Where Is Dew From? 

Source of pictures: pixabay.com

Daniel almost never got up so early. Robert's Grandpa next door took him to the park for a morning jog. Following his back, Daniel watched the sun slowly rises over the lake, marveling at the morning air. After having run around the lake three times, Daniel fell behind. He stood by the lake, enjoying the sunrise. Something shining on the lawn not far away caught his eyes, and he walked up and found it was the dew that sparkled on the grass leaves. He bent down and touched it, and felt chilly. Who was going to water them so early? Was it because the grass sucked too much water and spit on the leaves? Daniel was wondering, but just as Robert's grandpa ran up to him. He trotted after grandpa and asked, "What is shining on the grass, grandpa?" Grandpa looked back at the lawn and smiled to say, "It must be dew in this early morning." Daniel continued to ask, "Where did it come from? Who would water the grass so early?"

Robert's Grandpa slowed down and ran side by side with Daniel, saying, "It's natural. Nobody is watering it. It's the condensation of steam in the air, just as you can see a white mass when you breathe."

Daniel found that he could make "clouds". He exhaled and a "cloud" appeared. He wondered why he had not seen dew on the grass before.

"In winter, when it's cold at night, steam in the air condenses on some surfaces, such as grass, leaves, spider webs, and forms dewdrops. When it's warmer in summer, the steam doesn't condense, so there are no dewdrops. Dew usually comes in spring and winter when the temperature is lower at night. Do you know the three states of water?" Robert's Grandpa asked suddenly.

"What are they?" Daniel asked, puzzled.

"Gas, liquid, and solid states. The liquid water we drink, the solid ice and the gaseous steam in the air can transform into each other under certain conditions. When you boil water, for example, you heat up liquid water to gaseous water."

"And when you take ice out of the fridge, it will melt and become liquid," Daniel added.

Robert's Grandpa nodded and said, "That's the magic of water. Ice turns into water and water turns into air. All matters can exist in these three states. It is just that water changes at special temperatures. Normally, it freezes at 0 ℃ and boils at 100 ℃."

Along with the rising of the sun, Daniel had run so much that his back was soaked in sweat. Robert's Grandpa walked him back slowly in case he should catch cold.

When Daniel got home, breakfast was ready. His stomach was crying for the potato rolls on the table. Mom told him to take a bath and change into dry clothes before eating. After taking a hot bath, Daniel noticed that the bathroom mirror was a blur. He put out his hand and wiped it. It was covered with mist. He looked down and thought, could this be condensation of steam? He turned back to open the shower spray and the steaming water came down. Daniel watched the white mist condensed again in front of his freshly wiped, cold mirror, which was again a blur. He figured it out and ran happily to the table, hungry enough to eat two rolls.

Author: Huang Jing