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I had spent the morning walking along South Beach/Katama with my daughter, drawing in the sand and enjoying the solitude of the beach in May.  The waves are higher and more intense on the southern side of the Vineyard…but this day the surf was quiet. We were enjoying the peacefulness when out of the corner of my eye I spotted something lying in the sand.  As I approached I saw that it was a large stick, at least that was my first thought. Upon closer inspection I discovered that it was more like a walking stick… it was pretty solid and just the right height for one.

The top was rounded and well worn, the stick itself was dappled with knots. I wondered where it had come from ? Was it originally someone’s Christmas tree that had been brought to the beach to be recycled. Was it then discovered by a beachcomber and fashioned into a walking stick… if so then why was it lying alone in the sand. Had its owner washed out to sea, been abducted by aliens or perhaps the walking stick had magically walked away to seek adventures on its own.

Then again perhaps it had been fashioned for a pirate years ago and had just washed up on the sand after floating aimlessly in the ocean for a century or more. What tales could it tell of galleons filled with gold and jewels… of mutinies on the high seas… of long voyages to foreign shores.

I wonder what its story is, but alas inanimate objects are stubborn in giving up that information.