Page 50 of Night Shift

"We," Tobi declared, practically vibrating with excitement, "are going to build a volcano! And then make it explode!"

"A volcano?" Yousuf's eyes went wide. "A real one?"

"Well, sort of." Tobi was already reaching for the Play-Doh. "We'll build it with this, and then use special ingredients to make it erupt. With lava and everything!"

Tyr couldn't help chuckling at the matching expressions of pure delight on both their faces. His ancient vampire brotherlooked every bit as thrilled as the six-year-old about their upcoming experiment.

"Can we make it big?" Yousuf asked, already reaching for the Play-Doh. "With lots of lava?"

"Oh, we're going to make it awesome," Tobi assured him, spreading out the plastic sheeting. "And wait till you see what happens when we add the glitter..."

Tyr strolled forward and picked up the printout from the counter. "Why don't I read the directions while you two artists handle the construction?"

"Yeah!" Yousuf bounced on his stool. "Can we make it really tall?"

"Hold up there, buddy." Tobi ruffled the boy's hair. "How about some milk first? Can't do proper science on an empty stomach."

While Tobi got Yousuf settled with his milk, Tyr grabbed two Cokes from the fridge. He popped the tabs, sliding one across to his brother.

"Okay, according to this..." Tyr held up the instructions. "First we need to build a base from the green Play-Doh."

Tobi and Yousuf dug into the containers, squishing the modeling compound between their fingers. Yousuf's tongue poked out in concentration as he helped Tobi flatten the clay into a circular base.

"Now what?" Tobi asked, hands covered in green.

"Start building up the sides." Tyr demonstrated with his hands. "Cone shape, but leave a deep well in the center for our 'magma chamber.'"

"Like this?" Yousuf pressed more of the colorful clay onto the sides, his small fingers carefully smoothing the surface.

"Perfect." Tyr nodded approvingly. "Make sure those walls are thick - they need to hold the liquid without collapsing."

They worked steadily, Tobi and Yousuf shaping the volcano while Tyr called out measurements from the instructions. The finished structure stood about a foot tall, with sturdy walls and a deep central chamber.

"Now we need to texture the outside," Tyr read. "Make it look more like real rock."

Yousuf's face brightened. "I know!" He slid off the stool and went to a kitchen drawer, and grabbed a fork. He clambered back up onto the stool, using the tines to scratch irregular patterns into the surface. "See? Like a real mountain!"

"You bet!" Tobi stepped back to admire their handiwork. "We've got a real Mount Vesuvius here."

"What's Mount Veh-suv-i-uhs?" Yousuf looked up from where he was still adding texture to the Play-Doh volcano.

"It's a famous volcano in Italy," Tyr explained, keeping his tone light. "A very long time ago, it erupted and covered a whole city called Pompeii."

"Really?" Yousuf's eyes widened. "What happened to the people?"

Tobi shot Tyr a quick glance before answering carefully. "They had time to leave the city. And now it's like a big museum - scientists found the whole city preserved under the volcanic ash, so we can see how people lived back then."

"Wow." Yousuf traced a finger along their creation. "Was that what made all the dinosaurs die?"

Tyr caught his brother's eye, seeing his own uncertainty reflected there. Despite their long existence, neither had actually been around for that particular event.

"You know what?" Tyr shrugged. "We're not really sure about that one. I think it might have been a different kind of disaster - maybe an asteroid hitting Earth?"

"Yeah," Tobi agreed, running a hand through his hair. "The dinosaur thing was way before our... uh, before anyone's time. Could have been volcanos, I guess."

Tyr glanced at the fossilized dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets still sitting on the counter, and a slow grin spread across his face. He snatched up the plate and brought it over.

"Hey, looks like my brother's cooking disaster might be useful after all." He held up one of the rock-hard nuggets. "What do you think? Perfect volcanic boulders, right?"