Friday, October 18, 2013

The Daleks of Sulphur Banks

“The smell of sulfur is strong, but not unpleasant to a sinner.”
Mark Twain, 1866



Denim: Wow, what a view!  The discolored rocks of Mount Kilauea remind me of Skaro after nuclear bombardment.
Pocket: Yes, that's the sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gases leaking up from the magma below the surface.  


Denim: Look at those gases rise!
Pocket: Yes, scientists monitor the gases periodically, as changes could signal an eruption.  They have to be careful though: the gases are hot and acidic enough to eat away rock, let alone human skin.


Denim: Can the gases damage our Dalekanium casings?
Pocket: They might not affect solid Dalekanium.  But I wouldn't want to risk our Dalekanium-based yarn.


Denim: In that case, I'll enjoy the view from here.  
Pocket: Try focusing your optical sensors on that yellow patch, there. Now magnify.
Denim: Wow!  I never thought I'd encounter the Crystalline Entity in Hawaii!


Pocket: We'd better leave.  Master looks like he's getting light-headed, and Mistress is wrinkling her nose.  
Denim: That could be the Crystalline Entity, attempting telepathic contact.
Pocket: No, our psychic sensors would have registered that. It probably has to do with the smell.
Denim: I don't understand.  As Twain wrote, my olfactory sensors record the strong smell, but don't register it as particularly unpleasant. What did he mean about "sinners," and how does that apply to us?


Pocket: I wouldn't worry about Twain.  He obviously didn't get Daleks.
Denim: A glaring fault in an otherwise great writer.
Pocket: Well, he was only human, after all.

Pocket & Denim Dalek

Related Internet Links
An expansive, photo-filled tour of the Sulphur Banks
Reasons to avoid the Crystalline Entity

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