[ WP ] Write a short story where something extremely trivial is/was a cornerstone of society .

The monks called it the key stone. It was supposed to be the center of a ring. The flap of butterfly wings. The beginning of a particle cascade. The birth of an eventuality. But, even as I stared at it, I only saw a stone; an unflattering stone trapezoid at the top of the vault. It would take a hammer to destroy it, but why anyone would bother, I have n't a clue. 
 
 The monks protect the stone. *The monks. * I say it like they're someone other than myself, like I'm not one of them. But, of course, I am. But, I do n't know if I am really. I mean, I'm supposed to protect the stone, but then why did I sell its secret. I'm a monk. I'm supposed to protect it, but unlike the others. I do n't see a finger of god. I do n't see the pebble that causes the ripples that will destroy the world. I see a fucking stone. Well, they paid me good. I guess I'll learn if the lore surrounding the stone is real or not. 
 
 I watched from the shadow of my aclove as the dark robed forms slipped through the hole I had created in our perimeter. Some were armed with staves. Some with guns. One was armed with a sledgehammer. 
 
 The monks were on them after the first sound of the hammer striking the keystone. Fighting was breaking out everywhere. Monks in orange robes fought with the intruders in black. Blood was spilled on both sides and throughout it all, I watched as the hammer clapped against the stone, reducing it to rubble. A moment later, the stone was gone, leaving a void. I expected something cataclysmic, but like I guessed, nothing happened. 
 
 The monks surrendered the moment the hammer stopped. The arch collapsed a moment later. The front of the building caved in, spilling stones outward onto the monks and intruders alike. I hurried out of the aclove, even as the destruction spread. Towers and bridges collapsed one after the other and I watched it spread in disbelief. I fled. 
 
 It took exactly a week for the destruction to spread beyond the borders of Tibet. Three more weeks for it to reach Europe. By the time it reached New York, the world economy was ruined. Billions were dead or dying and still the ring of destruction spread. It was as if god had dipped is finger into a pool. Instead of small rings of, he created tsunamis. It was n't all falling buildings and crumbling structures. It was a butterfly effect created by Satan and it was my fault. I destroyed the world for five thousand dollars.
