Echoes in the Wind

by Manuel Valenzuela


At once hauntingly real, philosophically placid and fictionally captivating,
Echoes in the Wind takes us on a journey both into the deepest regions of humankind’s
inner demons as well as our greatest qualities. Through the eyes and introspections
of its characters, Echoes in the Wind manifests human realities, dreams, conditions
and histories that resonate a warning to us all, an echo in the wind trying to
awaken us to our true reality, not the charade we have been living in for too
long.

The novel envelopes the reader in an epic struggle between a well-intentioned but psychopathic environmentalist named Eric Harper, filled with inner demons and believing himself the appointed savior of Earth and humanity and Diego Barravier, successful attorney and widowed father of two who suddenly finds himself in pursuit of his children and their kidnapper. In this battle between two rivals the truth and reality of humanity is manifested, taking the reader on a roller-coaster ride from the beauty of the Pacific Northwest to the rugged and poverty-stricken lands of Central and Northern Mexico.

In pursuit of his children and his nemesis, Barravier discovers who he is and where he comes from, in the process meeting a cast of characters that will join him in united pursuit of Harper, all the while finding out who they are as well. Meanwhile, Harper’s inner demons, combined with his militant group, will run rampant, unleashing violence upon those they consider criminals against the planet and humanity. In a race against time, in pursuit of his own flesh and blood, a loving father will face tremendous obstacles in order to confront a psychopathic self-proclaimed messiah desperate to exorcise inner demons tearing him apart.

Echoes in the Wind is a whirlwind story of all that is wonderful and corrosive with humankind. Powerful and absorbing, Echoes in the Wind delves into the human condition like few books ever have, presenting itself as a book of fiction designed to educate, enlighten and entertain. This book will have you thinking from the very beginning until long after you put it down.

About the Author

Manuel Valenzuela, born in Mexico City and now splitting time between Spain and the United States, is social critic and political commentator, a passionate activist, writer and author. He writes regular columns on axisoflogic.com where he is also contributing editor. When not writing, he devotes his time experiencing the wonders of humanity and the planet, fighting for human rights and equality, justice and against environmental degradation.

If inquired further, however, he will tell you that he is a proud citizen of the world, without borders, flags, nationalities and blind patriotism. As a world citizen he is without divisions, stereotypes, fears and hatreds. He does not allow any state government to brainwash and manipulate him into believing its version of history or of other peoples. He reserves those decisions to his own experiences, self-education, self-enlightenment and his constant questioning of authority

He believes education is liberation and that ignorance leads to fear. He believes ability without opportunity is a crime against humanity, that environmental and genetic factors determine so much of our lives and must therefore always be taken into consideration and that empathy is a virtue we must all possess in order to judge, label and blame. He believes that in nature it is survival of the fittest but in our civilization it is survival of the richest and the luckiest.

Finally, he sees peace and love as our greatest weapons, and as our only salvation.

His collection of essays, entitled Beyond the Smoking Mirror: Reflections on America and Humanity, will be published in the Fall of 2004.

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The workday ended triumphantly for Diego Barravier. The successful Portland civil attorney returned to his modern City Center high-rise office on
Southwest Morrison Street
from the County Courthouse, exuberant after winning a hard-fought, tireless case for Spear HealthCare, a regional health maintenance organization.

The highly thought-of civil defense lawyer had earned his mid six-figure salary by convincing an undecipherable jury that Spear committed no wrong in its actions against Mae Jennings, a middle age lady who claimed she suffered from interstitial cystitis, an oftentimes misunderstood chronic bladder disease responsible for causing tremendous amounts of pain and discomfort.

Jennings and her attorneys had argued that HMO doctors had procrastinated in diagnosing, examining and sending her off to a specialist, purposely delaying medical attention for the purpose of saving money. They were seeking $500,000 in non-economic damages.

Her attorneys seemed, at least to Diego, rather simpleminded and incompetent. They had been hired straight out of the yellow pages, from one of those full-page ads promising only the best. Yeah right, Diego thought.

He had argued and presented evidence to the jury that Ms. Jennings had tried to defraud the HMO by falsely complaining about non-existent illnesses, seeking prescriptions to Valium, Prozac and Vicodin in her effort to continue an ongoing addiction. Citing this evidence, and believing Diego’s charming Hollywood-like performance, the jury had returned in favor of Spear.

The three-day trial had been arduous and time-consuming, leaving Diego with little time for his two children, Paola and Luis. He had spent a month preparing for it, and now a huge relief entered his tired mind.

Going up the elevator, - he usually took the stairs but was in no mood to climb countless flights of stairs - he encountered Jason Briggs on the seventh floor, a fellow attorney at Wydmere, Fortenet, Ramirez & Douglas, the highly successful one-hundred lawyer civil defense firm. The firm’s clients included a long list of insurance companies, HMOs, corporations along with the city of Portland.

“Congratulations, Diego!” exclaimed Briggs. “I heard you did one hell of a job.”

“Thanks. It was a tough one, I’ll admit, but we pulled through and the jury swayed towards the evidence,” responded Diego, glad to finally put the case behind him. For a while, anyway.

“Are you going to celebrate tonight? The guys and I want to invite you for some drinks at Chepal. Interested?” asked Briggs.

“Thanks for the offer,” responded Diego, “but I haven’t seen my children in almost a week. They have been complaining a lot about not seeing their daddy, so I promised them some quality time for the next four days. I really appreciate you asking, though. Can I take a rain check?”

“Sure thing, I understand. My little one hardly sees me during the weekdays. Same with my wife. Such is the life of an attorney, eh?” Briggs said as he patted Diego’s shoulder.

“Yes it is, Jason. It sure is,” Diego said half-heartedly.

The elevator reached the twelfth floor and both attorneys exchanged good-byes.

Diego made his way back to his office.

Inside the firm everyone had heard the good news of the day.

“Excellent job, Diego!” said a smiling paralegal.

“Congratulations!” yelled a veteran Partner. “Keep up the good work. Soon you’ll be getting a pretty nice bonus, Diego.”

Diego smiled at the older man, and continued through the busy hallways.

“You sure are one hell of a good defense lawyer,” Diego heard Tarah Childs compliment him as she walked by him. Childs was a fellow attorney who constantly flirted with him, even asking him out on several occassions. He had yet to accept her offers. She looked cute, though, he had to admit.

“Thank you, Tarah,” he said as he passed her.

Five o’clock passed the minute he walked into his office. Inside, a banner which read “GREAT JOB, SCORE ONE FOR THE GOOD GUYS” hung from a wall, placed there recently in obvious light of his accomplishments.

Diego eyed the thoughtful streamer with a hint of nonsensical indifference. Who were the good guys, anyway? he thought. He did not feel it was him.

His team had just caused an obviously diseased woman a lot of torment. She had lost any chance at improving her health and an opportunity to improve her life. The HMO was clearly at fault, procrastinating in a deliberate attempt to stall and brush away her medical claim. After all, they were in the business of health maintenance, and profit to them came by keeping patients off hospital beds, not on them.

Hell, he had even seen how much pain the woman was in during the trial, constantly cringing and shifting her body in an attempt to ease her intense burning pain. He knew enough about interstitial cystitis to know how agonizing and debilitating a disease it was.

But he had successfully defended his client, and that’s what his job was all about, regardless of justice. Zealous in performing his job, doing his fiduciary duty for the sake of Spear HMO. Diego was victorious once again, even at the cost of his own morality. And the weak lost to the powerful. It was the story of humanity, everywhere, from the courtroom to the world stage.

The plaintiff would never have been able to hire him or his firm. Instead she had sought representation from an ambulance chaser, and the rest was history. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right, but it was reality. You get what you pay for, he knew. In all aspects of life, not just in hiring lawyers.

Such was the life of an attorney, Jason had said. How fitting. He did not know if it was his burned out brain talking or simply his growing dislike for his job. In either case, he needed a break from the monotonous life he led.

He turned around and faced the eight by sixteen foot window that was in his office. Looking westward, he glanced at the horizon and the slowly setting afternoon sun with its colors of yellow, orange, crimson and purple-blue exalting the end of another April spring day. The Morrison Bridge over the Willamette River was clogged with rush hour traffic, as was usual for this time of the day. Below, the City Centre bustled with activity as workers hurried home or headed to Portland’s many restaurants or bars. He sure did love the city’s European-like culture and ambiance.

Soon it would be dark, his children wondering where he was for yet another day. And he would be stuck in the office, again. Being a single parent was starting to take its toll.

It had been so easy while Adriana had been alive. His wife of eleven years, companion for twelve, she had been the glue that kept his life intact, always keeping order in an otherwise disorganized spiral of confusion. She had given him two wonderful and loving children; Paola, ten, and Luis, eight. Their life had been incredibly satisfying, full of happiness and love. They were the perfect couple, he the successfully bright attorney, she the wonderfully devoted law school graduate turned mother.

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