“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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