Paramount PicturesSomeone has beaten Indy to the punch.
A treasured crystal skull believed to be about 500 years old has vanished from its perch at Kindred Spirits, a New Age store in Claremont, Calif., that had been displaying the artifact in a non-Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull-related fashion for several months.
The store's owner, Persis Newland, reported the missing skull to police about two weeks ago but, despite the cops and the readily available tarot cards, no one has managed to crack the case yet.
Considering the close-knit, easygoing vibe of the customers she would call regulars, Newland figures the theft must be related to the megahyped Indiana Jones film, whose plot is inspired in part by an ancient Mayan legend concerning 13 crystal skulls that, all together, have the power to save the Earth.
The skull resting on the altar in Kindred Spirits' crystal-reading classroom wasn't that old, of course, but, despite the fact that most of the similar skulls in existence today can't be traced further back than the 1860s, some firmly believe in its palliative powers—at least within the confines of the store.
"He was on an altar, and he just enjoyed being here," employee Kristen Nestor told the Associated Press.
But while the action in the fourth Indy film has been kept tightly under wraps, the idea of an avid fan going a little overboard doesn't sound too far-fetched.
"Someone must have thought about it in that term, connected with the movie or something," Newland said. "I have no idea why someone would take that and not the other things that are equally valuable on the altar."
Or, it's one down and 12 to go for someone hoping to get ahead in life.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, its classic theme music, the reunion of Karen Allen and Harrison Ford and Shia "Possibly Indy Jr." LaBeouf swing into theaters May 22 after a 19-year gap in the Steven Spielberg-directed series.