Lost but not yet found 3

I was on the return stretch of my hike.

I was very tired and hungry. My energy was bottoming out and I really wished I was already at my car. I came to the first beach area you can get to from the entrance of the park. I had a choice, I could continue on my tough walk through the sand or I could make it easier on myself and walk on the pavement. I decided that I would take the path of least resistance, the concrete.

When my shoe landed on solid turf I felt reasonably good. The thought that I would not have to keep fighting the ground with each step was encouraging. As I walked toward the parking lot, I realized that I would have to walk even further on the cement than I would through the sand.

For those who are not familiar with Hoffmaster, there are several parking lots. Each is a short distance from the main road but when you are exhausted, that distance can seem daunting.

I decided to turn around and head back toward the unforgiving beach. As I approached the observation deck I was filled with a strange sort of peace. While I almost always feel at peace at the park, this was something totally different. I began to hear a chiming as well. This was very bizarre as I did not hear them on my approach.

Near the deck there are several trees and other various plants. I looked all around for the chimes. I was beginning to think I had lost my mind. Seriously, it is not every day that I hear chimes in the middle of a state park; let alone at the beach, with no one around, on a relatively cool day. I decided that either I was crazy or they were invisible.

In my new state of mind I leaned against the railing to gaze at the lake. For several moments I enjoyed the strange inner peace accompanied by my new theme music. I then examined the surrounding flora more closely. Low and behold, hanging on a branch of the nearby tree was the chime. I am hard pressed to believe that my sanity has returned as you can not regain something you never had in the first place.

As I observed the chime clanging in the wind I caught a glimpse of something on the ground. I peered down toward the snow covered sand and saw a small metal object.

Coincidence? Or not?