The Lottery Caller

The Lottery Caller

Copyright 2016 AP Hunt

Published by AP Hunt at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 – The First Day

Chapter 2 - The First Call

Chapter 3 – Calls 3 and 4

Chapter 4 – Upstairs

Chapter 5 – Calls 5 and 6

Chapter 6 - Security Issue

Chapter 7 - Call 7

Chapter 8 - The suit

Chapter 9 – Routine

Chapter 10 – Suits

Chapter 11 - The Visit

Chapter 12 - Not The First Rule

Chapter 13 - The Next Task

Chapter 14 - Gridlock

Chapter 15 - Hello All

Chapter 16 – Precursor

Chapter 17 - Game Off

About the Author

Connect

Acknowledgments

To those who have supported me and my many indulgences and projects. They know who they are.

Chapter 1 – The First Day

Lacey felt the coffee cup warming her fingertips while the frosty morning breezed about her hands. She shrugged and burrowed her head down into the plaid scarf she had wrapped about her shoulders, watching a nearby clock tower notch its hands toward nine o'clock. It was her first day in her new job, and she was loitering on the street outside the building, waiting for starting time.

She had only been in the workforce for a few years, having spent a bulk of her employment time learning about the Gaming industry in a bar. Lacey hadn't ever considered a career in Gaming when she was going through school, instead hoping to forge a career in law, but she had fallen into her first job through the necessity of needing an income.

This new job wasn't much of a departure from her previous workplace, but it paid more in wages, and she was at a stage in her life where she needed to bring in more cash. She had grown weary and tired at her last job, serving in a small bar with slot and poker machines, sadly watching the patrons come in every week, pouring their money into a machine before departing. This new job should be different, Lacey had determined. This was a job with the Lotteries.

Lacey sipped on her coffee, feeling the brew warm her insides, the steam tickling her nostrils. She exhaled heavily, enjoying the brief moment of solitude before the clock would strike nine and she would need to enter the building of her new workplace. She liked this limbo moment in her career, where she had discarded all the responsibilities of her previous job and was now beginning anew and afresh. She was about to begin learning a new environment, new tasks and a new angle of the industry, and the thought of the challenge gave Lacey a smile.

She mentally patted herself on the back for her go-getter attitude, and getting away from the small bar environment. While the customers she served in the bar were friendly, it had become dejecting to watch them go about their daily pattern of gambling.

The Lotteries building itself was a step up from the small bar in which she had worked previously, although it still wasn't a large building. The bar had been in an older, refurbished building that had been gutted and remodeled while still retaining the outward appearance of classic architecture. It was an abode with organ transplants, putting the new inside while the outside elected to age gracefully.

In contrast, the Lotteries office was in a two-storey building with tall glass panes on the outside and flat rendered spaces that served as a visual division between upper and lower floors. Taking another sip from her paper cup of coffee, Lacey was relieved to learn that there was a decent cafe near her new place of employment. Everyone had their vices, and coffee was quite high on her list. Like almost everyone.

She glanced at her phone for a moment, first to check the time, and second to check for any correspondence or notifications. There were some well-wishers in her tweets and on her Facebook, but otherwise there was nothing of note. She enjoyed social media, even if the interactions and exchanges were fleeting or superficial. They gave her a connection with someone, somewhere and they could enlighten each other on their own personal stories. Lacey loved that connection.

Lacey had made some good friends at her old job. The patrons to the bar were welcoming and warm, even sure to slip Lacey a tip if they had a good win at the games. She always tried to refuse, but the patrons were always so insistent, with one even declaring her to be good luck.

She sipped again on her warm brew. It was five minutes before 9am. It was time to get started. Lacey wanted to hit the ground running with her new bosses, but she paused for a moment to mentally steel herself. The new challenge intimidated her as much as it excited her. Deciding that arriving in the office a little early would fulfill that task of making a good first impression, she pulled on her cup of coffee until it was empty and strode toward the building, its tall glass panes reflecting the cold, overcast skies.

The frontage for the Lotteries was pristine. The reception counter was lined tastefully with timber, and warm lighting bathed the area in a subtle glow. The front reception counter was high and curved, with the receptionists both peeking up from behind the barrier with square-rimmed glasses. To the side of the room was a staircase that consisted of multiple timber slats, protruding from the wall and leading to panes of glass, which were atopped by a solid, timber rail. The stairs disappeared up into an unseen landing.

A man and a woman both greeted Lacey, almost in unison before one paused to let the other finish the greet. Before Lacey had a chance to introduce herself as the new employee, the pair cheerfully welcomed her by name and offered their own; Michael and Chelle. Lacey was quite taken aback by the familiarity but it was a pleasant feeling to be embraced so warmly by these strangers so early. They both offered her a fresh coffee and extended to relieve Lacey of her empty takeaway cup. They both scurried to assist her before telephoning Lacey's new supervisor. She had met the supervisor at the job interview; a fellow named Travis. During the interview, Lacey had noted his well-kept appearance and confident demeanor. His voice had a deeper tenor, and his clean shirt suggested that he liked an orderly ship, although his lack of tie was possibly a sign that he wasn’t too formal. When Travis emerged from the back of the office to meet Lacey, he still carried the same confidence and casual neatness that she had seen at the interview. Travis gave Lacey a firm handshake and quickly invited her into the office space that lay behind the reception desk. Lacey quickly accepted the coffee on offer from Michael, with thanks, before stumbling along behind Travis, struggling to keep up with the surge of events. Michael beamed at the thanks that Lacey offered her, watching her as she slipped into the realm behind the reception desk.

You had no troubles getting here? Travis asked Lacey, checking back over his shoulder to her as he walked.

I had to learn my way around the trains, but I think I have it figured out. Lacey replied. Her previous job had been quite close to home, so she had little reason to use public transport before, only using the trains every now and then for the nights out on the town with friends. The commute to work meant she needed to strictly obey a schedule to ensure that she arrived at work on time, whereas her nights out had no such chronological concern.

Travis nodded, I hear the trains are quite reliable. I wouldn't know. he stated before adding, "I catch the bus; all the comfort of public transport with all the benefits of being stuck in traffic." his sarcastic tone eliciting a small, but nervous, laugh from Lacey.

Travis walked Lacey around the office, introducing her new colleagues. First was the accounts payable people. Then the Media people. Then the various other paper pushers.

The office was typical to what Lacey had seen on television; grid after grid of cubicles with head-height partitions, interspersed with glass segments so passersby could inspect the animals within. The back office, however, stood in contrast to the warm bathing glow of the reception counter. The office itself was lit in a staid blue-white colour and the carpet was a deep grey with generic, splotched pattern, designed more for hard wearing than aesthetics.

Lacey reflected briefly on her last job, which largely consisted of standing at a small counter, taking peoples' betting slips to either dispose of them, or to hand over their winnings. The sounds that she had heard in that den of gaming were the chiming of the machines, or the muffled sounds of horse racing ekeing through the noise of music. That environment, however, was a distant memory compared to the faint sound of telephones murmuring, and the burble of quiet conversation in this office. For a brief moment Lacey considered that she didn’t belong here, and how the sterile colours and hushed sounds of this new world felt alien and distant. But with each person she met, and each person giving her a warm welcome, that despondency melted slowly away. They weren’t as enthusiastic as the receptionists Michael and Chelle, but that pair’s warmth would be difficult to eclipse.

Travis guided Lacey to a quieter corner of the office and gestured to an empty cubicle. It was small like the other work stations, but bare with the exception of a computer, phone and a couple chairs. The computer’s monitor was on the larger size, being slim and functional while perched on top of a practical-looking box that housed the computer components. The phone on the desk looked modern and intimidating, with an LCD screen displaying myriad pieces of information and smaller buttons with LEDs lit in random positions.

This cubicle is now yours, Travis offered, you’re free to personalise it as you see fit.

Upon staring at the stark wall behind the PC and the empty shelf, the thought of occupying it with her personal items filled Lacey with small glee; photos of her cat, or bringing her various items of stationery from home could easily fill in the blanks on the wall and shelves. Travis seated himself on a nearby chair and invited Lacey to join him as he began to explain her role.

To Lacey, her role seemed fairly basic and benign. Regular customer service duties seemed to dominate the list that Travis was reciting, although there was some data entry work and filing. Lacey nodded with each task that Travis detailed, understanding that her position was entry-level and that all the gaming experience she’d gleaned from her employment in the bar seemed to count for naught here. This was the bottom rung, and she was only being granted this height on the ladder because she had industry experience. Which was good, because Lacey had no idea how to operate a copier.

Travis stood and gestured for her to follow, And now to show you where you’ll be making your calls to winners

Lacey blinked in surprise.

Yes, you’ll be the one to tell people they’ve won the big prize each week Travis said with a smile.

Lacey again failed to contain her surprise. She never considered that she’d be the one to deliver the news to winners. In her experience, customers had always been grateful for their meagre winnings in the bar when they gambled on the horses. Her mind raced with excitement and nervousness at the thought of people reacting to the news that they had won life-changing amounts of money.

Travis seemed to sense her excitement, Yes, you’ll be telling people the best news they’ve heard in a long time, or even the best news ever.

I would have thought someone more senior would handle that job. Lacey said.

Travis shook his head to the negative, Nope, it’s just another customer service task. Everyone here does it at least once, but it’s typically handled by the office gopher.

They walked around the perimeter of the office before stopping in a different corner of the premises. There were a number of other cubicles here, but none of them had any furniture in them. Lacey’s cubicle had been bare, but these ones were completely empty, with no shelves or computers. Travis guided Lacey into a meeting room which had a small round table in the centre. On top of the round table was perched a single red phone. The room was lit dimly with yellow halogen lights, each one casting a yellow cone downward from the ceiling. The round table and red phone was bathed in its own little spotlight, making the pair of items the central feature of the room. This room was very different to the sterile blue-white of the rest of the office. The large pane of glass that bordered the room was frosted over for privacy. The ambient murmur of phones and idle chat between workers that Lacey had noticed before had dissolved away to nothing, leaving only the noise of the air conditioning roaring in Lacey’s ears. The red phone was a classic old-style handset with a bulky hand piece and a large circular wheel on the face for the numbers. The only giveaway that the phone was modern were the buttons for dialing – Lacey understood that older phones had a radial thing that you had to wind with a finger to dial.

She’d seen those kind of phones in old movies. This red phone was modern, but styled in the retro shape.

This is where you’ll call each week’s winners. These people have registered their details with us, so we know exactly who to call Travis informed Lacey.

Lacey nodded, suppressing the immediate questions that came to mind. Questions such as why the room was so secluded from the rest of the office, or why there was a special phone for making the calls to winners, instead of just using the regular phones found in the other cubicles.

They must have their reasons, Lacey figured.

On the day following the draw, this is where you’ll be, contacting winners on the phone. Travis said, guiding Lacey away from the room and easing the door closed. He continued talking as he walked Lacey back to her cubicle, For now, let’s just start you off with the typical tasks you’ll be doing every day.

Lacey nodded in reply. Some of the nervousness she had felt when she had first walked into the building had dissipated, but she felt that the remaining butterflies would soon flutter away once she actually got stuck into her job.

As Lacey began her duties, she started to familiarise herself with the people with whom she’d been introduced. Everyone seemed understanding of Lacey’s background and work history and nodded with understanding when she told them of the gaming experience she had and what she felt she could bring to the Lotteries.

A couple people made a knowing remark on how it was her job to call the winners of the draws.

The customer is always right, you know said Tim, one of the two accountants that the Lotteries had on staff. He was a middle-aged man with deep lines on his face, and a mid-sized paunch. Lacey nodded, adding that she was quite familiar with dealing with winners face-to-face and how many of them were thankful for their good fortune.

Yeah, the winnings here changes lives Tim said, retaining his smile.

Lacey could only imagine the impact of such huge winnings. She started to feel a small kindling of excitement build as she realised the weight of that particular task in which she had been entrusted. She was going to be the messenger of news that many dream of receiving. Anyone would love to receive the phone call that she was going to be making.

Lacey imagined the excited screeching coming at her from the phone as a single mother has the burden of finances lifted from her shoulders. She thought of the minimum-wage factory worker who could finally sell his rust bucket for a supercar. The scenarios were infinite in Lacey’s mind.

This could be quite a lot of fun, she thought.

Even though Lacey could feel her excitement build over how she was going to be delivering good news to people, she did still wonder about the small room that was dedicated to calling the winners. Lacey had heard of horror stories of how lottery winners had received harassment from opportunists and so-called long-lost family members, so she thought that perhaps the room was there to help winners' privacy.

The red phone was curious as well, if only for its break of uniformity with the rest of the handsets in the office. Lacey vowed to ask Travis about these oddities.

But for now, Lacey needed to get through her first week. There were a stack of papers to file away, and a list of items she had to address.

Order copier toner.

Order printer paper.

Get in a maintenance guy to fix that flickering light above the copier-printer.

Research what kind of copier-printers would be good replacements for the current copier-printer, which seemed to consume a lot of toner and crumple a lot of paper.

Lacey's role was affectionately referred to as gopher, in that she was assigned ad hoc tasks that she had to go for. Go for this. Gopher that.

Even as she was familiarising herself with the job, her mind continued to wander back to that small, secluded room, the phone and the job of calling winners.

She'd been told that the next draw was on Saturday, and that the task of calling a winner would need to wait until Sunday.

Lacey didn't mind working Sunday.

Chapter 2 – The First Call

Throughout the week, Lacey completed her various tasks and carried out her duties with her typical enthusiasm. All the while, at the back of her mind was the thought of calling the winners on the looming weekend. Over and over again, the thought of her giving people life-changing news made her nervous and excited, each emotion coming round and around, circling like a carousel. Travis had said that he would come into the office on Sunday and help out with the calls, just to show her the ropes. Also, Lacey’s weekend access hadn’t been organised, so Travis would need to let her in anyway.

Damn building owners can’t get off their behinds to get your access. Travis had said during a conversation with Lacey.

It was during this chat that Lacey had remembered the two floors of the building. Lacey was curious as to why she had only been shown around the bottom storey, when according to the