The Lottery Ticket (N° 9672): A New Translation in Modern Accessible English (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798343182781)

A sailor lost at sea. A lottery ticket in a bottle. A villain demanding everything.

In a small Norwegian inn nestled among the fjords, Hulda Hansen clings to hope that her fiancé Ole will return safely from the fishing grounds. When word arrives that his ship has sunk, taking all hands down with it, hope dies-until a bottle washes ashore containing Ole's final message and lottery ticket № 9672.

Suddenly, Hulda holds what might be a fortune. Speculators descend, offering increasingly desperate sums for the ticket. She refuses them all-until the usurer Sandgoist reveals his hand. He owns the mortgage on the Hansen inn, and he wants the lottery ticket. If Hulda refuses, her family loses their home.

Trapped between grief and impossible choices, Hulda must decide: keep the last token of her lost love, or sacrifice it to save her family. But when a mysterious benefactor named Sylvius Hogg enters the scene, the race begins to discover Ole's true fate before the lottery drawing-and before Sandgoist can claim his prize.

Jules Verne weaves a tale of suspense and emotion against the dramatic backdrop of 1880s Norway, exploring themes of love, sacrifice, and whether fate can be bargained with-or beaten.