From: perryl@walt.cs.msstate.edu (Lynellen Perry)
Subject: From the Personnel Files of Jareth McKenzie Enterprises
Date: 24 Nov 1994 04:23:22 GMT

Comments requested.  Copyright 1994 Lynellen D.S.P. Smith

--peril
perryl@cs.msstate.edu
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	Soft flesh smoothly puffed over the structure of the young man.  A 
gold band was held in place on the ring finger of his left hand.  I wondered 
what she was like. 

	The corp suit he wore had very faint pin stripes.  White shirt of 
course.  Hair neat but slightly longer than was attractive for his face, 
which was boyish.  Right handed, with a child's messy printing.

	Four eight ounce glasses of water in about 20 minutes.  He was a fish.  
A guppy, for he sucked air as he took a sip.  An audible suck.  More like a 
slurp .  I could see a fat orange guppy trailing feathery fins in a round 
glass bowl, sticking its lips to the water's surface to kiss at the air.  
Slurp slurp slurp.  Actually, only one slurp. Then set the heavy glass glass 
down with a thud and return that hand to underneath the other arm to resume 
the arms-crossed, detached-from-life attitude pose.

	No, a whale.  The slurp had not been the end of the audible drinking 
session. The pitcher was lifted and tilted above the empty glass.  Ice 
rushed forward in the stream to clink against the restraining lip.  Water 
fell six inches to splash in the glass like pee falling in the bowl.  Then 
the pitcher was returned to its host plate.  With a clunk and ding as its 
bottom hit the rim before sliding its way into the valley of the 
dish.  Five glasses.  Make that five glasses in 23 minutes.

	A whale, I was saying.  Not one of those whales with teeth that 
shreds its victim, but the huge, more gentle kind that strains its life 
out of the life that remains in its bristles after it swallows a huge gulp 
of the sea.  Swish. Gurgles, squeeks.  Swish.  His cheeks puffed slightly as 
the water was stored there.  Swish.  He forced the water through the spaces 
between his teeth to reside in the small area between his gums and lips.  
Swish, swish he cleaned his teeth with this self powered water jet.

	Six glasses.  This was unreal.  In less than 35 minutes, he was 
approaching the amount of water some people drink in a day.  Finally he 
noisely forced the water down his throat and breathed sharply through his 
nose.  Six seconds had elapsed since he last put down the glass, so he 
reached out to start the process over.  On and on.  It got old quickly, but
he was more entertaining than the meeting droning on around us.  

So, was she a cold fish or a mermaid?