Monday, July 27, 2009

Time Capsule Doing Time

1976. Altona, NY. As a class project the sixth grade at the elementary school bury a time capsule near the flagpole. One item included in the cache is a Boston Bruins lunchbox.

1982. Students involved in the sixth grade time capsule project graduate from high school.

2002. A few months before their 20th year high school reunion, a few students get together and the topic of the time capsule is brought up. It should be dug up but there’s a problem.

The Altona Elementary School closed down years ago. Later, it was converted into a medium security state prison. For obvious reasons the property is tightly restricted and controlled.

Some of the former students approach the warden at the Altona prison. They explain the situation with their time capsule. He looks at them as if they’re insane. No digging on the grounds at his prison.

Maybe the time capsule still lies there near the flagpole. It might’ve been dug up and tossed away during the conversion from school to prison. Who knows? Thanks to bureaucracy, the mystery won’t be solved.

But since the prisoners need something to do while finishing their sentences, maybe they could do some digging around the flagpole. Good exercise.

Most likely the time capsule is still there. That Boston Bruins lunchbox keeps going up in value. Maybe history in a way will repeat itself and the Altona prison will close down like the school before it.

Then that innocent time capsule can finally be free.

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