Transcript: Making Rock Candy

ANTONIO: Bianca, I need your help.

BIANCA: Can’t you give me a break? I was up really late last night.

ANTONIO: Doing what?

BIANCA: Watching the amazing surreal newlywed marathon on TV.

ANTONIO: I don’t think a six-year-old should pour boiling water by himself.

BIANCA: What are you doing?

ANTONIO: Making rock candy.

BIANCA: What’s this?

ANTONIO: Sugar crystal seeds. I soaked the string in sugar water and let it dry for three days. Would you please pour this into that jar?

BIANCA: How much is in there?

ANTONIO: One cup of water. Now we mix in 2 cups of sugar.

BIANCA: What’s next?

ANTONIO: We put the string into the solution. The candy crystals will be ready in a week.

BIANCA: A week!

ANTONIO: A week is nothing. It took thousands of years to form these quartz crystals.

BIANCA: Wow. Your rock collection rocks!

ANTONIO: Thanks. But have you seen the one in the American museum of natural history?

BIANCA: No.

ANTONIO: It’s in the hall of gems and minerals. Wanna go?

BIANCA: But wouldn’t you rather stay here and watch tv?

ANTONIO: Don’t be a bad influence.

BIANCA: Okay, you win. Whoah. Oh! Quartz…like you have in your rock collection.

ANTONIO: Most quartz crystals have 6 flat sides that come to a point. Galena crystals are different.

BIANCA: You have one of those in your collection.

ANTONIO: They’re shaped like cubes.

BIANCA: You mean different types of crystals have different geometric shapes?

ANTONIO: Yup.

BIANCA: This looks like boxes glued together. More flat sides and straight edges. The white crystal has a side that looks like a triangle! Cool pattern!

ANTONIO: This is a flat side with a… broken edge

BIANCA: How do you know so much?

ANTONIO: I don’t watch TV. I read. It’s been a week. The candy’s ready.

BIANCA: All right! Lookin’ good enough to eat! You know, in the old days rock candy was used to make medicine.

ANTONIO: How do you know so much?

BIANCA: I read. You’re a good influence!