The smooth ivory shaft slid through his fingers, stealing their warmth. Its surface gleamed starkly in the flicker of the fire.

Behind closed eyes he felt the velvet long gone from the object he held, once soft and yielding, yet strong. He heard the sounds of joy echo from the past, a past where the now brittle form functioned, how it bounded and jumped. With its twin it became mobile fun, a vehicle of any sane adult’s pride.

“Jack, it’s not an animal, is it?”

“No, Daniel. A child.”

Sadly he slid the femur back into the bag of bones.