Lottery
Charles opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he noticed was the ceiling fan motionless overhead. He found himself lying on his bed; the sunlight filtering in the room through a small gap in the curtains providing a faint illumination in the darkness. He could see dust particles floating in and out, dancing merrily without any sense of direction. He kept staring at them for some more time. Just then, the door opened up. His eyes were suddenly hit by the brilliant glare from the tube light lit in the corridor outside. His eyes watered and his head hurt. He tried to raise his arms, but felt it heavy and was unable to raise them. “Close the door!” he yelled loudly. The figure at the door stopped and rushed back outside. He heard the person’s voice say ‘He’s awake’ to unseen people outside. Within minutes, a crowd burst in. The lights were turned on in the room now. Slowly, Charles got up and raised his head. His head throbbed again painfully. Eyes still watering,
