Unintended

“You’re going to love this,” I told Moshe, my companion, as we walked Dublin’s streets. “Rugby’s a real game. Not like soccer.” He nodded, eyes flicking at everything we passed.

“It’s only a small game, you won’t get a big crowd, but we’ll still shout like…” I looked over, Moshe was not there.

He was behind, on his knees. I rushed over. He was muttering. Nein, Mein Gott, Nein.

I then realized my mistake. I knew his history, I should’ve known what it would’ve meant to see the smokestack, black smoke rising into the air, swastika emblazoned on its side.

 

 

 

Joe Govan is a scientist based in Dublin. He is the winner of the first OriginalWriting.ie Flash Fiction Competition. He has published stories in The Ghouls’ Review, Picture it and Write Publication, and Seaglass and other Stories. He blogs at joe2poetry.wordpress.com and joe2stories.wordpress.com.

 

Note: This story is based on the real-life Swastika Laundry, an interesting part of Dublin history with which the author has a connection.