"Huh, well, I'll try it. There's a race today at the Fairgrounds. I heard something about it on the radio. Don't know what kind, but a race is a race, right? Are you taking bets on that?"
The shopkeeper smiled. "Of course. You can wager on any event you like. That particular race starts in less than an hour - do you want to place your bet now?"
"Sure." The kid fished his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out a $5 bill. "Is it OK to make a small bet? I never done this before, and I'd like to play it safe."
"The amount doesn't matter at all. Five dollars or five hundred. I guarantee you will end up the winner."
The boy frowned. "How can you do that? I mean, what's in it for you? And you said I may lose something. If you guarantee that I end up winning, what do I lose?"
"You'll lose the need for money. And I have found that making people winners can be very rewarding. Think of me as a kind of philanthropist." The shopkeeper held out his hand. "So, you ready to win?"
"Sure." The kid grinned as he handed the money over. It was only five bucks, anyway. "But who do I bet on?"
The shopkeeper grinned even wider. "Yourself, of course. I already told you - you are the winner. In fact, I'm gooing to bet a thousand on you right now."
"Huh?" The kid looked confused - and then he vanished.
The shopkeeper nodded in satisfaction. He went to the phone to place his bet. Somewhere on the Fairgrounds, the boy was discovering that his life was going to be very, very different from now on. "Hello, Fred? Yeah, it's me. I want to place a thousand dollars on the race at the Fairgrounds. You know, the...