Quintilian looked down at his blank page. Nothing. His entire mind was a blank. He couldn't even remember what the questions had been. He looked around the room and squinted, also nothing. It wasn't as if he'd gone blind, but he couldn't quite see...
And then he was climbing a ladder. It was almost a relief, this struggle to climb. He wasn't afraid or in pain, but he was struggling. he wasn't sure why.
When he came to, Jeremy was holding a chair and staring down at him. It was comfortable on the floor. Cool and unexpectedly comfortable. But he felt like he should prove to everyone that he COULD stand, and so he got to his feet. Everybody insisted that he sit back down immediately. He felt much better than he had before he passed out, though. He wouldn't mind passing out again, though.
The teacher took him firmly by the arm. At first Quintilian thought Mr. Ross was mad at him. He hadn't finished the quiz after all. But then his brain caught up to his feelings and he realized Mr. Ross was just trying to make sure he didn't fall if he passed out again. They walked briskly to the the school nurse's office, and Quintilian's uncle picked him up.
![[Literature] Charles Dickens: The Lamplighter #6/9](/assets/noimage.svg)