Time Capsule

Back in the early-mid 1980's, the teaching faculty at my primary school had this bright idea to build a time capsule. Basically, the time capsule was constructed and painted to look like a space shuttle.

In order to take part, all the kids and teaching staff had to write a letter to themselves or to someone else and place it in an envelope along with any items that were relevant to the 1980's. The envelopes were then placed into this time capsule which would be buried at a designated site on the school grounds. Then when the year 2000 arrived, there would be a big reunion at the school and the time capsule would be dug up with the envelopes distributed to those present.

There was a big ceremony on the day the time capsule was buried. To add a greater dramatic effect to the time capsule being lowered into the ground, they played "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss. To you Philistines, that's the piece of music at the beginning of the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey".

Naively I thought to myself "Wow this is a great occasion! Can't wait to come back here in the year 2000 and catch up with everyone!"

Unfortunately the school closed down in the early 1990's. My damn envelope is still buried in that time capsule some twenty-odd years later. I would love to get my envelope back. After all, those Michael Jackson bubblegum trading cards contained inside could be worth a lot of money these days.

I can just imagine one hundred years from now, some treasure hunter will stumble upon my most prized childhood possession and exclaim "DANG! Michael Jackson was black?!"

Right, I'll get my coat.....