Monopoly Money

by R.K. West

Once again, Juan tried explaining cryptocurrency to his father. “If it isn’t backed by a government treasury or physical assets,” Dad asked, “where does it get its value?” Juan had answered this many times before, but he summoned all his patience and said, “It’s based on people’s attraction and faith in the product, and a consensus among investors, like the stock market.” “So I can just create my own imaginary coin and it will be valuable because everyone agrees I’m a great guy?” “Sure,” Juan responded, “but you’ll need to hire developers to start your blockchain,” immediately wanting to slap himself for blurting out “blockchain,” thus inviting more questions. That night, he dreamed that they were DadCoin billionaires.

6S

R.K. West is a Pacific Northwest writer whose stories have appeared in 6S, Sudden Flash, Friday Flash Fiction, and Paragraph Planet.