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Once upon a time, in the bedrooms of some children, every morning when the alarm clock rang, Eric, Aina, and Nil woke up happy because they knew that interesting things were always happening at school.
Eric is a brave and daring boy. He likes to run and explore. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and he wears comfortable clothes.
Aina is a curious and intelligent girl. She likes to think before she acts. She has blonde hair and green eyes, and she carries a backpack for investigating.
Nil, on the other hand, is a kind and creative boy. He likes to help his friends and draw. He has curly hair, blue eyes, and he wears a hat. Aina, Eric, and Nil are very good friends, but very different from each other. They are all very curious and always looking for new adventures.
Today, at recess, they moved away from the sounds of the balls to explore the corner of the gymnasium, where the stone walls are covered in plants.
“Did you see this?” Nil exclaimed excitedly. He crouched down near Aina to look at the lower part of the wall.
They discovered a very old wooden door hidden behind some large, green leaves. The little door had a very special gold design and a test tube surrounded by tiny stars that sparkled in the sunlight.
Eric and Nil approached to touch the smooth, cool wood of the mysterious door. Eric grasped the rusty iron doorknob and, with a gentle pull, the door creaked open. Aina and Nil peered inside and discovered a stone staircase spiraling down the stairs. As they descended, the walls of the passageway began to glow with blue and pink lights, as if sprinkled with magic dust.
When they reach the bottom of the stairs, Eric, Aina, and Nil enter a giant room. It’s a wonderful place filled with shelves of colorful jars, magnifying glasses, and white lab coats hanging on the wall. Everything seems ready for a great adventure.
Right above a very large wooden table, there’s a colorful sign that says: “Observe, ask, and share.” Nil and Aina whisper the words and smile with joy.
“Before we begin, we need to get ready,” Nil says seriously. He and Eric find white lab coats that fit them and put them on right away. The teacher checks that everything is ready and accompanies them during the experiment. Now they look like real researchers.
Aina also puts on her lab coat and clear safety goggles. “I look like a scientist too,” she says. She and Nil approach the table where there are glass jars, bottles of oil, water, and food coloring in every color of the rainbow.
Eric and Aina begin the first experiment, carefully mixing water and oil in a large glass jar. Eric watches as the oil rises to the top, forming round, shimmering bubbles that look like planets. “Now let’s add some color,” Nil suggests. He and Eric add drops of blue and red food coloring. The drops fall through the oil like parachutists until they reach the water and burst into beautiful colors.
Finally, Aina and Nil add some effervescent tablets. Suddenly, they turn off the lab lights, and everything starts to glow. The jar looks like a magic lamp filled with bubbles that rise and fall endlessly.
But then there’s a small problem. PLOP! The jar pops. The foam starts rising too quickly and spills over the side. Eric and Nil are a little startled and take a step back as they watch the liquid hit the table.
“Relax!” Aina says calmly. She remembers something very important she read in a book: scientists don’t stop when faced with problems; they observe, think, and look for a solution. The three friends decide to work as a team and ask their teacher for help before continuing.
Nil runs to find a much larger glass jar so they can repeat the experiment without any spillage. Aina helps choose the most suitable container from the shelf. Meanwhile, Eric grabs a blue cloth and starts wiping the colored drops off the table. A good laboratory should always be clean, and Eric leaves the wood gleaming, ready to start again.
They try the experiment again in the large jar, but this time Aina uses fewer tablets—just one, two, or three! They sing together. The foam rises gently and steadily, creating a wonderful volcano of colors.
They climb out through the door and close it gently. Aina and Nil look at each other and smile, knowing that this laboratory will be their big secret.
They pack away their adventure and race back to class, ready for new experiments.
And that brings their story to an end.
Written by:
Dina Ez Zayani, Fatima Manda, Soukayna Sanssan
Institut de Vic
Chemistry Department
Academic year 2025-2026
QUD0 Laboratory for Analysis and Quality Control
