Malinvestment

By Michael Kingswood

It sucks being the god of malinvestment, the force behind economic downturns.

Tom has been trying to use his position to shape the world for the better for as long as he can remember.  Trying, and failing.  Every time.

But what if he'd been going about it the wrong way all this time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: SSN Storytelling
• Release date: Jul 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393223726

Michael Kingswood

Michael Kingswood has written numerous science fiction and fantasy stories, including The Pericles Conspiracy, The Glimmer Vale Chronicles, and the Dawn of Enlightenment series. His interest in scifi/fantasy came at an early age: he first saw Star Wars in the theater when he was three and grew up on Star Trek in syndication. The Hobbit was among the first books he recalls reading. Recognizing with sadness that the odds of his making it into outer space were relatively slim, after completing his bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University, he did the next best thing - he entered the US Navy as a submarine officer. Almost seventeen years later, he continues to serve on active duty and has earned graduation degrees in Engineering Management and Business Administration. Fitting with his service onboard Fast Attack submarines (SSNs), he does his writing on Saturdays, Sundays, and at Night. He is married to a lovely lady from Maine. They have four children, and live wherever the Navy deems to send them. Sign up to receive email announcements of Michael's new releases and other exclusive deals for newsletter subscribers here: http://eepurl.com/eND22 .

Book preview

Malinvestment

Malinvestment

Michael Kingswood

SSN Storytelling

Contents

About This Book

Malinvestment

Message From The Author

Mailing List

Supporting Patronage

About The Author

More Books By Michael Kingswood

About This Book

It sucks being the god of malinvestment, the force behind economic downturns.

---

Tom has been trying to use his position to shape the world for the better for as long as he can remember. Trying, and failing. Every time.

---

But what if he’d been going about it the wrong way all this time?

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Malinvestment

My boss is staring at me from across his desk. His eyes are squinty, drawing his eyebrows down until it looks like he has a black unibrow over his face, and his lips are drawn thinly into a displeased scowl.

I'm pretty sure I'm about to be fired.

Again.

It's not the first time I've been in this situation, and it probably won't be the last. But it never gets easier. Every time the failure weighs on my shoulders until I feel I cannot move, and I find myself envying Atlas, that poor bastard.

Gods aren't supposed to feel rejection—to feel useless—like this. At least Atlas can take on his burden with a sense of pride.

I don't even get that.

Pete. That's my boss' name. Even if I had been able to forget, it was always plain to see on the faded white nametag he wears on his right breast every day, pinned to the white collared shirt that makes up the upper part of his work uniform. Pete clears his throat, and his eyes drop to the surface of his desk, where his morning coffee—procured from the store's industrial-sized percolator but, I'd noticed, never paid for—is leaving a spreading stain on his desk blotter.

Look Tom, he says, I'm a devout man. But I told you when you came to work here. I can't have any of this god-stuff going on in the store. He tries to manage a comforting smile as his eyes lift back up to meet mine, and fails. Instead, he tries a pitiful approximation of commiseration. We're operating on a shoestring margin here, and… He trails off, and his expression practically pleads for me to pick up the slack.

What else can I do? I oblige him.

I understand, and you've been more than patient. I add as he opens his mouth to interject, sudden nervousness showing on his face, And fair.

He closes his mouth, looking at me with an expression that combines disbelief and gratitude.

Well, he says as he draws himself up, trying to look more confident than he feels, "I'll be honest. I never understood why you took this job to begin with.