The Great Shuffle!
Stage 1: Prophase
First, Nicky the Nucleus called over the Chromosomes, who carried the instructions for the entire city. “Line up, everyone! We need to get organized before the big split.”
The Chromosomes, who were usually long and stringy, curled up into tight little X shapes so they wouldn’t get lost. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Membrane, the wall around Nicky the Nucleus, slowly disappeared so everyone could move freely.
Stage 2: Metaphase – The Lineup
Now, the Spindle Fibers, long ropes made by the Centrosome Twins, stretched across the city like bridges.
“Everybody in the middle!” shouted Cindy the Centrosome. The Chromosomes marched into a straight line, standing tall in the center of the city.
“Perfect!” Nicky cheered. “Now, for the big pull!”
Stage 3: Anaphase – The Tug-of-War
With a loud PULL!, the Spindle Fibers grabbed onto the Chromosomes and pulled them apart, splitting each X shape in half.
“Whoaaa!” the Chromosomes yelled as they zipped to opposite sides of the city. Now, each side had a full set of instructions—one for each new cell!
Stage 4: Telophase – The Big Build
The workers rushed to rebuild the Nuclear Membrane around each set of Chromosomes, creating two new nuclei—one on each side of the city. The Spindle Fibers disappeared, their job complete.
Cindy the Centrosome dusted off her hands. “All done! But… we still need to finish the split!”
The Grand Finale: Cytokinesis!
The final step began! The Cell Membrane started to pinch in the middle, like a balloon being squeezed.
SQUEEEEZE… POP!
Suddenly, one big cell had become two smaller, identical cells!
The Organelles cheered. They had done it! Mitosis was complete!
Nicky the Nucleus smiled. “Great work, everyone! Now, each of these new cells will grow, and when they’re ready, they’ll split too! That’s how life keeps going!”
And so, the two brand-new cells got to work, keeping Celltopia running smoothly… until it was time for mitosis to happen all over again!