Subiectul I. A fragment from Rebreanu’s Pădurea spânzuraților – a passage he knew by heart. But the question wasn't the usual “identify the narrative technique.” It was: “The forest does not judge; it only witnesses. How does the lack of moral judgment in nature amplify the tragedy of the protagonist?”

But as Andrei stood on the podium, he noticed something. The gold medalist was not smiling. She kept glancing at his bronze, her eyes hungry and confused.

The gong sounded. He flipped the test.

That night, on the bus home, Doamna Elena didn’t ask about the medal. She just handed him a worn copy of Eminescu’s Luceafărul and said, “Now you’re ready to read it for real.”

Later, in the hallway, she approached him. “How did you answer the last question? I wrote a law about mandatory hermeneutic seminars. You?”

The last part was the killer: Subiectul al III-lea. A single sentence: “You are the minister of education for one day. Write a law that changes how we teach literature. No more than 300 words.”

For the text message, he stared at the final stanza: “And the word that forgot its name / sleeps on the tongue like a stone.” He picked up his phone (they were allowed only for the final creative task) and typed:

A text message? This wasn’t an exam; it was an intervention. Andrei felt a strange looseness in his chest. Doamna Elena’s voice echoed: “Letters from a friend.” He stopped trying to be brilliant and started trying to be honest.