[ WP ] The lottery is an Institution designed to catch Time Travelers .

( read like a neo noir mystery thriller ) 
 
 Ok ok ok.. 
 I scratch the sides of my head frantically with my finger nails 
 
 Its here, its here I know.. 
 Like autumn leaves, I'm surrounded by papers all around me 
 
 The numbers.. the patterns... they do n't add up! the walls of my room are etched out in calculations written in chalk, crayon, and whatever else i could get my hands on in spur of the moment calculations 
 the connection is here somewhere... 
 
 Got ta keep looking... 
 
 
... ( scene fades ) 
 
 
 rain trickles down the drainage pipes of the convenience store. 
 The bell above the door eeks out an eerie ring as I enter. 
 
 The cashier lazily nods while, listening to some static and mumbling on the radio 
 
 `` Hello sir, but perhaps you could help me with something.'' I pull out my notepad and the pencil from behind my ear 
 
 `` Enh'' he grunts, and slightly faces me. 
 
 `` Yes, as I understand there was a lottery winner here last week'' 
 
 `` Yea yea''. 
 
 `` Could you tell me about the lady who picked out the numbers'' 
 
 
 `` Well she came in here,... ya know,... like all the other chancers that night.'' He slowly drolls on.. 
 my impatient foot tapping faster by the second as if it would speed up time. 
 `` And she headed straight here, to buy a ticket.'' 
 
 `` Yes but, did you notice anything else.. anything out of the ordinary?'' 
 
 `` I dunno man, whaddya want, you gon na buy something or what?'' 
 
 I slide a 100 $ across the counter. 
 
 `` Just some of your time. Show me the surveillance footage from that night.'' 
 
 
... ( scene fades ) 
 
 `` Alright there! Pause it'' 
 
 `` Look at her coat! Look at it!'' The tip of my finger on the suspected coat. 
 `` Whaddabout it man its a coat alright.'' 
 `` Yea thats the point! There is a coat there! Mid june, and its 95 degrees out. Why!'' 
 
 `` Huh, well I seen a lotta crazies come in here on the daily, ai n't nothing to it'' 
 
 No.. that's not it.. I had seen a half a dozen of such footages of the lottery winners. 
 They always came in looking a bit frazzled, a touch out of coordination, 
 and proceeded to buy the ticket as quickly as possible, 
 Looking over their shoulder every few seconds. 
 Each winner had come in, knowing exactly what they wanted, and spent no time wasted, to get out as soon as possible. 
 
 I pressed my finger tips against my temple. 
 No no no... its all in front of me but I ca n't see it! 
 
 `` What kinda coat is that,.. made of some wierd material. 
 
 Does n't look like they even make those- can you enhance that part.'' 
 He held down a button and all that happened was that the blurry coat just 
 became a even more blurrier set of pixels. He look at me as if to say `` what did you expect''? 
 
... ( fade scene ) 
 
 
 A thin streak of light had found its way through the permanently closed windows and was casting 
 an annoying glare on my work. 
 
 The first semblance of sunlight I had seen in weeks. 
 My head coming an even more scrambled mess on the daily. The patterns.. all tangling together.. 
 the faces.. all blurring together. 
 My hair was long and unkempt, I wore the same clothes as last week. wastebaskets overflowed with crumpled 
 paper, notebooks, pictures.. all scattered about me. 
 And I. I sat on the ground, in the middle of it all. My elbows on my knees, head in my hands. 
 
 How did this all start? My obsession with the lottery. It initially started as a psychological exercise. 
 Ah! The concept of a gambling away. We humans... we try and make sense and order of everything. Try and 
 see the matrix, and patterns in our lives to try and predict our futures. Even now I'm trying to see the patterns, 
 in front of me right now. Make sense of a disorderly world. It's just how we are. But to gamble! 
 That was something that appealed to one of our deepest nature,.. the desire to just let it go... to let the universe 
 unfold as it should. It's all just chaos anyway, just atoms bouncing into each other... it's nice to just give into it 
 from time to time. 
 That's how it started at least. But I started to see more... more and more... 
 
 Every lottery winners face from the past several years was pasted on my wall 
 Mary Jenkins... won 140 million.. lives in northern Europe living out her days in content. 
 
 Anthony Danton... 40 million... off in Asia somewhere... Bartelby Crouch... 23 million... same story, different place. 
 
 They all had one thing in common, they were reported to have spent their money lavishly, and then 
 sort of just dropped off the grid. 
 
 No mention of them anywhere or any place. 
 At first I had been chalking it up to their desire for peace... weary from the demands 
 of any friends and family for money, they seclude themselves from society. wishing to live out their days 
 unknown the society... 
 but no... the answer was all here somewhere... 
 
 
... ( fade scene ) 
 
 3 months later, my bank accounts emptied, all my underground sources dried up, and 
 fairly sure I was being monitored by at least 3 agencies and a few others that might not even exist, 
 maybe just part of my delusion... it was hard to tell what was real anymore. 
 Reality fades in with my imagination.. the delusions manifesting themselves, growing themselves 
 shifting and bending my reality. 
 
 I wipe the wet hair out of my eyes. 
 
 There I stand, in the most secluded part, in the vaguest corner the world map, somewhere in Europe. 
 
 I had meandered here after months of trekking through unknown forests, pathways and roads. 
 
 I stand in front of a mansion. Every few seconds a lightning bolt illuminates the pitch black 
 sky. Tall walls cast menacing shadows all around. 
 
 `` Seems to be my lucky day.'' 
 The storm seems to have knocked out a power grid, and initial assessments lead me to believe 
 I might just be able to traverse my way in. 
 
... ( fade scene ) 
 
 The hallways are empty. Stone cold empty. 
 I walk my way into what should be a living room. 
 
 But where there should be shelves of books, are cage walls, or where statues or paintings, is cold grey concrete. 
 
 Completely silent except for soft rain patter and the occasional thunder. 
 
 A highback chair sits facing away from me, a mans shadow visible. 
 `` So you're the one they've been on about''. 
 
 I'm startled not expecting to hear him start talking. `` What..? Do you know me..?'' 
 I start slowly towards him, `` Hey, are you by any chance Tod Howard, who won the lottery 3 years ago are you? 
 And this is the mansion that you bought?'' 
 
 
 `` My good boy, do you think I am here by choice.. he pointed around him with a drink in his hand. 
 I am a prisoner. This is my prison. I'm serving my time- a life sentence 
 for committing time travel without authorization.'' 
 
 My heart sped up faster.. I knew it...! I... I knew. 
 
 He shakes his head slowly, his gaze a hundred yards out 
 `` Oh you have no idea,.. no idea at all..'' 
 
 `` You're from the future...'' My wide eyes glued onto his form. Trying to eek out any answers... 
 ``!!? `` 
 
 He sighed.'' mmhmm... doesnt matter though... none of it matters...'' 
 
 `` What!'' I stare at him bewildered. `` Hello? is that all you're going to say???'' 
 ``!!?'' 
 
 `` Look around you my friend! Its all fake! 
 Your lives carefully crafted down to the last dime!'' He starts pacing around, 
 faster and faster `` Society, the government, businesses, the news, the media! voting in elections! 
 bwaha the illusion of choice. What will it be, a steel cage or a metal cage? 
 
 His pacing slows down, looks downard slightly shaking his head in deep thought. 
 `` Its all a puppet show. you're a puppet...'' 
 
 `` Well that's not cliched and vague...! `` I stumble for words, I do n't even know where to begin. 
 All that comes out is `` You're from the future!'' 
 
 But he is just slowly continuing his pacing monologue 
 `` The whistle blowers! bwaha, they work for the government themselves, giving out tidbits of harmless info 
 about their actions, to make the people think they're onto something about what their government does. 
 Planned actors. Give the people breadcrumbs but tell them its a feast.'' 
 
 I merely continue watching his parade, completely speechless. 
 
 `` Thats why we do it!'' he continues 
 `` Money! it gives you hope of options! Gives you a potential way out.. its a fools dream however. 
 You have no idea how deep you are...'' 
 
 `` Ok, ok.. ok.. `` I start `` So the government controls everything using time travel, and its 
 banned for people to use.. right. Ok...'' I knead my knuckles against my head 
 `` and the lottery is how they catch time travelers, because anyone who knows about time travel 
 also knows about the corruption... and... and is drawn to the allure of money because it could give 
 them a way out'' 
 
 He spits out `` And do you think it would be wise for them to immediately eliminate any winners!... might 
 be suspicious if every lottery winner started dissapearing hmm! But I think you're the only one who's followed this 
 out so far, bravo!'' He bellowed a great belly laugh. 
 
 `` Ok.. Ok... so this is their prison.. their prison.... 
... 
 Well fuck!!! I got ta get outta here.'' 
 
 `` Bwehaahaha'' He somehow times the sound of thunder that's outside with the most maniacal, bone chilling laughter. 
 I would be impressed if i wasnt scared shitless. 
 `` Bwahahahah. do you think you'd be here if they didnt want you to be'' hehehauahaAHAHAH. manical laughter 
 I frantically look for a way out. Metal doors shut all around. 
 `` oh dont fight it. They'll be here soon,.. tranquilize you.. take you off somewhere... just let go friend.....'' 
 
 
 Edit: added some lines in middle. 
 
 
 

