The Scavenger

Note: This blog serves to help you in coming up with ideas to write as a short story/novel/script/whatever. Please note that some of the ideas in the blog are downright silly and not meant to be taken as is. You can get the gist of the entry and alter it any way you want, for any purpose whatsoever.

The Plot:

A man goes to work just like he does every day: with passion. He is a scavenger, trying to find treasure among trash, meticulously separating plastic bottles and cans from the rest of the world’s waste. After collecting his loot, he sells these to a local junk shop, who pays him mere coins after a full day of back-breaking work. He then stores whatever is left from his money (after eating, buying clothes, etc) into a can and hides it under his bed.

One day, while he was doing his job in the local landfill, he finds an unused lottery ticket and keeps it. He then waits for the draw and was ecstatic when he found out that he won $100,000. Not knowing what to do with all his unexpected wealth, he spends it on everything he couldn’t buy when he was poor.  

After five years of extravagant living, the man realizes that all his money is gone. He was back to being poor. Ashamed, he went back to his old shanty house and began living just as he lived before: as a scavenger.

Then one day, he remembers the can of savings from years before and realizes that all is not lost. He begins saving again until he could afford a decent living. The lottery money and his subsequent extravagant expenses taught him to take care of his money more.