Pretend that you are a carbon atom. Write a short story (around two paragraphs) that describes your journey through the carbon cycle. Be creative!

Answer:

I started my journey drifting through the sky as a molecule of carbon dioxide. Suddenly, I was pulled into the leaf of a lush green fern through the process of photosynthesis, where I was transformed into a glucose molecule. My time as a plant part was short-lived, however, because a wandering deer decided to snack on the fern. Through consumption, I became part of the deer's body, but I didn't stay long. The deer used me for energy during cellular respiration, and I was exhaled back into the atmosphere to float once again. Years later, I was absorbed by a different plant that eventually died and was buried under layers of swampy sediment. Since I was trapped without much oxygen, decomposition happened very slowly over millions of years until the pressure of the earth turned me into fossil fuels. I remained deep underground until humans extracted the oil and burned it in an engine. Now, I am back in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, ready to begin my adventure through the carbon cycle all over again.