Word count: 244 | Completed: Yes | Style: Thoughtful

Ever had that mind-numbing feeling that the words before you have suddenly lost all meaning? The diagrams dance, swaying past the corners of your comprehension, flitting away if you try to reach them. It’s simple –shade in option (a) (b) (c) or (d). But (a) (b) or (c) stare at you, sharing meanings so closely linked they may as well all say they’re (d)’s clones and get on with their optioney lives. A question about a butane lighter prods your neurons, but the neurons who could answer the question are off having a singalong somewhere next to a fire lit with a butane lighter. Abstract ideas about melting points of human beings cloud the train of thought you need about butane’s boiling point.

The girl sitting next to you frowns at her paper, absently tapping “5 5 5 5” into her calculator. Her legs are crossed, and the hem of her trousers is raised just enough so you can see her rainbow socks. You find yourself staring at her ankle, wishing there was a question about that instead of butane lighters or cars stopping speeds. There is ten minutes left now, and in a flurry of estimation mixed with panic you shade in as many (a)s (b)s and (d)s as you feel like – you leave the (c)s because you don’t like their shape. Standing with some difficulty, you hand in your test paper and look forward to reading a book when you get home.

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