I was a mermaid in a previous life. A bad one, I suspect, because of the landlocked nature of my current life and a yearning for the sea that never ends. Now, I am an old mermaid wondering about what we know, what we think we know, and the vast universe of what we don't know. It's comforting to realize we still have more questions than answers. It's less comforting to realize we tend to keep to a single path as we seek answers. Maybe that is the lure of science fiction and fantasy-- the myriad pathways available to the reader, the watcher and, best of all, the writer.