See shale

Sally sells sea shells down by the sea shore.

Sell me something sally, s'il vous plait.

What is it about them that makes you so intrigued? What about lifting each and every abandoned exoskelton to your ear for a hopeful glimpse into your past, longing for the ocean we say we can hear. I had a basket of them, mostly broken into pieces and none of which pretty to look at and suddenly I discovered seven beautiful faces starring up at me, begging to listen into my fantasies.

"Can you hear it?" they ask innocently. I smile and pretend they still hold the same thrill, the same fascination.

Why is it these are useful?

"Exoskeletons, as hard parts of organisms, are greatly useful in assisting preservation of organisms, whose soft parts usually rot before they can be fossilised."

My grandparents collect them. Every winter when they migrate like the birds and return like cats with their prices from their mouths. When they leave forever, their shells will still remain.

"Throughout the history of humanity, shells of many types and from many different kinds of animals have been popular as human adornments. The Moche culture of ancient Peru worshipped animals and the sea and often depicted shells in their art."

So it all boils down to this. Our past, our lives, whatever we leave behind will all be recycled in the great play of life until we're nothing but a necklace, a bead, a button.