More from Juna Lee Poinfax

Water People are diverse. Just like any cultural, racial, religious, or -- in this case -- species eccentric group, we don't all sing off the same song sheet. So you have your purists, your anarchists, your outcasts, and your middle-of-the-streamers. Depending on which mer-person you're talking to, you'll get a different version of our ancient history and ideas about who and what and why we are who and what we are. Just as the garden-variety Bible thumpers insist that every word of Genesis is true, true, true--meaning God put the world together in six days then took Sunday off for a nap and a Knicks game on TV, some Water People insist that we come from a dolled-up version of some ancient Atlantis, back in the misty mists of time, when we ruled the world.

It's an elaborate and charming version of Creation, our own little watery Genesis tale, complete with finned gods and goddesses and lowly ordinary humans -- aka Landers -- serving as slaves. I'll be posting some excerpts from Lilith Bonavendier's writings on the Creation subject. Lilith is only seventy years old--in her prime, by our standards of longevity. She doesn't opine as to whether she believes the mythology or not. My great aunt is an objective and scholarly babe.

I'm not sure I believe we Water People are anything other than an extraordinary but scientifically explainable improvement on ordinary human beings. I mean, if life began in the oceans it makes sense that some life, even of the human variety, might naturally have stayed on a more watery course over the epochs.

I suppose you're wishing I'd be a little more specific about our extraordinary features, hmmm? All right, well, here's a short list, but bear in mind that we are diverse, as I said, not to mention we have a weakness for diddling our human cousins, with halfling babies as the result, so some Water People's traits have been, ahem, a little watered down. In general, though, you'll find these talents among the run-of-the-mill-stream mer folk:

• Lean and gorgeous good looks 
• Very long hair that tends to grow six inches per day (this is true for both men and women) 
• Ability to see very well under water, aided by a highly developed sonar talent 
• Ability to remain under water for long periods of time, up to several hours in rare cases 
• Incredible swimming ability (I mean, that's a given, right?) 
• Beautifully webbed toes 
• Psychic abilities, including a "singing" type of thing among ourselves, plus a fair amount of mind control over you ordinary Landers 
• Dolphins love us. (We tend to attract affection from most other water species, as well. Which is one reason you'll rarely catch a Mer person touring the local aquarium. It draws too much attention when all the fish crowd up at the front of the displays to look at us.) 

Besides, you don't believe a word I'm telling you, do you? You have very little ability to believe your kind isn't the bestest with the mostest, and no way will you admit that some of the mysteries that go bump in the night (or in our case, splash in the water) might be real. But there's a whole different world out there beyond your safe little shores. Hang in there with me, sweeties, and I'll tell you about it. Now, one, two three. . .let's float! 

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