It's my turn. I walk up to the examiner's table, pull the chair back, and take a seat. A bunch of nervous people are murmuring in the room next door, and he looks at me with a poker face. I know I'm bound to flunk.

Now he hands me a piece of paper with a picture on it. I take it and put on my glasses. Oh boy... this is the picture:

The examiner asks me to describe it. At first, I think to myself, "This must be the elephant in the room," but then I hear a voice saying, "No, stupid. It's a regular elephant," so I keep looking at the picture. Then at him, then at the picture again, and finally, I say, "There's an elephant sitting on a chair."

"Nice job, Einstein! Good thing you brought your glasses..." says the voice. "The elephant isn't sitting, it's standing on a chair."

I freeze.

"Can you hear me? Say something!"

I can't stop freezing.

"Okay, then talk about the mouse."

"What mouse?" I ask.

"Mickey Mouse," the voice says playfully.

"What??" I say aloud.

The examiner frowns. "Sorry, what did you say again?"

"I said, 'What a nice picture'," I mumble, facepalming.

"You have four minutes left," he says.

I think I'm having a panic attack. My heart is pounding, and I feel dizzy. What if I tell him I'm not feeling well?

"Well, try, but the dude is staring at you like a shark," the voice says.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

I raise my head. "I have a chair just like this at home," I blurt out.

He chuckles and throws his pen on the table. "And what about the elephant? Do you have one too?"

I glare at him.

"Don't do that," the voice says. "Don't be an idiot."

"How much time do I have left?" I ask the examiner.

He checks his watch. "One minute, maybe less..."

"Okay," I say, sitting up. I close my eyes. "The image shows a large elephant balancing on a wooden chair, apparently startled by a tiny mouse on the floor. The contrast between the massive size of the elephant and the small, harmless mouse creates a humorous scene, playing on the classic trope of elephants being afraid of mice. The white background makes the surreal situation stand out even more, emphasizing the absurdity of the moment."

"Good girl..." the voice says.

"Thank you. I just needed to close my eyes," I reply.

The examiner looks at me with an appraising eye. "Maybe next time, leave the glasses at home. Next!!"

Picture by Pixabay