Lucky Winner

The ocean seemed limitless but nowhere near as hard to fathom as this little black book in her hands. Sarah had convinced herself she might be able to throw it in once she got here but with her toes in the sand now, she knew it was never really her intention. The book was with her until the end, whosever end that might be…

It was a warm November day in Clearwater, with a salty breeze daring her to come in. Sarah had only lived here for a year but on some days she really missed Michigan, the state that would always be home to her. The one thing that always made her feel at peace with where she was at though, was the sound of the waves and the energy by this water. There was just something about it that made her feel more connected somehow.

She sat and watched the water pool around her feet and wondered if she’d make it out of this alive. She suddenly wasn’t so sure and wished more than anything she could just give all the money back. If only she hadn’t spent almost all of it already.

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It all started with that stupid writing contest last year. She’d been wanting to travel and possibly move for a while but knew she couldn’t just up and go with the status of her savings account. So when she saw a contest that offered $20,000 for the poem that won first place, she decided it was worth a shot and whipped something out for it. The submissions were judged and unfortunately, she did not even win third place. It wasn’t a hard pill to swallow for her; she had never expected to win. It was more about following through with submitting something for her so she felt pretty content with the outcome.

Two weeks later, she got an email that she almost moved to the spam folder, until she saw “Your last chance to grab your $20,000” in the subject line. She still figured it was trash but opened it anyway and found herself feeling some excitement despite her doubts.

“Dearest Sarah,

Disappointed you did not win our poetry contest? Feeling like you shouldn’t have entered at all? How badly could you have used that $20,000? Could that little stash of money possibly have changed the course of your life? Would you still accept it?

Here at Livingston Writing, we believe in second chances. We randomly selected your name, along with 5 others, for our next cash giveaway. The stakes are simple this time, you’ve already won $20,000. Bet you weren’t expecting this message today, were you?

All that is required of you is that you accept a sealed black notebook that we are giving all 5 of the winners, and that you do not open it until one year from the day you receive it. When you do open it, we ask that you complete the task inside, without question. It is a simple task that is all laid out for you and will not require much of your time. The money can be spent as soon as you receive it.

Now what are you waiting for?! This is not a scam. $20,000 is yours to claim. Don’t let yourself pass this opportunity up!”

It didn’t take Sarah long to make a decision to respond. Sure, she spent some hours looking at reviews of Livingston Writing and doing some digging. By the end of that day though, she knew she couldn’t simply ignore the email. Within one week, she had handed over her bank information and was excitedly waiting for the money to arrive. There was only a soft whisper of anxiety in the back of her mind.

When her phone went off one Tuesday afternoon telling her there was a deposit, she could hardly finish out her shift at the library. She couldn’t stop looking down at her phone to check her bank account.

Within 24 hours she had narrowed down what she would do next. She had two months to go on her lease for her apartment so she would pay that and her vehicle off. From there, she decided to give her job a two weeks’ notice and to head down to Florida to put a down payment on a place. She had weighed the pros and cons of the move more times than she’d care to admit. It had been a tentative plan for a couple years now, she had just never really expected to be able to follow through so soon.

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In all the excitement of saying goodbye, tying up loose ends, and the move itself, the mysterious black book was forgotten until one Sunday evening while unpacking. She held it in her hands, turning it over and wondering what on earth could be inside.

“There’s no reason I couldn’t open this now. Like anyone is really going to wait a year,” she thought to herself.

She was close to ripping the plastic off when her cell phone rang. She sighed when she saw it was her mother. She was lucky enough to get a deposit on a condo before she even arrived in Clearwater and her family had promised to fly down the week after she got here to help her with getting settled. Plus, who would pass up a free place to stay in Florida? They were all going to celebrate Christmas together here the following week.

Sarah only wished she could have a little more time alone in her new space before having visitors. A big part of her did truly miss them though and knew how blessed she was to have help with this mess surrounding her at the moment so she tossed the black book onto the end table and answered the call.

“Hey Mom! You guys made it then?”

“Honey! It’s so good to hear your voice. Yes, Dad is figuring out a taxi and your sister’s eager to explore. I just want to see your new home! Send me the address and we’ll be right over.” her mother said.

“Ok Mom! I love you, can’t wait to see you guys!”

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Sarah woke up before her parents or sister were awake the following day and went out to check for mail. As she was walking back up to the front steps, she saw a postcard taped to the door. It was New York City at night, one of her favorite views since she was a child. She pulled it off and turned it over. Her breath caught in her throat. There were only three lines printed there but that was more than enough.

One year, that was the rule.

This is not a game.

You have been warned.

She looked all around, swearing she could feel eyes on her. Nothing felt out of the question suddenly. She racked her brain trying to remember if she ever told her parents or sister about the catch with the $20,000, but no. Although they were skeptical until the money came, she only told them she was one of five people who were selected from the entrants and that was it.

So who could have left this?

She had never sent the writing organization her new address when she moved. How could they know where she was? She had no idea but she marched inside to grab the notebook.

“Is it possible this got heavier somehow?” she thought as she again held it in her hands.

It suddenly seemed too heavy to hold and she quickly ran to her bedroom and stuffed it under her mattress with the postcard. This was too much, she needed coffee.

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Life in Florida suited Sarah, even if she did miss her family terribly some days. The worst part was missing out on the leaves changing colors before falling and that first snow of the year. She never realized just how attached she was to the seasons of her home state.

She loved her job though, an editor now for a local newspaper. She volunteered at the downtown library once a week as well, cataloguing books and really just enjoying the smell and the feel of being surrounded by so many adventures. She had been on a few dates now with a guy she met at the monthly open mic night a block from her condo and was feeling pretty content about where she was at in life.

She had forgotten all about that little black book, stuffed under her mattress, until the knock on her front door on November 23rd of that following year.

Sarah thought for a moment that maybe her family had decided to show up for Thanksgiving after all. It was already almost 9:00 at night and she was not up for visitors. Feeling a little resentful at the thought of them showing up unexpectedly, she walked to the door.

No one was there at all though and she almost had the door closed before she saw a postcard on the top step. Her heart sped up as she saw the John Lennon memorial, which of course was in New York. She quickly shut the door on it but curiosity got the best of her.

Fear might have had a little to do with it as well, or a lot, if we’re going to be honest here.

She slowly opened the door back up, hoping to find nothing sitting there. Of course the postcard was there though, waiting patiently for her. She snatched it up and went back inside, double-checking that the door was locked behind her.

Sarah stared at the postcard for what felt like hours, but was surely only a few minutes, before she finally picked it back up. Short and simple, this one had just one line.

Today’s the day, don’t forget your part.

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Only 16 hours had passed since she read that line and opened this cursed black book. She would give back all the money and everything she had to just hand the book back and get out of this mess. She knew that wasn’t happening though.

From the very first page, Sarah had known that life as she knew it was over. At first she felt relieved when she skimmed and saw they were quotes from two of her favorite artists. Roger Waters and Bob Dylan were arguably two of the best lyricists that have walked the earth, so there was that. She started breathing a little easier, until she went on.

Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today.

Pink Floyd

She had shifted on the couch, tucked her feet under herself and brought her legs up close to her body. She knew the song well and had always agreed that money is the root of much unhappiness in the world. She decided to go on…

Behind every beautiful thing there’s been some kind of pain.

Bob Dylan

Her stomach flipped as she read that line. At this point Sarah was wishing she was back at home with her family more than anything. It had taken her a lot of pacing her living room and trying to think herself out of reading more before she finally flipped to the next page. As she realized what she was being asked to do, her blood had turned cold.

As she now sat on her favorite beach though, with the ocean out in front of her, all she could really think of was what was printed on the last page. It was another song lyric, the perfect bookend to this nightmare.

One slip and down we fall. It seems to take no time at all. A momentary lapse of reason that binds a life to a life. You won’t regret, you will never forget. There’ll be no sleep in here tonight.

David Gilmour

Sarah had certainly not slept the night before. Honestly, she doubted she would ever get the chance to sleep again.