wrong with it? It’s just cold water, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is cold water but it’s not
normal
cold water,’ Dr Trifle replied. ‘It’s a new kind of water that I invented.’
‘You invented a new kind of water?’
‘I did. Pour some into your glass. I’ll show you something.’
Mrs Trifle poured some of the water into a glass.
‘Now, just leave it for a moment to let it warm up.’
After a couple of minutes, Dr Trifle said, ‘Now turn the glass upside-down.’
‘But it’ll go all over the floor,’ Mrs Trifle protested.
‘No it won’t.’
Mrs Trifle slowly turned the glass upside-down but the water stayed in the bottom.
‘It’s gone all hard — like ice,’ she said.
‘It’s Nice,’ Dr Trifle said proudly.
‘Well, yes, it’s very nice but — ‘
‘No, no,’ Dr Trifle interrupted. ‘It’s
Nice
with a capital N. It’s short for
not ice.
Nice. Get it? That’s my name for it. It freezes when it warms up instead of freezing when it gets cold. What you have in that glass is a Nice block.’
‘A Nice block? How did you discover this Nice?’
‘Sort of by accident. I was heating some water to make a cup of tea. Then I changed my mind. It was too hot to drink tea. I thought, why not make some iced tea? That started me thinking about what would happen if you heated and cooled water at the same time.’
‘It did?’
‘Yes. So I put the water-heater thingy in the freezer and, well, somehow it changed normal water into Nice water. When I poured it into my tea cup, it warmed up and froze solid.’
‘I never did understand about water freezing,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘At school they told us that water was made of little bits like soldiers running around everywhere. When you made it really cold, the soldiers lined up in rows and then they all held hands like one solid block.’
‘Soldiers? Holding hands?’ Dr Trifle said. ‘I’ll have to think about that.’
Suddenly the Nice fell from Mrs Trifle’s upside-down glass and smashed on the floor.
‘Oops!’ Mrs Trifle said.
Dr Trifle put the jug of Nice water back in the fridge.
‘Hmm, that’s strange,’ he said. ‘I could have sworn there was more than this. I wonder what happened to the rest of it.’
‘Oh no!’ Selby thought as his tongue suddenly struck something hard in his bowl. ‘I’ve just been drinking it! I filled my bowl from that jug in the fridge!’
Selby struggled around the room, getting slower and slower. He could barely lift his paws or move his legs.
‘I’ve got to keep moving!’ he screamed in his brain.
(All of which brings us back to where we were at the beginning.)
‘I think he must have drunk some of the Nice water,’ Dr Trifle said, touching the hard water in Selby’s bowl.
‘Did you give it to him?’
‘No. At least, I don’t think I did.’
‘But you must have. He couldn’t have got the jug out of the fridge all by himself, poured some in his bowl and then put it back. Call the vet! Quick!’
Minutes later, the vet arrived.
‘What’s that?’ he exclaimed, pointing to Selby.
‘That’s Selby, our darling, wonderful dog. He’s gone all … all solid. It’s too complicated to explain. Can you unstiffen him?’
The man listened to Selby’s chest. ‘I think he’s gone.’
‘What do you mean, gone?’ Selby thought. ‘I’m right here!’
‘What do you mean, gone?’ Mrs Trifle asked.
‘We vets have a special word for it. The word is
dead.
I’m terribly sorry,’ the man said, looking at his watch, ‘Oops, I’ve got another appointment.’
‘No! No! No!’ Mrs Trifle cried. ‘Oh, Selby, my dearest, darling dog!’
‘We love you, Selby,’ wailed Dr Trifle. ‘You can’t be dead!’
‘I’m not dead!’ Selby thought. ‘Okay, so I can’t move but I’m not dead!’
‘What are we going to do?’ Mrs Trifle cried. ‘He was the most darling dog you could ever imagine.’
‘I was and I am,’ Selby thought.
‘He was just so lovable,’ Dr Trifle
‘Yes, it is cold water but it’s not
normal
cold water,’ Dr Trifle replied. ‘It’s a new kind of water that I invented.’
‘You invented a new kind of water?’
‘I did. Pour some into your glass. I’ll show you something.’
Mrs Trifle poured some of the water into a glass.
‘Now, just leave it for a moment to let it warm up.’
After a couple of minutes, Dr Trifle said, ‘Now turn the glass upside-down.’
‘But it’ll go all over the floor,’ Mrs Trifle protested.
‘No it won’t.’
Mrs Trifle slowly turned the glass upside-down but the water stayed in the bottom.
‘It’s gone all hard — like ice,’ she said.
‘It’s Nice,’ Dr Trifle said proudly.
‘Well, yes, it’s very nice but — ‘
‘No, no,’ Dr Trifle interrupted. ‘It’s
Nice
with a capital N. It’s short for
not ice.
Nice. Get it? That’s my name for it. It freezes when it warms up instead of freezing when it gets cold. What you have in that glass is a Nice block.’
‘A Nice block? How did you discover this Nice?’
‘Sort of by accident. I was heating some water to make a cup of tea. Then I changed my mind. It was too hot to drink tea. I thought, why not make some iced tea? That started me thinking about what would happen if you heated and cooled water at the same time.’
‘It did?’
‘Yes. So I put the water-heater thingy in the freezer and, well, somehow it changed normal water into Nice water. When I poured it into my tea cup, it warmed up and froze solid.’
‘I never did understand about water freezing,’ Mrs Trifle said. ‘At school they told us that water was made of little bits like soldiers running around everywhere. When you made it really cold, the soldiers lined up in rows and then they all held hands like one solid block.’
‘Soldiers? Holding hands?’ Dr Trifle said. ‘I’ll have to think about that.’
Suddenly the Nice fell from Mrs Trifle’s upside-down glass and smashed on the floor.
‘Oops!’ Mrs Trifle said.
Dr Trifle put the jug of Nice water back in the fridge.
‘Hmm, that’s strange,’ he said. ‘I could have sworn there was more than this. I wonder what happened to the rest of it.’
‘Oh no!’ Selby thought as his tongue suddenly struck something hard in his bowl. ‘I’ve just been drinking it! I filled my bowl from that jug in the fridge!’
Selby struggled around the room, getting slower and slower. He could barely lift his paws or move his legs.
‘I’ve got to keep moving!’ he screamed in his brain.
(All of which brings us back to where we were at the beginning.)
‘I think he must have drunk some of the Nice water,’ Dr Trifle said, touching the hard water in Selby’s bowl.
‘Did you give it to him?’
‘No. At least, I don’t think I did.’
‘But you must have. He couldn’t have got the jug out of the fridge all by himself, poured some in his bowl and then put it back. Call the vet! Quick!’
Minutes later, the vet arrived.
‘What’s that?’ he exclaimed, pointing to Selby.
‘That’s Selby, our darling, wonderful dog. He’s gone all … all solid. It’s too complicated to explain. Can you unstiffen him?’
The man listened to Selby’s chest. ‘I think he’s gone.’
‘What do you mean, gone?’ Selby thought. ‘I’m right here!’
‘What do you mean, gone?’ Mrs Trifle asked.
‘We vets have a special word for it. The word is
dead.
I’m terribly sorry,’ the man said, looking at his watch, ‘Oops, I’ve got another appointment.’
‘No! No! No!’ Mrs Trifle cried. ‘Oh, Selby, my dearest, darling dog!’
‘We love you, Selby,’ wailed Dr Trifle. ‘You can’t be dead!’
‘I’m not dead!’ Selby thought. ‘Okay, so I can’t move but I’m not dead!’
‘What are we going to do?’ Mrs Trifle cried. ‘He was the most darling dog you could ever imagine.’
‘I was and I am,’ Selby thought.
‘He was just so lovable,’ Dr Trifle
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