The Exam
Arthur was worried about his test. Mr. Ratburn never played games, and he promised the test would be the hardest they'd ever taken. They'd been studying history when he mentioned the exam, the exam with no set theme or chapter. The exam was just an exam not connected to any of the material they were covering. It was just something they had to take, and the students of Mr. Ratburn's third grade class were terrified.
Arthur read through six books at once, spreading them all around himself as he sat on his bedroom floor. He looked so studious that even DW left him alone, glancing at him one good time before disappearing. Jane Read wanted her son to take out the trash, but when she stepped into his doorway to ask him about the chore, she immediately decided it was best to do it herself.
"Um, honey, why isn't Arthur doing that?" David asked sternly, watching his wife emerge from the outside trash can in the garage.
"He's studying, David. I've seen nothing like it before. He's got his books spread out on his bedroom floor. It's not time for another standardized test, is it?" Jane asked.
Her husband shook his head, "No, it would be on the school schedule. Why don't we ask him?"
"No, no, he's too busy," Jane smiled. "Maybe he's getting serious after those C's he got last week."
"Maybe so," David shrugged, leading his wife into the kitchen so they could begin dinner. Despite making one of Arthur's favorite dishes, he never emerged from his room, and he only ate when the plate was placed on his desk and he was left alone.
Parents were worried for their students, the prospect of Mr. Ratburn's hard exam ruining everyone's evening. Fern turned down a trip to the ice cream parlor, Buster rejected an alien movie, and Brain tried to check out so many books from the library that he was asked to leave, the librarian thinking it was all a trick. The students of Mr. Ratburn were all in a state of panic, and none of them slept that night. Almost all of them complained of stomach aches the next morning, but all were forced to school by their eye-rolling parents.
When the bell rang and Mr. Ratburn entered the room, his students sat silent with pale faces. He pulled a folder from his briefcase and opened it on his desk. Inside was the test, and the class held their breath as the pages were passed out face-down.
"You may turn over the exam when I tell you," Mr. Ratburn instructed. "You have as long as you need to complete this exam, but no one may leave the room until everyone is finished, so please keep your classmates' needs in mind. Now," he said, handing the last exam to Binky, "I hope everyone has sharpened their pencils and gone to the restroom. Is there anyone who needs anything? Buster?"
"Can I go home? I don't feel so good," Buster groaned. The class groaned in agreement, but Mr. Ratburn merely chuckled and shook his head. "Aww, man," Buster sighed, resting his head on his desk as Brain sharpened a ninth pencil to rest on his desk.
"Alright, now that Alan is seated, you may turn over your exams."
The class immediately sighed with relief and began murmuring to themselves. The "exam" was really a packet of lined paper. The group was to write a prediction of the future, of what they might do when they grow up or what they'll study in college. Brain filled every page and begged for more, while Buster openly wrote of his dreams to visit Area 51 so he could meet the aliens that lived there. And Arthur, the most worried of all, wrote of how he pictured Elwood City to be in twenty years.
Mr. Ratburn smiled as he collected the "exams," putting the completed papers back into the folder. He leaned on his desk and began to explain himself to his students, "This exam is quite difficult for many of my classes because they only think of the present. But, I see I've taught you all very well. You all had no problem with the exam that usually trumps my other students, and for that you must all be rewarded. I'm going to bring in some of my old students to share what they initially wrote and how their lives turned out. Your futures are still unwritten, but predictions help you create a plan of sorts.
"Now, who wants to take an algebra pop quiz?" Mr. Ratburn asked delightfully. The class groan, causing the teacher to laugh. He wouldn't challenge them again today, but tomorrow was another story.
Theme 002: Tomorrow
To complete the themes yourself, I have the list posted on my profile. The list is for any type of fan fiction (one-shot, drabble, etc.) and any fandom. Challenge yourself in other ways to make it more fun, and enjoy!