Father O’Brien spoke softly, gently. “I have been hearing things about young Jimmy Mrs Mullarkey; is any of it true?”

“The boy has been touched by an Angel, Father.”

“Can you tell me, in your own words, what has happened?”

“We are not well off Father, you know that, not since John’s accident, but we always treat ourselves to a lottery ticket each week. Ten weeks ago, just for fun, we let Jimmy choose the numbers and we won ten pounds. We thought nothing of it, but let Jimmy pick again the next week. That week we won nearly a hundred pounds!”

The Father’s eyes never left Mrs Mullarkey.

“We have let him pick the numbers every week since and have won over eight hundred pounds now. We have never known such money. The boy has been given a gift from God.”

“I sense there is something you are not telling me,” said the Father.

Mrs Mullarkey hesitated. Then she went into her handbag and pulled out a lottery ticket and placed it on the table between them.

This time Mrs Mullarkey spoke with a tremor in her voice. “This week we won over a million pounds Father, our troubles are over.”

“What I am going to ask you will not be easy, but it has to be said. Mrs Mullarkey you must burn this ticket.”

Her mouth moved but no sound came out.

“This gift has not come from God Mrs Mullarkey, that is not his way, you know that as well as I do. And if it is not from God, you must ask yourself where has it come from.”

“But look at the boy Father, you can’t suggest that he…” She trailed off, too frightened to speak the words in her mind.”

“The Devil is clever. When he walks amongst us, he will not have horns on his head and hooves for feet. He will come down and try and trick us – he will disguise himself as an Angel Mrs Mullarkey.”

“But a million pounds?” She was pleading now.

“If you use that money, there will be a price to pay, there always is. My fear is that it will not be in this life though. For the sake of your soul, you must never use that ticket.”

Mrs Mullarkey took the proffered cigarette lighter, squeezed it tightly to her chest and sobbed her heart out.