//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Maud and Cheese // by rhony //------------------------------// For a pony that had not slept a wink the previous night, Maud was surprisingly awake. In fact, she was buzzing with an energy she had never felt before. Probably Cheese’s fault, she thought to herself as she took her seat in her Classification of Rocks class. I bet his hyperactivity is contagious. Cheese had been good for his word. He had spent the entire night with her, first at the library and then in the common room of the dormitory. Now all she could do was face down the test and hope his scheme had worked. The professor passed out the exam papers, face down, as Maud chewed on the end of her pencil. Five… four… three… two… one… “You may begin.” The first section of the exam was a plain and simple rock identification. Her professor had created three dimensional pictures of the rocks using some type of magic and posted them at the front of the room. Tapping on the picture on her paper caused the picture to appear closer to her. If she didn’t need to concentrate on the exam, she would have spent some time marveling at the ingenuity of the spell. Maud stared at the first picture… the rock had grains that were obvious. Was it granite? Before panic overtook her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes… ….and in her mind she was back with cheese. Cheese was playing a popular song on the accordion in the corner of the library, and other than a disapproving librarian, no one else was there. But he had changed the words of the song… One part of me knows the word is overused One part wants simplicity And if I am confused, I am confused But in my textbook You offer definitions will not take these things for granite “Come on, Maud, your turn!” Cheese called out cheerfully after the first verse. “Cheese, this doesn’t help me remember anything that is going to be on the exam!” Maud had been frustrated. “That’s not the whole song! But it is the beginning and helps the rest make sense… c’mon Maud, what could it hurt?” A few minutes later Maud had to admit it was easier remembering the lyrics than she thought it would be, probably because she already knew the original song. Cheese went on to the next verse… It’s true granite is a rock with grains that show With a hardness more than marble But that doesn’t mean, schist’s the same thing Igneous it’s not, It’s metamorphic! “Okay, that verse might actually be helpful,” said Maud, although she still looked dubious. I'm noticing Gabbro is much darker Basalt is fine-grained Diorite has less quartz I will not take these things for granite Anymore… …Basalt, Maud thought to herself, and put the answer down on the exam. One down, nine to go. Every time Maud looked at another rock, she saw Cheese. Cheese, dancing in time with the music, teaching her another verse of some ridiculous parody. Cheese, sitting across from her, patiently reviewing the words with her. Cheese, playing the chords for the song on the accordion until she could sing the song through without his help. Finally she was on the last rock… and the last song… How many names can you have for one rock That’s sedimentary? Chemically formed and flaky to boot, Its luster is waxy Sometimes is used for starting a fire, And sometimes it’s just pretty… The answer my friend, Is Jasper, Flint, or Chert…. The answer is Jasper, Flint or Chert! In this case, it’s flint. She wrote down the answer with satisfaction. Part one was done. But that was the easy half of the test. The second half was essays, and for those she had to know the origins of all the different kinds of rocks. She had already known the basic way that igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks were created before she got to Baltimare. But in graduate school, much more detail was required. “Everyone is sick of this song. I’m sick of this song. I don’t know if I can stand to sing it.” Maud knew she was being difficult, and she knew she wasn’t being fair. Cheese was doing everything he could to help. But “Let it go” had been the only song anyone had been singing for weeks. If she had to listen to one more pre-pubescent pony belting that song out…. “This is a whole new set of words!” “Okay….” Maud was not convinced. But he had already taught her several song parodies that had all been, in the end, catchy and informative. “Let’s hear it.” Cheese picked up his accordion with a dramatic flourish, and begin playing. Maud did her best not to cringe as he began. The moon glowed white on a primeval night But the swamp was lush and green Plants they lived and plants they died Then sank and were unseen No oxygen to break them down in that water with no tide No light or life, only time to bide… Hmm… this is actually much better than the original, Maud thought to herself. Then sediments were washed into That swamp and a rocky layer grew Over time, the weight it took its toll Plants became coal… “Why are you doing this, really?” Maud interrupted, starting intently at Cheese. “Because this song is just so perfect for the story of coal!” “No, I mean, why are you helping me?” Cheese swallowed and suddenly looked a bit shy. Staring at the floor, he said, “I’m just helping out a friend.” “A friend?” “I’m hoping so.” Maud tilted her head. “I’ve never had a friend do something this nice for me.” Cheese was definitely blushing under his orange fur, but at least he looked back up at her. “No biggie, I make up silly songs ALL the time. Takes me no time at all!” “Still,” Maud said, “I feel like I’ll owe you a big favor if I manage to do well on this exam. I’m not sure I like being in debt like that.” “Umm, maybe you could do me a favor after the exam is over, and then we’ll be even,” Cheese suggested. Maud raised her eyebrows. “How painful will this be?” “Not painful, I hope.” Cheese took a deep breath. “Have dinner with me.” For several moments neither pony spoke. Then Maud said, quietly, “Cheese, you are being really nice to me, helping me out like this, but all I seem to do is study. I don’t really have time…” “Just one dinner. Surely you have to eat?” Maud debated with herself. She had thought Cheese might like her… like that. But she wasn’t sure how she felt about him. In truth, she had forgiven him for the cheese incident a long time ago, and assumed he was long gone when she didn’t see him after the ball. She had been… a bit disappointed, but mostly relieved at the time. Now that he was back, being so helpful to her, how could she say no? Finally, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, one dinner.” Cheese slowly smiled. Then he jumped up and down. “YEAH! She said yes!” He then began to dance around the room, which left Maud feeling like she was in the presence of an orange version of her sister after a sugar binge. “Um, Cheese?” Cheese stopped his dancing long enough to look over. “I have to do well on the exam first.” “Oh, yeah,” Cheese responded, looking a bit bashful. “Back to learning songs!” Maud finished her essay on the origins of coal and looked up at the clock. One more essay, fifteen more minutes. I can do this. The she read the second essay question. Describe the origin of marble and at least three of its uses, being sure to explain how and why marble is used in each case. Maud racked her brain. Had she studied about the uses of marble? Trying to swallow down the lump in her throat, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. But she couldn’t… there was Cheese, with his accordion, looking at her with a smirk. She wanted to slap him! He hadn’t taught her any songs about… Wait a second… Marble, marble Palaces that reach so high Marble, marble, marble Monuments that touch the sky You know for building it's so great Crushed it’s used for aggregate - Ya Marble, marble You don't need to foliate You see, limestone is the answer Heat and pressure is its fate You know once that stone is baked then it’s marble, that’s the way… Acid it will neutralize Calcium it supplies Soil it will fertilize… That’s what marble’s done What marble’s done Ya, what marble’s done Ah, what marble’s done Maud put down her pencil just at the professor called time. Her hoof was shaking a bit, and suddenly she felt very, very tired. But she had done it… she was very sure she had passed, and pretty sure she had done well. Now, all she wanted to do was sleep. Ten minutes later, Maud was ensconced in her dormitory room, and snoring.