The World According to Fink Macropolis

Fink Macropolis surveyed his surroundings. His castle was bleak, his rooms grimy. But they were his. By ancient battle and justified murder. Fink Macropolis owned them.

He owned the lands, from the fire-petrol gloop-pits in the North to the absinth mud of the South; the Eastern petrified dogs and the Western hagsticks; the blackening smoky belching sky and the foulness of the effluent mud. All his. Fink owned them.

Not a creature stirred throughout the world. No birdsong, because Fink had killed them all and had them stuffed and stitched together for his roof. No cats because Fink had drowned them all and used their pelts for carpets. But the insects and the worms – they’d left of their own accord.

Not even the wind would stay for long: deranged skies shook with thunder and blasted lightning often, but briefly and wastefully. Fink Macropolis turned to his companion.

She was deaf and blind, because he had spooned out her eyes and stuck pins into her brain. It was the Way of Things. And the eyes had been a good meal.

Fink Macropolis looked at his companion, whose hair he had shaved and made into a wig he never wore; whose clothes were tangled with sweat and her own filth; whose whimpers he had stilled by white-hot poker into her throat. She was his, too. He owned her. She stayed still.

She had been still for quite some time.

The castle walls were dank with mould and the windows let in rain. The carpets all stank, and the portraits of his predecessors had long been torn down for firewood. If Fink looked carefully, which he never deigned to, he would see the faint impressions of the places where the frames once adorned the walls. His father and mother amongst them. Long gone. But he cared nothing for the past. It was gone and could not be owned. He cared nothing for the future, either. The future was nothing. How could it ever be? You could never reach it.

It was the closest to wisdom as he’d ever got.

Fink Macropolis surveyed his surroundings.

He was the master of all that was in the world that he could see, and because he could see nothing beyond the gloop, the absinth, the petrification and the hags, nothing else existed.

Everything, everything was his, now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and now, and he died.