Winning the lottery.

It wasn't fear that caused me to tremble as I called out into the darkness. No.

The temperature on this godforsaken planet was somewhere around negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pixabay

It wasn't fear. I knew I was going to die the moment I won the lottery. Pop c. That's what most people called it. Population control. There ain't nothing on this planet worth dying for. Just some red rock our government claims is a vital resource.

It's not the only resource that can power our computers, cars, and telephones. It's not the only source of fuel that we have. It IS the only one that we have to die for though.

Every year 1000 people are chosen. Considering that the population of earth is now close to 10 billion, 1000 people a year is not noticeable.

The capsule is supposed to have a month's worth of food inside it. They don't tell you you're going to die. In fact, the brochure talks about the one month stay on Rana, and about the pick up zone, and about leaving. You're supposed to go mine RED for a month and then get picked up.

No one's ever come back from Rana. They last about 5 days and then they just disappear. You get a months worth of rocket capsules, a pickaxe, a backpack, a beacon, clothing, and food.

The mineral is easy to mine. It's easy work period. A few hits and it crumbles in a huge pile. You can fill the rocket capsule in under an hour. The pay is great too. If someone were to survive this trip they would come home a wealthy man. That's why they call it the lottery. The government is convinced people still haven't figured it out.

You win! You'll be rich man!

All you gotta do is come back from Rana.

They tried to keep the disappearances a secret. For a long time people really did think winning the lottery was something great. I'm not sure the government knows why people are disappearing either. Maybe it's a climate thing. Maybe every 5 days the planet erupts in some kind of flaming gas. It's possible that the weather drops down to negative 400 degrees and people simply become giant icicles poking out of the surface of the planet.

It could be that human beings simply can't survive in that atmosphere for longer than 5 days. That's the most likely scenario. Our atmospheric detection devices are fairly simple. Could be the environment is harsher than it seems. Perhaps our lungs are being filled with toxins that we aren't even aware of.

So I sit here on this freezing hunk of rock, pickaxe slung over one shoulder, eating the worst salami sandwich I've ever had. You only get a few sandwiches in the food bag. Most of it is rations. I guess they figured if you're going to die in a few days you might as well go out with a sandwich in your belly. They could have at least thrown in some mustard. Maybe some salsa? I think salsa would go good on a salami sandwich.

7 days have passed so far. 2 days ago I figured out why people are disappearing. That's why I'm here on this freezing hunk of rock. It was hard to climb the side of this mountain with a simple pickaxe. I thought maybe I'd be able to escape. I estimate the spiders will be at the top in less than an hour. They're probably not actually spiders, after all spiders aren't 8 feet tall and they don't drip tar. They don't have giant fangs that glisten in the night sky.

You know what the sandwich is really missing? Something crunchy. Maybe some lettuce or onions. A vegetable of some sort.

Wonder how crunchy I'm going to be.

I can see already the 1st of my companions arriving. You know, he kind of moves like a snake slithering along even though he has 10 legs. 10 pointed legs that dig into the ground. Perfect for climbing.

Well thank goodness for the lottery.

I'd like to say it feels good to be a winner, but that would be a lie.

I think I'm gonna do it backwards. I've seen a few movies where they do it backwards.

Here's hoping the fall kills me. Jokes on you spider..... you're going to have to walk all the way back down the mountain to get your meal, and it won't even be fresh.

Sayonara folks.

J Smith, winner of the lottery, signing off from Rana