AN EXPECTED GENIUS — DMITRI MENDELEEV
Valeri Sevilla, Bryan Collegiate High School
Papers covered the floor like non-permanent tiles, all containing scrambled notes of what would seem like nothingness to most. Piles of books, stacked and scattered all about, some still laid opened. Some may say this office belonged to a madman, one who misplaced his mind among the mess, one who lost sight of reality in exchange for what could not be. On the other hand, others might exclaim that greatness was at work, as if the Russian Beethoven had come back to life to create a 10th symphony and needed the mess to remind himself of what he once was, but this man was no Beethoven. This man was not the epitome of greatness, nor the image of a genius.
Dmitri Mendeleev sat in his office, pretending to become frustrated by the loudness of the children and the crying of the baby. Pretending, due to his frustration not originating from their loudness, but because of his own incompetence. Incompetence which prevented him from solving this riddle that had haunted him at all hours, day and night, like a ghost after death. “Control the children, Anna!” He yelled to his wife, part of him felt guilty for screaming at her. Maybe his brain became too exhausted from the lack of sleep, or the lack of eating, or the accumulated stress. The man looked as if a piece of his mind had been stolen, but how can a part of his mind be stolen when he felt like it knew and processed more than ever before? But even though that may be true, he should be a madman not to understand what they meant, but a fool if he recognized it.
His mother, a strong, hardworking woman, always with a smile on her, that assured them that even if the world went up in flames, she would make sure they would never burn. Even after his father went blind, she never stopped smiling, but now it carried a different meaning. Her smile became the glue that held them all together, which promised that she’ll carry them all on her fragile shoulders. She worked tirelessly to fill the roles of a mother, father, and caregiver. Even after father died, her smile stayed but the light from her eyes faded. She worked like a machine, the heart of the glass factory, beating and beating. At nights, they could hear her sobbing quietly, but they pretended not to, not for their sakes but for her’s.
A year passed, and tragedy came back, like an old friend who held a grudge and needed to settle the score. The factory went up in flames, burning down not only the factory itself but their spirits as well. He didn’t look at his mother then, afraid of what he might see in her face. Pain? Sadness? He did not want to know. The next day, they woke up to their mother shaking them lightly, something odd in her eyes made him fear for what the day would to bring. “Pack your things boys, just what you need.” Her voice contained a slight edge to it, hiding something.
As he added things to his makeshift bag, he felt something heavy overcome him. He slowly walked outside, his steps felt heavy, his home felt empty. His mother stood next to a horse, items already loaded, ready to abandon their past. From that day, he swore her efforts would not be in vain. “Dmitri!” Anna yelled at Dmitri, clearly irritated from his unresponsive state. She came closer to him and looked him straight in the eyes. “I know you can do it, and she knew too.” With that, she walked out of the office to go attend to the children.
He stood up and walked towards the living room, where the children played a game which involved them rearranging cards. He gave a sly smile to them, regretting not being able to be as involved in their lives as he wanted to. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms slip around him, filling his heart with temporary relief. He turned around and saw his wife standing there, her presence itself reminding him not to live in the past.
“Time for bed kids,” her voice held a sort of pain, for she dreaded the emptiness of her bed. Even when he laid beside her, his mind and soul were elsewhere. He sat in bed, feeling his body having an internal battle with his heart. Nothing made sense to him anymore. He was giving up his life for something he knew could never be done. Suddenly, he felt a surge of rage overcome him, rage that originated from his incompetence. He grabbed a nearby vase and threw it to wall, along with his sanity. He heard a muffled cry from the doorway. His wife stood there mid-tears. Then, the realization hit him like a gust of wind. He ran back into his office and wrote down all 63 elements along with their properties onto cards. He was stuck on the atomic mass when he suddenly remembered Stanislao Cannizzaro, who made accurate measurements of the elements.
Bibliography
“Dmitri lvanovich Mendeleyev.” Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 5, Gale, 2000. Science in Context, kidd.blinn.edu:2048/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2643411780/SCIC?u=txshracd2489&x d=5649d185. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.
“Dmitry lvanovich Mendeleev.” World of Chemistry, Gale, 2006. Science in Context, kidd.blinn.edu:2048/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc /K2432100276/SCIC?u=txshracd2489&xid=00cb?fb. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.
Dmitry lvanovich Mendeleev.” World of Scientific Discovery, Gale, 2006. Science in Context, kidd.blinn.edu:2048/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K SCIC?u=txs 1648000454/hracd2489&xid=030eee39. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.
“Dmitry Mendeleev.” Scientists: Their Lives and Works, UXL, 2006. Science in Context, kidd. blinn.edu:2048/login ?url=http://link.ga1egroup .com/apps/doc/K264150014 7 IS CIC?u=txshracd2489&xid=fb226225. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.
“Dmitry Mendeleev.” World of Earth Science, edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, Gale, 2006. Science in Context, kidd.blinn.edu:2048/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2641910082/SCIC?u=txshracd2489&xi d=61356b5a. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018.
