Field Trip By Amanda Stogsdill

Playground

"Okay everyone, listen carefully. We'll meet at the cafe in two hours for lunch. Obey the museum rules, and have fun. Don't forget about your reports. One more thing, is everyone paired up?"

Yes, Ms. Jackson.” Thirty kids said, all excited.

"Very well, you may explore."

Squealing and giggling, the sixth graders pushed and shoved their way off the school bus in front of the museum. Two of the last to leave were Courtney and Jasmine. Tapping her cane, Jasmine made her way down the aisle behind Courtney.

"This should be exciting!" She whispered sarcastically, "Lots of paintings and stuff behind glass. I can't enjoy that!"

"Stop complaining." Courtney reassured her friend, "I'll try and describe everything. Anyway, we're skipping math!"

Once the kids were handed wristbands and flashlights, they were free to wander. Jasmine noticed right away this was no ordinary museum. Squeals, shrieks, and running and sliding could be heard. Maybe the boring part was inside. Jasmine made up her mind to enjoy being out here.

"Let's go." Taking Courtney's elbow, Jasmine walked through the crowd to a climbing structure. Up several twisting steps, they found themselves on a platform with other kids, all moving in different directions. Trying not to push anyone, they inched their way along, until they reached an opening.

"What's this?" Jasmine asked, extending her cane. It dropped into a hole.

"It's just a mini slide. You just sit and push yourself off." Both loved it. Next, they found a wooden bridge and a rope ladder. Everything was made of plastic instead of metal. So far, this wasn’t at all what Jasmine had anticipated.

Small kids squeezed by them, but nobody pushed or yelled at Jasmine to hurry up. Parents were everywhere, either on the slides, or shouting instructions nearby.

After a while, the class found Ms. Jackson. "May we go on the roof?" Jeremy begged.

"Sure. It costs extra though." Some of the kids joyfully ran out on to the roof of the building.

"Wow!" Greg ran past his friends, then skidded to a halt. "T-there's a bus right on the edge." He stammered, remembering his fear of heights.

"Don't be a baby!" Pushing past him, Jeremy ran to the stationary bus, which was already crowded with kids.

Jasmine and Courtney followed them on to the bus. "See, there's mesh where the back door should be." Jasmine cried, tapping it. She was right; the back door wouldn't budge, which was a relief. "It's almost noon!" Jasmine suddenly said, checking her braille watch, "Let's go." Ms. Jackson was waiting for them by the main doors. No one could enter the building without an armband.

Unexpected Fun

Inside was pandemonium. Finding a bench, Jasmine and Courtney rested, getting their bearings. The noise was deafening—loud laughter and running feet. "Cool!" Courtney whispered, "There's exhibits behind glass, and more playground stuff. Looks like caves. I see a slide above us.”

Climbing was an understatement! Crawling around in tunnels meant for small bodies proved challenging, but fun. Both loved how these tunnels were made from trees. Each one seemed to lead somewhere unexpected. Twisting and turning, a person could definitely lose their way. Sometimes they walked upright, or crawled on hands and knees. Flashlights helped somewhat. Emerging from a dark tunnel, Courtney complained her hair had been caught on a branch, which made part of the ceiling. They blinked in the sudden brightness.

After eating packed lunches at the cafe, the class scattered again, with instructions to return by four o'clock. Some of the boys ran upstairs to find the Puking Pig and the largest pair of underwear ever. Jasmine, Courtney and some girls stood near a display shelf.

“Dolls.” A girl explained. No touching as usual! Jasmine sighed.

“Yes, go ahead.” A guard touched Jasmine’s arm, “Just don’t pick them up.”

Gently, Jasmine touched porcelain dolls. Some were tiny, some large, with their own hairstyle.

Next, the girls discovered the art room. "Quieter here!" Jasmine remarked. Sitting at a table, they set to work, Jasmine with paper, felt, silk, and glue; Courtney with paints. Unsure what they were creating, each let her imagination take control. Others came and went, but they remained. In fact, the girls were so absorbed in their masterpieces they failed to notice the museum emptying around them, or to hear the announcement "Almost closing."

Trapped!

"Wow! What time is it?" Jasmine stretched. Checking her watch, she gasped, upsetting a container of beads.

"I don't know." Courtney glanced up. They listened, hearing ringing silence. "Oh no. It's six o'clock! Everyone's gone." Racing through the deserted museum, the girls realized they were indeed alone. Fear turned to delight at the same time. "Cool! We have the run of the place."

Off they went, exploring the building. Starting on the first floor, they crawled through caves, scraping their knees on roots, hair tangling in low branches. "That was a tight space!" Courtney exclaimed.

Jasmine unfolded her cane, deciding to go it alone. "Remember how to whistle?" She asked.

"Of course." Courtney reassured her, "If you need me, I'll hear you. I want to see the bottles."

As they parted, Jasmine became aware how still the place was; her shoes and tapping cane were the only sounds. Without lights, the place was very dark. Not that her light vision would help her escape; but light was comforting.

Fascinating

At first, she wandered around, not finding anything. Eventually, her cane encountered something metal. Her hands felt a sculpture made of coils, like a pot. Starting at the base Jasmine noticed the coils were wide and thick, the middle ones and the top ones, becoming thinner, some inside each other. "I'm glad it's not a snake!" She laughed, reaching the final, smallest coil. "Wonder who sculpted this?" She was about to move on, when she noticed the plaque. "Braille!" She exclaimed, "Very cool!" Many times, she’d been forced to listen to whoever was nearest describe exhibits. Folding her cane, she squatted on the cold, stone floor, and began to read.

Courtney was also enjoying herself. Bored with the glass bottles, she noticed dried flowers on the wall. They were suspended from hooks, out of her reach. Dragging over a bench, she clambered up to study them more closely. The small flashlight's beam wasn't much use in the darkness.

The flowers were arranged by size, not color. Why put flowers on the ceiling?

New Friend

Finished reading, Jasmine edged her way around the sculpture, until she tapped the wall. Following it, she found a water fountain, and the men's and women's restrooms with their braille signs. She was exiting the restroom, thinking of returning to the sculpture when she heard ...

"Lost, Missy?" A raspy voice asked.

Startled, Jasmine's cane fell with a clatter. Kneeling down, she clutched at it. "Who are you?" She asked, turning her head in the person's direction.

"Robert! You could say I reside here. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

Still crouching, Jasmine wondered if he could help them. After introducing herself, she asked, "What's reside?"

"This is my home, young lady." Chuckling, he added, "I'm not a guard. I'm a doll."

Amazed

Jumping down from her bench, Courtney listened for any sound at all. The darkness was terrifying; the flashlight was very dim. Just then, a shrill whistle broke the silence.

Startled, she turned to see Jasmine walking beside a doll! Blinking, Courtney gaped. Standing waist high with brown hair and eyes, he looked human. And, he was speaking!

Tour Guide

"Courtney, this is Robert. It's weird, but he's a talking doll." Jasmine said breathlessly.

"May I ask, how you two ended up here after hours?" Robert gazed sternly at the girls.

After explaining their situation, Courtney timidly asked, "Is there a phone we can use?"

"No. Well, not for you. It's in the main office, which is locked!"

"Are all the doors locked?" Jasmine asked, still not believing a doll was speaking. Confirming they were, Robert watched the hope disappear from the girls' faces.

"You could explore with me. I haven't played guide before."

Following Robert was strange; he still looked eerie, with his stuffed body, painted face, and plastic arms and legs.

As they walked, he explained how the museum was once an abandoned factory, but a man had purchased it before it was demolished. "Everything is either recycled or donated.

"Like the tree tunnels," Jasmine guessed.

"Precisely, Missy. Those trees were twisted by hurricanes. They were chopped down and shipped here."

Robert said the flowers on the ceiling and the coil sculpture were there before his arrival. "Where are we going?" Courtney gazed around. They'd walked down a long hall, and were standing near the end. Thanks to somebody's discarded flashlight, she was able to make out a mural.

"Come closer." "You may touch it, Jasmine."

It was the strangest mural they'd ever seen. Stretching along one entire wall, it was made of glass. Cut from windows, old buildings, even a church! Each piece was left intact, with no reason behind the design. They read how the designer searched abandoned buildings, collecting glass. Hearing of the project, people donated materials and money.

Robert interrupted, "About that report of yours. I know the perfect subjects."

Perspective

"Welcome," Robert bowed, "To the History room."

"Wow! So many paintings!" Courtney whistled.

"Is that how you address a Queen?" A voice demanded sharply.

Both gasped, stopping in their tracks. Jasmine managed a "Hello, your Majesty!"

Silence. The Queen waited, eyeing them sternly.

"Hello, Your Majesty." Courtney repeated.

"Very well! You may enter." The Queen spoke in a calm, clear voice. "I suppose you know my daughter was crowned last year. Didn't you watch it?"

"No, Ma'am," Courtney admitted.

"Well, Diana is now Queen." The Queen declared.

"May I?" Jasmine asked shyly.

"Yes, you may come closer. My plaque is in front of you." Trying not to touch her portrait, Jasmine located the braille plaque.

The other paintings had remained silent during this exchange. At a nod and a firm ”You may start, Maria.” from the Queen, they spoke.

 "I'm Maria Paradis. I bet you've never heard of me!" When both said no, she continued, "I was a gifted musician, and composed pieces for piano and violin. Born in Austria, I studied music composition and singing. I developed a tactile writing system of my own."

"Are you blind, too?" Jasmine grinned.

"Yes. I lost my sight quite young; my father's employer the Empress saw to it I was educated."

"What was your writing system?" Courtney asked.

"Raised letters, and for compositions a teacher made a pegboard." "I wish I'd been born in your era!" Maria said sadly, "There's many opportunities for blind people."

"Yeah. We go to school, and travel independently!" Jasmine agreed.

"Look. Under my painting." Reaching out, Jasmine's hand found her plaque.

"Even though braille came after my time, I'm grateful it's here so blind visitors can read it." Maria said.

A woman in a double painting spoke next. "I'm Dido Belle. My mother was a slave who was brought to England, my father was an English sea captain. The Mansfield family raised my cousin Elizabeth and I with kindness. We were very privileged.

"Yes, we grew very close, and received a fine education. Our uncle was a judge in Parliament." Elizabeth added.

Courtney stared at the two women dressed in fashionable gowns; Dido wore a string of pearls, Elizabeth with flowers in her hair. Side by side, they appeared like sisters.

"He ruled against slavery in Britain in many of his cases," Dido continued, "However, not until 1833 when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed did slavery cease throughout the Empire. Because of my upbringing, I was fortunate not to know their struggles." She added softly.

"Why haven't we heard of any of you?" Courtney asked, looking at Maria, Dido and Elizabeth.

"Well, we never gave speeches or wrote newspapers. We married, our uncle provided for us." Elizabeth stated, "We're nobody special."

Jasmine edged closer, until her cane touched the wall. Her hand found the plaque underneath the cousins' painting. She eagerly read about them. "Do all the paintings have braille descriptions?"

"Certainly." The Queen answered, "I'm proud to say mine was the first."

"Talk to us!" Several voices chimed in, "Next to Dido and Elizabeth!" Courtney read the description. "Olga, Tatyana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei!" "The children of Tsar Nicholas of Russia. During the Revolution of 1918, they were taken to a faraway location, where they died."

“My parents and I were taken first.” Maria explained, "It was Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg. The rest of our family arrived later. We were held captive for months." She was still furious about it.

"Facts never tell the good stuff," Anastasia complained, "Like how we roller-skated off our dock into the lake."

"That was your idea!" Alexei grinned at his sister, "Mama and Papa weren't happy."

"Our family photos are who-knows-where!" Maria added bitterly.

Both girls longed to ask about the Revolution, but held back. "By the way, if you want to know about our pasts, check the library!" Olga said, as if reading their minds.

"Just remember, facts don't tell the whole story!" Tatyana cautioned, "We were protected from our country’s unrest."

"I was often sick," Alexei sniffed, "I never had fun!"

"Our yacht was grand!" Tatyana sighed wistfully, "All those handsome sailors! Mama wouldn't let us mingle very often."

"During the first world war, we assisted soldiers by writing letters and rolling bandages." Maria (Anastasia's sister), smiled, "We felt needed."

"And before you ask, none of us escaped that awful July morning in 1918," Anastasia continued angrily, "We were murdered!" She'd been wanting to put that rumor to rest for years. "Some of our remains were recovered decades later!"

"Wish my compositions survived. Most are lost forever." Maria Paradis chimed in, "I toured Europe, meeting other composers. Afterward, I opened a school for blind girls. I wanted them to receive an education!"

While the women in the paintings were speaking, the girls had been furiously taking notes. The click of Jasmine's slate and stylus, and the scratch of Courtney's pencil were the only sounds. The women were often asked to repeat themselves; they didn't seem to mind. They were overjoyed someone was listening to their stories.

"Have they visited Kid’s Town?" The Queen asked Robert.

"Not yet, Your Majesty." He answered, "I wanted them to meet you first."

"They'd better get going." Olga commanded, nodding toward the door.

"What's Kid’s Town?" Jasmine asked.

"The place kiddies play while their parents admire us!" Dido answered, "We're boring."

 Pausing before the Queen's painting, the girls bowed. Smiling slightly, the Queen said, "Till we meet again!"

Awesome

"This way, ladies!" Robert took them to a room made for the smallest visitors. Miniature chairs and tables were scattered everywhere, along with toys and puzzles. "When you're finished, please pick up after yourselves. We understand little kids can't, but you can!" Robert instructed sternly.

After completing a world puzzle, they wandered out in to the hall.

"Where to now?" Jasmine asked, listening to the silence.

"May I suggest the enormous slide," Robert appeared, touching Jasmine's arm. Up another flight of stairs, to a part of the museum not yet explored. "How many floors does this museum have?" Courtney panted.

"Six, but the top floors are for storage and events." Robert said importantly. "Through here!" He led them down a hall to the slide. "Courtney, you first!"

"Where does this slide stop?" She asked, looking at the ground far below.

"On the main floor! Now go!"

It was incredible! Twisting and turning, it reminded her of a bouncy trampoline. Relieved it was enclosed, she just enjoyed it. The cold air rushed by, making her squeal. It ended much too quickly.

"Wow! That was awesome!" Jasmine declared, coming seconds after, with Robert behind her.

"Isn't it?" Robert panted, eyes sparkling.

Courtney giggled, imagining Robert sliding down something designed for humans. "What is it made of?" She asked.

"Vinyl mats. Now, we must part. It's almost time for the day to begin. I must return to my chair! It was a pleasure meeting you." Shaking their hands, he vanished, as silently as he'd appeared hours before.

Safe

An employee discovered the girls asleep on two benches near the display cases. How had this happened? Instead of disturbing them, she made a phone call. As the museum opened, the children's parents arrived, frantic with worry. Questions and explanations could wait until they returned home. The kids were okay.

Coolest Museum Ever

A week later, the reports were given. Kids mentioned the underwear or attractions. No paintings.

Jasmine and Courtney stifled giggles when Jeremy described "A creepy doll that was watching me! I only touched him to see if he was real!" He insisted.

"Jasmine, Courtney, you're up!"

Their report began like this: The coolest Museum ever!" They also spoke about the fun attractions. Next, the girls went into detail about their unexpected adventure; wandering the empty halls at night, and discovering the History room with the known and unknown women. It ended with Jasmine excitedly talking about how accessible the museum was—the braille plaques, and the hands on exhibits

Returning to their seats, they smiled. Omitting certain details about the paintings was worth it! Who would believe them anyway?

When the bell rang, Jasmine spoke to Ms. Jackson. "Did you know about the braille in that museum?"

"Yes. When arranging our trip, I knew that any museum I found would have to be more interactive than the art gallery." She said, "When I explained I had a blind student, most museums weren't helpful. That was the only one with accessible exhibits."

Jasmine thanked her for going out of her way to call ahead. Both promised to be more careful in the future. On the bus, giggling uncontrollably, they began planning; they couldn't wait to spend another night at the museum!

The End