Florian the Mole awoke to something peculiar. His underground tunnel, usually cool and smelling of earth, was different this morning. A gentle warmth radiated from below. "Strange," he mumbled to himself and touched the packed earth with his paw. It was pleasantly warm, almost like a duvet heated by the sun.
He burrowed his way to the surface, where his best friend, Nibbles the field mouse, was already waiting for him. She was nibbling on a blade of grass and shifting restlessly from paw to paw. "Florian! Did you feel that? The whole ground is trembling! Just a tiny bit, like when old Mr. Badger snores, but it's trembling!" she squeaked nervously.
Florian wrinkled his nose. "I felt warmth, actually. My bedroom is suddenly like a heated oven." They stood side by side and were quiet for a moment. And it was true. The ground beneath their paws trembled lightly again, thump-thump, and at the same time, it was warmer than usual.
"What could it be?" whispered Nibbles, her whiskers quivering with curiosity. "Could a giant bear have settled down beneath us and is now rolling from side to side?" "I don't think so," Florian mused. "Bears don't sleep that deep underground. And why would he be giving off heat?"
They were at a loss. And when little explorers are at a loss, they go to someone wiser. Their choice was clear—old Barnaby the Badger, who lived in the deepest burrow under the old oak tree and knew the answer to almost everything.
They found him cleaning his glasses with a piece of soft moss. "Good day, Mr. Badger," they greeted him in unison. "Well, well, look what the wind blew in," the Badger smiled. "You look as if you've either just solved the world's greatest mystery, or you've just found one." "We've just found one!" Nibbles blurted out. "The ground is shaking and it's warm!" "And my bedroom is hot!" added Florian.
Barnaby the Badger put on his glasses inquisitively and stroked his grey beard. "Hmm, trembling and warmth, you say? It sounds as if our Earth has a great secret beneath its surface. Do you want to uncover it?" "Yes!" they both cried with excitement. "Excellent. But I won't just tell you about it. I'll show you! With my help, we'll build our own model of the Earth," said the Badger, leading them into his large pantry, full of all sorts of supplies.
"First, we need the core. That's the very centre of our planet, solid and hot. What would be suitable for that?" he asked. Florian looked around and spotted a small, round hazelnut. "This one!" "A perfect choice," the Badger praised him. He placed the hazelnut in the middle of a large plate. "Now for something very important. Around the core is a thick, hot layer of liquid rock. It's called the mantle, and molten magma floats within it. It's like a thick, fiery soup. What can we use to represent it?"
Nibbles immediately pointed to an open jar of homemade strawberry jam. It was thick, red, and sticky. "This! It looks just like a hot soup!" "A splendid idea, Nibbles!" Barnaby carefully scooped up some jam with a spoon and spread it evenly around the hazelnut. "And now for the most important part. The surface we walk on. We call it the Earth's crust. It's solid, but compared to the whole Earth, it's as thin as an eggshell. And it's broken into pieces."
Florian thought for a moment. Then he saw a large, thin pancake on a shelf, which the Badger had saved for a snack. "How about this pancake? It's thin and we can even break it!" "Brilliant!" cheered the Badger. He carefully placed the pancake on top of the layer of jam. He pressed it down a little, and it cracked in one spot, creating a small fissure.
"And now, watch what happens," said Barnaby mysteriously. "Florian, imagine you are the immense pressure deep within the Earth. Gently push your finger up on the pancake from below, right under that crack." With great care, Florian slipped his paw under the plate and gently pushed upwards on the spot where the pancake was torn.
Something amazing happened. The red jam, representing the hot magma, began to push its way out through the crack. It slowly flowed onto the surface of the pancake, creating a small red mound. "Wow! Look!" squeaked Nibbles. "The magma got out!" "Exactly," Barnaby nodded. "And when magma reaches the surface, we no longer call it magma. From now on, it's lava. And the mound it creates is called a volcano. What you are feeling, Florian and Nibbles, is exactly this. Deep beneath us, pressure has built up, and hot magma is finding its way out. That's why the ground is warm and sometimes trembles."
Just then, a deep rumble echoed from outside. It wasn't thunder from the sky, however. The sound was coming from the ground. All three of them cautiously peeked out of the burrow. The hill on the other side of the meadow, which had always been just an ordinary green hill, had changed. A column of grey smoke was rising from its peak. "That's... that's a volcano!" whispered Florian in awe. He wasn't scared anymore. Thanks to Barnaby's pancake, he knew exactly what was happening.
"Yes," said Barnaby, watching the event with respect. "Our Earth just needs to... take a little breath. It's releasing steam and heat from its depths. Look!" From the top of the hill, a stream of glowing, orange lava began to slowly pour out. It didn't flow quickly; rather, it lazily slid down the slope. From a safe distance, it looked like a beautiful spectacle.
"So it's not an evil giant or an angry bear," said Nibbles quietly. "It's just our Earth playing by its own rules." "Precisely," smiled the Badger. "And today, you have discovered those rules. You've learned that even when something looks frightening, it can be explained. You just have to be curious and not afraid to ask questions."
The little friends sat for a long time, watching the lava slowly cool and darken. They learned new words: magma, lava, volcano, and Earth's crust. And most importantly, they understood that the Earth is like a giant, living being full of surprises. And that even the biggest mystery can be understood if you try to draw it or build it. For instance, with the help of a pancake and some strawberry jam.
"What do you think, children, what other secrets are hidden deep beneath our feet?" asked Barnaby as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. But Florian and Nibbles were already imagining how they would build a model of a river or a rainbow next time. That day had ignited a spark in them, a spark that was almost as hot as the magma itself. The spark of curiosity.