Rahat sat in his car, watching the man across the street.
His name was Eric. For weeks, Eric had been a fixture at the local shopping center.
He sat on the cold concrete, ignored by hundreds of shoppers passing by.
He was invisible.
Rahat had a camera hidden in his jacket. And in his pocket? A lottery ticket.
But this wasn’t just any ticket. It was a fake.
Is this cruel? Rahat wondered as he adjusted the lens. Or will this change everything?
The plan was simple. Convince Eric he won big. See what happens.
Most people thought they knew what a homeless man would do with free money. Booze? Drugs?
Rahat was about to find out.
He stepped out of the car. The wind bit at his face.
He approached Eric. The man flinched, expecting to be told to move.
“Listen, man,” Rahat said, holding out the paper slip. “I don’t have cash. But I have this winning ticket.”
Eric looked at the paper like it was an alien object.