“Miss Fremskey's dark eyes darted around the room in a scurrying manner. She was like some humongous stout crow scouring the terrain for a quick morsel to devour. And then it happened! I coughed.”

Googol Boy and the Peculiar Incident of the Great Quiz Trophy, P9.

“I did, however, often daydream about how it would feel to be smart. Knowing how to spell words. Knowing how to count to twenty without having to take my shoes off. Knowing my times-tables. Knowing the capital cities. Knowing all the answers. But this was all ‘pie in the sky’ stuff. Well, it was until the night of cognisance.”

Googol Boy and the Peculiar Incident of the Great Quiz Trophy, P15.

“Actually, to be honest, I was your regular below-average kid. I was in the Maths class where students weren't allowed to use compasses because they would accidently jab themselves.”

Googol Boy and the Peculiar Incident of the Great Quiz Trophy, P15.

“My brain became inflamed – my neurons throbbed; my synapses sizzled. The colourful music filled me, washing over me – I could feel it on my skin, entering my pores, consuming me. The sweet tones exploded in my mouth in an ecstasy of flavours tasting like shimmering words, infinite knowledge and piercing wisdom. My senses were overwhelmed by a tsunami of stimuli. I was drinking from the golden cup but it was filling me up all too quickly – my tastebuds savoured stories and tragedies, my ears absorbed ballads and histories.”

Googol Boy and the Peculiar Incident of the Great Quiz Trophy, P36.