Nightingale Bamford School - Yearbook (New York, NY)

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the spaceship, careful to sit on the west side, and took out the latest copy of Jet-propelled Joe. We were all ready except for Pat. Where was she, we ati wondered, hut not for iong. Pat, who had just heen crowned Miss Perpetual Motion of 1999, whizzed in, explaining that she had had to stop just a few min- utes to show some new dance steps to the girls at the C.P.S.VV. F-1 The Ciuh tor the Prevention of Single Women. Qnce everyhody was on the spaceship Monique started the engines, Ellen unroiied her maps and space charts, and we were off. There was a tow murmur of conversation, hut, nevertheless, Jan tried to concentrate on the hooks she had hrought along on geoiogy. She was going to he pre- pared for anything. Gait came up and they hegan discussing plans for collecting specimens of rocks and other matter to send hack to Miss Harri- son for the enlightenment of her classes. Joan, still attracted hy her piano, continued to play soft music as Pat vihrated in rhythm. Soon we hegan to see hright red and green lights that seemed to he either stars or comets whizzing hy, and we icnew that We were leaving our solar systemys atmosphere. Everyone got ready to put on their rarefied-air- adjusters as we moved swiftly through space. There was a sudden iuii in conversation as we gazed out of the windows at the strange new worlds and lights. There was a hazy yellow iight surrounding us which seemed to he drawing us to its center. Monique screamed that the ship was out of control, hut Ellen was serene throughout. Girls, she said quietly, wait is as it should hef, and We were reas- sured. Vvithin a matter of seconds we landed and hurried out to see what kind of a world we were on. We stood there grouped around our space- ship iootcing ahout us. There were many conical shaped formations of earth and rocic all huhhiing and steaming at the top, and issuing a strange, pungent odor. The ground was a very hright green color, though not grass. it seemed to he more soft and spongy than the earth we were used to. Qneys feet sanic down into it, hut not so much as to prevent swift move- ment. Then we saw the inhahitants of Utopia. They came out slowly from hehind these huge mountainous formations to peer curiously at us. Jan, heediess of all precaution, rushed up to them, arms extended to show she had no weapons. They seemed harmless enough, hut Jan's attempt at friendliness was thwarted hy her ignorance of their language. The rest of us went up to them, Monique remarking enthusiastically on their attractive costumes. Already she had visions of new tahric industries or a New Look in Earthly fashions. Everyone was mystified hy their ian- 21

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THE ELASS PHUPHEIIY On a dark, foggy night in the middle of a huge field eleven semi-wet figures sioshed hack and forth through the opaque mist around a giant spaceship. It was the class of ,5i, transported through time to the year 1999, preparing for a trip to explore the new planet Utopia, which had just heen discovered. We had tirstheard ahout it from Charlotte, who, as editor of the Inter-Planetary Gazette, released the story to the puhiic. Straightway We made our waylto the new ultra-modern science huiiding, estahished for the promotion of higger and hetter solar systems, to get a guide for our expedition. There we found the head administrator, Gail Ward, and after many profuse greetings on hoth sides, she said she would he glad to lead our exploration party. The rest of the class had gathered from far and wide and we were soon ready to leave. Britt, in charge of Food and Nourishment, had brought along generous supplies of raw vegetables .-I also hard, hrown hread, all of which contained daily nutritional requirements. Terry,s eyehrows went up in shocked amazement, and a groan escaped her lips as she watched these preparations. It was hard for her to leave the rich foods and deli- cacies of Earth. Vvith a pained expression she got ahoard the spaceship. UElieni Eiienin we all shouted, for it was imperative to have a naviga- tor on such a trip, and with calm detachment Ellen walked up and mounted the steps to our ship. She looked at the maps and charts already supplied hy Gail, and with the aid of her Senior mathematics she readily under- stood them ali. But what of the piiot?H and the words had scarcely left our lips when Monique came racing up in a new high powered jet car nearly humping into Susie sitting near the warm engine knitting hrightiy colored earphone coverings. In the midst of the hustle and hustle Joan and Charlotte appeared glaring at each other. Charlotte wore her firemanys red spacesuit while Joan Haunted her tangerine one. But Joan soon calmed down when we led her to the special piano we had had installed in the ship. One of the last to arrive was Jan, who was heing driven to the space- ship hy a carioad of young admirers. She laughed gaiiy at them au, waved, and gracefully entered the ship. From her Texan ranch Betty gaiioped onto the field on a horse, one of those animals from the Hold days, now practically extinct. She got into 20

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guage. Even Susie with her twelve years oi French and iour of Latin was unahie to find any derivation for it. Luckily Terry was with us, and she was aisle to set up a system of communication hy gestures which was readily understood hy hoth the Utopians and herself. She asked them if they would teii us something of their planet, or show us part of their world. They seemed to agree, for their eyes hiinked hiue and yellow. We found out that the steaming we saw on top of the conicai forma- tions was from cooking. They put their food deep inside, and it was siowiy cooiced hy the heat issued from the center of their sphere. On hearing that Charlotte dashed off with some of the Utopian women to sample these new foods, heing hored with earthly provender. We stayed with these people for a few weeks, and as time went hy, Joan found in them the capacity to appreciate and understand music, and she decided to stay and teach them ali she nlcnew. She was very much interested in their musical instruments and hoped to learn much herself. During the time we-spent there, Betty and Gail went off on long field trips. Betty was iooicing for some icind of an animai resemhiing the early American horse. She found none of those, hut did discover a new animal, totaiiy unfamiliar to her, which not only carried burdens of human weight, hut yodeiied also. Gail, on the other hand, was constantly on the iooicout for scientific matter to ioring hack with her to Earth. She carried with her a hiacic notehooic, and at the end of our stay, it was fun of scientific data. These strange people of Utopia are hoth tail and stately. They are iight compiexioned and wonderful to iooic upon. in them Britt found a marvelous mixture ot ancient Greek and modern Scandinavian, and so she, also directed hy her eager heart, decided to stay and find a happy lite among them. It was almost time for us to leave and carry hack to Earth the data we had collected. Pat, after vainly trying to instill some of her quickness and ahiiity in the DANCE into the Utopians, finaiiy gave up in despair and decided to return with us. Wir'h. the iast pitiful words, They just arenyt hepin she once more ciimhed the steps of the spaceship. Ellen tried to calm her, hut in the end had to give up. Ellen had found philosophic calm among the Utopians and decided to remain. We were all ready to leave, hut we couidnit find Charlotte. We learned from one of the women of the planet that she had ioeen so iniiu- enced hy their food and method of cooking it that she would stay with Joan, Britt, and Ellen to live with the Utopians. She also saw taint glimpses of a chance for their social advancement, and was already maiz- ing plans for society ciuhs, dancing classes, etc. The rest of us left Utopia with a happy hope tor the future. Utopia! 22 '