A)    You jump out of bed, sprint down the steps, and bound onto the paved street below. Your heart races, thinking of your classmates sitting there and the school master . . . You try not to think, just run. Soon you reach the outer door of the school. You hear your classmates reciting phrases in Latin, and you know for sure that class has begun. You know what happens to students who are late for class. The master makes an example of them! You quietly slip inside the room, as the school master’s back is turned. As you sit down, the students finish their recitation, and silence follows. You can only hear the sound of your own heavy breathing. Your friend Flavius glances in your direction, mouthing the words, “You’re dead!” Sweat pours down your forehead as you wait for the school master to notice that you’ve arrived late. He finishes scrawling some Roman numerals on a slate, and turns around. Your eyes meet his, and you feel your heart sink. "Now . . . . " he says slowly. "we will practice your rhetoric." You are amazed! He had to have noticed that you came in late. Why didn’t he call you to the front for the beating you deserve? Several students are called to the front of the classroom to recite speeches they had written a day earlier. Rhetoric always made you nervous. You’ve never really liked speaking in front of many people. The hours pass and the school master dismisses class for the day. You see Flavius standing outside the school talking to another student.

Do you?

C) Go talk to Flavius

START OVER

copyright Jay D'Ambrosio 2000