KEEPINTOUCH
Lencho, the gray-bearded, military-uniform-wearing, totalitarian ruler of Fortuna Island, is a prototypical strongman:
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A narcissist with sociopathic tendencies in constant need of adulation;
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Always right, never wrong;
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The source for all that’s good in his country;
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And the target of malicious conspiracies blaming him for everything that’s gone wrong.
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He is ill-tempered and easily provoked;
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Vengeful against real and perceived foes alike;
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Cruel and crass in his ways;
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Oblivious to anyone but himself;
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And no longer bothered with the needs and demands of his people.
The revolution he spearheaded, that brought him to power with great support from his people, is now decades in his past.
His message of revolutionary change and popular wellbeing has, in practice, fallen short of its promises.
Somewhere along the line, the business of ruling from a palace on top of a hill got in the way of general prosperity.
He naturally distrusts everyone except for a handful of people.
Not long after his revolution triumphed, he turned against his comrades in arms, those that stood by him and aided in his ascent.
He is known to incarcerate and “disappear” anyone deemed a threat:
To his rule;
To his ego;
To his comfort.
Closing in on three decades of absolute control and unconditional obeisance from his subjects
(if they know what’s good for them), Lencho has discovered that, as the saying goes:
“It’s lonely at the top.”
He can always count on Ruben,
his ever faithful second-in-command
and quasi- all-purpose butler and
confidant, but it’s not enough.
He needs more.
The unwavering devotion from his people,
like back in the old days when they fawned
over him with genuine love and admiration.
Like most people, Lencho just wants to be loved.
Consummately loved.
Idolized, really.
And he shouldn’t have to ask for it.
As of late, he has retreated from public life.
He is bored. No prospect of a real challenge.
He is jaded. Life can get pretty monotonous for an earnest despot.
He is depressed.
Alone in this world, he is no longer the exciting man he once was.
An absent Lencho has unwittingly opened up a path for dissenting groups to form and organize.
People may continue to be scared of him in public, but in private, they are no longer afraid to say so.
He no longer inspires respect, only fear.
And fear runs thin for the brave few that have taken up arms in the jungle, giving rise to a Guerrilla death-bent on dethroning him.
The narcissist in him can’t understand why people are no longer enamored of him.
His victim complex assures him that if things aren’t perfect, it is only because outside forces have sabotaged him.
His ego, huge as it is, is fragile, and needs constant reassurance.
He wants to be loved. Wants to be the center of attention.
The hero of the story.
His current situation has grown a little stale.
He feels it is due time to make a change.
