Janie had a headache.  Janie never had headaches.  But nothing else could explain the throbbing between her eyes.  It felt like there was a woodpecker trying to get out.

Janie tried to focus on the spreadsheets displayed on the computer screen, but the numbers and lines always looked like they were melting and swimming around the screen.  If she focused on one area, the rest of the screen melted away.  It reformed when she looked at it, but then the original spot was gone.

"Stop moving!" she shouted at the monitor. This startled her coworkers.  Janie was know for her sensible shoes and quiet nature.  Accountants did not make sudden outbursts.

Janie looked around and decided it was time to try some painkillers.  She quickly grabbed her coat and headed out to Mazzuca's.

Numbers floated in her peripheral vision. She tried closing her eyes, but then they just took over center stage.

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Janie didn't understand.  She loved numbers.  They were concrete.  They were safe.  Words floated around and took on different meanings. Numbers were constant.

Mazzuca's was a strange sort of store.  It carried whatever the owner felt like carrying.  It had a great selection of magazines, an array of cigars, and even fireworks.

Fireworks was NOT what Janie needed.  She found the pain killers, grabbed one at random, and headed for the cash register.

Someone had brought a dog into the store.  Who brings animals into a store?  The drumming in her head got louder as she watched the clerk give the stupid dog treat after treat.  To distract herself, she looked over the lottery display.

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The numbers were now flashing in day glow neon colours right in the center of her vision.  Without quite knowing why she did it, she grabbed a lottery form and started filling in the little dots with the numbers flashing before her eyes.  The pressure behind her eyes let up some.

Why am I getting a lottery ticket? she thought to herself. It's just a stupidity tax. She went to rip up the form but the pain came back immediately. Guess I'm buying a ticket.

She paid for the pills and the lottery ticket and felt like a new person.  The dog glowed in doggie happiness.  The day was bright and cheerful.  People in general looked happier.

All this because she bought a lottery ticket?

Who knows, maybe she'll even win.