Our childhoods were filled with stories of mystical artifacts that, once discovered, unlocked a world of adventure for the protagonists and their friends.
From what I can tell, no object quite like that has been discovered on Earth (yet), so instead this list is filled with objects that look like they could do that. It’s as close as we can get!
RELATED STORIES
“My coral skull has finally reached full coverage.”
This thing would absolutely whisper a curse to a pirate who was searching for some forbidden treasure.
“I found these flower-like mushrooms in the woods.”
Identified as Berkeley’s polypore mushrooms, these look prime for fairy homes and witch cottages alike.
“A trailer I was loading had a small hole in it, resulting in a ‘camera obscura’ where an image of the street was projected upside down onto the opposite wall.”
Once that picture starts playing around you and fast-forwarding through time, you know you’ve entered some surreal, possibly prophetic dream sequence.
“This is the sky after [I] just got out of my school.”
There’s no way this isn’t the album cover for some dream-pop band’s debut record.
“My budgie is molting and one of its feathers changes color in the light.”
Your budgie must be as pretty as a snowflake then! Really, though, the iridescence of bird feathers is amazing sometimes. So pretty!
“Entrance to a furniture store my dad and stepmom checked out today.”
This feels magical in a campy way, y’know? Like you’ll walk in and all the furniture will be singing and dancing.
“Knife I made from an old used rasp.”
That neat triangle pattern just screams enchanted assassin’s blade, but the handle says kitchen knife.
“The clothes on my bedroom wall look like an evil spirit.”
‘Evil spirit’ is the nice way of putting it. ‘Grim reaper’, while more sinister, is also more accurate.
“My buddy caught an albino catfish yesterday. One in a million chance.”
It looks almost golden! If fish could talk, I think he’d have some wisdom to impart, some sort of local fish deity.
“My dad showed me this tonight. He got it from a guy he worked at a power plant with who [whittled] it from a single piece of wood.”
This one is pretty magical in the sense that it’s super impressive. With that level of care and detail, plus it being a gift, it’s gotta be a good luck charm!
“My blue eyed doll’s eyes turned pink after being left in the attic for 7 years.”
Now, this one is magic in the evil sense. It did get possessed and it will haunt your home. Just a heads up.
“Freak lemon from my garden.”
Also magic in the evil sense, but more of a ‘failed spell, will now come alive and start crawling across the floor’ vibe.
“The entrance of a new house being built in my city (Belfast, N. Ireland).”
“If through this gate you wish to pass-“
“-Listen close, and listen fast!”
“To further on your journey be-“
“-You must answer our riddles three!”
“I survived a very rare form of bone cancer (Osteosarcoma) and this piece of metal (titanium) was literally inside me in 2001. My surgeon gifted it to me with the blueprint when he replaced it.”
Now for an example of real, modern magic! It really is incredible that things like this are possible, and definitely harkens to the metal skeletons seen in so many sci-fi futures.
“My vintage glassware under a blacklight.”
This gives me very ‘straight to TV Halloween haunted house movie for kids.’ Full of practical effects and bad, but charming, acting.
“This striped Gala apple.”
Remember the everlasting gobstopper that was supposed to taste like multiple courses? Imagine that, but smaller. An apple that contains every apple flavor within it!
“This lava lamp that looks like someone is pointing up.”
Dude, your lava lamp is talking to you. You should probably listen.
“This rock I found has a shell inside it and it’s been worn away to a flat spiral in appearance.”
This is definitely some sort of runic stone that you need to put on a pedestal to open a hidden door in the forest. Or it’s just a neat rock, who knows?
“[Little] grease stain on a receipt at work, looks like a friendly ghost waving hello!!”
Seems you’re haunted, but that’s okay, because this ghost is so nice and cute!
“Just finished up a handful of wooden rings using dyed maple skateboard veneer.”
And let me guess, the blue one gives you ice powers, the red one gives you fire powers, etcetera? Wait, they don’t? Oh. They look like they would.
