When Arthur arrived home, his wife Fiona was all a glow.

“What’s going on?” he joked, you finally paid off your credit card?”

“Quiet”, she said, “I’m listening to this”

Arthur took off his coat and moved to the television where Fiona’s eyes were glued.

“What’s on?”

“Shhh”

Fiona’s eyes didn’t even look at him when he entered the room. That was un-like his wife, he thought. What could be so interesting? His wife didn’t even like television.

It was a newscast and the woman newscaster was standing outside a grocery store. Several police officers stood nearby, preventing anyone else from gaining entry.

“As I said, I am here downtown and we’re live for what is obviously a big surprise for many of us here in town…”

Arthur was getting bothered by the suspense, curious as to the female newscaster. Why was she smiling?

Arthur looked to his wife. She too seemed to be suppressing a grin.

The newscaster continued. “We’re still awaiting official word, mind you, but at this point, it now seems certain that someone…someone in this very grocery store…has won the Lotto!”

Arthur looked to his wife, seeing a small grin appear on her face.

“Wow” she said.

“I can’t believe it”, Arthur found himself saying, “In our town?”

***

The next day on campus, things were in an uproar.

It’d been on the news all evening. That a hometown girl was one of the lucky recipients of the Lotto would be something that would be talked about here for the rest of their lives. Still, the fact that they hadn’t yet announced the identity of the lucky girl in question caused Arthur
considerable concern. He didn’t want his male students walking around in a continual anxiety over it.

Pulling his car through the parking lot, he noted the mass of students, mostly girls, clamoring around the campus. There were news cameras there too. What a day this was going to be…

As he walked towards campus, several students rushed to approach him. William, a man in his early twenties was the first to grab his ear.

“Have you heard anything?”

Arthur shook his head. “Apparently they’re announcing it at noon today.”

William was visibly nervous, “But why are they announcing it at the college?”

Arthur stopped.

“At the college? Why would they be doing that…? Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless the lotto winner was from our school…”

William began to look even more nervous.

“What if it’s me? What if this girl, whoever it is…what if it’s me?”

Arthur tried to calm William down.

“It won’t be you, William. Even if the lotto winner is from our school, odds are still in your favor. Over five hundred to one you know…”

* * *

In a staff room reserved for Professor’s at the college, Arthur ducked away to call his wife.

“Did you hear?”

Fiona’s voice was excited. “Yes I did. She’s from the college? Is it possible?”

Arthur couldn’t quite believe it himself.

“I guess it is.”

In class, things were much the same. Arthur could barely keep the chatter down amongst his students, all of who were eager to continue whispering about the Lotto winner being from their town…maybe even their school.

“People, people. Please. I know it’s an exciting day, but let’s try and focus on class until the hour is up, okay?”

Arthur was having a more and more difficult time commanding everyone’s attention. He pitied the other teachers, since most were not as well liked
as he was. If I’m having this much difficulty, imagine how some of them are faring, Arthur thought to himself.

Arthur pulled out a book.

“Let’s turn to page 164, chapter eight”

That’s when the door to the class opened and in walked Beth, one of Arthur’s students. Beth was followed by four men, two who immediately stood by the front door of the classroom, the other two remained at the back.

Beth was one of Arthur’s favorite students. She asked the best questions, was punctual (until now) and was quite attractive. Despite this, she was very, very shy.

“Beth”, Arthur said aloud, “Class started almost an hour ago”

Beth took her seat. She was trying very hard to keep from smiling. She said nothing. It took a second, but only a very short second, for everyone in the room to start looking around nervously.

Arthur turned to the two men at the front door.

“What this about?”

The taller of the two men addressed Arthur.

“Sir, excuse the interruption and excuse us not being able to alert you to the interruption ahead of time.”

“Yes”, Arthur said, “but what of it? Why are you here?”

“Sir”… the man began.

“Mr. Spence.” Arthur said, trying to contain his nerves.

“Mr Spence”, the man began again, “You’re familiar with the Lotto?”

“Of course I am” Arthur answered.

The man’s eyes darted, very briefly, over to Beth, who continued to sit in her seat. She was casually looking at the floor, away from the other students.

“It appears that the Lotto winner is from this very classroom”

Voices of opposition instantly rose. Practically all of the male students stood up from their chairs, all yelling in unison. Could this be happening they wondered? What if it were one of them?

Arthur couldn’t make out each of them, but managed to hear…“That’s not fair. That can’t be true. I won’t stand for it”

He gestured for them to sit down. This took almost a full minute as their nervous chatter gradually reduced in volume. Some of them looked like they would split for the door any second, should their own name be announced
for whatever reason.

Arthur was in his own private anxiety. This was happening too fast for him. He shared the fear on behalf of his students. It wasn’t fair to surprise them like this. What were the odds of this happening? He knew what happened to the Lotto winners. They were pulled from their families and forced into a life of servitude or whatever their new ‘master’ had in mind for them to do (and at whatever size she had requested). He knew it
was absurd, but never, ever had he been so aware of it until this very moment until he saw the faces of his male students faces as they stared at him in fear.

“Guys, now hold on. There’s a mistake here, hold on.”

“No mistake, sir” said the taller of the two men, “We have firm instructions to read the pronouncement and then to remove the Lotto winner’s selection from the premises to begin treatment”

Arthur stared at the men.

“Someone from this room?”

The man nodded.

Surely they wouldn’t be so cruel. Surely they wouldn’t remove one of his students and take him away from the only life he knew…

Then Arthur’s eyes turned to Beth, who shrank a bit in her seat, as if anticipating his stare. She was the one, he thought, she was the Lotto winner. What an ironic choice. Beth had always been one of his quietest students and now she was about to be jettison into the world’s spotlight, forced to enslave someone, forced to change one of his student’s life forever.

“Beth. Is it you? Did you when the Lotto?” he asked.

Beth hesitated, then nodded her pretty face. She was blushing.

Instantly, the other girls began chatting to one another, one of them even got out from her seat and patted Beth on the back, congratulating her. Two girls in the back hugged each other. Several of them even laughed aloud in
delight. Anxiety spread among the male students, young and old.

“Quiet, please”, Arthur said. “Beth, are you fully aware of what’s going to happen? What you have to do now?”

Beth nodded, suppressing a laugh.

Arthur looked at her sternly.

“Beth, I want you to look around, at your fellow students. Look around and make completely sure that you want to change one of their lives”

She glanced about the room and then nodded again, trying even harder to suppress a big smile that had been growing on her face.

One of the two men still standing at the front door interrupted.

“Mr. Spence, I’m going to have to read the pronouncement”

Arthur sat down in his chair, saddened about what was about to happen. What could he do but watch as one of his students heard the bad news?

“Go ahead” Arthur said to the man.

The man began to read…

“It is my duty to inform that Beth Kenny is indeed the sole Lotto winner for the continent of North America. This decision is final. Beth Kenny has been made aware of and has agreed to participate to the fullest extent of her abilities with the laws concerning any given Lotto winner. These obligations include: choosing any male that she has a relationship with, whether he be her sibling, her father, her friend or classmate and for that selected male to become her life long companion in servitude. The
chosen one will take part in our size reduction program and be shrunk in size according to the Lotto winner’s wishes. The chosen one will obey Beth Kenny for the rest of his natural life, or until her demise.”

The man folded up the letter and then looked to Beth.

The tenseness in the room was very high. People were sweating. Even the girls appeared nervous as they began to realize that they were witnessing something that would be talked about for the rest of their lives.

One student shot towards the door. The two men at the back entrance stopped him and promptly reseated him in his seat.

“And now, the pronouncement will be made”

The man at the front looked to Beth.

“Ms Kenny?”

Beth stood to her feet and smoothed out her jean skirt. She looked very pretty, a bit radiant.

Arthur took a few steps out from behind his desk. He saw the urgency in the eyes of all his male students and didn’t want this to happen to any of them.

“Beth. Don’t do this to them.”

The man at the door answered him.

“The decision is final”

Beth waited, looking around the room. Every single male dreaded her pretty eyes falling on them. They were all perspiring heavily.

The man at the door cleared his throat.

“Your decision Ms. Kenny?”

Beth looked to the front of the class and pointed forwards.

“Him” she said softly.

There was silence in the room.

Arthur turned to see who Beth was pointing at and then his heart stopped for a moment.

She was pointing at him.

The man at the door asked a question.

“This man? Arthur Spence? Is he your choice?

Beth nodded and began to blush again. “Yes he is”

An uproar began from the students. Voices were raised in opposition as Arthur was escorted from the room.