week one
“Good evening, ladies and gentleman!” the television announcer brightly said. “Welcome back to the weekly cloud lottery event. We’re about to unveil the lucky winner shortly. Good luck to everyone, and may The Cloud shine its golden rays on you.”
week I / friday / may 25, 2007:
“Finally, I’m on my street,” I said, driving to my house after a long day of manual labor. “Hopefully, one of these tickets will relieve me from that mess of a job.”
I glanced around the neighborhood, seeing everyone’s houses mostly consisting of similar structures. Their houses are so nice. Fresh coat of paint. Neatly carved and polished wood and stone. Grass shined brighter than the emerald city and laid even and fuzzy like fur. Pavements fresh like a newly done hairstyle. Some of their houses have renditions. Some have additions. Some have multiple stories.
How come I don’t have these things? Don’t get me wrong, my life isn’t the worst thing imaginable, but it should most certainly be better than what it is now. Sometimes, I can’t help but have my mood turn cold whenever I see what others have going on.
After a couple of minutes, I pulled up in my driveway to my “lovely” house. “Please, let the golden rays of The Cloud shine the brightest on me,” I said to myself, clinching and kissing the five lottery tickets I purchased an hour ago.
I opened the door and saw my seven year old son, Reign, sitting on the couch watching Tom and Jerry.
“Hand me the remote, Reign,” I said. “They’re about to unveil the newest lottery winner.”
He handed it over and I changed it to the local channel to see the results.
“Okay folks, we’re finally ready to unveil this week’s winner to be blessed from The Cloud,” the announcer expressed.
“Hey, honey,” my loving and devoted wife, Rose, said to me, kissing me on my right cheek.
“Hey, sweetie,” I responded. “I didn’t see you come around.”
“I’ve been standing here in the kitchen this whole time. You just came in the door and made an instant b-line to the tv to watch that dumb event like you’ve been doing for the past several months.”
“I’m sorry, babe. No bad intentions. Charge it to my head, not my heart.”
“All right, folks,” the tv announcer said smiley, “hope you have your lottery tickets in order cause the numbers are......06......30......44......17......21......and the golden number is......09! Our week’s winner is......Mike Blakely! Congratulations Mike! You know what to do. Get ready to be picked up and be blessed by The Cloud!”
“Damn,” I said under my breath. I somewhat slammed the tickets on the living room table and headed outside to the front lawn to smoke a couple of cigarettes.
flick...
flick...
flick...
flame.
The inhalation of a cigarette can really take the edge off my brain sometimes. Especially when I have an “off” day.
I looked to my left and saw my neighbor, David Krinklesturg, putting the finishing touches on his brand new polished white stoned round water fountain in his front lawn. So nice. So shiny. So...much better than probably everything I own.
“Hey, Raven!” He said to me, sounding chippier than a school girl. “How’s the family?”
“They’re fine,” I responded, probably sounding like a grumpy grinch. “How’s yours?”
“They’re doing swell. Hey, I finally got that water fountain fully installed. Whaddya think?”
“It looks nice, David. Birds are gonna have a field day in it.”
“I hope they do. It cost me quite a bit to get this completed.”
“Yeah, just like it cost you to add that sunroom to the back of your house nine months ago.”
“Ha ha, yeah, that too, and that was a big money spender, but hey, the things we want in life are worth the trouble. Ain’t that right?”
“......sure.”
“Well, alright. Imma get back to my people and spend some more time with them. It’s family game night. Have a good night, Raven.”
“You too.”
Krinklesturg...
Look at him. Throwing his fortunes in my face. Smug bastard.
Fed up with looking at his glory, I walked back inside and bumped into Rose in the kitchen.
“You okay, Raven?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I responded. “Why do you ask?”
“Cause of this...whole...thing you got going on with the lottery and The Cloud. I just don’t see the point in trying to win anymore. You’ve been trying to win for the past several months and not even close.”
“Yeah, because all of these ‘outsiders’ are moving into our state, making my chances smaller and smaller.”
“Okay, but it’s not like we’re ‘from here’ either. You do remember convincing us to move across the country?”
“Yeah, but...whatever it doesn’t matter. These transplants need to stop trying to mooch off of our good fortune.”
“Our?...”
“What? It’s not our fault California was blessed with this black and golden gift of nature. Ever since that cloud emerged from above late last year, for once, things life feels like it can turn around.”
“Raven, our life is fine.”
“Not to me. I don’t like living like this. Paycheck to paycheck. Not being able to buy things for you and Reign. Hell, we can barely pay for the things we need. Some things we got to put on hold. Aren’t we behind on a couple of bills?”
“Yes, but listen. Our situation may not be the prettiest, but we’re fine. We have each other and a spunky kid that loves us deeply. We just have to take it day by day. And like I’ve said before, if you need me to get a full time job, I will get one--”
“No, Rose. You’re doing more than enough. I feel bad that you got a part time job at the shopping center.”
“Raven, I’ve told you many times that it’s okay. I don’t mind working. It’s for the betterment of our family and it saddens me that you think that you have to carry the financial burden. We’re a team, and we’re going to make it through this world together as a team.”
“...Maybe you’re right. I don’t know.”
“I know I’m right. I don’t want you to rely on that cloud. I never get good energy whenever I look up at it. Something about it feels...off.”
“I don’t get that when I see it.”
“Of course you don’t. You see the golden lining of it more than the black inside. Come on, let’s go to bed.”
“Bed? It’s not that late.”
“I know, but I got to get Reign to bed, and our show is about to come on, and it’s a double header tonight. We gotta get cozy.”
“It’s more so your show, but okay.”
“It’s ‘my’ show, but you don’t ever leave the room when it comes on.”
“It’s...tolerable.”
“Mhmm, sure...you know, this is the episode where Brad and Krysta decide their future with each other.”
“........I’m only coming to see how it ends.”
“Mhmm. Go get the popcorn ready while I set everything up in the bedroom.”
After a night of laughs, outrage, and confusion, Rose and I got deeper in the bed, trying to consume as much sleep as we could.
saturday / may 26
“Let’s go, baby!”
“Run, boy. Run!”
“Go get ’em!”
Dozens and dozens of passionate parents and supporters screamed and shouted as the kids participated in the local city’s flag football game. Reign plays on The Screaming Gophers, which is going against the Killer Bass. He’s a wild receiver. The Bass are leading the Gophers, 20-13. 5 seconds left before halftime.
The Gophers’ center snapped the ball. Reign, with all the determination and sweat running through his body, sprinted to the touchdown area. The QB took the ball and threw it in Reign’s area. The ball bounced out of his hands and it ended up in one of the Bass players’ hands, causing an interception. One of the refs blew the whistle for halftime.
“I thought I taught him better at catching the ball,” I complained.
“It’s okay, Raven,” Rose said. “It’s only halftime. There’s still time left.”
“I know. I would just hate for Reign to feel discouraged and give up early. You know how he gets.”
“Hey Raven and Rose,” Stacey and John, our local neighbors, said behind us.
“Hey, Stacey and John,” Rose responded. “Has your kids’ game ended?”
“Yeah,” Stacey said. “Just wrapped up. They won by a touchdown at the last second. How are you guys doing?”
“Halftime. 20-13. Losing by 6.”
“Oh okay,” John spoke.
Stacey looked around the ballpark, then stopped dead in her tracks.
“Well, look-a-here look-a-here,” she said. “Look at our buddy in a pair of shades, Mike Blakely, and he looks to be talking to some older man. I’m kind of shocked he showed up.”
“Well, why wouldn’t he?” I asked. “His kid plays too.”
“Well, his wife was saying about a couple hours ago he went missing after he won the lottery.”
“Well, that’s kind of normal,” Rose stated. “Everyone who wins goes into the forests, floats up to the cloud, and doesn’t come back til typically the next day.”
Curiosity massaged my brain enough to get up and stand next to Mike.
“What’s going on, man?”
“Hey,” he responded in a short, monotone voice.
“Saw that you won the lottery last night.”
“Yeah.”
“Well...how do you feel?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you feel any different now that you’re basically set for life?”
“I feel...uhh...umm...”
A single stream of blood runs down Mike’s face from under his shades.
“Hey, man. Are you okay?”
“Hey, why don’t you go lie down in my car,” the other mysterious guy butted in. “I know it’s awkward right now, but things’ll get better in a little while.”
Mike stepped out of the ball park to go to the man’s car, stumbling around like a drunk man getting over his hangover.
“Are you sure he’s going to be fine?” I asked the guy.
“Oh yeah,” he responded. “Leaving The Cloud can be kind of uncomfortable and I know what he’s feeling, so I wanted to help him out. I was one of the first few ones that won the lottery.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, man. And I won it on my first lottery entry.”
“Interesting...uh, how did you feel when you won?”
“...like...a new man. Like a freshly shredded snake. Like a seed, blossoming into a powerful flower. Like a majestic butterfly being birthed from a cocoon.”
“Oh...okay. Tell me something. How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“How did you get the magic ticket to win?”
“Nothing.”
“Really? You sure?
“Yeah. Why would I lie?”
“I don’t know. It just feels crazy to me that you just so happen to win on your first time in one of the first few instances of the lottery.”
“Hmph. Just got lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yeah, man. I hope you get the same luck because once you get to witness and experience the magnitude and magic of The Cloud, you’ll feel like a new man. I can’t wait for more people to join in.”
“Babe, halftime is over,” Rose shouted. “They’re getting back on the field now!”
“Hey, I gotta go,” I said. “Thanks for the uh...talk.”
“No problem, man,” he said. “I really appreciated this conversation. See you around.”
Lucky? Is that all he was? Just lucky? Is he being honest, or is he holding out on me? I don’t know...I just wish some luck would run into me...
