Chapter 5: Undersea Castles in the Sky

“A kingdom to inherit? Well of course I want to see it. The palaces of Mermen? The architecture must be fabulous to behold!”

Sunken ruins exist all over the world but Merfolk never lived in sunken Atlantean fantasy palaces. Fifteen minutes is the longest Merfolk can hold their breath. They’re, er we’re air-breathing mammals, not fish. Gossamer towered crystal undersea cities exist only in imagination.

“Until a couple of centuries ago Merfolk existed in huge colonies in all the remote island groups of the world. The islands inhospitable due to a lack of freshwater made them ideal for the Mer. and not attractive to human settlers. Merfolk can tolerate a lot higher salt content than humans can but have less tolerance for soot and smog. With the industrial revolution and steam, freshwater was cheaply transported and even manufactured by distillation. The lack of natural freshwater resources no longer inhibited human settlement. Merfolk fled human industry which rapidly took over Mer towns.”

“Could Mermen breed with human women and what were their offspring like?”

‘Indeed they did. Unfortunately, the diluted dolphin genes didn’t prevail over human genetics, and when it marginally appeared the children were considered impaired. Mer genes show up among human populations today. Very affectionate people. It’s recognized as Down’s Syndrome though the cause is not recognized as latent Merfolk genetic code. In the appropriate culture, they could excel.”

“Could someone with Down’s Syndrome be repaired as a Merfolk?”

“By me? It’s possible. What’s on your mind?”

“A more suitable mate for me than Pip Squeak. She’s temporarily cute in a puppyish way, but she eats a lot. In a year or two, she’ll weigh five hundred pounds and she’s already sexually demanding.”

“Afraid of her?”

“Do you know where a five-hundred-pound gorilla sleeps?”

“Anywhere it wants to, I imagine.”

“Exactly. I prefer my wife doesn’t weigh five-hundred pounds.”

“I see your point. Your question is if your wife suffered from Down’s Syndrome, and her DNA was repaired, could the two of you produce fully functional Mer-kids? I don’t know. Searching the Internet, statistical evidence exists that women with Down’s Syndrome have a fifty percent chance of producing a child with Down’s Syndrome. In our perspective, that’s a hopeful opportunity.”

“Well, I think I would like to meet women with Down’s Syndrome.”

“Be careful you do nothing perceived as sexual predation, preying on the innocent and helpless.”

“That’s not my intention.”

“Isn’t it? Aren’t you seeking to create a harem of helpless women?”

“No, and I’m offended you said that. Forget it. Forget the whole damned idea. And, you can permanently forget reestablishing the Merfolk, too. I don’t need and won’t accept this kind of abuse. I don’t need you either. Go fuck yourself.”

“Overly sensitive, aren’t you?”

“My dignity and pride dictate that sensitivity. Without respect, no relationship can survive. You are not my type. I don’t like you. Take a hike. A long walk off a short pier.”

“Would I be your type if I were physical and physically attractive?”

“No, because your personality is a real BITCH! Pack up your conch, crawl back into your shell, get the fuck out of here and leave me alone.”