Fenris writes to Farrell requesting an interview, promising only to publish
to the Internet all of Farrell's words exactly as he says them, to use due diligence in promoting the website, and to
maintain the material online till the end of his life. About a week later he receives a letter back consenting to
the interview.
Fenris heads out to Wisconsin. At the prison they strip search him, but
he finally meets with Farrell. A small trim wiry man about five feet six with a thin face, dark brown hair, and honest blue-gray
eyes.
"Howdy John. You never said whether you did it or not" Fenris begins.
"No, but that doesn't mean I have no understanding of why it was done."
"This gets me thinking about that other man who paid rent on the storage
unit."
"The police have asked me enough about that. I will speak only about why,
not who."
"Fair enough, John. Just tell the amount you feel comfortable with now.
I've got clearance to see you again tomorrow morning at ten and can stay here a couple more days if needed. This way you can reflect
overnight and have the chance to reveal more before I go home. Remember though, the more you say, the more will
be learned for posterity."
"True" says John. "You seem like a decent chap, but I would like overnight
to think. I will say a few things now though..... The bodies were in storage
to be placed in a massive diorama at a time when the means became available. The people all deserved to die and were killed
painlessly.
In each case, court proceedings were to be held after the fact of execution
as a genteel formality for the sake of the families with appropriate taped segments sent to each. The only regret here has
been the unavoidable delay in doing this last part. People deserve to know as soon as possible. That's all I want to say now."
"Wow! Okay for now. I'll see you tomorrow."
After a splendid meal of baked sturgeon with creamed celery and little
spuds, Fenris goes back to his hotel, but that night John Farrell dies in his sleep. Some further complication from the accident. When Fenris gets to the prison and hears this, he is speechless.
"The story of the century gone.... like a shadow."
Fenris goes back home to Las Vegas and spends all his spare time
for the next nine weeks reading police reports and looking at earlier living photographs of all the mummified people in some
vague hope that he might somehow come to understand the basis of these strange events.
Time passes, but the more Fenris looks, the more he notices just one
thing. Usually it is extremely subtle and not observable in all the photographs of any given individual. In the subtle cases
he only notices it after seeing it first in the very few cases where it is really blatant. All of the
faces show one thing which Fenris can only now describe most simply as "moral stupidity".
___
August 1 2009
Fenris is now doing films in Burbank California, and at this moment, enjoying
a hearty dinner of roast pork and gravy with stuffing, saffron rice, and a baked apple. He is breathlessly contemplating
the Email he has just received:
"Dear Mr. Magnuson,
We know you to be a journalist who specializes in truth and now at last write
to you about the Court of Belated Justice. Luckily we now have all the funding we need, but the terrible wasted effort of
the former episode in this regard still gave rise to the question - Is there not an easier way? Hope so, because our current
judicial project is featuring not less than five hundred thousand defendants. We hope to inspire others, you see.
After contemplating the acquisition of a one million square foot industrial
facility and the terrible security problems involved with this, we finally hit upon the idea of miniaturization - as
in practically all dioramas. Surprised we didn't think of it before. We also realized then that we could add model trains
and other amenities for that special lifelike effect.
To date, we have done the following:
1. Procured five hundred defendants per day for one thousand days.
2. Executed them all painlessly, also on a daily basis.
3. Removed the middle finger of each right hand. Disposed of the bodies,
also daily.
4. From photographs, had perfect effigies of each defendant carved from
each finger bone. Hated to do it, but we had to outsource to Chinese artisans for this because of the sheer numbers.
5. Painstakingly created our diorama on a huge table with electric trains
and all kinds of interesting buildings, lights, and gizmos. Also mountains in the background. Trees, little cars, dogs, cows.
You name it.
6, Last but not least, a separate area for the original two thousand and
eleven defendants. Effigies carved from ivory as a special tribute with tiny capsules of cremation ash inside. We luckily were
able to procure this from the city morgue. Best we could do.
There will, of course, be a solemn ceremony with more than five hundred
thousand "live" spectators wherein an effigy of John Robert Farrell will be posthumously given The Good Citizen Award for
Innovative and Constructive Social Action.
Yes, a truly splendid achievement! We will begin the legal proceedings soon.
We were hoping you would do the story exclusively in the same way you promised John originally at the Wisconsin Facility so
long ago.
Please let us know at your earliest convenience."
[Sigil in lieu of signature]
Now Fenris understands all the news talk the past couple of years about how missing persons cases seem
to have been increasing all over the USA.
"It's clean living that brought this one to me.
Thank you, Odin!" says Fenris and continues eating.
October 22, 2006
11:49 AM
