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"30 mins remaining." I hear the invigilator , Mr Craig say. I look at my exam script, it's blank. I wish the answers for the questions would just write themselves, but that's not how things work.
I can't afford to fail this exam, as my school doesn't allow one to retake his finals. Meaning it's a one way ticket, once gone it's over.
With 30 mins remaining, I guessed I had no other option but to attempt the dare question. I seal my decision by tearing my question sheet.
I heard gasps around me, Mr Craig did a small chuckle. "Are you sure about this Riley?" He asks.
Of course even if I'm not sure there's no turning back now. With my scripts torn, it's either this or I won't be able to finish my education.
"I'm sure." I answered audibly, knowing I'm at that Do or Die moment.
"Well then.." he began smilingly ".. follow me."
He took me away from the final exam hall and we went into the teacher lounge.
"What's the meaning of this Mr. Craig?" The Head Teacher, Mr Blight asked in his squeaky British voice.
"He wants to attempt the Dare question Sir." Mr Craig answered simply.
Suddenly all eyes were on me, mixed faces; some smiling, some sad, some just seemed curious.
"Are you sure about this boy?" Mr Blight asked in a sorrowful voice.
"I'm- " "He has already torn his question sheet, there's no going back now." Mr Craig interrupted me as he came back with a bunch of old spindly keys.
"I see.." Mr Blight sighed. " Well off you go then and boy.." He held my hand. "Goodluck, you're gonna need it."
"That was a bit unsettling.." I told Mr. Craig as we walked out of the lounge.
"They're just overreacting.. I think." He answered unsure.
"What's the matter?" I suddenly regretted my decision. He didn't answer me and began walking a bit stiffly.
"Where are we going?" I tried a different approach.
"To your question site." He answered quickly.
" My question site?" I took a look at where we were. We were in the left wing, this place was closed down, I hadn't been in here since I started the school.
"I thought I would be asked the question in the same classroom... Or even the Teachers lounge."
He barked a short laugh "I wouldn't dare call his name in front of others."
"Whose name?" I asked but he became mute again. The temperature dropped considerably as we reached a door labelled F9.
"I just forgot.. I left my pen at the teachers lounge." I said wanting to run away.
"Don't worry, it's an Oral question." He said smiling and put the key through the door as there was no keyhole.
Immediately he closed his eyes and began chanting.
Another exam, so crystal clear
A student comes, an answer to the dare
A student could answer bravely or try to run tail
A life in the balance, a win or a fail
Would he answer correctly to a question unfair?
It's unknown, so please classroom come here!!.
The door frame flashed brightly and then there was a big click as the key turned by itself. "Open it and go in" Mr. Craig commanded in his harsh angry voice that was always followed with a whip in the back.
Without thinking, I rushed, opened the door and jumped into the class. I thought he would enter with me but as I turned, I saw the door half shut and closing.
Just before it closed I heard him say, "Hopefully you'll come out."
As the door shut, the room was dark for only a second, then candles began lighting themselves on different sides. Hardly enough light though, just enough to give the room an ancient ambient glow. The ground was covered by fog and the temperature was freezing.
I looked and saw a single desk and seat in the centre of the room.
"Go to sit, the exam starts in 5 minutes." A shrill voice screamed
I ran and took my seat, shivering because of the fear running through my body and because of the cold.
As I sat down, I finally noticed a teacher's desk in front of my desk.
On my desk, I saw a picture with different weird characters on it and a pen.
In the picture, I saw a witch, 2 skulls, a scarecrow and a pumpkin.
Image used with the permission of @agmoore
Choose your question.
I was utterly perplexed... What do they mean by choosing your question? There was no question here.
"5 minutes almost up, if no choice is made the candidate is disqualified." That same shrill voice screamed."
Without any idea of what I was doing, I carried the pen and aiming at the scarecrow, I clicked it. Expecting the mouth to pop out, instead a drop of blood landed on it.
Immediately the fog swelled up to my table's height. It swallowed the pen and picture, then after a few moments it swelled some more and swallowed me.
I opened my eyes in a completely different location.
It was dark and I was on a field of corn.
"A corn field?" I asked out loud.
"It's actually a corn maze." Someone said from behind me. I turned to see a scarecrow on its post.
"Hey there." It said waving his arm. I screamed and ran into the maze, I stumbled and fell, landing right on top the skeleton of a man. Immediately I ran back out.
"You have a lot of spirit. The witch would have loved to answer you." I still do..
I heard a voice say and started cackling. The mouth engraved in his pumpkin head grew into a larger smile.
"It's been so long since I've had an examinee, everybody chooses the skull or the witch. So I'll have to thank you for your choice, but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. Are you ready for your question?"
I couldn't believe he asked that, did I look in any way ready? I was scared shitless. I was really rethinking calling this whole fiasco off but... I had already torn my paper. So even if I did call it off and they agreed, that would be all for my education.
With my body shaking and mind racing, I answered, "Yes."
"Points on your bravery, I admire that. Fortunately, you said Yes. Cause if you declined and said you wanted to go, I would have to send you into the maze and leave your life to fate. Fate is deadly."
He said with a shiver.
"Well since you said Yes, I'm forced to ask you a question, but first tell me a story."
"A story?" I asked back, perplexed.
"Well of course a story, it's been over 50 years since I've had any good company, so this better be a good one.
"I'm sorry, I can't think of any stories to tell." I said timidly.
"That's too bad, and I was in the mood for a great story. Hmmm, maybe I should tell a story?" He asked
"Sure, I would love to hear a story." I answered, trying a bit too hard to flatter him so as to get an easy question.
Immediately he jumped off his post and a log sprouted off the ground.
"You best sit down boy, cause this story is going to be a doozy."
He dug a small hole and put in straw from his belly and sticks from the ground into the hole, He then lit a fire.
The fire casted a ghoulish glow on his face, which in turn left a ghostly shadow at its wake.
"Now let me tell you a tale, that would make you wail."
"This story is about a scarecrow who was in charge of a corn maze. He watched the maze day and night, scaring off any will critters that may come to destroy it.
One night, two thieves came to steal the corn in the maze, a certain Joe and John.
The scarecrow tried his best to scare them off, but it was not working. Disturbed that his spotless record of keeping the maze safe was in danger, the scarecrow made a wish.
He wished for the ability to move and to make the plants move, for if he could move, he could easily scare rats, birds and thieves.
For a moment nothing happened, then he felt a tingling in his arms and legs. He noticed how his soldiers felt a little bit heavier, he also noticed how he could now feel his shoulders.
He decided to try swinging his legs and arms and they swung. Elated at his newly given mobility, he willed the plants to help him off his post.
Now I can get them off my maze, the scarecrow said to himself.
With his newly found mobility, he took off after them, running as fast as he could as far as his legs could take him. He noticed the vines were also running alongside him.
The thieves saw him approaching from afar and in fright they cocked their guns and started shooting at him. The little bullets did him no harm and they saw that.
So they switched to their shotguns and continued their defense. They luckily shot his head off and stopped the body.
The noise of the bullet's brought the owner of the maze out of his house.
The head which was shot off, rolled to his legs. As the vines brought the head up from the ground, the maze owner who was scared, shot the head, finished his bullet's in it and scattered it to many pieces.
Anger and pain was all he felt, the man whose maze he had watched all his life. The man whose maze he had tried to save, shot him just like that.
His anger turned to rage, rage at his betrayal, rage at the thieves, rage at everyone. The vines responded to his rage and began attacking everyone and everything in sight. It was total chaos.
The vines caught hold of the maze owner, it lifted him up in front of the headless scarecrow body.
Suddenly a piece of pumpkin popped at the neck region of the scarecrow body, then another, and another. In front of the man's eyes, the head he destroyed pieced itself back together as though it was a jigsaw puzzle.
He looked at the face of the maze owner, the face of the man who he admired and he saw only pain and hate there. Disgusted, he decided to hide them somewhere that they'll never be found. So the vibes dragged the thieves and maze owner to the centre of the maze and buried them there."
"So now's time for your question. Who was in the wrong here?" He asked me.
I quickly recovered from the horrific tale. I couldn't believe how a scarecrow could think of something so hideous.
He looked at me expectantly, "Pardon?" I had to ask again.
"Who was in the wrong? You have 2 minutes to answer, Your time starts now" he finished talking and jumped back into the post.
Is this wrong? There were a lot of things wrong with that story, but who was wrong? Well if I had to think about it; I would choose the thieves. No wait The owner of the Maze was wrong too, why did he just shoot the scarecrow like that, such betrayal is clearly wrong.
"1 minute remaining." The scarecrow said.
I began pacing and thinking, who was in the wrong, it is a really hard thing to think of. Owner of the maze or the thieves. "Owner or thieves, owner or thieves.." I chanted it like a mantra while pacing the floor.
"30 seconds." The scarecrow reminded me. I thought of what would happen if I failed. If it was a normal exam, I would just go out of the hall in a sad mood, knowing I won't be able to study again but here, I have to get it or else..
The scarecrow started counting down from 10, I said a short prayer and cut off the countdown at 5 seconds with...
"The thieves were in the wrong."
The scarecrow looked at me, it seemed as though for a moment, time stopped. Then suddenly "Wrong!!!" He screamed.
Vines strapped around my hands and legs and began dragging me to the corn bush.
"I thought you would get it." He said from his post. "It was so simple." He began laughing.
"Who was wrong then?" I asked screaming, all sense of decorum lost due to the new turn of events.
"Nobody was wrong my dear boy. It was just a sad Fate. Kind of like what you're having now." The vines dragged me away more violently but I struggled, I kept on struggling till I heard something that weakened me to my bones. I heard him say..,
"You know, the stubby thief struggled and wailed the same way?" He cackled wildly on his post. As my body was getting dragged into the soil, I heard him say one last thing.
" I wonder who would choose the dare question next..."
Oh my God, I just checked the word count on this and I apologize 😂. It's just I've been brewing this idea for a while now and we'll my pen couldn't stop 😂.
Happy Halloween from Seki1 🎃