Fossilized

Do you recall that old, cold, deep, earthy scent, that shale makes?

If you were to lick it, you would think it's the quintessential taste of rock.

Touch it – ridges, ripples, circles, waves. Frozen forever, stilled motion. Preserved ephemera.

The ringing click it makes when the flakes accidentally touch, then a rattle-y echo while settling.

Strange to see fossilized raindrops, waves, and mud cracks in stone, four elements united.