I was unreasonably excited this week to spot what looked like Wilson – yes, that Wilson from Cast Away – finally washed ashore.

Amazingly, he was in pretty good condition for a volleyball that’s been floating in the sea for 25 years.

I was already drafting the headlines in my head. “mcphee Locates Legendary Lost Volleyball.” “Wilson Rescued at Last.” I even wondered briefly if there was a museum that might want him – or whether I should just keep him in my collection of oddities and force guests to hear the story every time they visited.

My excitement was tempered slightly when a quick Google search revealed that Wilson-themed volleyballs are readily available at our local Rebel Sports store. They’re not even rare. Apparently, people just walk in off the street and buy a Wilson like it’s no big deal.

To be clear, my disappointment isn’t because I think what I saw was a replica. I remain firmly convinced by my discovery and deductions of authenticity. The real let-down is knowing that nobody else is likely to believe I found the Wilson.

But I know what I saw. And Wilson knows. That’s enough for me.