What the...

Sometimes I "just" have to do something. If you ask my dear wife, it might not be sometimes but quite often. But, I will leave that unsaid.

However, a few days ago, more precisely last Sunday morning, I was just going to take a short morning walk. I happened to have a throwing knife with me. Yes, it is prevalent when I go out into the forest. Once there I saw a suitable target in the form of an old tree stump. 

I aimed and threw and it went well. But the angle of the knife was not the best for a photo which as you know is part of everyday reality these days. What isn't on social media hasn't happened. The motive was not Instagram-worthy

The throw was good but the angle wasn't the best or at least not Instagood

Therefore I threw it again. A little harder and at a steeper angle this time. The result would look better in a picture with the last yellow leaves in the background, I thought. However, the result was very surprising. It didn't turn out to be the perfect angle, instead, the knife disappeared without a sound.

It was just gone. First, it was there and then it wasn't.

Where's the damn knife? Pieces of the stump were removed and holes were dug by hand

I was absolutely sure that I hit. After suspiciously examining the tree corpse in question, it was noted that parts of it were hard while others were not. There were large soft parts that turned out to extend far into the earth. First I broke off and removed what parts I could, then I had to dig my way through the November mud with my bare hands. Unfortunately no luck. The hands reached down to dry parts, but no long, sharp metal object was to be found.

If it weren't for the mud up to my elbows, I would have scratched my head. It is still strange that such a shiny object can become so invisible.

The knife thrower's best friend, the metal detector!

Thankfully, help was around the corner. Since it was a short excursion, home was not far away and there was the rescue. The knife thrower's best friend, the metal detector. Armed with both it and a steady pitchfork, I went to work. The effort lasted about two minutes, then the lost throwing knife was back at the master's house.

I'm a sucker for happy endings, at least in these matters. I don't really know what the moral of this story is going to be. I leave that to you, dear readers!

/ J - the searcher