The Lottery Ticket

It was a cold night, the wind blowing against these two friends' faces. The tree leaves were swaying against the wind, howling as the air passed against the leaf's smooth surface. They were walking, with the sun facing behind them, nearly close to sunset. Cars rushed by, brushing them with another force of wind. It was slow and peaceful, the serene day was a beautiful sight to behold. A few meters in front of them was a gas station. Mark and Jack were both happy that day, being able to play with each other like toddlers. They were friends since second grade - their parents knew each other well. They were now twenty-two, and both were able to buy things themselves. Mark looked at Jack, and snickered,

“Want to buy a lottery ticket? Test our luck, you know what I mean?” Jack, having been friends with him for so long, couldn’t say no, as he also wanted to win a prize. Smiling, he replied,

“I’m down. Would be a huge help to earn a million dollars nowadays, especially in this rural area.”

“For sure, did you bring any pocket change?”

“Yeah, I only brought five bucks, you?” Jack answered, fishing out a crumbled five-dollar bill from his jeans. They were nearing the gas station, walking on the concrete of the parking lot. 

“Let me check,” Mark said, sticking both hands into his pockets, “I didn’t bring any.”

“Ah, don't worry, we can just buy one - and better yet, I will share half the earnings with you!” 

“Alright, thanks, man.” They walked in, joking about what would happen if they earned one dollar from the ticket. A blast of warm air blew in their faces and the nostalgic sense of the gas station kicked in. Their first sight was the chips and ice cream for sale - many small snacks that took their interest in. They weren’t there for that though - and so they walked to the register, where lottery tickets were piled up above the counter. The clock above the gas station register blinked at 6:37 PM - early winter darkness already swallowing the orange sunset. The clerk looked up from his phone, a fan blowing at him on a desk. 

“What would you like,” He said, grumpily.

“I would like a five-dollar lottery ticket please - we’re going to test our luck - you get what I mean?” Jack said and winked. The clerk smiled a little and chuckled as if knowing the feeling of gambling for money. With a swift movement of his hands, he plucked a five-dollar lottery ticket from the top shelf, which was transparent from the glass.

“Cash or card?” He said, pointing the ticket at the boys. Jack grabbed his five-dollar bill and handed it to him. They exchanged possessions and the boys walked out of the store, the clerk said after them,

“I wish you the best of luck.” Mark waved a hand and both of the friends left the store. They quickly found a bench in front of the station and sat down. Jack reached into his pockets, scrimmaging for some more coins to scratch the ticket. He felt a piece of paper in his pocket. It was harder and thicker than paper - and the front seemed to be a little smoother than the back. Pulling out the corner of the paper, he found himself to see another lottery ticket. This one - however - was already scratched. Mark didn't seem to notice, as Jack shrugged and continued to pocket for some more change. 

“Just scratch it with your nails,” Mark suggested, turning his head towards him. Jack  squinted at the ticket’s instructions: ‘Match ANY number to win $$$! If you find a ‘x2’ symbol, double your prize!’ He scratched the first number - 17 - but nothing matched. The next number, 26, also left him empty handed. This gradually continued on as their mood darkened. They were at the seventh number. 

“Seven’s lucky, no?” Mark said, lightening the mood.

“That’s what you said for three…” Jack muttered but still continued scratching. It took a second for the boys to realize the number they had scratched. There was a bold 32 - that was their number. Under the number 32, which was their prize, was a $1 - and six zeros behind it. The boys stopped. That was five million dollars for each of them! Mark twiddled his thumbs. Jack looked him in the eye.

“Ten million! Ten million dollars! We are going to be rich!” Jack pumped his fist in the air. Mark smiled and chuckled. Jack looked down at the lottery ticket. That’s odd. He would usually get so hyped up from earning ten bucks - why isn’t he excited now? Ignoring this, Jack continued scratching the ticket, begging there was a ‘x2’ symbol, to make them each ten million dollars. The eight number didn’t have anything good. Neither did the ninth. The tenth, however, was a 09. Under it, there was a ‘x2’ symbol. Mark gulped.

“That’s ten million dollars for each of us!” Jack said, jumping off the bench. Mark suddenly buried his head in his hands. Jack didn’t notice and pulled out the other lottery ticket from his pocket. That one had earned him two dollars. 

“Look! This one is ten million times more than -” Jack started, showing him both of the tickets. Mark’s hand trembled. He thought of his dad’s unpaid medical bills and the rusted car he couldn’t afford to fix.

“Twenty million could fix everything…” Jack heard Mark mumble.

“I’m sorry. Did you say - ” Jack started, a little startled. Without meeting his eyes, Mark snatched the ticket and bolted. He ran as far as his feet could take him - he ran and ran. He couldn’t think of anything, even their friendship of over fifteen years. His breath quickened as he then slowed down, a mile away from the gas station. Surely, twenty million dollars will make up for a friend. I can buy so many things with twenty million! Mark started laughing, gripping the ticket in triumph. 

Jack stood there, not able to believe what had just happened. Mark - his childhood friend - took the lottery ticket that they were to split! In half! Yet his greedy personality had made him steal the money. A whole two dollars for himself. Jack tucked his other ticket back into his pocket. Maybe I should choose more loyal friends. Jack thought, as he slowly walked back to his house, the sun setting slowly.

Mark was in the middle of the road, still celebrating what just happened. Twenty million dollars! Mark looked at the ticket. Twenty mil-mil-mil. There were two things off from the ticket. It was the same brand. The same color. The same amount of numbers. Except, only this time, the lucky numbers and the winning money were different. There was only one winning number - and the prize was - two dollars. Mark faltered. He was sure he saw the ‘$10000000’ correctly, and the ‘x2’ money prize. His heart sank as two things happened in that moment. One - he had just lost his best friend over two dollars. And two - a honk blared through the darkening night as two bright headlights flashed in his eyes and swallowed him whole, leaving only the echo of a horn fading into the cold. 

February 10, 2025 , By Chris Shao