BooksBarbecue
Back Merfolk Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Title Page
  4. Prologue
  5. Part 1
  6. Chapter 1
  7. Chapter 2
  8. Chapter 3
  9. Chapter 4
  10. Chapter 5
  11. Chapter 6
  12. Part 2
  13. Chapter 7
  14. Chapter 8
  15. Chapter 9
  16. Chapter 10
  17. Chapter 11
  18. Chapter 12
  19. Chapter 13
  20. Part 3
  21. Chapter 14
  22. Chapter 15
  23. Chapter 16
  24. Chapter 17
  25. Chapter 18
  26. Chapter 19
  27. Chapter 20
  28. Chapter 21
  29. Chapter 22
  30. Chapter 23
  31. Chapter 24
  32. Chapter 25
  33. Part 4
  34. Chapter 26
  35. Chapter 27
  36. Chapter 28
  37. Chapter 29
  38. Chapter 30
  39. Chapter 31
  40. Chapter 32
  41. Chapter 33
  42. Chapter 34
  43. Chapter 35
  44. Chapter 36
  45. Chapter 37
  46. Chapter 38
  47. Chapter 39
  48. Chapter 40
  49. Chapter 41
  50. Chapter 42
  51. Chapter 43
  52. Chapter 44
  53. Chapter 45
  54. Epilogue

“They might consider human flesh to be a delicacy,” Rad said.

“I highly doubt that,” Marty told her, puffing on his pipe. “The two merfolk skulls featured sagittal crests. You typically find these in animals with strong jaws and powerful bites because the ridge of bone serves as a point of attachment for the temporalis muscle, which is one of the main muscles used for chewing. Dogs and cats and numerous other carnivores have sagittal crests.”

“So merfolk are carnivores? Great. Shouldn’t that deter you from swimming into their home?”

“I didn’t say they were carnivores, Rad. Primates are the exception to the rule. Many species of early humans had sagittal crests, and they weren’t meat-eaters. Their diet consisted of leaves and grasses. Sagittal crests allowed for the prolonged chewing of tough and fibrous vegetation with less muscle fatigue. The crests only began to disappear during the time of Homo erectus, which was the earliest human relative to control fire. With fire, Homo erectus began to cook their food, allowing for a more varied diet and a higher consumption of meat. Merfolk, being aquatic creatures, clearly never mastered fire, which leads me to believe they’ve retained a plant-based diet similar to early, pre-fire hominins.”

“You’re saying you think merfolk are vegetarians?”

“I’m saying it’s reasonable to assume their diet consists mostly of kelp and seaweed. In other words, they’re not underwater savages that would find human flesh to be a delicacy.” Marty shrugged, tiring of defending a decision that was preordained. “Look, everyone. Either merfolk live beneath Demon Island or they don’t. Either they’re friendly or they’re not. The only way to know for certain is to investigate. Is there a risk involved in that? Certainly. But in the words of a philosopher I respect, ‘Never was anything great achieved without danger.’ Now enough of this. My mind is made up. Tomorrow I’m going to explore the submerged sections of the lava tubes. If anyone would like to accompany me to the cavern with the paintings, you’re more than welcome to do so.”

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

ELSA