The Blue Light

Standing on my tiptoes, I shoved my hand further down into the moist, wood chips, until my whole arm was down in this hole. My right ear and cheek were tight up against the trunk, bits of bark flaking off and lodging in my hair. Then...I felt something! It was solid, yet felt soft and supple on the outside. I pulled my arm out fast in disbelief, not quite sure as what to make of it. I thought, Sweet Jesus, what could that have been? It wasn't the dead, rotting carcass of a critter long since passed on. I would have smelled it, and the feel of the shape of bones would have been indistinguishable. I poured over the possibilities as to what this once was, once belonged to or once inhabited this damp dwelling. Thoughts raced through my mind, butterflies danced in my stomach, curiosity now running rampant, like a leaf in a dust storm. I decided to have another feel. Sticking my arm in, once again feeling the cool, damp and fine wood shavings of what was once a solid trunk, vibrant with life. Penetrating deeper, standing on my tip toes to get a good grip under this inanimate object. I had it! Slowly pulling my arm out, occasionally catching my shirt on the outer edge of the trunk, being careful not to rip it. The object, now in plain view, had a covering that seemed to be an animals hide. Something was wrapped in it, corners folded over, sort of like one of those giant burritos one gets from a little taqueria. Brushing off the tree fragments, its color was a dark brown, very soft to the touch, like the feel of luxurious suede. Being about twelve inches in length, three inches wide and about an inch thick, it couldn't have weighed more than a pound. Yet it felt very sturdy in my hands, very comfortable in fact. I don't know why it did, it just did. The longer I held this unknown object in my hands, studying it intently, the more the realization came to me...it was vibrating. Now that my mind was centered on this sensation, I could really feel it. It sent pulses shooting up my arms, through my shoulders, seeming to aim straight at my heart. I couldn't let go. I got the feeling that it didn't want me to let go either. I had to know what was on the inside. I took a step back, from what I'm not sure. I began to gently unwrap the- what I drew my conclusion to be- buckskin hide. I unfolded each flap as gently as a professional jeweler unfolds his soft, cotton cloth, exposing the finest of stones. A diamond perhaps. Perfectly cut clear, shiny, flawless even to the trained eye while looking through a magnifying glass. As each flap of skin was lifted off, the treasure that I was eagerly awaiting for was starting to appear. Staring down, sun shining bright through the tree tops, casting their shadows one onto the other, pulsating sensations now shooting through my hands stronger than before. It resembled a large babies rattle. Only it was far from being such. I examined carefully trying to figure out as to what materials this was created out of. There was a long handle, looking to be of some sort of deer antler. It was polished to a reflective type of shine. Smooth, yet had small little bumps that were especially down at the end. The top forked open and this handle formed a capital letter Y. Two feathers, of what species of bird I am uncertain, were tied with strands of buckskin, one each to each side of the fork.