It is 4 minutes after 9 o'clock (p.m. not a.m.). My dog, Sandy, is asleep on the carpet beside my chair. Sandy likes to sleep a lot. Most dogs like to play, but Sandy likes to sleep. Sleep and eat. That is what my dog likes to do. Usually, I go to bed at 9:00 on school nights, but this night is special. In 10 hours and 56 minutes I will be taking my test for A-level further Maths. Last year, I took a test for my Maths A-level and I got an A grade. Siobhan says an A grade is the best result. Making an A grade on my A-level Maths made me feel like this:

:)

This face means that I was happy. Siobhan taught me what a happy face looks like. Siobhan also taught me what a sad face looks like. Sometimes, people make confusing faces, but my face was not confusing. My face was happy.

I am the first person from my school to do an A-level, or an A-level for further Maths. My mom thought I would be nervous, but I'm not. I am going to make an A grade. I like Math. I am good at Math because I am good at logic. It is 15 minutes after 9:00 now and mother says I must get at least 8 hours of rest each night if I want to stay healthy. It is 10 hours and 45 minutes before I have to be at school. It takes me 3 minutes to brush my teeth, and 5 minutes to change into my pajamas. My pajamas are red because red is my favorite color. I like red, but I don't like yellow. Yellow and Brown are unlucky colors. I do not like to see or touch yellow or brown things. After I brush my teeth and change into my pajamas, I will have 10 hours and 37 minutes before I take my A-level for further Maths. I should probably go to bed, but I am too excited to sleep.

Now it is 2 minutes after midnight and Sandy is awake, whining to go outside. I only have 7 hours and 58 minutes before I take my A-levels for further Maths. Mother thinks I need 8 hours of sleep, but I cannot sleep. I get Sandy's leash and walk him outside. The night is warm. I can hear crickets but nothing else. Everyone is asleep.

As Sandy and I make our way down the street, I hear a strange noise. After stopping to listen, I notice that the noise sounds like a cat. As I look around, I see a small kitten stuck in a tree. Sandy does not like cats. I feel bad for Sandy but I cannot leave the poor kitten alone. I like kittens. Kittens are soft. I want to help the kitten get out of the tree. Mother says I should not climb trees. I could fall and break my arm, or my leg. I could hurt myself another way and have to go to a doctor. I don't like doctors. Doctors use needles. Needles hurt. I don't want to get hurt, but I need to save the tiny kitten. Slowly, I use my hands and feet to climb up the tree. Finally, I am able to reach the kitten. I grab the tiny kitten and jump down. My jump must have scared the kitten because he scratched my hand. I am not mad at the kitten. Sometimes, when people hurt me, I get very mad. Siobhan says that sometimes accidents happen. Siobhan also says that if someone hurts me on accident I should forgive them. Siobhan never told me what to do with kittens. I decide that the kitten must have scratched me on accident, so I am not mad.

I give the kitten a small pat on the head and sit it down on the sidewalk. The kitten must have been very frightened because it ran away very quickly.

It is 32 minutes after midnight. In 7 hours and 28 minutes I will take my A-levels for further Maths. Since mother thinks I need at least 8 hours of sleep, Sandy and I head back home. When we get back home, I see a small bird perched on a tree beside my bedroom window. The bird is red! Not blue, not brown, but red. Red is my lucky color, which means this is a lucky day. After seeing the red bird, I know that I will make an A grade on my test.

It is 42 minutes after midnight when I finally go to bed. That means my test will be in 7 hours and 18 minutes. I close my eyes and think of the red bird as I drift off to sleep.