Seven Tears Into the Sea
Phantom Stallion Series
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Friday, July 22, 2005
The Things You'll Take With You
Dear Readers,
In book 22 of the Phantom series, you'll meet a cultural anthropologist named Dr. Mora O'Malley. She's in northern Nevada to study a legendary horse when she notices Samantha Forster's horsehair bracelet and comments on it as an artifact.
Now, the dictionary defines artifacts as any objects made, modified or used by people. We think of anthropologists finding artifacts and making guesses about civilizations, but we don't always wonder what those objects meant to the people who touched them.
What if a white shell customized to make a horn was found on a faraway island? Was it sounded to gather people together? Who blew it? An old man or a young woman? Was Shell-Keeper an honor handed down from mother to daughter? Did she wind flowers in her hair before summoning her tribe? And for what? A wedding? A war? An announcement that would change their lives?
When I visit museums, these are the kinds of questions I ask the tools, toys and jewelry in their glass cases. Since so many of you like "what-if" ing, you might enjoy doing it, too.
Which artifacts do I want archeologists to find near my bones hundreds of years from now? I don't know, but I don't think it's creepy (after all, we're talking so far in the future, no one who knew me would be around). They might find my dog's leash, my wedding ring, a small scrap of leather from one of my kids' art projects, a sharp, yellow pencil or a shard of very old perfume bottle I dug up in my garden which still smells faintly of lavender. And what conclusions would they draw about me?
It's fun and kind of revealing to play this game with friends. I remember one wanted archeologists to know her faith by her necklace with a little gold cross on it. One friend wants to be found gripping his hand-held telescope. Sad to say, a certain teacher said she'd be satisfied to be found with a plastic Walmart bag, and no, she wasn't a very good teacher!
I'm pretty sure Sam would love for her skeletal wrist to still be wearing a bracelet of silvery horsehair from her beloved Phantom. That would tell researchers everything they needed to know about her life and her heart.
Off to work on book 23,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:47 AM
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The Things You'll Take With You
Dear Readers,
In book 22 of the Phantom series, you'll meet a cultural anthropologist named Dr. Mora O'Malley. She's in northern Nevada to study a legendary horse when she notices Samantha Forster's horsehair bracelet and comments on it as an artifact.
Now, the dictionary defines artifacts as any objects made, modified or used by people. We think of anthropologists finding artifacts and making guesses about civilizations, but we don't always wonder what those objects meant to the people who touched them.
What if a white shell customized to make a horn was found on a faraway island? Was it sounded to gather people together? Who blew it? An old man or a young woman? Was Shell-Keeper an honor handed down from mother to daughter? Did she wind flowers in her hair before summoning her tribe? And for what? A wedding? A war? An announcement that would change their lives?
When I visit museums, these are the kinds of questions I ask the tools, toys and jewelry in their glass cases. Since so many of you like "what-if" ing, you might enjoy doing it, too.
Which artifacts do I want archeologists to find near my bones hundreds of years from now? I don't know, but I don't think it's creepy (after all, we're talking so far in the future, no one who knew me would be around). They might find my dog's leash, my wedding ring, a small scrap of leather from one of my kids' art projects, a sharp, yellow pencil or a shard of very old perfume bottle I dug up in my garden which still smells faintly of lavender. And what conclusions would they draw about me?
It's fun and kind of revealing to play this game with friends. I remember one wanted archeologists to know her faith by her necklace with a little gold cross on it. One friend wants to be found gripping his hand-held telescope. Sad to say, a certain teacher said she'd be satisfied to be found with a plastic Walmart bag, and no, she wasn't a very good teacher!
I'm pretty sure Sam would love for her skeletal wrist to still be wearing a bracelet of silvery horsehair from her beloved Phantom. That would tell researchers everything they needed to know about her life and her heart.
Off to work on book 23,
Terri
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 10:47 AM
Comments: Post a Comment