Desolation

By+FEI+YU

It was a truly desolate island.

The few who had ventured there spoke of snakes as thick as a mans arm dangling from trees， and beasts of prey roaming the woods.

Min nevertheless set out for it， repulsed by the duplicity and treachery of urban life and urbanites constant scheming to undermine each other. He preferred to risk being swallowed by a snake or eaten by beasts rather than suffer daily anguish under the machinations of his fellow men.

Min landed on the island， and was elated at the sight of virgin forests， clear brooks， chirping birds， and beasts in the wild. After three months， however， he began to feel bored.

Although he lived in peace with other beings in the wilderness， he could not communicate with them. He longed to share his thoughts and feelings with someone who spoke his language. So he left the island， found a woman， and convinced her to go back there with him. He now had an interlocutor and listener.

But he soon became bored again. Conversation with his partner became banal， and it seemed to him that family life without a child was incomplete. So they had a baby， a boy as sturdy as a panther.

As his son grew he ran naked as the wind and scaled trees agile as a monkey all day long. Mins wife began to worry about his education， and so invited a teacher to the island.

The teaching of knowledge and etiquette made a huge change. The boy became refined and cultivated. At age 18 he suggested to his parents that it was time he found a spouse. So the island welcomed the fifth resident， a fair lady who married Mins son. She came with her family – parents and a younger brother. The in-laws met and dined together， and talked and joked about the young couple.

Friction soon occurred. After a disagreement with Mins son-in-law， the teacher fabricated a rumor that resulted in a feud between the two parents-in-law. They stopped communicating， and animosity ran high. Other than the teacher， who had a hand in starting the feud， there was no person of neutral standing to meditate the dispute.

Feeling the need to defend his authority， Min invited a lawyer into his community. He resolved the rivalry between Min and his in-laws， and drew up the islands charter. The document confirmed Mins status as head of the island， and bestowed on him supreme power over its residents. To ensure full enforcement of the charter， two prosecutors and three soldiers were brought in. Such personnel were deemed indispensable.endprint

In the course of enforcement， certain flaws in the charter came to light. To mend these loopholes， new occupations were created. As more people were needed to do these jobs， Mins son took on the role of recruiter， and lured workers from the city to the island. His wife worked as his secretary， locating the openings and demands for laborers.

Chefs， nannies， shamans， detectives， psychologists， brokers， drivers， workers， manufacturers， bankers， and beggars？ new occupations seemed to pop up every two hours， and the islands population swelled. The people， respectful and docile， came to pay respect to Min every morning， and listen to his lectures. Min could not be happier.

Owing to his monopoly of the island economy， Mins son amassed wealth to an extent that he lost count of it， and had no idea how to spend his riches. As the ruler of the islands heir he considered himself indisputable owner of all its assets， and could not brook the idea of paying salaries to the people. So he opened brothels， casinos， beauty salons， and boutiques， with the intent of inducing the money in locals pockets to trickle back into his possession.

Every day Min observed the changes on the island from his lofty residence， gloating over his exploits as pioneer and supreme leader.

The forests had long been fast declining under the soaring demands of papermaking and construction of homes. When they had all but disappeared， Min ordered the people to plant grass. This endangered wildlife， and their alarming diminution prompted Mins emergent order to build a zoo in efforts to preserve the few remaining species.

A coup then erupted， and the economy plunged into chaos. There were calls for Min to step down， amid accusations of the excesses and tyranny of his son.

The riot was suppressed， but this did not calm Mins angst. He worried about the people who coveted his power and his sons wealth， imagining them lying in wait in the darkness to launch a surprise attack and assassinate him and his son and abduct his grandchildren. His anxiety intensified each passing day， wearing his nerves to shreds. The best doctor on the island diagnosed Min as suffering from depression. He advised him to take a three-month vacation somewhere peaceful， or he might otherwise die within a year.

After signing a letter authorizing his son to take charge of the island， Min sailed away one morning towards another uninhabited islet to recover and convalesce.

As his boat sailed further out to sea， Min turned back to take another look at his island. What a beautiful modern city it was now， he thought to himself.endprint