"I'd be terrified, my people have many strange beliefs about water, that my nurse delighted in terrifying me with when I wouldn't behave. In some stories, beautiful white horses are seen, standing by the water and when they find a human being, they'll play with them, urge them to ride them, only your hands stick to it's skin. It drags you down into the water, where it reveals itself to be a monster, and rips the flesh from your bones." Shudder. She really, really disliked water. Bathing was fine, she even enjoyed that -- deep places? Even here? Just no.

"Admittedly, she told me that one less about water and more about my love of horse riding to stop me from running off to the stables but..." she shrugged. What nurses intended and what children learnt weren't always the same thing.