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

When I was a child I made a mistake. My school had a set of farm animal toys. I loved the donkey. It was less obnoxious than the family of horses and more interesting than the sheep and cows. There were many of those but only one donkey. I played with it every day at every opportunity and sometimes I would put it in my pocket and let it ride around on me in the lunch break and designated play times. 
 
 One day a new kid arrived in school. She sat next to me and everything started off fine. She liked farm animals too. At first she was content to play with the sheep, jumping them over fences and the like. When sheep were n't enough she played with the cows. Daisy and her friends got in quite the set of adventures. But even the cows could n't sate her hunger. She wanted more. The horses barely lasted a week. I could see where this was headed and I did n't like it. Not one bit. 
 
 I turned up to school on a particular thursday and it had happened. The donkey was gone, and she had it. I sat next to her and watched my donkey pull imaginary carts around the field. I wanted it back. I watched her feed my donkey imaginary sugar lumps. I wanted it back. I watched my donkey frolic with the other animals. I took it back! I ran from the classroom to the outside whereupon I threw it over the fence into the bushes. If my donkey and I could n't play then no one could. I stood shaking for a while then cried and cried and cried. 
 
 I regretted my actions, my mistake. I waned my donkey back. If only I could go back in time... 
 
 An excellent idea I thought. So I screwed up my eyes and tried really hard. I willed myself back. I remembered my donkey sailing over the fence and imagined me being there catching it and putting it in my pocket. I checked my pocket but my donkey was n't there. I tried a few more times but it quickly became clear that I could n't time travel. Now I needed a new plan. I needed someone who could do it. 
 
 I sit in my chair. It is comfy, very comfy. The best that money could buy, if you did n't want one of those irritable vibrating chairs that offer so called `` massages'' but really convince you that either your back is going to break or the chair will. But it is an excellent chair. A tasteful shade of grey. A good number of wheels so that I can slide from end to end of my imposing mahogany desk. It commands the room. Almost a dining table sized desk yet it only had three allocated chairs. One is very comfy, the others not so. They are n't bad but if you sat in one you knew that you are not going to be sitting in it for long. Uncomfy chairs keep meetings short. That is what I had discovered and it is what I like. This is my domain. I am king of Camalot and this is my throne. 
 
 Over a score of years had built up to this point. Building my kingdom. Putting everything together. Starting the national lottery had been no small feat. I needed something that had a huge reward. A small tax on everyone in the country is a logical way to gather that money. I needed something that was utterly predictable with hindsight. The numbers go out in all the papers so all you need is an old paper. This is a foolproof plan. I chuckle to myself, why if I were a time traveller how could I resist such an opportunity. 
 
 Now all I have to do is wait then we can go back and correct that mistake.
