"1234117....Oh no! I'm sorry, it's 1234177....", said Mia, holding the lucky draw ticket in her left hand and running the index finger of her right hand over the digits printed in black ink on the right corner of the yellow lucky draw ticket.

"Oh Mia, it's the fifth time you've read the numbers wrong!", said Eva, rolling her eyes.

Eva was her fraternal twin sister, who was holding THE DAILY, a magazine in which every month the lucky draw winner number is displayed on the second last page of the magazine.

"I'm sorry, but the text is just so tiny! I don't understand why can't they print it larger in size".

"You do this every time Mia!, said Eva getting frustrated.

This might be your 1000th lucky draw ticket! I don't know why do you always sign up for these lotteries and lucky draws. I told you that they never work.

You always fall prey to their unrealistic exciting offers!
Win a Million dollars!
Win a BMW!
Win tickets to go to Disneyland!
Win a chocolate shop!
And what not!

I don't appreciate you spending 10 dollars out of our precious pocket money on such stuff every month Mia.

You know that we need money to get all the stuff for our projects, our phone bills and extracurricular classes and so many other things.

And don't forget Claire's birthday present! Her birthday next week and I hoped you've saved some money for that".

"This is going to be your last lottery ticket, mark my words," she said like a perfect elder sister, though she was elder to Mia by only a few minutes!

"This might be the third time you're telling me this Eva!
Please let me read the numbers now", Mia said, wishing Eva would calm down now.

"These lucky draw people always keep the first few digits same and you should just check the last two digits and save your time, Mia."

"No I'm reading all the numbers again and you check", said Mia, trying to concentrate and read the numbers without making any mistakes this time.

"I know you wouldn't listen", Eva said, yawning.

"This is the last time Mia. Remember! "

Mia began to read the digits one by one slowly, her eyes fixed on the numbers.

"1..2..3..4..1..7..7..8..".Mia stopped for a second to take in a deep breath after reading every digit, extremely excited as always. Eva repeated the numbers to cross-check after Mia said them aloud, bored.

And holding her breath, her eyes dilated she said slowly "2", and Eva repeated.
"And the last digit is 9"
This time Eva didn't repeat the number.

Mia lost hope.

Eva would not let her buy lucky draw tickets anymore.

Probably Eva was always right. She shouldn't be wasting her parent's hard-earned money like this. She put her head down on her study table, still holding the crumbled up lottery ticket in her left hand "I'm sorry Eva", she said in a low voice, expecting an "It's okay" reply from her twin sister.

But there was no reply.

After a few seconds, she looked up at Eva and stared at her expressionless face.

"Eva?"
"Eva??"
Mia got up, walked up to the bed.
"Eva???", she asked shaking her sister.

Eva didn't utter a word, instead, she snatched the crumpled ticket from Mia's hand, she opened it and tried to flatten it back to its original form and rechecked the numbers in the magazine.

"I can't believe it", said Eva really shocked and surprised at the same time.

"You can't win the lucky draw Mia, this is just not possible!" she repeated the second time.

"What are you blabbering Eva?", asked Mia, really confused.

"All the numbers matched. You've won the lucky draw this time, I don't know how" Eva said, still not believing it.

"What? Are you serious?
Oh- my- God! Really!
I won??", asked Mia, her excitement level reaching its peak now.

" Yeah Mia, you did! ", giving her a small smile.

Mia hopped on the bed and started jumping and screaming out of the infinite excitement and joy.

Eva didn't even notice her. She read the numbers again. And again. And over again.

12341789. She still couldn't believe that Mia won, even after rechecking ten times!

"GIRLS!", said a sharp, serious, and creepy annoyed voice. They turned towards the source of the sound and saw a thin, pale lady standing at the door.

It was none other than their hostel warden, Mrs. Gousten.

All the girls at the hostel called Mrs. Gousten, 'Mrs. Ghost' because she was always white and pale! She had such a shrill voice, that it could scare anyone! She was the creepiest lady they had ever seen in their lives. She wore a white top over which she had the school blazer on, paired with a pencil black long skirt.

"Oh no, the ghost is here!" whispered Mia, disappointed as she quickly jumped down her bed.

"Shut up Mia," said Eva whispered.

They stood side by side with their hands behind their back, their eyes meeting the wooden floor. They had lost all sense of space and time. They didn't hear the door opening. They didn't even hear the hostel bell and had completely forgotten that at 10.15 pm, Mrs. Gousten is on her daily rounds.

"It's 10. 20 pm and you are supposed to be asleep by now! If you don't abide by the hostel rules, you know what happens, don't you?", she said in her very creepy voice.

"And Eva? This wasn't expected from the school head girl".

"We're sorry ma'am", said Eva as politely she possibly could.

"Mrs. Ghost, you wouldn't believe what I'm going to tell you! I have won the...."

Eva hit Mia on her left leg so hard, that she almost fell. And Mia at once knew she shouldn't speak anymore.

She wanted to scream out and tell everyone she met, basically tell the whole world that she won the lucky draw!

" Whom are you calling Ghost huh?"

"It's Mrs. Gousten! Mrs. Gou-st-en, she repeated trying to sound very kind, though she sounded very creepy. You get it girl?," she slowly turning red.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. Gou-st-en," apologized Mia.

"Lights off within 5 minutes! Another sound from your room and you know what happens!", said Mrs. Gousten stepping out of the room.

Mia didn't even realise that she called her Ghost right on her face!

"Mia are you crazy? Were you just about to tell her about the lucky draw?! Don't go around telling it to everyone at school tomorrow!," Eva warned her.

"But I..."

Before Mia could finish, they heard their doorknob turn and Mrs. Gousten was back at the door, she was busy noting down something in her black diary with her old black pen which she's been using for the last 2 years.

"Room number 113. Eva Wilson and Mia Wilson. Warning 2 ," she read what she had written in her diary, aloud.

She turned around and walked away, leaving the door wide open.

They didn't speak a word until they heard the footsteps on the creaking floor fade away completely.

Eva locked the door at once.

"I hope they don't inform our parents. I don't want them to worry about us", said Mia, feeling sorry.

"Don't worry Mia, I know our parents trust us," Eva assured her sister.

They cleaned up their room and made their beds.

Mia switched off the lights while Eva drew the curtains closer.

"So what was this lucky draw for?,"  asked Eva eagerly, resting her head on her pillow.

"I don't even know!", replied Mia, yawning, drawing her sky blue woolen blanket closer to her.

Eva laughed.

" You've signed up for so many, that you don't even remember which one was for what! We'll check it out tomorrow. Today was really a long day", she said excitedly.

"Tomorrow's going to be a longer day", said Mia.

"Good night Ev...." and she dozed off to sleep.

"Good night Mia"

Eva turned off the night lamp and went to sleep, her mind was still reluctant to believe that they won the lucky draw.

•°•°•

Question Time!

What do you think is the lucky draw for?

Let me know
In the comments below!
(it rhymes! )