Bob and Sylvia hopped out of the car at their campsite in Charlestown, South Carolina and breathed in the crisp autumn air. They were only here for a few nights. Their children Indie and Joe were in the back fighting over who would get to set the tent up with their dad. After the tents were set up, the small happy family gathered around the fire for marshmallows and began swapping stories about headless horsemen, walking talking skeletons, and a haunted Halloween party. Then, it was Bob’s turn. Bob had a scary yet scientific story up his sleeve, one which he knew would terrify his kids and interest them at the same time. Bob held a flashlight under his face, smiling as he started.
“Alright kiddos, ready for a real ghost story?” His kids erupted in cheers, excited and putting on a brave face. It was dark and they could hear the owls hooting in the distance: a perfect time for his ghost story, the story of the great zombie apocalypse.
Grinning as he started, he cleared his throat. “In the year 1976 a boy named Brian was by his cabin in the woods, a beautiful cabin with cozy lights and a warm crackling fireplace. One day, while going to get wood for his fireplace, he was walking through the woods, oil lantern in hand illuminating his path, when he heard an alarm—the zombie alarm. This was a problem since he was outside, and if he turned, would be stuck outside carrying his lantern for the rest of eternity. Unfortunately, the zombies heard the alarm too, and in an instant, found Brian, forcing him to walk the woods with his little light floating in front of him for the rest of eternity.”
Indie screamed and Joe gasped, not just from the terrifying story but because, behind their dad’s head, a yellow floating orb appeared in the sky.
“IT’S BRIAN!” cried Indie, while Joe, trying to be brave, hugged his sister.
Bob grinned and shook his head. “No silly, it’s an earthquake light. It’s something that happens when tectonic stress creates a so-called piezoelectric effect, in which quartz-bearing rocks produce strong electric fields when compressed in a certain way. This electric field is then shown out as a brilliant light.”
Indie stopped screaming and looked up. “So, it’s not a zombie?”
This time it was Joe that jumped up: “It’s not! It’s something even better…SCIENCE!”
By Tvesha Patel ‘27, Science Editor
