26 The Oxygen Golem

Once there was a man named Mendel. Mendel was a scientist who lived in a dirty, grim area called a ghetto. In the ghetto lived other people who were like him. They were made to live in this ghetto because of the culture and religion that they practiced. One day a mean, mean man came to terrorize the people of the ghetto. He called them names and threw rocks at them, he said mean things and tore their clothes.

After several weeks of tolerating the behavior of the mean man, Mendel decided he needed to do something. Mendel went to his home and searched his lab for anything that could help. Water could flood the mean man away, but it would drown his friends in the ghetto. Fire could chase the mean man away, but it would burn down his friends’ homes. Finally, he found just what he needed: a sample of oxygen and a clump of clay. The clay would form a strong body and the oxygen would allow for the creature to control fire without hurting anyone or catching anything on fire. Mendel molded the clay into the shape of a monster: just menacing enough to scare away the mean man, and he mixed the oxygen throughout the creature. Mendel began to chant and to pray, asking G-d to protect his friends and his ghetto and to chase the mean man away. Mendel chanted and prayed and prayed and chanted until finally, his creature was brought to life.

He brought his creature to the gates of the ghetto and waited for the mean man to appear. When the man finally appeared, Mendel led the creature to him. He explained that the man could either leave the ghetto alone, or he could face the wrath of the creature. The mean man didn’t listen, and didn’t leave, and instead laughed at Mendel. Hearing the mean man’s laugh, Mendel pointed the creature toward the mean man. The creature, infused with oxygen, was able to start a fire around the mean man. The mean man began to shout in fear, begging for the fire to stop. Mendel commanded the creature to stop and the mean man ran away, never bothering the ghetto again. From that day on, no one bothered the ghetto, out of fear of the oxygen golem.

Fun facts:

Oxygen is required to create fire but does not burn itself

Liquid oxygen is pale blue and magnetic

(https://www.littlehouseofscience.com/20_fascinating__fun_science_facts_oxygen#:~:text=Oxygen%20makes%20up%20around%2021,65%25%20of%20the%20body’s%20mass.)