The Secret of Twah, part V

The story so far...the farmer, in order to become a monk and learn the Secret of Twah, spent one year in a tree and recovered four golden cups from the village at the base of the mountain. He is now ascending the mountain, praying that he has completed his second task in time.

After a perilous journey through hailstones the size of watermelons, thunderstorms with lightning striking trees all around him, obligatory attacks by roving bands of vagabonds (some of whom now knew him on a first name basis), and no encounters with the giant bee (mercifully), the farmer arrived at the monastery and pounded on the door. The peephole opened immediately, and the eye looked out at him. The stare seemed very cold. The voice did not speak.

"Um," said the farmer. "I have returned with the golden cups."

"You're late," said the voice. There was definite anger there.

The farmer's heart sank. "By how long?"

"Five minutes," said the voice.

"Five minutes?" said the farmer, incredulous. "Well, I would have been back here much sooner, but there was this giant bee..."

"Did you hit it and make it go away?" asked the voice. There was a taunting tone there.

"No," said the farmer. "It stung me, and I was unconscious for...well, for a while."

"You have the cups?" The farmer pulled them out of his bag and showed them to the eye. The eye looked at the letters T-W-A-H, then the voice spoke again. "Very well. You will be deducted five points for tardiness. Return in one month for your written exam."

"Five points? Written exam? What?" asked the farmer, but the peephole had already closed.

After a month without incident (shockingly), the farmer returned to the monastery. The door opened, and he was admitted, though a hood was placed over his head. He was led through countless corridors, until he was forced into a chair.

"You may remove your hood," said the voice, and the farmer did so. He looked around to see a small, featureless room. There was a torch in the corner, but no window or other source of light. He was seated at a small wooden table. On the table was a large stack of papers and a quill. A peephole was open on the door, and the eye was looking at him. "You have five hours," said the voice. "Begin."

NEXT: The Test