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Scientists report they have

found remains of toy people

on Flores Island

and the journalists add

they were pea brains

that hunted miniature elephants

which scientist Peter Brown 

said would make nice pets.

 

It was variably reported

that they were too stupid

to talk, or could talk

which was amazing because

they were so stupid.

 

Either they were just smart

enough to build a boat

after they talked about it

or light enough to swim

a long way, and mercifully

the lack of language prevented

them from complaining

about the weather, weariness and sharks.

 

 

They were all wiped out

by a volcano 15,000 years ago

but it might be that the last died

only 500 years ago.

 

 

 

 

Island stories say

in old times food was left out

for the little People

and they ate everything

including the gourds.

 

But maybe they took

the gourds and after some discussion

used them to build a better boat

to travel a place where the Big People

weren’t so patronizing, or at least

could get the story straight.

 

* Homo floresiensis

 Originally published in Fishing in the Devonian (Puncher & Wattman, 2008)