Clutching my writing materials tight in my fist, I raced to school.
"Sorry!" I cried to the people I bumped into on my way, not bothering to stop and check if they were okay.
It was a bright morning, the sun was high in the sky and the atmosphere was cheerful. And I was late for my final exams. I hurried through the school gates, ignoring the security men posted there as I raced towards my exam hall.
I should have woken up earlier, I know. But the paper we were seating today was the toughest we've ever had since I stepped foot in this school. And so it required extra preparations. I had prolonged my reading time by over two hours, reading late into the wee hours of the night. And when I had retired to my bed, just for a little rest to clear my head before the exam proper, the sleep had come. And it had come in full force.
More than thirty minutes late, I kept running through the school premises, dodging other students who seemed to be in a hurry as well. Soon the building housing the exam hall swam into view even from outside I could see how tense it looked. I didn't stop to watch.
"Good morning!" I said to the security posted at the door as I hurried past.
I jogged up the stairs and took the first turn. The door to the hall was wide open, they looked like the doorway into the pit of hell.
I kept walking, trying to ignore the slamming of my heartbeat in my chest and the absence of saliva in my mouth. I walked in. I felt the tension in the air the moment I stepped foot in, every eye lifted to look at me. A welcome sight from the difficult questions they had been staring at for the past thirty minutes. Just the looks on their faces and I could tell the exam wasn't going beautifully for a lot of them.
Realising this didn't make me feel any better. How then could I, who would be starting the exam late than others cope? The invigilator loaded me with my question paper and answer sheet, then I was ushered to an empty seat. A little bit separate from the rest. My coursemates had taken all the choice seats.
I took my seat willing to brave the storm and do my best in the exam.
I filled in my required details and then proceeded to answer the questions.
And as my eyes fell on the first question, I smiled. My eyes moved to the next, I smiled ever wider. These questions were constructed from topics I had studied last night during my extra study time. Suddenly, it didn't seem so bad after all.
I began to write, it took all my willpower for me not to whistle as I answered the questions. That was how easy I found them. For someone that arrived thirty minutes late, I finished before almost everyone else.
And to the shock of even the invigilator, fifteen minutes to the end of the exam I submitted my answer sheet and sauntered out of the exam hall.
My work was done. And it was good.
The End
