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Seller of Dreams

Fiction

“You sell dreams, don’t you?” I asked.  The lottery man looked at me rather bewildered.

I knew him for many years.  He used to sell Kerala government’s lottery tickets in the small town a few kilometres from my village.  Whenever he met me in the town he would come to me with a lottery ticket which I normally purchased in order not to disappoint him.  I never won any prize.

The lottery man smiled at me having overcome his bewilderment.  “What will life be without dreams?” he asked.

“Has anyone who bought tickets from you ever won a prize?” I was curious.

He hesitated a moment.  “Yes, up to ₹5000.” 

The chance of winning a bigger prize would be something like 0.000001.  I looked at the ticket he had handed me.  Its number was a six digit figure.  There would be 5 or 6 series of such 6-digit numbers.  No wonder the lottery man could not produce even a single winner of a sizeable prize though he was in the profession for over many years.

“Even winning the last prize of ₹100 triggers bigger dreams, I guess,” I said.  “How much do you earn a day?”

“Two to three hundred.”  He didn’t look quite pleased with my question.  But he couldn’t afford to displease even an occasional customer.

A man walked up to the lottery man with a smile that indicated close familiarity.  “I couldn’t meet you yesterday,” he said.

“But I kept your ticket,” The lottery man told him.

“So ₹30 gone!” he smiled.  “Anyway give me one of today’s.”

“Not gone,” said the lottery man.  “Your ticket won ₹5000.”

“What?”

“Yup.  Take your ticket and encash it from any agent.  I don’t have such an amount to give you.”  The lottery man fished out the ticket from his bag and gave it to the client.  

“After so many months,” the man gasped.  “I won something at least after so many months.”  He bought another ticket and placed a ₹100-rupee note in the lottery man’s hand.  “Keep the balance.”

“You could have taken the winning ticket yourself,” I said after the man had left.

“Haven’t I sold him a bigger dream now?”  He smiled impishly.  “Anyway he has given me more than that amount in the last many years.  He deserves that much at least.”

His question as well as the explanation lingered on in my mind as I walked away with the ticket he had sold me.  A dream was rising in my being, I realised.  It was not about a prize amount.  It was something I couldn’t interpret yet.


Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 18, 2017 at 10:49 PM

    What's that dream, sir?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 19, 2017 at 2:10 PM

      It's something to do with the honesty (if we can call it so) of the dream seller.

      Delete
  2. Pranju chakrapaniOctober 19, 2017 at 5:51 AM

    isn't it how it has always been? Tell me Tomichan, will we ever go beyond the pragmatism of this ponzy scheme of selling dreams and for once believe a leader to be honest? Can there be one in this democracy who would be that honest to sell peanuts for a penny?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 19, 2017 at 2:15 PM

      You have taken the story to a level I had not imagined. Thanks for that. Is the lottery seller's honesty real honesty? At least, he stands one notch above our politicians. He gives what's due and what he can.

      Delete
  3. Rajeev MoothedathOctober 19, 2017 at 7:32 AM

    Such a nice good feeling post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. जितेन्द्र माथुरOctober 19, 2017 at 9:59 AM

    A very thought-provoking post indeed. Hearty Diwali wishes Sir.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anita SabatOctober 20, 2017 at 11:55 AM

    Hope is what keeps people going.
    The fact that there have been winners makes us wanna join that winner-list :) That explains why people keep on purchasing lottery-tickets for years. And yes, some do succeed after years of trying!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 20, 2017 at 7:02 PM

      Lottery is mere chance. And the chance is as meagre as that of winning heaven. :)

      Delete
  6. JayanthyOctober 20, 2017 at 10:47 PM

    I personally don't believe in the lottery system. However, this has given me a different idea about it. I must admit the lottery seller's honesty is to he appreciated and thought about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 21, 2017 at 7:31 PM

      The Kerala government earns huge revenue through the lottery. A few lucky ones benefit.

      Yes, the seller's honesty is interesting for more than one reason.

      Delete
  7. Jyotirmoy SarkarOctober 21, 2017 at 5:04 PM

    Really a very nice read, honest people still exist.
    Lottery is purely a game of luck some are blessed with that luck(some real incidents those surprised me) and some are not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalOctober 21, 2017 at 7:32 PM

      The impish smile of the seller makes his honesty interesting to a writer.

      Delete

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