Here There Be

"That is not possible," her brother insisted, shaking his head.

"Don't be ridiculous, George," Amelie said. "You're looking at it right now."

"That is- that is beside the point. The point is that it's not possible and- obviously something is- wrong... planted... a prank..." he trailed off. Amelie rolled her eyes.

"You're the one that gave it to me, which means that if it's planted, you're the one who planted it. And if that's the case, then please tell me why you'd do such a thing when I obviously never planned on my stupid cat knocking it off the shelf with enough force to crack it open."

"I didn't! I wouldn't even begin to know how... but... the fact remains... impossible!" he spluttered. "You just don't find fossils in igneous rock! You just- you don't."

"You're the geologist," she shrugged, and turned her attention back to the large hunk of obsidian (well, at this point, two medium-sized chunks of obsidian) sitting on her desk. Her brother had given it to her a few years back as a souvenir from his post-dissertation trip to Fiji, and she had always loved it's glassy, swirling facets. "But allow me, the humble outdoors guide, to point out that I am pretty darn sure that thing there," the poked her finger at a curved edge, duller than the surrounding glass it protruded from, "is a fossil. Or, rather, a fossilized egg. Does that get it's own category?"

George made a strangled noise, then managed to find his voice.

"No, Mellie, you don't understand. That right there?" He gestured towards the obsidian. "That was formed when lava cooled. Lava. As in, molten rock from the earth's core. Do you know what can survive being covered in lava?"

"Not much, I'd imagine."

"Not anything!"

"And yet..." she tapped the egg. George threw up his hands.

"Look, that thing- okay, I will grant you that it does look like a fossilized egg. But obviously I just made a mistake about the obsidian- it must be... something... some sort of sedimentary rock I've never encountered..."

"That just so happens to look exactly like obsidian?"

"Argh! I told you it is impossible!" Amelie patted her older brother's curls affectionately and turned her attention back to the impossible egg.

"I bet I know what could survive being covered in lava."

"What?" he snapped.

"A dragon's egg."

The noise he made in response to that defied description.



(Author's note: today's snippet inspired by a hike to the old abandoned quarry at Ruffner Mountain; specifically to a conversation that sprung up between myself, my husband, and my brother-in-law as a result of my extreme Gifted-ness at locating fossils. Perfectly normal fossils of tiny sea creature shells, located in perfectly predictable sedimentary rock... but still...)