My favorite keepsake from our visit to Yellowstone is this great lunk of a key that I found on the ground in our campsite outside of West Yellowstone. I literally stumbled over it, and then began the process of making sure it was truly an orphan so I could keep it. Since our camp was really a big circle of family member’s camps, I wasn’t surprised at the responses I got. First the person would look at the key, and their hand would reach for it as they said, “Wow, what is that?” or some variation on that.

I kept a firm grip on the key and asked if it went to something of theirs. At this point they’d wrack their brains to come up with something the key could possibly fit–one sister suggested it went to the trunk of her car–but as they weren’t very convincing, I resisted all attempts to claim it, and brought it home.

 

It doesn’t look like much, and it’s made of something soft. Maybe pewter? It’s also not in a terribly modern or practical cut.

And it clearly doesn’t open anyone’s car trunk.

I think the appeal must be in the mystery, and in it’s individually crafted look. What lock could this key possibly open? The possibilites feel endless, and the weak metal in the key actually extends its list of candidate locks by reason that such an unsubstantial key might have an unsubstantial lock.

A time capsule, a magician’s horde of dragon thefts, the success of the next revolution? Take your pick, or make up one of your own–but remember, I’m keeping the key!