Manuel Sharpener-Gonzales — Part 1
May 20, 2006
[The following tale is written by Adrian Conradi, Blake Defieux and Craig S. Engleson, and will soon become a feature length novel - stay tuned!]
Manuel Sharpener-Gonzales grew up in Castelo de Paiva, Portugal (near Oporto), where his family ran a modest vineyard. Disgraced, he found himself unwelcome in the family business. At the age 18 he set to sea, following in the footsteps of his hero, Ferdinand Magellan. His ocean-going experiences took him down the coast of Portugal, through the straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean (with a three year stint on the island of Corfu as a dishwasher at the Pink Palace), the Red Sea, across the Indian Ocean to Goa, India, a Portuguese colony until the 1960s. It was in Goa that he first experienced the dark, seedy side of life, basking in the sun all afternoon and raving all night in the legendary party town. Many young people find themselves in a low, dark period where the future is uncertain, the past unbearable to think about, and the only solace is to be found in illegal and nefarious activities. This was such a period of time for Manuel. After 10 months of scraping by, Manuel had a vision. Out of the mist rolling on shore in the early hours just before dawn walked a noble figure: Ferdinand Magellan himself. The great navigator cursed Manuel for wasting his life.
“A great opportunity lies ahead”, said Magellan. “I died circumnavigating the globe and great honour was bestowed upon me and our beloved Portugal. Your destiny lies with the water as did mine.”
Manuel sobered up and set sail three days later for Singapore. In Singapore he was introduced to Chinese merchants who told him of the virtual fortune to be made in the trade of endangered species. It was a job that came very easily to Manuel and over six years in the business he was able to establish a solid reputation and could have amassed a small fortune, but squandered it in ways young men often do. It was on a related journey to Borneo that he met Jose Guillermo Colorado, in January of 2004. It was a meeting that would change his life.
While searching out the rare Green Kothlow Python in Kota Kinabalu, Manuel enjoyed the late night festivities with his new friend Jose. It was an off-hand comment made by Jose that shaped his destiny in the Dong Bei region of China (which he had heard was a horribly cold and bleak place from his Singapore merchant acquaintances).
“Sharpener? Your name is Sharpener? We could sure use one of those in Dalian”, cracked Jose, followed by his characteristic chuckle.
To be continued….
