Time Capsule

Bleeeeep-

"Hey, Avery. Looks like the drone's got something."

Avery peered out at the dust clouds and cracked earth.

"Any idea what it is?"

"Initial scan looks like a cylinder, or a codex," Morgan replied. "Got things inside."

Avery's eyes shone.

"Really? Can the drone retrieve it?"

"I'll send out a digger. IVA is available."

"I'll go!" Avery was always quick to volunteer.

"Slow your roll. It's too risky. The drones can do it."

Avery peered through the binocs at IVA, watching it become a speck in the distance.

"How far is it?" Mentally, Avery was already suiting up and heading out after it.

"Three, maybe four kilometres. Close to an old building. Could be valuable supplies, artefacts. Who knows."

"Do we have a date?"

"Drone dates it back to early twenty-first."

Avery was impatient, hoping for a chance to get Outside. Morgan was the slower one who checked both ways first, always checked the helmets twice.

"IVA did a good job, nice and neat. It's clear and intact. Let's get this beaut home."

They got it on the rover remotely, and brought it back to the Station.

"Can't we just open it," Avery was practically bouncing.

"We don't know what's inside. Could be dangerous." Morgan eyed the box as if it was a venomous snake.

"Oh, come on," Avery snapped, stepping forward and pulling the box closer. "Can't be that hard to open."

Morgan wasn't fast enough, Avery twisted one end of the capsule, and it opened.

"Wow."

"At least let me log the contents," Morgan snatched a keypad and...

Item 1: bottle, small, clear. strong smell. alcohol based.

Item 2: blue paper-cloth, white strings. ceremonial garment?

Item 3: recipe for banana bread

Item 4: child's toy/good luck charm/mascot? soft. animal. striped, orange, black. bizarre headdress.

Item 5: picture, paint on thick white paper. crudely drawn. human figures, frowning, in front of a locked gate. gaudy apparatus in the background; training area?

Item 6: primitive device w/ cracked screen

Item 7: photographs, animals using training apparatus

Item 8: missive, signed "EmMaage7", as yet undeciphered.

Avery delighted in each object, assuming them safe, and drinking in each detail.

Truly, I was born in the wrong time.

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Word count: 366

(NB. This excludes the title, subtitle, and author's note.)

Submitted on Wednesday 2nd October at 23:05

The story behind the story: If I've done this right, it should be fairly obvious that this is a future where earth is similar to Mars. Archeologists unearth a time capsule, buried by a child in 2020.

A Year of Stories: I'm writing (and submitting, here) a story every day this year. This continues my 276 daily microfiction story streak since 1st January.

ONLY NINETY DAYS TO GO!

Please consider lending your support to the other creators on this madcap "a story every day" adventure. They're putting out excellent content every day! Rachel Deeming Gerard DiLeo

Thank you

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Thank you to those who leave feedback/comments. I'm going to be slower to respond to each one and reciprocate the reads, as life gets in the way... but I'll catch up in a week or two.

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