Brendan Buckley's Sixth-Grade Experiment by Sundee T. Frazier

atmosphere than coal.
    But what about human waste? Wasn’t that a renewable resource, as well? And as William could demonstrate, a superabundant one at that!
    I turned to Oscar. “Can I get on the Internet?”
    â€œSure.” We went back to his room. Oscar pushed the pile of magic-trick paraphernalia from his chair and plucked off the dirty underwear hanging over the back. “Here you go.”
    I removed the soccer shirt covering the computer screen, opened his web browser, and typed in “poop and energy.”
    â€œPoop and
energy
?” Khal said. I didn’t have to turn around to know he was making a disgusted face.
    One million two hundred thirty thousand results came back. I was definitely on to something.
    â€œI think I’ve got an idea for the science contest,” I said.
    Khal crossed his arms. “You think I’m going to be your partner if you’re messing around with poop? Forget that!”
    â€œWhat kind of an experiment would you do on poop?” Oscar asked.
    â€œMore importantly,
why
would you do an experiment on poop?” Khal asked.
    I scanned the list for science fair ideas, ignoring Khal. “I don’t know exactly, but I know burning cow dung creates energy. What about other forms of waste? What about
human
waste? There’s got to be some kind of experiment in that.”
    â€œUh-uh,” Khal said. “No one’s going to catch
me
making energy logs out of doo-doo.”
    I read some of the article titles out loud. “Listen to this: ‘Poop Power: Sewage Turned into Electricity.’ … ‘Pet Poop: The Energy of Tomorrow?’ ” I pointed to the screen. “Look, this one’s on a website called Poop Report.com!”
    We all laughed at that. Even Khal.
    There was one article called “The Biogas Machine: Turning Poop (Yes, Poop) into Energy.” I clicked on it.
    I read about a “biodigester”—a way to trap methane from manure and use it as fuel. There was even a YouTube video showing a guy cooking hash browns over a flame created with the methane from his digester. “Check that out!” I said. “Come on, Khal. We could make one of those digester things. It’d be so cool.”
    â€œIt’d be so
nasty
, is what it’d be. My stepmom made me empty Dori’s diaper pail once. I thought I was going to puke! My nostrils were
traumatized
, man.”
    â€œHow old is Dori now? Four?” I said. “Get over it already!”
    â€œBaby poop
is
pretty gross,” Oscar said.
    â€œI thought we agreed,” I said. “Partners, no matter what.”
    â€œI didn’t know you were going to be grilling food over poop.”
    â€œYou don’t grill it over the poop. The poop just provides the gas to make the flame over which you
could
grill food if you wanted to.”
    â€œWhatever. Maybe if I was playing a joke on my sister, but not for homework. No way. Do you realize the kinds of names we’d get called?” Khal picked up Oscar’s football and spun it in the air. “Now I know where they get the
mad
in
mad scientist
.”
    I could tell the conversation was closed as far as Khal was concerned, but I was no less determined to pursue my idea.
    â€œHow about you, Oscar?” I looked at my other friend.
    â€œYou want to join me in some serious scientific research that could help save the planet?”
    â€œUh …” Oscar glanced at Khal. “I was kind of thinking about doing something with Pop Rocks.”
    â€œYour choice. But this is going to be
good
. I can feel it.” I stuffed my wet clothes into my backpack. “I’ll see you guys later. I’ve got a proposal to write.”
    Log Entry—Thursday, September 13
    Went to my first official rock club meeting as a member tonight. Morgan showed off her amethyst-tinged crystal cluster. She asked what I’m proposing for the science competition.