Waiting Until 2056

Submitted into Contest #62 in response to: Write about a character putting something into a time capsule.... view prompt

30 comments

Fiction

novembir 2 2013

i put a peese of cande in the time capsol toda there are 2 things in it now. mommy said aftr lots of yers of puting things in it we can bary it undurgrond and i can look at it in a lon time. rite now i am 7 so it wil be alon time befor i can opin it.

i wondr if the cande will be good enuf to eat when i opin it agan.

August 16, 2016

Hello diary it has been a while. I think that this writing will be better thogh because I have been to school for 6 years so I know a lot more about grammar. It will not be perfect yet.

Anyway I added a photograph into the time capsole today. Its of me and my best friend Lizzy.

I hope she remembers me all the way in California. I remember her.

January 7, 2020

Oh my! I am looking over my past entries in this and gasping! School will do some good, I suppose.

I finally won a writing contest! I honestly have no clue what to do with the prize money; five hundred dollars is a lot. Mother says I should put it all in my savings account, but I really don't want to. Of course, however, I will probably put one hundred of it in anyway...reluctantly.

And it's obvious where to put most of it.

Time capsule, we meet again.

October 23, 2020

Happy 15th birthday to me! Not happy highschool memories. Oh my, so much drama!

Don't even get me started on the food.

I've literally been in highschool for a few months, and I hate it; I really miss Lizzy. Yes, I have Cara, but Lizzy was there for me when Bryan Banks picked on me for my pigtails. She was there when I lost my first tooth. She was there to help me with school.

She was very smart.

November 13, 2020

Time capsule addition: Geometry test! I got an eighty five out of eighty. Whoop whoop!

December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas, diary! I received many amazing gifts, but the best would definitely be the new phone I got. But don't worry. I won't leave you for an electronic.

February 28, 2021

Mother is sick.

Nothing goes in the time capsule.

March 9, 2021

Tears are falling onto the page.

Mother's picture will be going into the capsule today.

July 31, 2021

I fear Dad is losing it. With Mother gone and five kids to handle, each playing two sports...I pity him. He has been different lately. I worry.

August 27, 2021

First day of sophomore year. Nothing exciting to report.

Matthew Davis is very cute.

September 30, 2021

A picture of Dad goes into the time capsule.

Last night he set off without a word.

October 23, 2021

My sweet sixteen was not sweet; we are living with our cousins now, and all I got was a cake. That didn't last long, however, because there are eight kids and two parents in one house now.

At least I have my own room.

November 5, 2021

I just went on my first date with Matthew Davis. He was so kind, and as I lay here in my bed, writing this, butterflies are still bouncing all around in my stomach. I will put his picture in the capsule. Whether or not this goes anywhere, he will always be my first date.

December 25, 2021

Merry Christmas.

January 13, 2022

I won another writing contest (took me long enough)! I guess I just didn't really have time to write anything...my life is a mess. Matthew is the only normal thing I have.

I put all of the prize money in a savings account. Mother would be proud.

March 21, 2023

My, my! I am so happy I found you, diary. Wow, my handwriting sure did get better. News: I'm a junior now! I'm so close to finishing school. It's like a marathon...and I've got one mile to go, one more stretch to break through the ribbon.

I think I'm in love with Matthew Davis.

October 23, 2023

I am officially an adult. At the end of this year, I will officially close it and not open it up until 2056...when I am fifty years old. Wow, that seems so far away.

January 1, 2024

I got to have my Happy New Year's kiss.

Stoked.

January 7, 2024

Diary, I am nervous for when I must bury my time capsule. I think I am writing in here so much more now that I understand what's going to happen.

January 15, 2024

I feel like I should put something else in the capsule...but I do not know what.

March 28, 2024

Why do I keep losing you? So much time that I could have spent writing, filling your pages, is wasted. I am very disappointed in myself.

April 14, 2024

Been busy applying for colleges. Can't write much.

May 30, 2024

The day is coming.

June 4, 2024

I am officially done with school (excluding college). Now is when I must insert the last items into my capsule and bury it.

I guess this is goodbye. My last three additions to the capsule are my senior pictures, prom pictures of me and Matthew, and....

you.

32 years later

Sucking in a breath, I pull out the first item in the little box: a very old and hard lollipop. Matthew throws his head back and laughs.

"I'm not even going to ask," he chuckles. I lightly punch him in the arm.

"I was seven. Give me a break."

I set it aside, pulling out a very dusty picture at the same time. Using my shirt to clean it off, I bring my hand to my mouth. There is ten-year old Lizzy, smiling at me through the photograph.

"That was what she looked like the last time I saw her," I murmur, and Matthew wraps his arm around me. I lean my head against his shoulder.

No more words are needed as we pull out everything, item by item, setting each carefully aside after thorough inspection.

The pictures of the grandparents my children never had. The geometry test I aced. Money from winning writing contests. Finally, I reach down into the box but feel nothing. Confused, I sit up and look inside the box myself.

Tucked in the corner, cover barely hanging on, lays my old diary, begging me to read it and hold it once again.

October 03, 2020 17:46

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30 comments

Lani Lane
04:06 Oct 08, 2020

Hi, Zea! This was a super cool way of writing. As someone who loves pointing out grammar mistakes perhaps a bit tooooo much, this made me lean back and just dive into the story, which is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. This is also incredibly relatable--I journal in phases and there are sometimes months/years in between some entries, and days in between others. Amazing work, I look forward to reading more of your stories! :) Also: "The pictures of the grandparents my children never had." Hard-hitting and powerful.

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Zea Bowman
11:31 Oct 08, 2020

Wow! Thank you so much!

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Arham Ishraq
22:17 Oct 14, 2020

Wow! This is amazing, I feel like you really rocked the diary theme, and it felt like a real entry! I love how you really pulled the story together from free little girl to a grown-up losing the things she loves.

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Zea Bowman
01:18 Oct 15, 2020

Thank you so much! I appreciate it :)

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Hannah Bickom
02:50 Oct 12, 2020

This story is amazing. I love the way you take us through the characters life, it really helps us connect to the character. Using the diaries to tell the story really makes it powerful, and using the first person perspective at the end really ties the whole thing together-overall a beautiful piece of writing. Thank you so much for sharing this.

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Zea Bowman
14:32 Oct 12, 2020

Of course! Thank you so much for your kind words! They really did make me smile.

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Ariadne .
19:24 Oct 06, 2020

I love reading stories like this! At first, I was going to point out the grammar mistakes but soon realized it was meant to be there. Well done! BTW, when is your bday? I'd love to dedicate a story to you then. TTYL! ~Ria

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Zea Bowman
23:45 Oct 06, 2020

Thank you so much (for the feedback and dedication)! My birthday is April 5. THANKS!

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Ariadne .
00:03 Oct 07, 2020

No problem! Thank YOU! Happy super belated bday! (or super early bday, whichever you want 😉)

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William Liu
04:20 Dec 06, 2020

she put in she wait But most importantly She get lollipop

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William Liu
04:20 Dec 06, 2020

im srry im not funny

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Zea Bowman
05:46 Dec 06, 2020

Haha no, you are! You did confuse me for a second there, but then I realized what you meant and it made me laugh out loud!

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William Liu
20:06 Dec 06, 2020

This character was born 25 days before me

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Kat Gruszka
21:21 Oct 15, 2020

I love this. So adorable and heartwarming. I felt so many feelings going through this. That's some powerful writing. So very well done!

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Echo Sundar
22:35 Oct 14, 2020

Wow! this is really cool! I really like that theirs a diary in there so you get to tell what their thinking. And I love how it tells the story's through her journal entries every year. Great job!

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Zea Bowman
01:17 Oct 15, 2020

Thank you! :)

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Anii ✨
17:02 Oct 13, 2020

This was a wonderful story! I loved the unique way you wrote it and how realistic the main character feels to me. I think you did an amazing job portraying a hard life and you showed that it all ended well. My feedback for this may sound all over the place for this, but that's just because I don't know where to start. This is simply beautiful. I can see how the character ages and grows throughout her life and it is simply a pleasure for me to see her look at her diary again. Great job! Your style of writing is truly unique and I can't wait...

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Zea Bowman
00:04 Oct 14, 2020

Thank you! That means a lot to me! :)

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Kaitlyn James
20:36 Oct 12, 2020

Hi! I was about to comment about the grammatical errors, but the story is too good to correct it! Great writing!

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Chris Buono
00:06 Oct 12, 2020

This one put a knot in my throat and have a whirl of emotion. I liked it. I love your style. It’s quite incredible.

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Alena Marie
02:27 Oct 11, 2020

Awww this was so cute!

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Saif Mohamed
10:12 Oct 10, 2020

A nice and heartwarming story. I love how naturally it evolves, and the aspects through which you chose to show this journey, such as the recurring details and the protagonist's writing itself. A job well done.

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09:42 Oct 10, 2020

When I first saw the first paragraph, I was like wow, this person's mother tongue is definitely not English and then I kept reading and was like, wow, this 7 years old has some serious grammar problems. Also, I read the comment thread between you and Adrienne Flemming and you share my cousin's birthday! Which is awesome sauce. This is cool that she married her childhood sweetheart, like what happened to my dad. The journal section and then the first-person perspective is new to me and you aced that. Nice job. Keep it up 👍🏼

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Tvisha Yerra
22:40 Oct 06, 2020

This is beautiful.

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Maggie Deese
03:03 Oct 04, 2020

Really fabulous story, Zea. Powerful writing even though the sentences were short! I loved reading about your character's life. Well done on this one!

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Zea Bowman
03:34 Oct 04, 2020

Thanks, Maggie! I appreciate it :)

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Maya W.
23:09 Oct 03, 2020

Wow, Zea! You've really outdone yourself! I loved this story! Sentence fragments and diary entries are hard to write, so I'm glad you were so successful here!

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Zea Bowman
23:19 Oct 03, 2020

Thanks, Maya :)

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Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining. That's my version of a love-curse. When you love something so much you curse? Sorry. I'm weird.

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Shae Greyfeather
12:12 Oct 16, 2020

I loved this story, its so cute!

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