An elderly man from a town in Samut Prakan, Thailand experience some of the most volatile swings in fortune of his entire life after he first survived an attack by a giant python before striking the first prize for a local lottery.
Sarayut Malachan, a 68-year-old security guard, had earlier this week squared off against a huge python while asleep. The man had apparently been attacked by the serpent, which had allegedly harbored vengeful intentions after the man had cooked and eaten some of its eggs.
Previously, workers at the factory where Malachan worked had destroyed a tamarind tree, which they found was home to two pythons and their eggs. The pythons were removed and tossed into the nearby forest using a backhoe, while the security guard had chosen to pick up all 10 abandoned eggs and cook them for his meal.
After going to bed, Malachan said he'd felt a weight on his chest, and initially wondered if it was some kind of evil spirit in the night. But to his shock, he found a giant python — presumably one of the exiled pair — attacking him.
While struggling to fend off the creature, the elderly man was bitten in the foot and was also almost struck by the python's tail. But in the end, he was successful in defending himself and saving his own life.
"If I didn't fight, I'd be dead. I could barely breath," he explained to the media. "Since a python's weakness is its tail, just bite at it. I grabbed its tail and bit, and it let me go."
According to reports, Malachan had been an ordained monk in the past, and had even kept several snakes as pets, from which he gained considerable knowledge about the creatures. This probably ended up saving his life.
And beyond being fortunate enough to survive an attack by a giant snake, Malachan — shortly after winning his snake match-up — also discovered that he'd hit the first prize for the latest lottery round.
Having bought 10 tickets for the August 16 round, Malachan found that he'd landed the correct last three digits on a ticket, which meant winnings of around THB3 million.
While it's all superstition, some customs and cultures do believe that snakes are a sign of luck, and Malachan's encounter with the python might have very well played into his lottery fortunes.
However, this isn't the first time that he's entered the lottery (and won), and it also won't be the last. For the September 1 draw, Malachan plans to enter again, and will seek to do some good deeds in order to increase his chances of winning again.
And if he does win, he's promised to only accept a maximum of THB1 million, with any surplus going as charitable donations to schools and hospitals.
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Cover image sourced from KhaoSod and Adobe Stock.
