When I wrote Walks in Stardust I knew that literature, myths, and legends were full of magical swords and daggers, especially ones made from “something that fell from the sky.” Those that were forged from meteoric iron usually had magical, good, or evil properties. The blade in Walks in Stardust would also need to be special. I couldn’t help but wonder what ancients thought when a meteor crossed the night heavens and fell to Earth. It must have been a mix of terror and awe. I still am mesmerized when I see a falling star. (I probably saw more at drive-in movies or parked by the water amid a long, passionate smooch than anywhere else on the planet).At the time of weaving the strings of the story together, I talked about it with friends…other amateur archaeologists who loved to spin scenarios around artifacts we found on sites. One happened to be an artist, and he rendered an image of the knife I created in my imagination. Besides the picture below, he also had a labeled diagram of how it went together. I continue to find it fascinating.