The archaeologists were in awe as they brushed away layers of ancient sediment to reveal the relic. Unearthed from beneath the sands of the long-abandoned Earth, the small, metallic rectangle shimmered faintly, catching the hazy light of distant stars through their protective domes. The object was sleek, compact, and completely alien to them—yet curiously mesmerizing.

Dr. Varin, the mission’s lead archaeologist, held it up for all to see, her gloved hands trembling slightly. The crowd of researchers gathered around, each with a mixture of excitement and wonder on their faces. “This must be an artifact of the Ancients,” she murmured, turning it over. They’d unearthed strange objects before—metal shards, remnants of fiber-optic wiring, odd fragments of clear glass—but nothing quite like this.

The object was surprisingly intact despite its age. The front was flat and black as obsidian, marred only by a thin crack in one corner. There was a mysterious circular indent beneath the screen, which seemed designed for some type of interaction. Dr. Varin touched it carefully, half-expecting some hidden mechanism to spring to life. Nothing happened, but the scientists around her buzzed with speculation.

“I think it’s a communication device,” said Cira, a young researcher with a keen eye for technology. “Look at the symmetry—it’s like a miniature portal, maybe a holographic messenger!”

Others chimed in. “Or it could be a data storage device!” suggested Ren, whose knowledge of ancient Earth languages was unmatched. “Perhaps it’s like a memory capsule. Imagine if it holds messages, images, even the voices of those who lived a million years ago!”

The team ran tests, each more elaborate than the last. They used scanners to analyze its structure, hoping to glean its purpose from residual energy signatures. But the device was strangely silent, a blank slate refusing to yield its secrets. Dr. Varin grew more fascinated with each attempt. What had this relic meant to the humans of ancient Earth? Had it been a powerful weapon? A navigational tool for primitive space journeys?

As they studied the artifact in the lab that evening, a faint flicker of energy caught Dr. Varin’s eye. She paused, noticing a tiny, barely visible emblem on the back—a half-eaten fruit. It was strange, this symbol of consumption, and it reminded her of the Old Legends, stories of the humans’ obsession with “fruit” that fueled their creativity and curiosity.

Hours passed. She turned the device over and over, adjusting the light and running her hands along its edges, when her finger brushed against a small switch at the top. Suddenly, with a barely audible hum, the screen blinked to life. A rectangular image appeared, showing rows of tiny, square icons, each with strange symbols. They were almost like hieroglyphics.

“It’s activated!” Cira gasped, staring at the small icons glowing softly. One icon read “Music,” another said “Photos,” and yet another simply said “Settings.” Dr. Varin hesitated, her mind racing. “Music”—could it be a form of ancient communication, or was it perhaps a frequency, a form of language?

Pressing on the “Music” icon, a list of words and names appeared. They recognized none of it—names like Beyoncé, The Beatles, Kanye West—unfamiliar, yet thrillingly real. When she pressed a name, the device emitted a sound that filled the room, clear and rich, a tune as ancient as it was haunting.

The researchers were entranced. They had never encountered sound like this—melodic, rhythmic, a voice that resonated with emotion. The music swelled and echoed, creating an atmosphere that felt like a bridge across millennia, linking their world with the Earth of ages past.

As they continued exploring, they realized the device held not only music but images as well. Photos of landscapes, faces of people, moments frozen in time. Images of what seemed like a family, standing in front of long-lost buildings, smiles radiant and unposed. It was as if this small object held a time capsule of an entire civilization’s soul.

Finally, it clicked for Dr. Varin. This wasn’t a weapon, a portal, or a data crystal. It was something more intimate and simple: a device of art, emotion, connection.

With a faint smile, she looked at her team. “We’ve just unearthed a treasure of human culture,” she whispered. “This little artifact—it’s an iPhone.”