Yesterday, after my visit to the dental surgeon to fix a perennial gummy problem, I returned straight home instead of back to office. Just minutes after I reached home, at around 5 plus, this middle-aged Indian lady and a plumish teenager carrying a picture of an Indian deity on a metal plate containing $2 notes presumably from donors, came by and stood outside my locked metal-grill-gate, asking donation for the temple.
I initially waved them away but the lady kept saying "donate any amount, 20 cts, 50cts also can". Just so they can move on with their 'donation drive', I dug out 50cts from my impoverished wallet and drop it onto the metal plate.
The moment the coins clanked, the lady asked, "you want lottery number?"
The dormant gambling gene in me came alive and said "ok".
"Stand in front of the deity and the boy will chant for the numbers"
I stood where I was, at a slight angle to the deity's picture. She nudged me with her right arm through the gate to move a little to the right while the boy started to chant like a "tangkee" (hokkien term for medium) for about 15 secs or so. It could have gone on longer if not for my fidgetting as I thought the whole thing was getting a bit weird. The Indian lady mentioned the "tangkee" word to me.
"Give me a piece of blank paper", she said after the chanting stopped.
I Searched and handed her a DBS flyer on CPF profits/loss calculation and told her to write on the blank spaces. She tore off a small piece and handed to the boy who looked like he was still not out of his amateurish trance yet. He started scribbling on the paper after what seemed like a cue from the lady, then crunch it and continued to chant some more.
"So can I have the numbers?" I asked.
"Wait" and she started writing on another piece of paper and showed it to me.
$29.65.
"Do I buy these 4 numbers?"
"No. He will give you the numbers & pointed to $29.65 on the paper"
"What? I don't have that much on me ." while at the same time aching to know that magical 4-D.
She kept pointing to $29.65 on that piece of paper.
To satisy my
greed curiosity, I dug out about $15 from my wallet and gave it to her.
She counted and said not enough. I said no more. She persisted and I dug out another 3 two-dollar notes. Total $21 and thought she would hand me the 4D. No. still not enough. I had $2 left which I intended for lunch next day in case I couldn't find time to go to the ATM. To appease her, I dug out all the coins (about a dollar or so) and told her I had nothing left. She took the piece of $29.65 paper back from me and kept pointing the figure to me.
She started counting all the notes again and mumbled something to the boy, possibly about not getting the full amount from me . Almost 25% off their target. I could sense she was not totally satisfied, but nonetheless took the crunched paper from the boy's hand and handed it to me.
"Just for you only. Cannot tell anybody else, The number is only for you".
"If you strike, must go to the temple in Gu Chia Chwee and offer flowers and sweets and such".
(Yes, she said Gu Chia Chwee and she meant that famous Indian temple in Chinatown).
"Buy on Sunday, 10 Big 10 Small. Must give angpow to us when you strike"
Subconciously, I thought I saw through the hoax and yet played along with it. Why did I play dumbass? Or was I secretly hoping for that elusive lucky strike. Only time will tell. Three days to be exact. Only thing I certainly hope if it comes true, that it's got no occult connection, but just pure coincidence or LUCK.
