Short Throws: The Wishing Well, Fiction, 2025

‘Short Throws: The Wishing Well’ is a short fiction written from the perspective of the narrator ‘Tony’, who wins the monthly lottery in the decaying, small town he resides in. Growing up in a lottery syndicate, Tony’s lifelong belief in luck has in recent years come under personal scrutiny and is even further challenged through himself becoming a winner. After throwing a coin in the town’s old Wishing Well a voice starts to stalk him. 

The short fiction was published on invitation by the publication’s editor Stacey de Voe to contribute to the publication IN10NAL: A Blazing Inferno, published on the occasion of INTONAL Festival’s 10-year anniversary. ‘Short Throws: The Wishing Well’ was edited and proofread by Christopher Stauding and Stacey de Voe. 

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“Quality is a fickle value, and as the town’s political gradient shifted, so too did the fortunes of the lottery. Not only were there cutbacks on the prizes, but the annual ceremony was also discontinued. With the ongoing austerity measures, sponsors withdrew, and in order to “help the lottery” some politicians even suggested the introduction of an “unlucky draw”: a fine to finance the lucky ones. This caused the town’s people to retire to nostalgia, because, of course everything was better back in the days, and back then nothing cost a thing. In fact, culture was free and everyone was poor, but it didn’t matter because – everything was new and nothing yet existed. Conservatism thrives in stories like these.”