Chapter 1: The Golden Age
1940, New York City.
Morning fog drifted along the streets, and the dawn chill made the homeless men huddled under newspapers in the alleys shiver and stir. Newsboys, out early to earn a few cents for their families, shouted hoarsely, hawking the latest edition of The New York Times. The headline blazed in bold letters—Full-Scale Escalation of the European War. Cars rolled by, their tires splashing dirty water from the wet streets, and the newsboys cursed at their retreating backs.
The youthful cries and the roar of engines seeped into the bedroom.
Alongside them came the piercing wail of a baby from upstairs.
Ernie stirred under the covers a few times before reluctantly rising from bed.
After all, a cheap street-facing apartment could keep out the wind and rain but nothing else.
Bleary-eyed, Ernie got up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. From the fifth floor, he gazed down at the desolate streets of Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Then, breathing in the morning breeze thick with car exhaust and factory fumes, he suddenly felt fully awake...
Alas! This isn't a dream—I really have been transported here!
Ernie sighed softly, feeling a pang of nostalgia for his former life as “Lee En.”
Though poor, just a struggling freelance writer of online novels, he had lived in a stable country, with no worries about food or drink, and could enjoy his daily milk tea and hearty meal.
Yet, he never imagined he would end up here...
It had been just over two weeks since he arrived. Today was May 15, eight months after Germany invaded Poland.
Only last week, on May 10, the German army launched a massive blitzkrieg on the Western Front, deploying ten mechanized divisions, escalating the war across Europe.
Though the United States was still neutral, every newspaper and radio broadcast was constantly reporting the latest developments from the battlefields.
The dark cloud of war already loomed over the world.
But compared to the looming dread and fear, the most pressing issue for the American people was still survival.
After all, the scars of the Great Depression from a decade ago had yet to fade.
On the streets of New York, men—fathers, husbands, and sons—carried signs seeking work. The name Hoover remained infamous.
Ernie’s family was no exception to hardship.
His father, George Reeser, had been laid off from the steel mill several years ago. After six months of unemployment, he managed to find a job as a laborer at the Friendly Market chain, relying on his strength.
However, his weekly pay had dropped from $42.46 to about $28, forcing the family to leave their three-bedroom elevator apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and find cheaper lodgings.
Fortunately, his mother Mary was a capable woman.
After searching throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, she found a reasonably priced two-bedroom walk-up apartment, sparing the family of four from homelessness on the streets.
Oh, and Ernie had a younger sister, Missy Reeser, fourteen years old, attending a public school in Manhattan. Though tuition was free, the costs of supplies and meals still added up.
So, after graduating high school at sixteen, Ernie—originally Lee En—had dropped out to work alongside his father at the Friendly Market as a part-time laborer, earning a meager $12 a week to help support the family.
But fate had other plans.
Just over two weeks ago, he was severely injured when a stack of goods toppled and crushed him during a shift... and that’s how Lee En found himself here.
Since his right hand had been fractured, Ernie had been resting at home, unable to work.
During this time, he had plenty of opportunity to think.
As the old saying goes, since he was already here—
The most important things were survival and earning money!
Upon reflection, he had roughly mapped out his future.
Developing technology or seizing entrepreneurial opportunities was beyond his reach.
But as a professional writer transported from the future, he excelled at literary creation!
Moreover, the 1940s were a golden age for American literature—whether war literature, nonfiction, modernism, or genres like science fiction, detective stories, fantasy, and gothic fiction, the literary scene was wide open. Plus, there were no short videos or web series to steal the market yet.
Becoming a writer was simply the best choice!
Hemingway, after all, had become wealthy enough to own a private yacht by writing just 500 words a day.
Most importantly, since 1933, when the Führer had reinforced Nazi ideology by burning so-called “forbidden books” in Berlin’s Bebelplatz, the public’s demand for books had soared.
People needed to draw spiritual strength from literature to resist the madness and extremism.
In short, as long as he could produce quality work, in this age hungry for reading, there would be no shortage of readers!
As for his first work, Ernie had decided to start with short stories.
They were easy to write, had short production cycles, and would bring in quick payment.
Laboring as a mover? No way.
He would never work a menial job again—not in this lifetime!
The only question was what type of short stories to write...
“Ernie, what are you daydreaming about?”
“It’s time for breakfast.”
Before he could decide, his sister Missy interrupted his thoughts.
Due to their poverty, after moving from the three-bedroom to the two-bedroom apartment, Ernie shared a room with Missy.
The good news was, there was no awkwardness between them; to each other, they were like apes with no sexual tension—no interest at all, even if naked.
What puzzled him, however, was how many boys at school liked his sister.
It was baffling.
She was clearly a messy girl who tossed her clothes everywhere!
Ernie responded and gave Missy’s stretching head a firm pat.
“Ow!”
“What was that for?”
Missy howled, clutching her golden hair, blue eyes flashing displeasure, her delicate nose scrunching as if plotting fratricide.
“I swear, the first thing I’ll do when I’m rich is move out of this room.”
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