Hey, this is ShortHart here, writing another
story review for the Times!
In English class, we've been reading short
stories by various authors. One of the most recent ones, has been "The Lottery"
by Shirley Jackson.
The story starts out with the townspeople
all gathering to wait for the lottery to begin. The leader (like the mayor)
pulls out a box with slips of paper in it. In alphabetical order, he calls
people up to pick a slip.
The townspeople all await anxiously until
the last name is called. At almost the exact moment, they all look at their
slips. Most give a sigh of relief, but one women lets out a scream: her husband
won!
She insists that her family redraw, because
she would rather have the winner be one of her children. So, the five of them
put their slips back in the box and draw another.
The husband is the first to open his
ticket. He holds it up and his wife beams, for it is blank. Next, come the
children, who all sigh and smile as they hold up their also blank tickets.
The women's eyes widen in terror as she
slowly opens her ticket which, sure enough, has a big black dot on its center.
The women takes a head start, and begins
running as all of the townspeople...
Whoops! The leader just called my name!
Looks as though I have to go draw my slip. Wish me luck, and hope it's blank!
-ShortHart
If you want to read the rest of this
unusual story, go to:
http://mbhs.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/cybereng/shorts/lotry.html