I sit down next to the yellow buzzer. To the right of me is my opponent, a stout boy with scraggly brown hair. He taps the eraser of his pencil on his chin, nervously waiting for the next problem.

The coordinator asks me to test the buzzer. I press it and it makes a “beep” sound.

A question flashes onto the large screen in front of us. The coordinator reads it:

“How many factors are there in the number 3068?”

I close my eyes. Calculations begin running inside my head like gears turning in a clock, whirling and spinning with precise tick-tock movements. As the interlocking disks rotate, a cloud of blackness appears and expands rapidly as if it were an inflating helium balloon.

Inhaling, I step forward into the foggy shadow and allow it to take over my thoughts.

Wind starts howling in my ears. My body is lurched forward like a pumpkin seed in a slingshot. I grip the metal railing in front of me so tightly that my knuckles resemble those of a white ghost. The cart I am sitting in zooms forward with screeching wheels. It pulls me up and up; it is a humongous mechanical bird blasting off into the aquamarine sky.

The flying train whirls around, performing twists and turns like a trained acrobat. It slices through the air as if it were a freshly sharpened knife cutting through a garden tomato.

Sharply, the coaster takes a dip, plunging down towards the lush jade-green ground. The smell of raw-cut grass overflows in my nostrils. Scattered across the verdant blades are colorful blooms. Blushing peonies, lemon-bright daffodils and royal mulberry irises dot the view like sprinkles on a white birthday cake.

As the ride leaves the rainbow floral scene, I see a gigantic, looming round building nearing me. Its size matches that of the Sydney Opera House. The outer walls of it hold the deep ultramarine color of a boundless ocean.

The coaster enters the narrow entryway and soars down a squid ink-black hallway. As it goes, the I begin to hear the voice of an orchestra. It gradually grows louder and louder. It then becomes so loud that it penetrates my ears, roaring into my head. The ensemble is a tropical jungle, multilayered with different animal calls. The strings bellow a lion’s thunder. Woodwinds croon a scarlet macaw’s song. Brasses thunder an elephant’s waking footsteps.

The train exits the dark corridor. A grand scene materializes right before my eyes. I find myself in an enormous concert room outfitted with luminous glass chandeliers. Everywhere I look, there are thousands of musicians playing away on their glistening instruments. Trombones blare their loud vociferous cries. Flutes whistle a shrill gale of piercing clamor. Violas conjure uproarious vibrating clamors. In the center, a grand conductor stands with a slender baton. He swings his arms, dancing to the beat of the music.

The music crowds every little bit of space in my cranium, threatening to burst it into pieces. It is an outlandish, marvelous and boisterous song. My ears become fixated; they cannot pull away from the wondrous melodies.

Soon, the swooping train leaves the opulent house, making the sounds of the orchestra gradually fade behind me, only leaving a shining, glorious memory of it in my mind.

The coasting cart takes another dip, tunneling underground. It kicks up crumbly dirt dust, clouding my vision. My lungs start to choke, causing me to cough. Still, the train plunges deep into the Earth. The scene grows blacker and blacker. It does not take long before I can’t see a single thing, not even my own hands. The only thing that lies in front is empty void.

As if in response to this, the train lights up its headlights, which glow like fiery lanterns. Even so, all I can see ahead of me is more darkness; down here, it is an eternal dusky twilight.

I start to cough violently; my respiratory system is brutally rejecting the powdery filth in the stale air. I feel as if I am drowning, only instead of water, I am suffocating in fragmented grime. My vision begins to blur, even though all I can see is blackness.

My mind begins to pull towards unconsciousness. I collapse onto the railing in front of me, wheezing.

Then, I see a glimpse of shimmer. It shines like a glittering star in a night sky. The train pulls forward and I urge it to go faster, to take me to the little gemstone.

Like it is listening to my thoughts, the wheels begin to rapidly speed up, producing a shrieking scream. Red hot sparks shoot up from the bottoms of the rollers like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

I get closer and closer. I force myself to stay awake, to breath.

The train draws the gem in nearer and nearer.

I reach out my hand.

The shimmer accelerates to my fingers. I grit my teeth as the mucky air blows through my hair.

Closer…

Closer…

Yes.

I close my fingers around the brilliant diamond. It shines brighter than anything I have ever seen, even Helios’ golden sun.

I kneel down on the floor of the coaster, holding the precious crystal to my chest.

Yes…

I open my eyes, stepping out of the dark cloud. The gears in my head slow down, coming to a full stop. In front of me, there is the large blue screen, still displaying the question in white text. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my opponent. He is still furiously scribbly across his paper, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

Right next to my hand is the yellow buzzer.

I press it.

Beep.

The coordinator addresses me, “Miss Zhang.”

I take a deep breath and say:

“The answer is 12.”