The ticking of pens, the banging of coffee cups on a desk and the sound of zippers from the pencil cases. Sounds I could hear vaguely in the background, while staring at the picture in my history book. These men with hats and swords, looking at something in the distance. As if they were looking at the future, looking at me. What were they trying to tell me? Was life better in 1642? Questions swirling through my mind, with answers nowhere to be found. Suddenly, my eye spots a girl. There she is, in the brightness of the light. Everyone around her disappears, her mouth starts to move and she whispers the words ‘pay attention, you’ll never pass your exam like this!’