The Kingdom on the Edge of Reality by Gahan Hanmer

Albert.
    "Perhaps not," said Jenna. Then she turned to me with a dazzling smile. "Jack, Albert has created a little country of his own. It's a monarchy, and he's the king."
    "It didn't happen in a day, Jack," said Albert. "Actually, it's over fifteen years since we brought in the first people, mostly farming families that had lost their farms to banks and conglomerates but yearned to continue their old way of life."
    "Of course there are tradesmen, too," said Jenna. "Blacksmiths and millers and weavers . . ."
    "Wheelwrights and masons and fletchers," said Albert. "What do you think, my dear? I'm not so sure he believes us."
    Jenna smiled at me. "You look a little confused, Jack."
    "No, I'm sorry, but I don't get it. You made yourself a king, you say? How can you do that?"
    "I gave people land to farm. I gave them seeds to plant. I gave them cows and goats and sheep and pigs and chickens and geese. In return I ask them to respect my sovreignty and to obey my rules."
    For awhile I just sat there staring. He wasn't joking, as far as I could tell, but what he was saying didn't make any sense. "And what happens to people who don't obey your rules?"
    "I throw them into the dungeon until they're ready to behave themselves."
    "It's an awful dungeon, Jack," said Jenna. "No one who's been in it once ever wants to go back in again."
    "Albert," I laughed, "you're making this up. How could you get away with such a thing?"
    "It works very well. I don't keep a person in the dungeon any longer than I think will do him good. He comes out filthy and stinking and rat-nipped, and everyone has a good laugh at his expense. Then he goes home and gets cleaned up and goes back to his farming or his trade with a more compliant attitude. Life goes on."
    They both
looked
like they were telling the truth, but that didn't make it possible. "Albert, give me a break, will you? You can't have a kingdom in the United States."
    "Oh, Jack, don't be so naïve. The U.S. is full of private roads with gates and guards, and you'd be very surprised at the queer sorts of things you'd find at the ends of those roads. This is a huge country, and there's plenty of room for any kind of a secret you can afford to keep."
    Jenna was growing restless. "Albert, dear, just tell him about
our
kingdom. Jack, it isn't even
in
the United States. It's far north of the border."
    "It's in Canada?"
    "Well, technically yes," said Albert. "I had to put a great deal of money into some Canadian pockets for my ninety-nine year lease. I'm joking about the lease, you understand, but it's not really anywhere at all. You'll see what I mean. It's hundreds of miles from anything bigger than an Indian village, up there where everything is fresh and new."
    My mind was still telling me that this was probably just a big put-on, and that any second they would burst out laughing. But from my toes to my scalp, my body was tingling with a new and strange kind of energy, very pleasant and exciting.
    "Well, okay Albert, I sort of believe you. But what's it for?"
    "What's it for? It's my life's work. You know I inherited hugely when my parents died. Their plane crash was so very unexpected, it almost killed me with confusion to have so much money dumped on me at such a young age. I hadn't any idea what to do with so much money, none at all." Albert paused, and I could almost see his memories come flooding back.
    "And there were scads of people suddenly rushing at me from all sides with advice and schemes, not to mention the most vulgar propositions of every kind. Émile and Hélène really saved me from losing my mind, I think, by arranging a situation of deep and secret seclusion for me where I had the time and the privacy to adjust to my situation."
    I could see in his eyes something of what he must have gone through. Jenna came around behind his chair and gave him a little hug.
    "Well, that was ages ago, or so it seems anyway," he went on. "I wanted to do something special with that money. I wanted to do