[ WP ] A science fair judge is questioned as to why the paper mâché volcano won . The answer defies the imagination .

Was Sally being foolish? Perhaps a little crazy? Maybe. Her volcano flew in the face of a thousand cliches. In fact, just last year, we lifted the ban on a number of forbidden entries. Volcanoes were at the top of the list, followed by ant farms and sea monkeys. 
 
 The ban was put in place for the past ten years because of the sheer number of these textbook projects. For ten years we forced the kids to stretch their imaginations, rather than simply breaking the spines of their science books. 
 
 But, there was Sally, sitting there at her table. The grin on her face was impish, not at all like her usual reserved self. I could n't believe that this straight-A honor roll student would pursue the most tired and boring of the projects. 
 
 At first, I assumed she was just busy with her studies and came up on the deadline with nothing real to show. It must be a one-off. She dropped the ball but was trying to save face. Certainly, it could n't be anything else. Only the most uninspired resort to something this basic. 
 
 After a little rationalization, I decided that it did n't surprise me too much that she would skimp on the effort involved. She had a strong liking for archaeology, and would state time and time again that it was her passion. 
 
 So, maybe science just was n't her strong suit. 
 
 But that smile.. it betrayed something that I should have caught on to. 
 
 Her volcano was standard fair quality at first pass. It was about the size of an overturned bucket, paper mache, and possibly spray painted. It had a towel laid longways on the base of it's foot. This was presumably to ensure that any discharge was absorbed rather than dripping onto the floor. 
 
 All the usual diagrams about the various type of volcanoes accompanied it: Shield, Cinder, Composite.. boring stuff. Possibly copied directly from the textbook. 
 
 The interior of the volcano was illustrated, and the telltale vinegar sat to her left, a sure sign that she was going to dazzle me by making something `` amazing'' happen. I wondered, as I looked over this chicken-wire monstrosity, whether she had dyed the baking soda held within. What color would I be looking at for thirty seconds as I tried to keep my boredom from showing? 
 
 `` Welcome to the world of volcanoes!'' 
 
 Oh? She was starting her presentation. Well, I guess it was time to pay attention. 
 
 `` For eons, man has gazed at these pits of glowing magma with bewilderment! What secret gods and demons dwell within? How can we be safe? And what actions can shield us from the horrors of the earth?'' 
 
 Well, if nothing else, it was attention grabbing.. 
 
 `` We will delve into this question, but first, we will need some volunteers!'' 
 
 I looked about, slightly confounded. There was only me judging her table. She was n't about to get audience participation from people shuffling by. 
 
 Just as my face expressed my confusion, she lifted the towel in front of the volcano with a flourish. 
 
 `` Behold! The mighty ant colony of Pompeii the Second!'' 
 
 I was now looking at a thriving ant colony, meticulously cultivated. The ants were large carpenter ants, nearly an inch long. They were forced to dwell in a small Grecian city of Sally's construction. There was no underground for them, only the detailed houses constructed to emulate an ancient municipality. The city was meticulous, to say the least. 
 
 `` Ah! There they are! The citizens of my ant-topia. They worship this mountain every day, not realizing that a shifting of tectonic plates is about to seal their doom!'' 
 
 At this, Sally removed the tablecloth that surrounded the volcano. Below was a cutaway of the tectonics below the volcano. The detail was of the highest quality. 
 
 And below that was a metal box with a single button and tubes connected to what appeared to be a pressurized tank. 
 
 It was at this moment that I noticed that the city of the ants contained an ocean as well. It was a fish tank, positioned in a way that it was visible from the front of the table, and it was filled with.. yes. it had to be. Sea monkeys. 
 
 Sally plucked an ant from the city as I marveled at the detailed tectonic plates and the labels that described the fault line that was soon to erupt. 
 
 `` Will a sacrifice to the gods appease the mighty volcanoes wrath?'' 
 
 She dropped the ant into the cone with a cackle. 
 
 `` No!'' 
 
 As she pressed the red button, I watched as the plates separated, and a gush of hot steam flew from the top of the volcano. The sound turned heads and soon people gathered to watch. 
 
 `` Nature produces some terrifying monsters, and not out of wrath. Know that the very orb you are standing upon supports life by a tiny layer! All else is lava and heat!'' 
 
 `` And what of it's motivations?'' 
 
 `` The volcano's hunger for victims will not be quenched with this offering! For the volcano's motivations are based on pressure and magma flows, not upon the follyful whims of man!'' 
 
 The crowd and I watched as a substance began to pour from the mountain top. But this was no baking soda and vinegar solution. This was silvery and hot. And it was burning the very structure it poured from! 
 
 `` I must warn you not to touch the lava! It is quite hot! For your safety, please respect the wrath of nature as it releases the mass which must be displaced for harmony to be restored.'' 
 
 Then she said with a smirk, `` I assure you all, that we are all quite safe. But, I can make no such assurances for the inhabitants below.'' 
 
 The lava poured forth. The side of the mountain burned and blackened as the silver magma poured forth. It followed previously unnoticed canals that revealed themselves as the mache burned away. 
 
 I almost told her to stop. What she was doing was a fire hazard! But.. I instead had to watch. It entranced me. She was a straight-A student, and her confidence kept me from stopping the show. Besides.. what could I do? The magma was already flowing! 
 
 `` The inhabitants of Pompeii the Second are going about their lives, unaware of the dangers that are descending upon them! Even now, they are only vaguely aware of the force of nature now headed their way!'' 
 
 She described in detail how they were eating their food, playing their games, and going about their daily lives, when the lava met the city. 
 
 `` And now, all is ash!'' 
 
 We watched in silence as the tiny ants were coated in silvery lava. 
 
 Another child cried for her to stop. She said she could hear them scream as they were encases in the eruption. And she was right. I could hear hissing, popping, and what sounded like a thousand tiny screams as the city was completely coated. 
 
 It was jarring, and I had to remind myself that it was probably just steam. Yes.. just steam being released like a lobster cooking. But it sounded so convincing. 
 
 But this was not all. Soon, a blackish tar flowed out from the volcano. 
 
 `` The metal will cool in mere moments, but let us now witness the passage of time'' 
 
 Soon, the inhabitants of Pompeii the Second were completely covered, indistinguishable from the dirt that surrounded the little model city as the black river washed upon them and solidified. 
 
 I was in such shock, I barely noticed Sallie's explanation for how the lava had created an oxygen deficient dead zone in the ocean, where the sea monkeys were beginning to stop moving and sink to the bottom of the tank. 
 
 `` One day, archaeologists will uncover the secrets of Pompeii the Second. They will try to uncover the secrets of what happened to this lost civilization. They will remove dirt and debris, and see if they can find out how this once lush city flourished and floundered.'' 
 
 `` Science'' she said, `` answers the question of How. And archaeologists answer the question of why it once mattered so greatly to us.'' 
 
 And that is when she put the tiny shovels and brushes on the table for the kids to excavate with. 
 
 So, yes. I gave first place to a paper mache volcano. There was no way I could n't. It was by far the best presentation. 
 
 The only thing that truly worries me, is that every time Sally looks up in class, I'm reminded of all those dying ants, and the way she killed them with a smile. I ca n't put my finger on it. It's like she was sending some bigger message to the world around her. Something altogether about her as a person. Calm, demure, but with something fiery welling within. 
 
 It's probably all those lectures I've attended about preventing violence and what warning signs to look out for. It must just be getting to my head. 
 
 I do n't know why I keep wondering about that smile and what hides behind it. 
 
 Of one thing, I am certain. Sally was right. `` Nature produces some terrifying monsters.''
