On the planet Aquarius, there lived a harmonious race of ocean-swimming people. War, famine, and disease never descended upon the astronomical anomaly. The celestial body was blessed with a magnificently varied environment with many different micro-ecosystems.

The like-minded race of people were constantly attired in swimwear as they rarely strayed far from water. Their lifestyles were entirely oriented around the water. Their mindset were always focused on swims and adventures between islands, across channels, and along shorelines.

The race was divided into myriad groups: The Athletes, The Rescuers, The Boatmen, The Helpers, The Plotters, and The Administrators. But from a very young age, the Aquarians were taught by the Wise Elders to fulfill each role of their social hierarchy.

Support, cooperation and inter-changeability were the goals of making the Aquarian society work seamlessly and efficiently. Swim, kayak, paddle, observe, navigate, pilot, feed, or rescue, the typical Aquarian could do it all. From young to old, able and disabled, everyone pulled their own weight. No one shirked from their responsibilities whether they were in school, an Aquarian-in-training, or in the workforce. Whether they were on the day shift, night shift or swing shift, a call to duty was not seen as obligatory, but an opportunity.

All education was disseminated through pods where the Aquarian youngsters learned from their elders. At the same time, the youngsters were encouraged to swim further, faster and in more difficult conditions that previous generations. Failure was only judged when the young ones did not try. They were taught to continuously evolve and improve, and to share their newly-found knowledge or experiences.

And each individual was taught the Unspoken Truth. The Unspoken Truth was instilled at every avenue of society and every aspect of life on Aquarius: that there were few benefits of venturing to the dryer, non-watered hinterlands. The non-watered Outback was not necessarily taboo, but rather something that did not have any priority in Aquarian life.

The only exceptions were when the Aquarians turned the age of 16. At their Age Of Becoming Ceremony, each Aquarian was given a test based on their proven abilities and true potential as defined by The Seer. Tests ranged from short swims in cold to adventure swims in high surf. Some tests were long swims across channels while others were situated across lagoonds or fjords. But distance was always not the prime parameter of potential. Some 16-year-olds in line to become a Rescuer were given tests in kayaks and paddle boards. Others with a propensity for marine navigation, were given trials of endurance aimed at Boatman. Everyone was different and everyone was celebrated.

But the most hardy 16-year-olds were given the option of traveling to high-altitude lakes in a few isolated alpine villages in the mountain ranges far away from shore. There, the selected few underwent a rigorous ritual known as The Exposure.

The details of The Exposure were not unveiled in writing as are all the other ocean activities of the Aquarians. Over the millennia, the Aquarians were careful to describe their activities in Observer Logs that required at least one other Aquarian to witness their every arm stroke in the water. The Aquarians carefully documented every kilometer swum with reams of data on water and weather conditions. Every swim, every swimmer,and every workout were monitored and described for record-keeping purposes and education of future generations.

But the details of The Exposure were the exception. These details were instead passed along in oral tradition from generation to generation. The Exposure was a test of the mind and body where the teenager was expected to go far beyond their comfort zone. For some, it required a swim in cold water. For others, it was a trial of distance or time where speed was essential. For some it was a swim in abody of water teeming with stinging, squiggly, slimy marine life. Everyone was pushed passed the point of being uncomfortable.

In the north, the people were known to have a thicker skin and propensity to swim year-round in all kinds of conditions. The clans of the north were spread throughout the five major land masses – Icelandia, Oceania, Canadia, Siberia and Scandavia. In the south, the people were known to swim in exceedingly warm temperatures with less of an acclimatization to the cold.

And there was one group of individuals who regularly crossed borders. A nomadic tribe of the most skilled and beautiful Aquarians moved from land mass to land mass. Extroverted and genuinely jovial, these tribe members were females who were capable of swims under every extreme condition. These women were known as the Mariners. They smiled sweetly on land, but they were tough as abalone shells in the water.

The next chapter: Introduction of the Mariners.

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source