat in the seat next to Aaron looking at me with his familiar sick smile.

“Why are you here?” He sang to me.

I turned my head away and tried to ignore him.

“Why are you here, Mr. Feldman?” The Dark One sang again. His voice was so seductive, so evil. I hated the sound of it.

Aaron slept on oblivious of the evil right by him.

“Now you have everything you could ever want.” The Dark One sang to me, “Now you can do whatever you want. No more need to worry about the mountain or about Meribah. Come on. You’re a slave now. Your previous life is gone forever. How would you even get there now?”

I turned back at looked at him. He looked a shadow of what he had once looked before in my field before my first journey. His robes were barely glowing. He was defeated and I realized in that moment that all he had now was his lies.

I shut off my awareness of the spiritual world and with it my perception of him. I turned back to the window and prayed silently, “God, whatever all this is, I put my life in your hands. This is your journey, show me how to walk it.”

“I will.” Came the still, small voice of my Savior.

As with every other moment along this journey so far, I had only to trust that God had a plan in this. I was grateful that my body didn’t hurt at the moment and that I was enjoying a birds-eye view of Egypt as we flew along. Did it really matter what my name was? God had asked me to give up everything and go on this journey, perhaps my name was just another part of that ‘giving away all things’. I liked the name Caleb. At least it was a biblical name. As far as being Israeli now, well, I was sure that if the mountain and Meribah were in Israel then being Israeli had to be part of God’s plan. Somehow God would take me from Cairo to Israel… somehow.

Aaron woke to the pilot announcing that we were about 10 minutes from our destination. I watched as he took out his phone and typed a message on it. He looked up at me and said, “Almost home.”

I nodded to him and looked out the window. We were still flying over desert. I saw the occasional car or truck with dust clouds following after them. We even passed over a caravan of camels, which was amazing to see.

The pilot began to slow the helicopter. Out the window, I saw a compound up ahead with massive walls surrounding it. Beyond the compound I could see a sprawling city and in front of the city large pyramids rising up out of the desert. I was speechless at the sight. This had to be Cairo. We’d arrived. I gazed at the massive pyramids as long as I could before the luxurious buildings of the compound blocked my view of them as we descended to land in a wide courtyard. The courtyard was massive and surrounded by palm trees. The pilot expertly landed us gently on the firm sand.

“Follow my lead.” Aaron told me over the headset before taking them off and putting them to the side.

I followed his example and removed my headset. The roar of the engines slowly died away, and I watched out the window as the blades of the massive machine come to a slow stop. Aaron opened the door and climbed out. I followed him.

The sun was bright overhead, and the air was oppressively hot. I was not wearing the right type of clothes for this climate I realized suddenly. There were armed guards everywhere I looked. All of them wore what I could only describe as desert robes with thick belts around their waists. They carried rifles and swords swung at their waists. Their faces were covered. All I could see of them was their eyes as they surveyed their surroundings for threats. Aaron led me across the courtyard and into a nearby building.

“Mr. Zaryan will be waiting to meet you.” Aaron told me over his shoulder as we wove our way through the hallways of the building.

We climbed a winding staircase and came to two large opulent doors. Aaron motioned to the guards stationed at the doors and they pulled the doors open to admit us. We entered a large room, something like what I imagined a throne room would look like. There were more guards standing guard along the walls and around the chair at the far end up on a raised area. Heavy curtains of all sorts of colors lined the walls. The man I had talked to on the TV onboard the ship sat in the chair waiting for us. I guessed he was my new owner, Mr. Zaryan. I knew nothing about him except that he was rich and had purchased me from Osiris.

Aaron led me across the room to stand in front of the man in the chair.

“Mr. Zaryan, this is Caleb Feldman.” Aaron introduced me with a bow.

I followed his lead and bowed slightly as I was introduced to my new owner.

The man in the chair wore a white suit with a long outer robe that tied over the suit. On his head He wore what I considered to be a typical Arab head wrap around his head. He wore lavish jewelry on his hands and around his neck.

He looked me over and said, “Welcome to Cairo, Mr. Feldman.”

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