It was the final countdown to the end of the exams.
‘Finished!’ I sat back in my chair with a long sign of relief, the desk in front of me was scattered with notes, exam questions, and sheets of paper with my fast scribbled writing.
For the last three hours, I had been going through a practice exam paper. Studying with the past exam papers – which can be downloaded from the University Library website – was extremely useful, it was reassuring to complete a few trial runs beforhand, to ensure that no nasty surprises stare up at me when facing the real thing at the Wayville Showground.
I looked habitually out of my window into the courtyard. It was noon, the sunlight upon the tiled floor was dazzling. A few brownish grey sparrows were hopping around on their tiny feet, evidently looking for food around the rose bushes.
This time tomorrow, I thought, I’d be free: free from exam revisions for the first time in weeks. I imagined how I’d feel – would it be a triumphant relief? Or would it be a dreadful guilt knowing that I’d stuffed up the last exam? The thought of the latter was so terrifying that I immediately picked up the notes from the table, and started to read again.