Supercooling
Image by Gentle07 from PixabayThe fog prickled their exposed skin,
like ice crystals suspended in air. Even their exhalation became so many frozen droplets, falling to earth as they walked.
When they stepped out of the wall of fog, it was like being
inside a bubble, pristine and white. Trees, with intact leaves covered in
frost, grew out of the still waters.
“It’s called supercooling,” Dr. Orin said. “You’ve probably
seen videos where someone takes a bottle out of the freezer, pours the water
into a cup, and it freezes on the way out. Here. Watch.” He picked up a stone
with his thick glove, and tossed it in the lake.
It plopped through the surface, which rebounded and rippled
outward, but it froze in place as the ripple passed. Long crystal shard broke
through the surface until it reached the banks and the grad students gathered
there.
“But it’s one thing to happen in the controlled environment
of a freezer. How could it happen in nature?” Michelle said.
Dr. Orin smiled. “That’s why we’re here. Theories? Anyone?”
“Polar vortex,” Kyle said.
“We’re in Tennessee, Mr. Simpson. Anyone else?” Dr. Orin
said.
“A high-altitude microburst?” Claudia suggested.
“I like where you’re headed, Ms. Reyes, but the doppler
radar was clear last night.”
“What about seismic activity? Was this a frost quake?” Duncan
said.
“Explain,” Dr. Orin said, twirling one finger in encouragement.
“Frozen air is trapped in caverns deep underground until a
shift in the crust allows it to escape, flash-freezing everything above.”
“Excellent theory, Mr. Penning. Ten points. Can anyone
suggest a test for this theory?”
“Actually,” said a deep rumbling voice behind them. A frost-white
reptilian face, eight feet across, emerged from the fog. “That was just me
waking up.”
Massive wings beat away the fog as the ice dragon inhaled
deeply.
~~~~~~~~~~
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