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Love by Lottery

Love by Lottery

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  Count to ThreeCompleted
Language: English
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9Chapters
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Synopsis

Remorse Family

After Death

Familial Bond

Male POV

Bias

After the real son, Asher Vale, was brought back, everything in our house became tied to drawing lots. The chef of the day, who would have to cook a particular person's preferred dishes, had to be decided by drawing lots. Even our parents' kisses and hugs were chosen the same way. I always drew the short stick. The long stick, by default, belonged to Asher. He never had to do anything to receive our parents' love. Whenever I felt it was unfair and wanted to cry, Mom would scold me sharply, "I bought the lot-drawing box because I was afraid you'd feel hurt. I wanted to be fair to both of you. If you want something, decide it yourselves. Your father and I won't interfere. If you can't draw the long stick, you can only blame your bad luck." So I began practicing every day, shaking the box diligently, over and over, in hopes that one day, it would help me earn my parents' love. Unfortunately, for ten years, I never once drew the long stick. Until my birthday. Asher wanted to go to the amusement park, and Mom once again told us to decide by drawing lots. I secretly glued the two short sticks together and handed them to Mom, hoping to keep her with me. She slapped me hard across the face, screaming that I was cheating and disobedient. Then she stormed out of the house with Asher. When I fell to the ground, the short stick stabbed deep into my neck. 'I'm sorry, Mom. Next time, I'll work harder. Next time, I'll definitely draw the long stick.'

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9 Chapters
Chapter 1
Something warm flowed down the back of my neck, slipping along my hair and dripping outward.The floor was getting dirty. Mom would be even angrier if she saw that.I wanted to wipe it away, but my whole body felt light, as if I were floating in midair.That was when I realized that I was already dead.I knew what death was. When I was seven, Grandma had also lain on the floor like this and died.That day, she and Mom had a huge fight. Grandma had pointed at her and screamed, calling her a self-righteous lunatic."You either love a child, or you don’t. Why are you hiding behind this lottery nonsense? If you don’t want Silas Vale, I’ll take him back to the countryside right now. Otherwise, throw away that damned lottery box and love both children together!"Mom had sneered back coldly. "How I love my children is none of your business. I love both of them, of course. But there will always be bias. That can’t be controlled."That’s exactly why I bought the lottery box to truly be
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Chapter 2
"Mom!"I rushed toward her in excitement, but Mom walked straight through my body and kept going.Only then did I realize that I could no longer touch her.I followed behind her and carefully voiced what I wanted to say. She couldn’t hear me, and she hadn’t come back out of concern for me.She had forgotten to take the car keys.When her gaze fell on the bedroom door, I panicked like a child who had done something wrong and hurried to explain, "I didn’t mean to die. I also dirtied the house. I’m sorry, Mom. I will—"My voice fell, crestfallen. "I can’t help clean anymore. I… I’m already dead…"Mom stopped at the bedroom door. Her tone was casual, almost careless. "So you don’t even come out to greet me now that I’m back? You’ve really grown up. Got a temper too, even daring to give me the cold shoulder."Then she added flatly, "But let me tell you, sulking is useless. You were unlucky and drew the short stick. You can’t blame anyone else for that."When I still didn’t open the
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Chapter 3
In the end, Mom still made the dishes Asher liked.The three of them sat together, talking and laughing. They looked happy and harmonious, like a family.I felt a little lonely, so I drifted closer to Mom.That was when I noticed a cake sitting on the chair beside her.I smugly showed it off to the stray cat crouched by the window. "See that? Mom and Dad bought me a cake. They didn’t forget that today is my birthday."The stray cat glanced at me, as if mocking me.Mom handed the cake to Asher, saying she had bought it especially because he wanted to eat it. As if afraid I might hear, she even lowered her voice, "Take it to the bedroom and eat it secretly. Otherwise, if Silas finds out, he’ll cry to me again."I had only cried that one time, yet Mom repeated that line for ten whole years. Actually, I wasn’t that sad because I knew that even if we drew lots, I would only ever draw the short stick. I had terrible luck. The cake would still go to Asher."I’ve never eaten cake befor
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Chapter 4
The lottery box had been knocked over and had fallen to the ground.Inside, there were no long sticks at all. So it turned out that Mom and Dad never loved me.Just like Grandma had said, they only used the lottery as a shield, putting on a show of fairness while secretly doting on Asher.I started to feel cold even though I had already become a ghost.Because they thought I was sulking in my room, after Mom and Dad came back from the hospital, they began treating me like I was invisible. They no longer set out a bowl for me at mealtimes or called me to draw lots.Instead, they indulged Asher without restraint. It was as if I had never existed in this house.The neighbors started to feel that something was amiss and came knocking."Elena Vale, our window is right next to the window of Silas’s room. Don’t you smell it? There’s a stench. It smells like something rotting. And Silas hasn’t gone out these past few days. He hasn’t even gone to school."Mom was preparing a crab for Ash
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Chapter 5
The officers' expressions looked terrible. Mrs. Whitlock screamed.Mom and Dad stood frozen in place, as if they had gone stupid."I told you something must have happened to Silas. This stench is wrong no matter how you think about it. You’re his parents. How could you not notice?"Look at him. A living child, now rotted into a pile of mush. How could you be so careless? You didn't check in on him even after so many days."Mrs. Whitlock uncovered the birthmark on my foot. Even mixed with blood and flesh, its shape was still clearly visible."Impossible... impossible..." Dad refused to believe it. He wore an expression so warped it looked almost like a joke.However, neither Dad nor Mom shed tears.When Grandma died, they cried. Mrs. Whitlock had said it was because Grandma was their closest relative, so they had felt sad and cried.Then why did they not feel sad when I died? Was I not their closest family?I felt a little hurt. Silently, I drifted into a corner and squatted do
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Chapter 6
The stray cat, Snowy, suddenly appeared beside me. I was surprised to realize that it, too, had become a soul."Asher held a grudge against me for scratching him, so he beat me to death with a stick."I had just been happy that it could talk. After hearing that, though, I couldn’t smile anymore."I’m sorry...""It’s fine. Stray cats don’t live long anyway. Following you, I can go find your grandma. She was a good person. She even fed me tasty chicken breast."I wanted to go find Grandma, too, but I couldn’t leave this house at all.Asher was still crying his heart out. Truthfully, a small part of me felt satisfied. I guess I was a bad kid too.The autopsy was completed. It was confirmed that the body was indeed mine, Silas Vale. I had no external injuries, and only my fingerprints were found on the short stick embedded in my neck. So Mom and Dad were released without charge.They returned home in silence. Like walking corpses, they sat down on the sofa, staring blankly for near
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Chapter 7
"Your parents regret it," Snowy said.I was shocked too. Mom had actually cried for me.Me. The one with the worst luck in the house. The one who had never once drawn the long stick.And yet Mom felt sad for me?I didn’t understand.Mom brought me back from the forensic examination center. She bought me many beautiful clothes.Unfortunately, my body had already decomposed badly. Fluid kept seeping out and quickly stained the clothes, and the smell was awful."Mom, why did Silas become so ugly? And why does he smell so bad?"Asher’s timid question made Mom slap him hard across the face.Asher didn’t dare speak anymore, but Mom didn’t see the flash of malice that crossed his eyes.Dad bought me many things too. They seemed to want to make up for everything they had owed me over the past ten years. However, everything they bought me were not things I liked."Anyone who knows Silas can tell these aren’t meant for him. To anyone else, they look like they were bought for Asher," M
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Chapter 8
Dad was afraid Mom would strangle Asher again, so he carried Asher away.The house fell into chaos.Only then did Mom realize that in the past, whenever the floor was dirty, I would quietly sweep it up. Asher wouldn’t.Even without drawing lots, I did the housework. I helped her shoulder the burden. I loved her quietly, without asking for anything."In this house, it's only you," she sobbed. "Your father goes to work, comes home, drinks, and plays cards. Asher only knows how to play games and eat."Mom collapsed onto my body and cried until her voice broke. "Only you helped me the moment you got home from school. Only you were willing to help me."My son. My little Silas. I was wrong. I know I was wrong."Mom bought me a large coffin. She personally painted a little bear on it, the one I liked most. The coffin lid was painted teal and decorated with toys. It looked beautiful and expensive.I happily drifted inside and lay down, smugly sharing it with Snowy."Snowy, look. My le
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Chapter 9
"Love is priceless. It should never be exchanged for anything. And it should never be hidden behind self-deception, pretending not to face one’s own selfishness."We should never control children. Never force them into a rigid framework that strips them of their natural vitality."I hope all mothers will take me as a warning. Don't repeat my mistakes, and don't make excuses for favoritism. If you love, then love both together."After saying this, Mom entered a psychiatric hospital with a head full of white hair and a face worn by hardship.Dad tried to persuade her many times.However, Mom said, "I was capable of replacing every long stick with a short one. Such a vicious thing, and I thought of it myself. If that isn’t mental illness, then what is? I won’t leave."Dad failed to persuade her and could only let her go.Life in the psychiatric hospital was not easy, but Mom treated the suffering as atonement. Only when her body hurt did her heart stop hurting.After all, Asher st
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