Fire & Stones, Winter 2022

Felix Greenwood Felix Greenwood looked out over his grounds with solemnity as the autumn breeze swept against his face. To the right of him, Joey quietly ate lemon cake on the mansion’s balcony. Felix glanced over just as his brother spilled champagne on his tie. Filthy animal. He would soon have to go like the others.

“Did you see our stock prices went up this morning?” Joey broke the silence.

“Yes, yes, I heard.”

“Well, isn’t that great?”

“I suppose.” Yes, Joey would soon have to be dealt with. Too annoying.

“Why are you so gloomy these days? We have more money than Fort Knox and we’ve escaped the feds for the time being. What more could you possibly want?”

He waited for a reply. Felix gave none. “Now here we are on this beautiful day, we’re still young, our-” “Still, Joey?” muttered Felix. “Still? I’m 29, you’re 27. Soon I’ll be 3o and then middle-aged and before you know it, I’ll be growing white hair. And then I’ll die. I’ll die, Joey! So we have plenty of money, so what if we can only spend it for so long? So, I- we haven’t aroused too many suspicions, but that won’t last forever!

Who cares about having everything you want if it’ll all vanish and there’s nothing to do about it?” He stalked away deep in his thoughts.

Inside the mansion, Felix watched outside as the wind picked up and it started to rain. Cold, miserable, rain that never died. It was growing more frigid as winter began to cast its long shadow. Then, spring, then summer, then fall. Repeat.

For infinity. No worries. The seasons had endless confidence in the future.

“There’s got to be a way… some way…” Felix spoke to himself, almost feverish. “Maybe there is.” And he set off to work.

For the next six months, Felix busily researched ways to obtain eternal youth, from monks in India to a professor in California to hermits living in the French alps. With each visit he became more and more enraged.

One day Felix visited someone who claimed they had engineered a special drug that would satisfy his wishes. He arrived at a large blue house in a small town in the countryside. Not a mansion by any means, but still a generous allotment of property. Felix got out of his limousine, walked up to the door, and was let in by one of the two guards posted at the entrance.

Inside the building, Felix was brought by servants to a blond man sitting at a table. “Do you have what I want?”

The man chuckled. “Yes, yes, don’t be so hasty. Wait. Aren’t you Felix Greenwood, the famous businessman?”

“That’s me. Now show me the item.”

“In a moment. Mr. Greenwood, aren’t you rather known in the underground world for building your corporation through illegal means? There are even rumors you’ve killed off family members to gain more company power…”

Issue 38 | 29