Science Stories-The Dancing Molecule

Hello all , I would like to share with you the first story that i wrote to explain the concept of molecules and states of matter to kids .   
​Once upon a time there lived a really tiny ice molecule whose  name was H2O . He lived in an icebox in a refrigerator . H2O was a happy jolly fellow who loved music and dancing But there was just one problem… he was so tightly packed in with  other ice molecules that he could not move very much.This made him a little sad sometimes .
 
         He often heard  music flowing into the kitchen and  kids dancing to it .”Ah ! I wish I could dance with them “ , he thought , “ Well at least I can blink my eyes and wiggle a little, that’s not so bad “
 
         Yet every night he would dream about  the day when he would get his freedom, the freedom to dance ,move and jump .
 
One day he heard the kids excited voices in the kitchen
Summer was approaching and there was going to be a party in the backyard .There would be delicious food, fresh fruit punch and yes… music.
When the day of the party arrived ,H2O woke up  to a deafening  sound . He realized that he and other ice molecules were falling really fast . They slid refrigerator and right into a big bowl of fruit punch
“Ouch “ he cried as he it the liquid “ where am I ? “
         Bright sunlight hit his eyes as two giant pairs of eyes stared down at him . “ The Punch is ready !! “ , the kids announced to their mom , as they carried the jug outside .
 
 
The party had started .H2O looked around him wide eyed ,he had never been outside of  the ice box before . There were trees and birds around him . The sky was brilliant blue and the sun was shining down on him. He felt all warm and fuzzy with happiness.”This is turning out to be the best day ever “, he said
He couldn’t help but wiggle to the music . The hot sun soon started warming him up .He felt this sudden burst of energy and he broke  free of the bonds that had held him so tightly to the other ice molecules . He had now transformed into a beautiful sparkling water molecule . “ Did you see what just happened ?” , he asked the other water molecules .” Look we are still attached to each other but now we have soo much space to move.
 “ I can dance and jump  and even float around the punch bowl . “Watch me ! “He sang ,”Watch me …whip , watch me nene “
His excitement was however was shortlived ..A man had just swooped over to pour some fruit punch for himself .H2O was horrified , he called out  to the other water molecules “Swim , swim as fast as you can to the bottom of the cup” .Everyone did as they were told , but there was no hope in sight as they looked back at the thirsty man staring  longingly at his cup of refreshing fruit punch.
 But just then  someone called out to him. “ I’ll be right there “ he said as he hurriedly put down his cup and walked away .
 “ Phew ! That was a narrow escape” , said H2O, relieved that the man had forgotten all about his drink.
The abandoned cup stood there in the hot sun long after the party was over but for H2O the party had just started. He realized that the heat of the sun had given him enough energy now  to  slowly float up and out of the cup . He was no longer attached to other molecules around him .He had now transformed into a light and airy molecule of water vapor .
This was the moment he had waited for all this life .He finally had freedom, the freedom he had dreamed about every night.
 
 He did summersaults and bumped around with the other excited molecules . They all moved and danced faster and faster until they were really high up in the sky and  everything below looked tiny , like a fine pattern on a woven blanket .
 
He found himself humming a tune:
 
Give me some sunshine
Give me some rain
Give me another chance
I wanna go up once again.
 
 
But  when H2O had travelled further up in the sky, the air around him  did not feel so hot anymore. He was cooling back into a  water molecule  .He found himself holding hands again with other molecules and moving very slowly. “Oh no “ what just happened ,”he cried out .
He was part of a huge cloud now . a beautiful fluffy cloud. The other, more experienced molecules told him “ You are going to soon rain down on earth and even turn back into ice when winter comes .”
 
But H2O wasn’t sad about it anymore.
His  life had changed forever.  He now knew that soon when things warmed up enough, he would get a chance to be free again and dance to music again .He had hope and he now loved who he was ….whether he was ice , water , or water vapor .
 
THE END !!!

Pragya Bhatnagar
Founder Petri-dish Science