The old curiosity shop

Look at it.  Does it make you curious?
The Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of Nell Trent, a beautiful and virtuous young girl of 'not quite fourteen.'

I always had trouble with the plot but loved the words and the writing. Dicken's descriptions of the stuff on the shelves and the stories needed to sell them are priceless. We all have a few of these items around the house. Stuff.  Curiosities are just that. Curious things. Things that you can be curious about. Mulling over. Figuring it out.

I wonder.

I ran into the dock earlier this afternoon on a walk with the dog. It clearly stands outside of a dry approach - meaning you have to wade out in the water to get to the ladder to climb on the dock.

I can't make hide nor hair of it.  Like the Dicken's curiosity shop, this little item has a story. 

Curious.  Any takers?