They came here, as they did everywhere, in search of rushing water. An amphibian race, they were as at home in river or sea as they were on the land. The wooden houses that they built for themselves were just places to sleep when they tired of swimming.

Most of all, they loved waterfalls. The enervating effect of being at the foot of one was one of the greatest thrills they knew. Still waters might run deep but they held very little excitement.

This world had many waterfalls. It was soon apparent that they weren’t all natural. Some must have been built by the previous occupants, now long since vanished.

Like all extinct species, there were traces of their presence left behind. The riverbanks were clogged with decomposing metal cans and plastic bags. Still, for all that they must have been a messy people, these humans had made beautiful weirs.

Damian Mark Whittle