The Annihilation of Foreverland

clearing where a tree had uprooted – its roots bare and dead. The Director wiped his head with a handkerchief and leaned against the massive trunk.
    “Whew!” he said. “This trail hasn’t been used in awhile, wouldn’t you say, Danny Boy?”
    Danny kept a healthy ten feet between them.
    “It reminds me of the time I first discovered this place. Nothing but tre es in this part of the island, n ature taking back what mankind put in its way. Can you believe that was 30 years ago?” The Director looked up, shaking his head. “Goes by in a flash, Danny Boy. Cherish that youth, my boy, while you can. One day you’re going to be fat and out of shape like me, son.”
    The Director pulled a drink from the canteen on his hip. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and offered it to Danny. He didn’t even bother shaking his head. He just stared.
    The Director screwed the lid back in place and smacked his lips.
    “Yes, sir,” he said. “Thirty years ago, this was a dying resort for the super wealthy when I got here. I was going to resurrect it, turn it into an extreme vacation island resort with hiking and meditation and snorkeling. Maybe import some animals so it had a real jungle feel.” He slowly moved his hand as if reading a banner. “Discover Your Inner Tarzan.”
    He laughed.
    “Wouldn’t have worked, Danny Boy. Stupid idea. The rich don’t want anything to do with Tarzan and that’s when I heard a higher calling. That’s when I decided to help the world, to heal it one person at a time. This is a revolutionary program, Danny Boy. We’re on the verge of taking mankind to another level in its evolution…”
    He stared at Danny.
    “But you’ve heard the pitch, I’m sure. I don’t need to tell you. Right?”
    The Director wiped his whole face, again, tucked the handkerchief in the upper pocket of his shirt. He leaned back and waited.
    “That’s hard to believe,” Danny finally said, “after what you’ve done to Reed.”
    “I see.” The Director nodded, thinking.
    Danny clearly didn’t understand what was going on. He was a kid. He needed an adult to explain the world to him.
    “The brain operates like a computer, wouldn’t you say?” the Director said. “It’s got connections and information that form concepts and ideas. And computers are susceptible to corruption, like malicious code. Something that will disrupt its ability to operate normally.”
    “I’ve never fixed a computer with torture, Director.”
    “No, but you have reformatted one. Am I right? Of course, I am. You are a computer genius, there’s no denying that, Danny Boy. You know that when an operating system is corrupt, sometimes it needs to be erased and reprogrammed from the beginning. It needs to relearn the right way to operate.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with me.”
    “You don’t know that, Danny Boy. You can’t change and stay the same. In order to heal, you have to be willing to let go of the past. Be willing to let go of the programming that corrupted your soul to begin with. All you boys have a chance to be new again.”
    “Reed’s almost crippled. He’s broken. You’re destroying him.”
    “Some are more damaged than others. I can only offer him salvation, Danny Boy. Only offer the healing, he has to take it.”
    “So you torture him?”
    “It sometimes takes a strong hand to get people to let go of their past. People aren’t willing to give up what tortures him. Every time Reed goes to the Haystack, he has the power to heal himself but refuses. I can’t make him, I can only encourage him. He’s got to trust what I’m doing for him, you see. Trust, Danny Boy.”
    “I don’t trust you, Director. I don’t know you.”
    “How do you know?” He raised his eyebrows, questioningly. “I could be the father you need to forget.”
    “No one on this island trusts.” Danny tapped the back of his neck. “That’s why everyone has a tracker, just in case. Including you.”
    “We’re dealing with the human condition here, Danny Boy. Corruption, sin. People cheat if given the opportunity. These little things in the neck take that away. Makes everyone feel a little better. Good thing Sid had one, wouldn’t you say?”
    The Director smiled.

    They walked for a long time, in silence. Their path was serpentine. The Director seemed to go out of his way to cut giant leaves when he could’ve just ducked under them. Eventually, the trees began to thin out. The soil turned to stone. A breeze howled down