The Prodigal Son

George Anslinger is a millionaire who has a morbid fascination with dragons; and with anything that might be mistaken for dragons, including alligators and crocodiles. He inherited a restaurant from his father, Samuel Anslinger, who went missing during a sailing trip. George believes, with all the fervor of a fundamentalist preacher, that his father was eaten alive by alligators, and that all alligators must die. Upon inheriting his fatherÕs restaurant, he redecorated the walls with images of knights battling fire-breathing dragons. He adopted the nickname St. George, after the fabled dragon slayer. He insists that dragons are real, but that they have gone into hiding, because they are evil. He says that they will come out of hiding as part of the events foretold in the Book of Revelation, and that there is a good chance this will happen in his lifetime. George is 30 years old when he inherits his fatherÕs restaurant, and is already father to four children, with another on the way. In 16 years, he turns a lone restaurant in Houston into a successful chain of restaurants across the southeastern United States. However, a scandal emerges when he cuts off his second oldest son, Mark. Mark begins to talk about his father. Below is a radio interview that Mark gives to a local radio station:

Steven Wilson: Hello, this is your host, Steve Wilson. Today is Monday, December 15, 2014. Our guest tonight is Mark Anslinger, son of restaurant owner George Anslinger and nephew of radio talk show host Joshua Anslinger. He has recently fallen out with his family and has some startling revelations. First, Mark, could you tell the audience what prompted you to come out here today?

Mark Anslinger: Well, my family is fairly wealthy, and, like most people, I wanted to be a part of that, even if there were some ugly things going on behind the scenes. And I do mean ugly. I believe that my father is a very dangerous man, and I am afraid that someday he is going to kill somebody. The fact is that he beat us regularly, and I assume he continues to beat my younger brothers and sisters who still live with him. I moved out as soon as I turned 18, as did my brother Paul and my sister Rose, though they still speak with him. Rose is an undergraduate in Florida, and I think her decision to move to Florida may be related to his behavior.

Steven Wilson: So, was it your decision to stop talking to your father or was it his?

Mark Anslinger: It was his. I was afraid of him, but I still did not want to cut myself off completely. I tried to do my own thing without angering him too much, but he always wanted to know why I did not stay in Houston. I would tell him reasons like I hated the hot weather, but he always suspected I was hiding something. Then, he found out that I was gay. I have no idea how he found out, but he said that homosexuality is an abomination and he could not have unrepentant sinners around him. I told him that a real father would not react like this, and he said that real fathers have to be tough sometimes. I didnÕt want to let him go. I called and left multiple messages for him, but he never replied. This happened in early November. When he would not answer my calls even on Thanksgiving, I knew that he meant it.

Steven Wilson: Have you been in touch with any of your family during this time?

Mark Anslinger: I called my brother Paul and my sister Rose. Paul swore and hung up on me. Rose seemed more sympathetic, but said that her father threatened to disown her too if she remained in contact. I suspect that sooner or later he is going to disown her anyway.

Steven Wilson: Why do you say that?

Mark Anslinger: Well, I donÕt want to say too much in case one of them is watching or hears something about what I say here. However, my father expects his children to think like he does, and he has shown strong favoritism toward my oldest brother Peter. Peter only cares about money, and that is why he never says anything bad to or about our father. The biggest problem is that my father just cannot be reasoned with. He thinks that believing things on no evidence is a virtue. My father seems to have gotten most of these ideas from his parents, though I was six years old when grandpa went missing and I donÕt remember a whole lot about him. My father sent us to private schools so we would not be exposed to atheists, and he thinks that dragons are real and that they will come out of hiding for the apocalypse, which could come at any time.

Steven Wilson: It sounds like a lot of people in your family have messed up beliefs.

Mark Anslinger: Indeed. My uncle, Joshua Anslinger, is host of a radio talk show called That Are True. The name is supposed to be some sort of jab at intellectuals. Joshua thinks that fluorescent lighting is a sign of the New World Order. He thinks the United States government invented cancer. Every show is about some paranoid nonsense like this. I donÕt know what is scarier, my uncle, or the fact that enough people listen to him to keep him on the air. Given what I know of mass movements, though I would say probably the latter.

Steve Wilson: It sounds like you have been having problems with your family for a long time. Is there any relief in all of this?

Mark Anslinger: Well, it has been very hard. I cannot say that I was every really close to my family, though now I am pretty much alone. I have been hooking up with activists near where I live, but right now I am unemployed and have no family. I will probably have to move to somewhere cheaper. At least I am young and healthy enough that I should be able to manage all of this. IÕll probably need a lot of counseling, though, and right now I canÕt afford it. Anyway, I am happy to have people to talk to. I donÕt know what lies they have been spreading about me since this happened, but I stopped listening to my uncleÕs show a long time ago. It is painful to listen to someone who is so out of touch with reality. I pretty much only spoke with Joshua when I had to.