The Money Tree

A short story about greed and the side effects of sudden fortune

Tomorrow he would be evicted. Jobless, penniless. He had nothing in sight.He had no family, barely any friends. He was still loveless, close to feeling lifeless.

He needed to get some money, enough to pay the landlord by tomorrow night. He could only think of two ways to get it: either by stealing or hoping to win tomorrow’s nationwide lottery. Since the first was not in his nature, he bought a lottery ticket from his last money hoping that it would change his life.

But turning to luck for a way out is always a mistake.

He only won a small amount, barely enough to buy dinner and less than what he paid for the ticket.

Defeated and leaving his dinner untouched, he went to bed. That night he did not sleep well, having feverish dreams, having no rest. He was unsure whether he was asleep or dreaming. Conscious, unconscious, all was a blur. He remembered crying, wishing, hoping, begging, even laughing. He floated through the universe, seeing stars, planets, seeing earth, all but himself. When he looked down, trying to see his body, there was nothing. It was just that he was there, but he could not feel anything for just his presence.