Book excerpt: Irina's Eye was chosen as Semi-Finalist in the 2006 William Faulkner Writing Competition for Unpublished Novels-- ""Bohemian border with Bavaria, West Germany, 1948-- He should have known. If only he had trusted his intuition. That was the problem, telling the difference between intuition and fear, and he was not about to give into fear. There was no time; they had to flee and it had to be in that moment or they might never have another opportunity. They ran into the night."" -- Vaclav and Irina, both age fifteen, flee from behind the Iron Curtain. Irina is shot in the back and falls. He goes to help her but as he takes her in his arms another bullet enters her head and at that moment she orders him ""Go!."" He puts her down gently and runs. He reaches West Germany, then he travels to Rome and to New York in his quest for enlightenment and freedom from the guilt that haunts him for his soulmate Irina's fate.