Watching my elder siblings prepare for their O Level Cambridge exams had always made me excited for the day when it would be my turn. But when that time finally arrived, I found myself haunted by a strange fear — the fear of falling ill during the exams. Though I tried to ignore it and focus on my studies, the worry lingered somewhere deep in my mind.

On the evening of April 20, my birthday, a few friends came over. We had a great time chatting and eating together. But once they left, guilt began to creep in. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much study time I had wasted. I tried to study for a while, but as always, procrastination won. By dusk, I convinced myself that I’d wake up early and make up for the lost time.

Later that night, while everyone except my father was watching a football show on TV, I went upstairs to sleep. Lying in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about my exams and my fear of falling sick. I tried counting backwards from 50 to 10, and finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up early, ready to study. But as I sat down with my books, I suddenly felt a strange irritation in both my eyes. Within minutes, the irritation turned into pain. Alarmed, I called my mother, who rushed to my side. She tried to comfort me, but nothing seemed to help. Tears welled up as I thought about my upcoming English Language and Mathematics exams the next day.

When my father returned home from work and saw me lying in bed, he immediately understood how much pain I was in. Without saying a word, he picked me up, placed me in the car and drove straight to the hospital.

On the way, he gently told me not to worry about the exam. I told him it felt as if hundreds of tiny needles were pricking my eyes. At the hospital, a doctor examined me and said it was an eye infection. He even declared that I wouldn’t be able to appear in the exams and offered to write a medical certificate.

But my father didn’t give up. He took me to another doctor, a young, kind-looking man. This doctor examined my eyes, put in some drops and told me to keep them closed for two minutes When I opened my eyes, I strained my eyes to see this kind doctor and my father. There was no one!

All I could see was the clock on the wall, ticking away — in my own room! I sat up, realising it had all been a dream. My exams were still 10 days away! Relief and happiness washed over me.

From that day on, I didn’t waste a single minute. I studied diligently every day until my exams began. And when the results came, I was thrilled to see that I had scored well.

What had seemed like a nightmare turned out to be the wake-up call I needed! That dream taught me a valuable lesson: any fear can be overcome with effort and preparation.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 22nd, 2025