Test of Character

Welcome Christopher, take a seat, make sure you have a number two pencil. Fill the circles in darkly and completely. Absolutely no cheating will be tolerated. You may begin when the minute hand reaches 5.

Click. The minute hand fires the starter pistol. I'm off.

A test paper. Crisp and foreboding. Sure, it's harmless now, but give it a little time and it'll end up all covered in blood colored ink.

This is wrong. Check.
That's incorrect. Minus 5.
Wrong again. Minus 10.
Here. Half credit.
Here. No credit.
Here too. Some illegible comment.

Is it worth the effort when you know failure is unavoidable? Who wants to be shown all their shortcomings anyhow?

For now, I'll daydream of another place. A place not called home.

The paper looked so nice and neat before I started marking my answers anyhow.

I'd rather just chew on my pencil.
Or doodle.
Or stare out the window.

Remove myself from the threat of red ink.