Cryptic

“What do these symbols mean?” Alexander asked out loud. His partner wasn’t part of this expedition this time but asking questions out loud has always helped him think.   Alexander slid his fingers over the symbols. Each one was intricately engraved in the metallic material. Right away he could recognize that the symbols were not made by any known culture on earth. Alexander was most interested in the metal. It was soft, and unlike anything he had ever seen.
As Alexander slid his fingers over the metal he sighed and slowly put it in his backpack. “For another day.” He said to himself as he rose to get out of the cavern he was exploring.