"In a town called Shorzha
On the shores of Sevan Lake
A body washed ashore"
The old man could still picture it in his mind
His gaze turning inward
His body young again
Wearing blue coveralls
Emblazoned with the United Nations seal
Above the left breast
"I was a member of an investigative team
That was sent to find out what was going on
Because this was no ordinary body"
Grandfather grabbed the poker from the rack suddenly
Coiling his tentacle around it
And whacking at the burning logs
Breaking the hot charcoal surface open
Exposing more of the interior wood to burn
"This man had gills
And webbed feet and hands
He no longer had teeth
Just kind of two bony plates
One on top
One on the bottom"
I sat up from my slouch
Almost spilling my still half full cup
"Just like the mermen in the Great Lakes!"
I exclaimed
Grandfather nodded
His mouth pursed into a half frown
"Yes, just like them
At the time we thought perhaps this man was simply a deformity
Perhaps brought on by radiation exposure
As it was known that this man's parents
Had been living in the Chernobyl area
When that disaster had occurred"
He idly rolled the poker around in his grip
"Except this man
Vladimir Kudin was his name
And he was perfectly normal
At least up until two years before his body was found
We spoke to people who knew him
And saw photographs as well"
I drained my cup
Waiting for the kicker
Grandfather had told this story before
But the remembering is in the telling
Turning his mismatched eyes to lock with mine
He intoned ominously
"Vladimir Kudin was the first transformatively mutated human
And he had drowned trying to escape"
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