Once upon a time, there was a miner named Max who lived in a small village in the mountains. Max was an expert at prospecting for gold. He spent his days exploring the hills and valleys in search of the precious metal.

One day, Max discovered a new mine that he was sure was full of gold. He worked hard to dig a deep shaft into the mountain and then began to explore the tunnels. He soon found what he was looking for - a rich vein of gold-bearing rock.

To extract the gold from the rock, Max set up a sluice. This was a long, narrow channel filled with water that flowed down a gentle slope. The rock was placed in the sluice, and the water washed away the dirt and gravel, leaving only the heavy gold behind.

But there was a problem. Gold is a heavy metal, but it is not the heaviest metal. Mercury is even heavier, and it was mixed in with the gold in the mine. Max had to find a way to separate the gold from the mercury.

He came up with an idea. Mercury is a liquid metal and it would sink to the bottom of the sluice. So, Max added a small amount of mercury to the sluice and watched as it flowed down the channel and settled at the bottom. He then added the gold-bearing rock to the sluice, and the water washed away the dirt and gravel, leaving only the gold behind.

Max was overjoyed. He had discovered a way to extract the gold from the rock and separate it from the mercury. He worked hard to extract as much gold as he could, and soon he became very wealthy. He used his wealth to help the people of the village and became a beloved and respected member of the community.

And so, Max the miner became known as the greatest prospector of them all, and his mine was remembered for generations as a place of wealth, discovery, and adventure.

Reflections

1. What is the main character's name and what does he do?
2. What does Max find in the mine and what is the problem with it?
3. How does Max solve the problem of separating the gold from the mercury?
4. What does Max do with his wealth from the mine?
5. What does the community think of Max after he became wealthy?
6. What did you learn from this story about prospecting and mining for gold?