ACT I — THE CHAIR

Danny Kowalski sat in the plastic chair and waited. It was hard. The studio was cold. He wore the only shirt without a hole — a blue one his sister had given him for Christmas. The collar was tight.

The host asked him why he was here.

"My roof leaks," Danny said.

The host laughed. The audience laughed. Danny did not laugh. The roof did leak. Last month it rained and three inches of water got into his apartment. His car in the garage was flooded too. He needed money. That was all.

ACT II — THE UNDERCURRENT

The first question. Automotive. Name the engine type used in a 2008 Ford F-150.

Danny pressed his button. The 5.4 litre Triton V8. He knew this because he had worked at a scrap yard for five years. He knew every engine. He could tell you what a car was before he saw the badge. He had learned this by taking engines apart and putting them back together. It was not school. It was work. But it was knowledge.

The second question. Weather. What is the average annual rainfall in Detroit?

Danny pressed his button. Thirty-one inches. He knew this because he had worked outside for twenty years. He knew when it would rain by the colour of the sky. He knew which months were wet and which were dry. Michigan weather was not something you read about. It was something you lived through.

The third question. Mathematics. What is fifteen percent of two hundred and forty?

Danny pressed his button. Thirty-six. He knew this because he had worked at a convenience store and given change every day for three years. Fifteen percent of two forty. Thirty-six. He did the math in his head while customers argued about prices. He had learned to add fast. Speed was the point. If you were slow, you lost money.

The fourth question. Local history. In what year was Detroit founded?

Danny pressed his button. Eighteen eighty-two. He had been born in Detroit. He had never left it. He knew the city better than any tourist. He knew which streets were safe and which were not. He knew which buildings had been factories and which had been homes. He knew the history because he lived inside it.

ACT III — THE EXPLOSION

The final question. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

The screen showed it. Detroit's sister city. Name it.

Danny pressed his button. Montreal.

The host read it back. Correct. Mr Kowalski, you have won two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

The lights turned on. Danny stood up. His leg was numb from the chair. He shook the host's hand. The host said congratulations. Danny said thank you.

He walked to the back. Signed papers. A man in a suit handed him a cheque. Danny looked at the number. He nodded.

ACT IV — THE ECHO

Danny went home and put the cheque on the kitchen table. The roof still leaked. Winter was coming. He sat at the table and called a contractor on his phone.

"Can you fix a roof?" he asked.

"Yeah. When?"

"Next Monday?"

"Sure."

He hung up. Outside, Detroit was grey. A factory in the distance had broken windows. Danny looked at it and then went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. Tomorrow he had to be up early for work.

The water was cold. It was just water. That was all it was.

OTMES v2 Codes: M1=5.0 M2=1.0 M3=3.0 M4=3.0 M5=2.0 M6=3.0 M7=1.5 M8=0.5 M9=2.0 M10=1.0 N1=0.55 N2=0.45 K1=0.60 K2=0.40 V=0.30 I=0.30 C=0.50 S=0.20 R=0.50 TI=18.5 Theta=180deg TragedyLevel: T5 Suffering