Casey and Toto looked at him unimpressed.

“Toto has some great ideas sometimes,” said Casey.

“He does?”

“You’re just not as in touch with nature as I am,” said Casey, crossing her arms. She then muttered, “But if you did have some ideas, now would be a good time to share them.”

Max considered what they knew so far. It was going to be a survival test and it was going to be held on the approaching island.

“Whatever the rules are,” said Max, “there will probably be a flurry of activity right at the start. We’ll have an advantage if we know what we wanna do before we even land.”

“Great thinking, Max,” said Casey, turning to Toto who nodded. “Toto thinks so as well.”

The island was approaching. They’d dock in about five minutes. They didn’t have long to sketch out a quick plan.

Max pointed to some cliffs near the interior of the island. “The island has a summit. If we head there and get there first, we’ll have a height advantage over everyone. As soon as we learn the instructions we should head that way without delay.”

Casey nodded.

With the semblance of a plan formed, all they had to do now is wait to get their instructions.

The boat docked and the examiners told all the students to exit the boat and line up in a horizontal line along the beach. As they walked off the boat another examiner handed each person a candlestick.

“What the heck are we supposed to do with these?” said one student.

“Just line up and hold onto that candle,” said the examiner. “You’ll find out in a second.”

Max and Casey stood side by side. They peered at each other, but didn’t speak. The mood amongst the students had suddenly changed.

It was exam time now. The game was on.

The time for strategizing out in the open was over.

Still, Max wanted to speak with Casey. This candle they were each given was an unexpected development. How did these random candles fit into the survival test?

“Settle down everyone,” said the instructor. He then snapped his fingers and suddenly everyone’s candle lit up with small delicate flames.

“Each and everyone of you is holding a lit candle,” said the instructor. “You must survive the night on this island without letting the candle’s flame go out. These are not normal candles and will not relight from outside sources of fire. That’s for all the clever firebringers amongst you.”

“So we fail the exam if our candle goes out,” said a random student.

Max shuddered. This test was extremely difficult. One puffed out candle flame could mean the end of his climber career.

“Let me repeat,” said the instructor. “You must return here tomorrow with a lit candle.”

Everyone nodded silently. So you could steal another person’s candle if you wanted.

“Alright, any more questions?”

The group was silent.