The Lottery : Short Story

by Ashley Grey

Alex never understood how anyone celebrated something as sinister as The Lottery without being drugged or driven by fear—until the day her and her best friends' family were chosen. They watched as immigrants celebrated the winners' downfall in exchange for a check. At the same time, native-born Americans stood behind plexiglass, recording every moment in quiet complicity. No one resisted. No one intervened. The American people had grown numb to their own nightmare, lulled by a politician promising its citizens an award-winning plate of flesh and a glimmer of hope for the winner.


Editing by Kat Powers (Most Recent Version)

11 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2025

Reviews

[Meg]

Meh

[Richelle Diener]

This story needs more…I want more!

[Kendra]

Not what I was expecting

Well this short story was 100% not what I was expecting. I go into stories and books completely blind so I can get the full effect. Oh boy I am floored with this one, society can truly be disturbing and in today's world I can actually see this becoming a thing.

Very well written and great shock factor

[Nicole Woodmansee]

Hard to follow and so many questions

I started this story because I remember the other lottery from school.
This was a new take on a modern version. It could have been longer to answer more questions and plot.

[Zachary Connelly]

It’s a very interesting concept for a short story! Wish there was more to it!

[Cassius Cae]

There was a time where this story would feel so far fetched it wouldn’t conjure up an emotion of discomfort, but at this time in space uncomfortable is what you’ll get. It’s short. I liked it.

[Kayleighreads]

I think it’s safe to say that Ashley Grey is becoming one of my favourite authors of 2026

This read would have been an easy 5 stars if it had been longer. I honestly think there was so much potential to turn this into a full length novel. I would have loved to see the story explored further. And I’m hoping in the future Ashley will think about making this as a novel.

I loved the dark take on how winning the lottery can become a lot more twisted than you would’ve expect.

Definitely an author I’ll be keeping an eye on and I can’t wait to see what Ashley Grey comes up with next! 🖤

[Teri]

A very quick dystopian horror short that felt like a cross between Logan’s Run and Carrie. The atmosphere is tense and disorienting, but the story leans heavily on ambiguity; I was never sure whether the horror was meant to be real or imagined by Alex, the central figure. Dystopian fiction isn’t usually my lane, and this one didn’t quite land for me, though at only 11 pages, it was a fast read.

And to be fair, when I purchased this book (it was free, actually), I wasn't paying attention and thought it was the Shirley Jackson story.