Rows of desks stretched to the horizon. The only sound was the scratching of pens and the ticking of the clock.
Mr. Final (a terrifying invigilator who looked like he ate detention slips for breakfast) walked up and down the aisles.
"Five minutes," Mr. Final whispered. "Five minutes to finish your story."
Alex sat at his desk. He was writing an essay for Philosophy.
Is the journey more important than the destination?
Alex wrote: The destination validates the journey. But the journey creates the character who deserves the destination.
He put his pen down.
Mark sat next to him. Mark was not writing. He was drawing a picture of himself lifting a trophy that was bigger than the sun.
"Mark," Mr. Final whispered. "Please stop drawing cartoons. This is a Philosophy exam."
"It is a visual metaphor!" Mark argued. "The trophy represents happiness! The sun represents pizza!"
"Finish the paper, Mark."
The bell rang.
Alex stood up. He stretched.
