One Dollar
I knew I didn’t land the lottery when I accidentally came across the ad on Greglist. It was too good to be true. My eyes had almost popped out of their sockets as I had reloaded the page again and again checking the treasure I had came across.
A house was being sold for a dollar. A house for a dollar in the twenty-first century! In this economy?
This could go two ways. Either it was fate finally being kind to a pathetic bitch like me or it was the lucky day for a scammer who had successfully lured a dumb rat like me into a trap.
Whether it is treasure or trap, only time will tell, I thought as I abandoned all my rational thoughts and texted the enlisted number.
~Are you really selling a house for a dollar?
Their reply was quick as if they were eagerly waiting for me to reach out to them.
~Yes. We are and we won't take any more questions over the phone. If we want it, give us a visit at 10 am sharp tomorrow.
I gave out a nasty sneer. 10 am?
I go to sleep at 10 am!
The pandemic had messed up my sleeping schedule. My sleeping cycle had become more unpredictable than the weather in Jupiter. And not to mention, ever since I had gotten kicked out of my dorms, I had developed even more of a rocky relationship with sleep.
I hesitated in replying back and ended up resorting to turning my phone screen off. However, deep down I knew that I would be going there tomorrow.
I was that desperate.
.
.
.
The next morning, I was in for a ride. I knew I would have considered myself lucky if they sold me a shack or even a garbage can for a dollar but the house- no the mansion standing in front of me was insane.
The sight of it indicated that it at least had a dozen bedrooms. In fact, the front yard itself was a dead giveaway that it was one of those fancy double-storeyed mansions that rich people bought for millions. I could imagine the pain I would go through looking for my phone there if I happened to misplace it.
Damn! They aren't trying very hard to look believable, are they?
Glaring at the suspicious mansion, I pushed open the rusted iron doors and navigated myself through the rather lengthy front yard path towards the looming building. My cheap heels clicked against the hard ground, reminding me of the blisters that would be kissing my feet soon. The thought did sour my mood but I was used to my love-hate relationship with my heels.
I knocked on the massive double door and waited in anticipation.
Some tiny terrified part in me still knew that my decision was wrong. As a matter of fact, I had been making all the wrong decisions lately but the bigger part in me had no more fucks to give.
I knocked again and this time the door opened an inch. A pair of eyes peeked through the gap.
“You messaged us last night?” A voice whispered. It was soothing to my ears and reminded me of the feeling of warm blankets on chilly days.
The voice strangely injected me with a boost of confidence.
“Yeah. It’s me!" I said with the biggest fake grin I could master. "In the flesh!”
The massive double door swung open.
“Welcome, dear customer, we have been waiting for you!”
