Listen to voice over artist Tim George

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84.
Water

“Water traveled across the universe
in the form of comets
to arrive at a dry planet.”

WATER WAS THE GOOD SON—versus Mercury. Only Mercury had a higher surface tension after Water—ask Gerris remegis, the waterwalker, Jesus bug, chalked on the sides of painted caves—how else could he stand? Ask the jumpers who hit Water from tall bridges. Only a surface of Mercury could be harder.
  Bad son Mercury trumped again with the highest rate of conductivity after Water. But Mercury was death. If Ben Franklin flew his kite on a planet raining Mercury, there would be no legend. He would be zilch, not like a narrow lightening strike zilch, but by a thousand square mile zilch that was one giant ungrounded transformer.
  Zap. Tight stockings and all.
  Three times more abundant than all other substances on the planet, and highly mobile, Water traveled across the universe in the form of comets to arrive at a dry planet. It became a definer. It filled up plants and animals like a balloon man at a party making figures.
  And Mercury? He looked good, like some kind of comic book figure, all silvery and running about, but really what he did was make people sick. They would lay down asking for Water, filled with Mercury, before closing their eyes.
  Only Water was the good son.