A guy from my old job once handed me a lottery ticket as a joke gift. I didn’t think much of it at the time and tossed it into my pocket. Later that day, curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to scratch it.To my shock, it looked like I had just won $10,000. My hands started shaking. My heart was racing.

For a few minutes, my entire life felt like it had just shifted.  Bills, rent, plans — everything raced through my mind at once. Not long after, the same guy stopped by and casually asked if I had scratched the ticket yet. Trying to sound calm, I told him I hadn’t.

He smiled, said “okay,” and left. I could barely sit still after that. I kept replaying what I would say when I cashed it in — and what I would say to him. Then I flipped the ticket over to read the instructions on how to claim the prize. That’s when I saw the truth.

In small print, it clearly said it was a prank ticket — not a real lottery win at all. Relief and embarrassment hit me at the same time. But mostly, I was grateful I discovered the truth before celebrating or telling anyone. What felt like a dream had just been a clever joke all along.