The Contest

The Contest

I should have never entered that contest. I should have walked past the entry table and pretended never to have seen it. It ruined my life. I have lost everything. The love of my life. My family. My best friend........everything that mattered. All because of random guess in a random contest at my local bank.

It was a normal Friday afternoon. Finally, payday was here, and I just wanted to deposit my check, grab some cash to last me two weeks, pay my bills and grab some fast food, just like every other Friday for the past 8 years. My boyfriend was coming by and we were going to watch bad movies and hang out. We were both so busy, I was excited just to be near him and clear my mind. Then I saw it: the small black notebook with a sign next to it that said, "Write down your wish and if you're lucky, you might just get it granted!"

What is the harm? It was free to write down a random thing and see what happens. So, after I made my deposit, I wandered over to the display. I read the rules:

1. Write down what your heart desires at this moment

2. You cannot change what you have written, so make it count

3. Make your wish and have no regrets

Seemed simple enough. What did I desire? I was in debt, you know, student loans and some payday loans, plus I wanted to try and get a vehicle for myself, I am tired of taking the bus. So, I filled out the entry form and wrote down the wish that was on my heart at that moment: "I wish I had $20,000!" The moment I finished; the book made a strange sizzling noise........weird. I did not think anything of it, I really should have.

I made my way home and had a fantastic Friday night which ended in the best surprise: My boyfriend finally proposed! The weekend was such a blur, I barely remember it. Monday came around, and I was awoken by a loud knock on the door. I drug myself out of bed and answered the door. No one was there. No one was in the yard or even walking along the sidewalk in front of my house, but there it was on the Welcome mat: the black envelope with the red seal.

I double-check my surroundings and open the envelope. There was a letter and as soon as I pulled it out, something fluttered to the ground........a check. I picked up the check and walked back inside. I read the letter and let out a scream so loud that I swear the neighbors had to hear me: I won the contest and had my wish granted!! I was over the moon! This was FANTASTIC!!! I look at the check and yeah, it said $20,000 made out to me. I rushed to the phone to call my mom to tell her the good news! She answered the phone and before I could say anything, she accused me of stealing some jewelry from her room the last time I came home. I do not even remember entering her room and I knew I did not need to steal anything! She kept accusing me and sent me footage from the cameras she has around the house. Sure enough, there I was......last night!!! That was crazy! I did not even remember going home! I tried to explain, but she hung up in my face.

I was distraught! What is going on? I decided that I would go see my fiancé and tell him the good news and maybe he could help me explain what is going on. I get to his apartment, and before I can knock on the door, it flings open and the first thing I see is him in his boxers, kissing my best friend and getting ready to escort her out! She looks up at me, he looks up and sees me, tears already pouring down my face, and he just curses and says "Why are you here?!?! You weren't supposed to be here until later this afternoon!!!" No apology, no trying to make excuses, just why was I there.

I stood there, mouth agape, and just said, "My bad. Do not worry. I won't be back." I am devastated! My mom hates me, my now ex-fiancé was cheating on me, all I have left is this $20,000 check. I go to the bank to deposit the money so that I can get a one-way plane ticket out of here to start my life over. Clearly, all of this had to be a sign that I need to leave and never come back. I sign the back of the check, hand it to the teller, and wait. She looks at the check. Walks over to a nearby phone and makes a brief call. The next thing I know, I am noticing the security guard is walking my way with the bank manager. He asks me where did I get this check? I said it was delivered to my home that morning. It was my prize from the contest that they just held.

He looks at me confused and asks, "What contest?" I pointed over to the table with the black book that was there on Friday and there is nothing there but the emergency exit door. I told him about the book and he just looks at me like I grew a second head and was speaking in Latin. He gets the officer to escort me to his office while we all wait for the police.... the POLICE?!?!

I did not do anything wrong. I still had the letter in my pocket, so I shoved it into the bank manager's hands and begged him to read it. He read the letter, raised his head, and gave me a look of complete and utter horror! He handed the letter back to me. The contents now read that I was a thief and a murderer and there was a bomb in the bank, getting ready to detonate unless they let me cash that bogus check! WHAT???

I tried to explain that this was all a mistake when suddenly, everything went into a kind of hazy, slow-mo effect. I was still normal. I walked away from the security guard and bank manager, who were both now frozen in place. The door to the office flew open and in floated the little black notebook........HUH???

It opened and on the empty page, words started to appear:

"Yes, you did win the contest and you received your wish. You also granted my wish. I get to own your soul! You did not follow the rules: the moment you won the money and entered the bank again, you had regret in your heart from the misunderstandings I created. That regret is what sealed the deal!"

The book started to glow and so did I! The last thing I knew, I was waking up in a jail cell looking at a newspaper article that stated "Mad Woman Murders 20 Patrons in a Bank! Sentenced to 4 Consecutive Life Sentences!"

So here I am, full of regret and without a soul. 4 life sentences cannot be that bad when you no longer care if you live or die. Moral of the story: Never enter a contest that involves a little black book and regrets.