I went into the woods and got it.
I sat down to seek it.
I brought it home with me because I couldn't find it.
What is it?

I thought of "tick" and I think it's the best answer.  "Splinter" doesn't fit--you can certainly find a splinter, even though you can't remove it easily.  And, peace, serenity, etc., don't make sense, because you wouldn't seek it after you got it.

But a tick you might see crawl up your sleeve or pant leg, and then you can't find it.  Along the same vein, in more tropical woods, "leach" might fit.

Posted by Ken Haley on 2006-03-23 00:45:16