The woman on the mountaintop ( A writing challenge by Billybuc. )

Annie stood at the top of a giant hill overlooking the majestic beauty surrounding her favorite place to visit and dream.

She lives in a run-down house on the wrong side of town down by the railroad tracks. She's married to her soulmate Jim and they have an adorable little girl, Lilly whose getting ready to start school for the first time in the fall.

Annie has heard that old cliche, ( There's no shame in being poor. ) but she feels shame sometimes. She's been poor all her life, but always in the back of her mind is that wishful hope of climbing out of poverty and moving to a nicer part of town. She nor Jim are well educated, neither finished highschool. They both were raised by hard working parents who never made it to the right side of town either.

When she's up high on that hill, watching the clouds billow, she envisions a small little ranch house on a quiet street, flowering trees lining the driveway with a nice shiny car. The school where Lilly will go is just up the street. Instead of Jim working at a sawmill, he's working in a factory and making a good living wage

Sometimes she prays, sometimes she catches a glimpse of Jesus in the billowing clouds.

On a bright sunny day she takes Lilly for a walk and they stop by the stop-and-go-store to get a coke' She sees people standing in line to purchase lottery tickets. She's fully aware that she shouldn't be spending any money on lottery tickets, but throwing all caution aside, she buys one ticket, thinking, " One dollar is not going to make or break us. "

All week long she can't stop thinking about that ticket. Saturday arrives, the winning number is posted. She makes a mad dash to the store. She has the winning ticket! $ 300.000 dollars is her's. She rushes home to tell Jim, he's standing outside with arms outstretched, " Guess what " he asked. I won on a lottery ticket, $ 100.000 dollars! She slowly opens her hand to reveal her winning ticket, he looks at her, they both start laughing hysterically. Lilly runs up to them, asking, " what " when they tell her the good news she squeals with delight.

The next day Annie climbs back up on the hill and looks at the fluffy clouds, feels the summer breeze touch her face, breathes the pristine air and knows without a doubt she'd been given a gift. " Thank you God. " she whispers as tears fill her smiling eye's.