Once upon a time, Mitchell the molecule was sitting in a lake. He’d been there for a few days, and at this point, he wasn’t sure if he’d stay there for the rest of time or not, because for him, time passed slowly. He didn’t have many friends in the lake. None of the other molecules liked him. One day, Mitchell was suddenly feeling lightheaded and weightless, like he was floating. When he looked down, he was rising slowly above the surface of the water. He called for help, but because he had no friends, the other molecules ignored him and let him float ever higher. (Evaporation)

- - -


The next thing he knew, Mitchell was waking up to see crowding around him millions of other molecules. But they weren’t the molecules from the lake, no. They were different molecules, and for some odd reason, they seemed very excited. The instant they saw that Mitchell was awake, they called out to him to get ready, the drop was coming. He didn’t know what they meant, so he asked them what they were talking about. One of the molecules nearest to him told him that if it was his first time, to not be afraid.


“Afraid of what?” he asked worriedly.


“Just don’t worry,” the other molecule said. “It’s really fun.” (Condensation)


- - -


Before Mitchell could once again ask what the molecule was talking about, he felt a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. However, after a moment or two, he overcame his fear of falling, and smiled as the air rushed upwards past him and the millions of other molecules that were with him.


Then Mitchell hit the water with enough force to separate some of the other molecules from him. But miraculously, the molecule who had told him to not be afraid was still beside him.


“What was that?” Mitchell asked, curious.


“Oh, that was Rain,” the other molecule said naturally. “It’s an amusement park ride.” Mitchell frowned. “Which amusement park?” he asked.


“Precipitation,” the molecule answered. “It’s one of the only three I’ve ever been to.”


“What are the other two parks called?” Mitchell asked of the molecule beside him.


“The other two parks are called Evaporation and Condensation. But you have to go to each of them in a certain order, or they don’t let you in. I don’t know why. Just the rules, I guess. Evaporation is what brought you to Rain, which is in the Precipitation park. My name’s Melman, by the way.” (Precipitation)

- - -


When Mitchell turned back around, he noticed for the first time that he was in a large, flowing river. He was silent for a few moments as he allowed the easy waters to carry him downstream. After a little bit, he began to notice that the area around him looked familiar. “I think I know this place,” he said aloud.


“Really?” Melman asked. “How?”


“Because this is where I was before I rode Evaporation,” Mitchell answered, suddenly perking up when he recognized a few of the molecules around him; the molecules who had never liked him and never listened when he called for them. Mitchell looked over at Melman. “Since I’m back where I started, might I ask if we’re going to ride Evaporation, again?”

“We sure are,” Melman answered, “and boy, is it going to be exciting!”