The Earth Breathes

Polly woke to a smell like eggs. But there was no kitchen here. The smell came from hot pools in the ground. The blue water was far too hot to touch. Polly walked between the pools. Her round glasses misted in the steam.

In the middle stood a geyser. Every few minutes, the water jumped high into the sky. Why? Water goes down to hot rock. It turns into steam and shoots up. Polly flew up through the warm spray.

The people here use this heat. The hot water in their homes comes from the ground. Warm greenhouses grow tomatoes, even bananas, in this cold land.

In the evening, Polly found a warm stream. She floated on her back. She watched the first stars. The earth hummed softly.