"--actually," said Doctor Singer, "Maybe I should just show you."
From his pocket, Doctor Singer pulled a shiny red apple and looked around the room for an appropriate location with plenty of room.
"Watch this!" he said, placing the apple on the titled floor and, from the vial, pulling the tiniest amount into an eyedropper.
"Step back," he warned Tom, who, a little mystified, did just that.
Carefully, Doctor Singer let the smallest drop of the red liquid fall on the apple. As soon as it made contact with the fruit, the liquid vanished, immediately absorbed into the red skin. Dr. Singer took a step back and motioned for Tom to watch closely.
And then it began -- very slowly at first, the apple began to swell, growing larger and larger in perfect proportion. Soon it was double it's originally and then double that. And double that. A worried look crossed Singer's face as the apple started to rival his own height, bumping into a table and making a terrible screech as it's growth pushed the legs across the floor.
"Oh dear," said the doctor as the growth finally stopped, "This is far more concentrated than I had intended. I'll have to dillute the formulas."
"Formulas? Plural?" said Tom with astonishment.
"Oh my yes!" said the doctor, "The red will make things larger and the green will make them smaller again. This is the end of world hunger!"
Tom was suitably impressed, but he couldn't help wanting to play around with the formula himself. The possibilities seemed incredible.
"I'm going home to work out a way to change the formula," said the doctor, "I will see you tomorrow bright and early. And don't forget to lock up."
Tom nodded and, a moment later, he was all alone.
