Crash by Peter Moulding
“Bye, dear. Don’t worry,” I think I said. I get the feeling this day might be talked about for years to come. April 9th, 1865—the war ended. May 7th, 1915—the Lusitania sank. And today—today, it all collapsed.
It had been a good weekend. A weekend of hoofing. Friends, some family. Nights that didn’t end. Last week was difficult, we all know that. But we had stabilized the market. It was stable. You have to trust me. We didn’t expect today. We could never have predicted such a downturn, such a spiral.
Life had been good. After the war, I went into brokering. It was swell. I met Helen in twenty-one, saw her in the Tavern, and didn’t look back. We married a year later. I worked in Wall St. at a firm. Got rid of the old Jalopy. Bought one of Ford’s cars. George and Anna were born two years apart. There’s nothing like that bell ringing. The sweet sound of commotion. The busyness was most attractive.
At one point, stock records were being broken weekly. We had reached a permanently high plateau. Margins were everything. Do I regret it now? We were so confident. Confidence made the difference. It’s not skill you need to get rich, it’s confidence.
My life looks a bit like most people’s dreams. A new suburban life. We’re further out, where the houses are larger. A few bedrooms. Two cars. Big garden. The watch. The suits lined neatly in my closet. I’m often on the porch at 7 a.m., cigarette in hand. Then breakfast and out the door. The days at work are long, but it’s expected. We’re pushing limits.
It’s my life I want, it’s what I have always wanted. It’s this life. I just want to hold on to it, I want to keep it. After today, it’s surely over. I’m sat in the Ford outside the house. I can see Helen in the top window. I have to get out and tell her. That’s it. No more. The end.
Peter Moulding, originally from Peterborough, UK, has lived in Berlin for nearly a decade. He crafts sharp, uncanny fiction that is both visceral and subtly subversive, often blending the speculative with the historical. He has seen his work recognized: appearing in River Holme Connections (with an audio recording by a voice actor) and receiving shortlistings from The Writing District and Creative Writing Ink, as well as a longlisting from New2TheScene. Peter studied Literature at Birkbeck, University of London, and continues to hone his craft through workshops and mentorship.
To see Peter’s portfolio, please visit: https://petermoulding.carrd.co/
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