The Ministry has announced the discovery of a mysterious pre-Event artifact: a sealed glass sphere containing a tiny frozen tableau of a bearded man in a red suit, mid-flight, aboard what appear to be antlered sky-creatures. Snow perpetually drifts inside it, though no mechanism has yet been identified. The object has been named The Orb of Belief. Some citizens believe the man is a benevolent sky-messenger delivering unspecified blessings in decorative parcels. Others insist he is a warning about unchecked generosity. A small faction claims the antlered beasts are his hybrid offspring, though this theory has been politely discouraged.

A public hearing was held to determine the Orb’s significance. Competing theories were passionately presented: that it is a relic of winter celebration, a symbol of abundance, a manual for successful logistics, or proof that joy once traveled freely through the sky. None of these theories were resolved. Instead, the Committee of Interpretive Artifacts voted unanimously to designate the Orb as “Harmless but Potentially Uplifting,” a classification previously reserved for warm bread and unexpected kindness.

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