frequently suggested targets for the
Solar Death Ray. I had trouble figuring
out a way to do it, because a bag of
microwave popcorn would just catch
on fire and drop un-popped kernels on
the ground. Then someone suggested
an elegant solution: Jiffy Pop! The
Jiffy Pop came with a black base and
fit easily on the target holder; it was
meant to be! A small stream of smoke
quickly leaked from the top of the pan,
and after a while there was a sizzling
sound. Everyone but me thought we
should shake the Jiffy Pop, and I
finally agreed. Shaking the Jiffy Pop
means shaking the entire Solar Death
Ray, which is why I hesitated.
However, shaking proved to be
critical, and soon we could here
popcorn poppin'! After Jiffy Pop's
trademark dome had deployed, we
shut down the death ray and
examined the popcorn. It was a bit
overdone, no doubt due to being
heated in an unconventional
orientation by an unconventional heat
source. Race tasted some. The
popcorn, which had been forged in the
glow of the sun's fusion energy, didn't
give Race superpowers as we had
hoped. It did bestow a burnt
aftertaste, however, so we all
considered this a huge success.
