All had been flooded, and all the poor people had died, and all the rich people became poor people; our family was the only one that had good soil for food, so we became kings, queens, princes, and princesses!
If that weren't fortunate enough for us, all the guns and bullets in the world had accidentally landed in our backyard. We put up fences and stone walls (because our dad had been a carpenter before the great flood), so that people wouldn't take what we had. Of course we had compassion! We didn't let anyone go hungry, if we could help it, but you see sometimes helping everyone isn't feasible.
Sometimes we would see old friends or family, and we would let them come live with us––as long as they pulled their own weight around the five hundred acres we had.
A day came, when I snapped out of my one hundred year depression. I saw the most wonderfully beautiful creature down below with all the poor people.
Down there with all the poor people, there was always fighting, and they all lived like animals––because they didn't have resources like we did.
She would certainly be ravished soon. How had she not been ravished yet!? Maybe she had been. I stood at the top of one of the tallest, strongest walls. I looked down at her, and I marveled at her. It was as though I was the one looking up at her! I fell in love.
I jumped. Down I tumbled. All the way down with the poorest of the poor I was. I took her in my arms, and I said, "Who are you?"
"I'm Mary.""Who's are you, Mary? Are you married?"
"Yes. My husband's name is William."
"Where is he!?"
"Here I am! What do you want? You want to steal my beautiful wife!?"
"No. If she was single, I would beg her to be with me, but as I now know that she is with you, I want to tell you something. You are the luckiest man I have ever met!"
"Oh! Good sir, well, thank you. Thank you, but we're just poor folk, and we need to get on. You go to your castle."
"You see sir; I am from the castle."
"I know."
"I would invite you to my castle to live forever with us, in comfort, but as you see, I would never be able to live in peace, with young Mary here around me."
"I understand. Leave us poor people alone."
I stared at Mary, as she walked away. She stared at me for as long as she could, and then they were gone.
A bunch of white horses rode down the mountain, with warriors sitting atop them, and armed to the goddam teeth. "Would you like us to kill that man, sir?"
"No," I was resigned to my fate, "Take me up, gentlemen. How good of you to come down for me." They took me back up the mountain.
I walked into my castle, people all around asking me what it was like down there and asking me if I was of good health. I just answered, "Yes. Yes. Yes." Whenever someone asked me something. Just like that, "Yes. Yes. Yes," but in no rude way. I was simply detached. My heart was down there with the poor, "Yes. Yes. Yes."
I found the darkest room in the castle. In that darkest room, I found the darkest corner. It was in that corner that I lay my body down. I curled up, like a goddam baby. I fell asleep.
I knew that in my dreams, Mary would be single, and so I would be able to have her. It was in my dreams that I wanted to live from there on out.
