In a shiny silver pot on the stove, a great deal of fun was being had. Living inside were three best friends: the curious drop Bubble, the cheerful drop Chime, and the thoughtful drop, Droplet. They weren't alone; hundreds of other drops played around them, but these three always stuck together. Their world was made entirely of metal and water. The bottom of the pot was their enormous dance floor, and the walls were the best slides in the world.
“Catch me if you can!” laughed Chime, already rolling down the smooth wall. Splash! She landed right next to Droplet.
“Careful, you almost soaked my thoughts!” said Droplet, but he had a merry twinkle in his eyes. He was just trying to count how many air bubbles were hiding at the bottom. “One, two, three… there are so many!”
Bubble rolled over to them. “Have you noticed something new?” she asked mysteriously. “The floor… is a little warm.”
Chime and Droplet fell silent and pressed themselves to the bottom. It was true. A pleasant, gentle warmth radiated from below, like leaning against a sun-warmed rock in the summer.
“That’s interesting,” mused Droplet. “Yesterday it was cold. What has changed?”
Just then, they noticed. Beneath them, under the pot, a red circle lit up. It looked like a small, sleeping sun that had just woken up.
“Look!” exclaimed Bubble. “The heat is coming from there! That circle is sending us warm energy.”
They liked the new word, energy. It sounded so strong and important.
At first, the heat was pleasant. They felt like they were in a warm bath. But then it began to grow stronger and stronger. Suddenly, they felt a strange tickling.
“Something is tickling me!” giggled Chime. “I feel like dancing!” And she started to bounce on the spot, higher and higher.
“Me too! Me too!” joined in Bubble. “I can’t just roll around calmly anymore. I have to jump!”
Droplet tried to stay serious and thoughtful, but his feet began to move all by themselves. It was as if the energy from the red circle was telling them: “Move! Dance! Jump!”
Soon, the whole pot was dancing. All the water drops were hopping, bumping into each other, and laughing. Tiny, transparent spheres began to rise from the bottom.
“Look! Those are the bubbles I was counting!” pointed Droplet. “Now they’re flying up!”
The bubbles rose to the surface and popped with a quiet “pop”. It was like a firework show for the drops.
The more heat they received, the wilder their dance became. It was no longer just hopping. They felt themselves trembling and spinning all over.
“I’m changing!” Droplet suddenly shouted. He no longer felt like a solid, round drop. He felt lighter. He was floating!
“Me too!” added Bubble, who had risen a little above the other drops. “I’m as light as a feather!”
Chime laughed. “We’re not flying, we’re… we’re… we’re evaporating!”
That was another new word. Evaporation. It sounded like an adventure.
One drop after another began to rise, away from the others. But they weren't lost. They still felt they were together, just in a different way. They were suddenly spread out, invisible, and very, very light. They had turned into something called vapor.
“I can’t see you, Bubble, but I know you’re here!” Droplet called out into the air.
“I’m here! And I’m flying up!” a voice called from somewhere above. “Follow me!”
All three drops, now as invisible vapor, rose higher and higher. They flew over the edge of the pot and found themselves in a huge room they called a kitchen. From above, they could see their silver pot, where their friends were still dancing.
“You see? When the heat gave us enough energy, we changed from a drop to vapor. We changed our state of matter,” explained Droplet proudly. He was glad he had figured it out.
“It was a great adventure,” agreed Chime. “First, we were liquid drops, playing and sliding. Then the heat made us dance, and finally, we turned into invisible vapor and flew away!”
They floated together beneath the ceiling, observing the world from a new height. They saw a large, cold window. Slowly, they flew towards it.
“What do you think, children, what will happen when the warm vapor touches the cold window?” asked Bubble.
Perhaps another magic trick will happen. And you, the next time you’re cooking soup with your mom or dad, notice the invisible vapor rising from the pot. Just be careful, it’s hot! Try to wave to those former drops who set off on their great adventure.