Layton Drownout 2020

Have a Gneiss Day!

Summary: Professor Layton takes Luke to visit the geology section at the museum and makes him regret ever being born.

"Whoa!" Luke sighed in wonder as he stared at the immense skeleton hanging from the ceiling. "Professor, that thing is huge!"

"Indeed it is, my boy," Hershel replied, smiling at the fossilised sauropod. "Can you even imagine how much larger it must have been in life?"

"Are you joking?!" Luke danced around in circles, staring straight up at the ribcage overhead. "How could this thing possibly get bigger?"

Hershel pressed a finger to his lips.

"Please don't shout, Luke," he chided. "This is a museum, after all."

Luke slapped his hands over his mouth.

"Sorry, Professor!" he whispered.

Hershel laughed quietly to himself and patted his young apprentice on the head.

"It's sweet that you're so excited," he reassured him. "Now, I believe you needed to see the geology department, did you not?"

"Yes, that's it," said Luke. "And don't worry, I've got my notebook right here!" He proudly held the book and his pen aloft.

"Remember to take as many notes as you possibly can," Hershel reminded him. "I shall be testing you to make sure you're focused on what you need to be doing. Your father will never forgive me if I become responsible for you failing your class."

"I understand!" Luke bounced happily up the stairs. "Come on, let's go!"

"Please control your volume, Luke!"

"Sorry!"

Hershel couldn't help but smile again as he climbed the stairs after his excitable friend, who froze with another gasp of sheer amazement as soon as he reached the top step.

"Professor!" he whispered hoarsely. "Professor, look!"

He grinned from ear to ear and pointed ahead of him as Hershel reached the top of the stairs and saw what had him so awestruck.

A massive open geode stood as the room's sparkling centrepiece. It stood twice Hershel's height, hat included, like a gigantic gaping maw into sparkling purple infinity. Luke scampered over to it and stopped behind the velvet rope surrounding it, hand already outstretched before Hershel caught up to him to tap on his shoulder and point out the sign thanking visitors for not touching the exhibits. At that, Luke smiled nervously and withdrew his hand.

Hershel couldn't blame him for his excitement. An appreciation for geology tended to come hand-in-hand with his line of work, and this gigantic display of amethyst was definitely a thing of beauty.

He looked around the room, smiling at the sight. The space was expansive, making sure the geode would be centre of attention, but dimly lit so that the shelves of rock samples lining the walls would be properly illuminated and all the more eye-catching. As he heard Luke scribbling furiously in his notebook, Hershel took their surroundings in: display case upon display case, the arrangement system of the displays difficult to discern from this distance, and even with the overhead lighting being so dim, he could see the stones sparkling like glitter and jewellery.

Perhaps, he supposed to himself, because so many of these stones were used in jewellery.

"This is amazing!" Luke whispered. "The stones are so dark, it looks like space!"