March 15, 2014 Today, March 15, 2014, the residents of New York City took advantage of the spring weather to join the NYC Historical Society in burying a time capsule. Their hope is that on March 15, 2114, it will be opened and the future residents of NYC will have a testament of what life was like 100 years in the past.

Locked away in the titanium cylinder are important artifacts from the present day. "I want people of the future to understand what our lives were like, day to day — how we communicated and how we spent our days," said 14-year-old Sylvia.

"Yeah, when they open this," exclaimed middle school student, Devonne, "they are not going to believe their eyes!"

The objects inserted into the time capsule are varied. They were chosen by citizens from all walks of life and professions. Among those asked to contribute to the time capsule were librarians, teens, computer programmers, medical professionals, research scientists, gardeners, neurologists, biologists, and more.

Etched onto the surface of the time capsule are the words of the author, William Faulkner, as he accepted the 1950 Nobel Prize for Literature:

"I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance."

The capsule was buried today, with much hope for the future.

Story Prompt
Read the following story prompt and think about how you will continue this story in your narrative.

It is March 15, in the year 2514. The people of former New York are in desperate circumstances. They are being overrun, and they are losing hope. The banners proclaiming a Free the Real NYC lie in the gutters, trampled by terrified and panicked citizens. Two teens– or kidz, as they are called now– are on their way home from a secret meeting. As they walk in the shadows to avoid detection, they both trip on a huge titanium cylinder. Etched into the surface are a series of scratched-out words. The only words they can make out are, "he will prevail." They drag the heavy cylinder into a hidden alleyway and twist it open. The glow from their flashlights reveals the contents of the cylinder. With gasps of relief, they look at each other with hope in their eyes for the first time in years.

Directions:

Now that you have read the news article and the story prompt, use the Narrative Organization Chart to plan your own story featuring the two teens and the setting described in the prompt.

Think about these ideas as you plan your story:

How much time has passed since the news article was published?
Who are these teens? What are their names? What are they like?
What was the secret meeting about?
What is their conflict?
What is going on in NYC in 2514?
Who is working against them?
What do they learn at the end of the story?
PLZ HELP ME