Wreck Effect

Jon's sledgehammer swung down and cracked brick mercilessly. Each brutal swing disintegrating the mortar and stone. Jon stood his hammer up and leaned his weight on it.

"This kinda bugs me, you know? Like why do we have to do this?"

His colleague retorted. "We're getting paid? What do you care, you didn't live here."

"But someone did. It feels like I'm committing a crime."

"You're not. We were paid to knock this building down. It's junk, we're removing it." Jon's teammate didn't stop swinging during the discussion, grunting out words and strings of words in short bursts.

"We're basically destroying history. Someone lived here. It's got culture and feeling and reason. There is no reason to destroy it."

Jon's partner in destruction decided he had enough and swung the hammer hard, releasing his grip and letting it fall into the building after his swing demolished more brick.

"Jon it's not history. It's an uninteresting relic of a lesser time. Someone will destroy our houses one day. It's just how things work."

"We're damaging someone's memories. Good memories. This pains me."

"So you suggest we just let every old building stand forever? We have finite space and infinite ideas. It's not gonna happen."

"I suggest we repurpose it. There are plenty of homes that need living in. We don't need every building to be state of the art and 50 stories high."

"We need some of them to be. This can be one of them instead."

"It could be a home for a family. It can inspire a new generation and create culture. It can still exist."

"It can't and it won't. You're being unrealistic. Nobody needs this house, but they have other things they need. New necessities. This is our culture now. If you don't do it, someone else will. Someone who needs the money."

At that moment, Jon's debate rival picked up his sledge again and began beating the building to bits. After a few short seconds of thought, Jon picked up his sledgehammer as well. He swung with defeat, but he swung nonetheless. Thunk. Plunk. Thunk. Plunk. Plunk. They pounded the building down and down. Finally nothing remained but brick dust and a pile of small rock. Jon let his hammer fall and walked off. His pal dropped his hammer and admired his monument.