The Time Capsule

It’s December 2018, Neil is very excited as today he will be part of a historic mission lead by his favorite teacher, Stanley River. Neil loved science and his teacher always encouraged him to be a part of numerous experiments and project in school. Often, Neil would join his teacher during his personal experiments and collaboration.

Stanley River, used to participate in numerous seminars, conferences, and scientific lectures that involved about space, astronomy, robotics, and time travel. And Neil also used to accompany him in all these events. He would listen for hours when Stanley used to tell him stories about great scientists and their experiments, and the universe that exists beyond our solar system and so on.

But one particular topic that interested Neil the most was Time Travel. He would often have lengthy discussions with his teacher Stanley River about the possibilities of it. Whether, if a person can travel in the past or go to the future.

So, on and so forth…. Neil’s school life had become very interesting due to Stanley River. He had very few friends in school and very often few of his class mates or senior would bully him for being a nerd and an introvert. But it never bothered Neil because he loved his science class and experiments and often after school used to either hang out in the school library or with his teacher Stanley River.

Stanley River had his own personal laboratory at the basement of his house. Where often he used to conduct his research and experiments. Neil often used to hang out with him in his laboratory.

Once during his visit at his teacher’s house, Neil found Stanley in a very excited mood. Stanley said “come kid will show something interesting to you.” Neil went to Stanley’s basement and found a miniature space shuttle lighting and seemingly in a take off like position.

“This is my experiment,” said Stanley.

“What is it?” asked Neil.

“I have built a time travel capsule in the form of this space shuttle,” said Stanley.

“Wow,” exclaimed Neil. “Is this for real,” he said.

“Yes.” Said his teacher. “Few modifications are left. Once I complete that will launch that.”

“But will nobody find out” said Neil in a tone mixed with curiosity and anxiety.

“I don’t think so,” said Stanley. “Every year, Nasa launches rockets, scientists travel to space, UFO’s are sighted, who will notice such a miniature capsule.”

“Moreover,” said Stanley, “we will go to the nearby sea shore in the midnight and launch this capsule when nobody watches.”

“Neil, since you are my favorite, I will let you keep something inside the capsule, when we launch it,” said Stanley.

“Oh! Wow.” “Thanks Sir, that’s indeed an honor for me.” Said Neil.

“But where will this capsule trave,” said Neil. “I mean in which era are we sending, the past or the future.”

“I don’t know which era it will reach.” Said his teacher. “That’s the reason, I want something to be put inside the capsule, so that if it reaches the past era, it will give the people of that phase an idea about the current functioning of life in 21^st century. Whereas, if it reaches the future, it will give the people of that an idea about how their ancestors were living. Either way, we are helping the curious minds to think beyond their realm of imagination. And as science aficionados, we owe it to the scientific curiosity, existing in past or the future.” Exclaimed Stanley.

“Okay, let me think about what I can send.” Said Neil. “When are you planning to launch the capsule?”

“On Sunday,” said his teacher. “Sunday midnight, near the beach.”

20^th December 2018

Neil stealthily creeps out of the backyard of his house when his family was sleeping. It was midnight, with just the street lights on and sound of some animal or midnight birds breaking the reverie of the quite neighborhood. He was very excited as he was riding his bicycle towards his teacher’s house.

“Hey you took so long,” exclaimed Stanley, “come in we have to hurry up.”

“Was waiting for my parents to sleep and then I sneaked out.” Said Neil.

His teacher wasn’t listening. He was in his own trance.

“What did you bring to put into the capsule?” Said Stanley.

“I brought a CD of you giving a lecture in class and helping us with experiments. It also includes group projects with my class mates.” Said Neil.

“Very Good.” Said his teacher. “Now come let’s put it inside the capsule.”

They put the CD in the capsule which was shaped like a miniature space shuttle. And after few moments, Stanley started the ignition of his car and drove away with Neil to the seaside.

December 3025

City and place are not known. But everything is a concrete jungle. Robots and miniature bots were moving all around. Selective green zones with plants and trees and fountains are created, where people are dropping in for their share of fresh oxygen (other wise some form of artificial oxygen is used for breathing). Electric cars and vehicles have surrounded the city.

The buildings and infrastructure operate mechanically and systematically. Each and every member of the family has a personal robot that fixes their day to day schedule for their work, food intake, outing, when to visit the green zone, and how and when they should meet others and so on.

Angus, returns from his weekly activity of going to the green zone. He reaches his apartment complex and fast forward capsule lift carries him to the 200^th floor where he lives with his parents. He is greeted by his personal robot, Mike.

“What took you so long at the green zone?” Said Mike.

“Hey Mike.” Sorry for the delay. “I met Danny at the green zone and we started chatting.” By mistake Danny’s travel bag fell into the fountain, it took us some time to take it out, so got delayed.”

“You were scheduled to meet Danny next Friday, Angus.” Said Mike. “I can’t allow these unplanned schedules with your friends, especially you know when your grammar and algebra grades are faltering.”

“Oh! Come on Mike.” It was not a deliberate meeting. I was not aware that Danny is also coming.”

“How can you not be aware?” said Mike. “It is there in your calendar about the availability and meeting schedule between your friends.”

“Fine, I didn’t check it, will be more careful next time Mike,” said Angus in a rather irritating tone.

“Okay today you are scheduled to have your dinner with your parents.” Said Mike. “Hurry up, they are waiting for you. And after dinner, you have to complete your Algebra exercises.”

“As you say Mike,” said Angus rather exasperatingly.

Saying this, Angus moves towards the dining hall to have the weekly dinner or supper with his parents. Both his parents were working and their schedules were also fixed and monitored by their personal robots. And they had to fix their meeting schedule with Angus in such a manner that it doesn’t affect their work.

“Wait,” said Mike while Angus was moving to the dining hall. “What is that in your hand?”

“Oh” said Angus, this belongs to Danny. I was helping him pick the things that fell from his travel bag into the fountain. And this by mistake remained with me.”

“Fine you return it to him when he is scheduled to visit you next week.” Said Mike.

“Sure Mike.” Said Angus and went to the Dining Hall.

The robots were serving dinner to all three of them. Angus and his parents.

“No Mr. Yang, I cannot allow you to have this Pie today,” said Owen, the personal robot of Angus’s father. “Your cholesterol levels are bit higher, so I forbid you have this.”

“As you say Owen,” said Mr. Yang. “By the way did you check the report that I have to present in the meeting tomorrow?”

“I have checked Mr. Yang,” said Owen, you can proceed with it tomorrow.

“Thank you, Owen.”

“No discussion about work boys at our weekly dinner schedule,” said Mrs. Yang, Angus’s mother.

“Angus dear, Mike says that your grammar and algebra grades are not up to the Mark,” said his mother. “Any particular reason dear, why this is happening?”

“No mom! No particular reason, said Angus. “I will just try to be more attentive.”

“Study well son,” said his father. If you score well, we will definitely plan our annual vacation to a place of your choice,” said Mr. Yang.

Angus was happy to hear that. He longed to visit a beach and not some other town or city with same buildings and infrastructure.

After the weekly dinner and completion of Algebra exercise, Angus was scheduled to sleep by Mike. He was more than happy to do that because sleep at night was the only time when Mike would not be hovering around him. And after a written promise on Mike’s system that he will work on extra grammar exercises, Mike allowed Angus to sleep an hour late in the morning.

Although Angus was in bed but somehow, he was unable to sleep. His mind kept going to the green zone. Angus liked going there. Somehow, the plants and trees made him feel more alive than the buildings, robots, and other infrastructure around him. He kept thinking of going there, consuming fresh oxygen, meeting with Danny, standing near the fountain, and helping Danny pick up his things that fell from the travel bag in the fountain.

Suddenly, although he didn’t want but his mind automatically took out the stuff that fell from Danny’s bag which by mistake got remained with him. It was a small plastic case like thing which was bit unusual and when he opened, he saw one round like thing inside. Angus was highly puzzled and curious as he didn’t know what it was. No one has ever seen such a stuff before.

The stuff was round to look and had a small hole in the middle. Angus didn’t know what to do.

He scanned the equipment in his laptop to check about it. His laptop produced all the details that it was a CD that was used in the 21^st century to record all type of events.

Angus was highly curious and ecstatic to find something that existed in the 21^st century. He requested his laptop to play the CV for him. An lo and behold! he saw a room full of boys and girls of his age listening to an adult man. The man was explaining them about some fundamentals of astronomy. All the boys and girls although they looked like him but everything was different. They were doing experiments together, projects together, and that adult man was explaining them.

“Is that man their teacher” exclaimed Angus. “How can a man be a teacher?”

“And how come so many boys and girls have assembled at one place?” “How is that allowed?”

All these thoughts crept Angus’s mind. And on a closer look of the recordings in the CD, he found that the people around there were surrounded by trees and plants. They were birds flying around which was very surprising. Because Angus has only seen birds during his visit at the ‘bird and animal centre’ and that too very limited. Not the ones that were visible in the CD.

Many thoughts and ideas started hovering his mind. He was awestruck that a man could be a teacher, so many boys and girls studying together and assembled together. “How is this possible,” he kept thinking again and again.

But a part of his mind was wondering that how will it be to study with other boys and girls. And a man teaching them. There were lot of emotions in the teaching which he has never felt before and was unable to understand what it was.

“Was the 21^st century fun to live,” Angus wondered. And he went into a deep reverie…………