I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WINNING THE LOTTERY WAS ALSO A MONEY RITUAL

### **"Ever Since I Won the Lottery, My Life Has Never Been the Same"**

Two years ago, my whole life changed overnight. I still remember the day I won the lottery — the shock, the excitement, the tears. For once, it felt like God had finally remembered me. I had struggled for years, working odd jobs, living from hand to mouth, and suddenly I was holding millions in my hands.

At first, everything was beautiful. I bought a house, a car, and helped my family. I gave to the church. I thought I was doing everything right. But the peace didn’t last.

It started with small things. At night, I would hear strange movements in my room. Heavy breathing — like someone was standing right beside my bed. The first time it happened, I jumped up and switched on the light, but there was no one there. I tried to convince myself it was my imagination, but the sounds came back. Every night. Breathing, footsteps, and sometimes even whispering my name.

Then I began to feel cold spots in the room, as if someone invisible was moving around me. My body would freeze, my heart pounding, but I could never see a thing. I started sleeping with the lights on, but it didn’t help — whatever it is doesn’t care about light or dark.

As if that wasn’t enough, death began following my family. Every six months, someone close to me dies. First, it was my uncle. Then my younger sister. Six months later, my mother. And just recently, my cousin. Four people gone in two years. All unexpected. All painful.

People in my community have started talking. They whisper when I walk past. Some say I used my family for a money ritual. Others say I bought my wealth from the dark world. But I swear on everything I love — I never did anything. I never visited any sangoma or traditional healer. I never made any sacrifices. All I did was buy a ticket… and somehow, my life turned into this.

Now, I can’t even enjoy my own success. My house feels haunted. Sometimes, I wake up and find the television switched on even though I unplugged it before bed. I hear knocks on the walls. I see shadows move in the corners of my eyes. And every time I try to pray, I feel like something is mocking me silently.

I’ve tried to seek help — pastors, prophets, even psychologists. Everyone says something different. Some say it’s guilt. Some say I opened a spiritual door. But how could I? I just played the lottery like everyone else.

Sometimes, I think maybe that money wasn’t meant to be mine. Maybe someone else made a sacrifice for it long before I won. Maybe I was never supposed to touch it.

If I could turn back time, I would rather be broke again. At least then, my nights were peaceful and my family was alive. Now I’m rich, but my soul feels like it’s rotting slowly in the dark.