Read the Book

Bea was very excited. Today was the first experiment in the school science lab.

On her table there was one small glass bottle. Inside the bottle was a blue chemical. The teacher said, “Be careful.” “Follow the steps exactly.”

Bea's lab partner, a boy named Owen, was not careful at all. “Let's just mix everything,” he said. He was already holding a second bottle.

“No,” Bea said. “We have to be exact.” “Look at the book.”

But Owen was not listening. He was always like this. Now he was pouring the blue chemical into a cup. Then he added a white powder. The mixture changed colour fast.

“Owen, stop!” Bea said.

It was too late. The cup was making a strange noise. A thin line of smoke came out of the top. Then the whole class could smell it — like old eggs and burnt toast.

“That smell!” a girl shouted, and everyone laughed and held their noses.

The teacher ran over and moved the cup to the window. The smoke stopped. The lab was safe, but it smelled terrible for an hour.

After class, Owen looked at the book on the table — still open at page one. “So,” he said slowly, “what happens when you actually read the book?”

Bea just smiled. “We'll find out next week,” she said.