Local Farm

“…to a local farm!” Sally says with a big smile across her face. There is a moment of silence before the bus erupts into yelling and screaming. While Vanessa didn’t take part in the outrage, she understood where everyone was coming from. “Please calm down everyone. I know how it sounds but the school was running low on money for trips and this farm was kind enough to let us tour their facilities for free.”

The yelling stopped but Vanessa could tell that many of the girls were bummed out by the reveal. Vanessa looked at Tori to gage her reaction but Tori kept a calm appearance as usual.

“You know, I get why the others are annoyed but it could be a lot worse.” Tori said, shrugging her shoulders.

“I guess you’re right, but that doesn’t make it sound fun.”

“Oh come on, I’m sure it will be a lot of fun if we make the most of it!”

“I wish I had your optimism.” Vanessa responded, slouching into her seat. She wanted to be excited about the trip but it just felt disappointing as the buses drove off to their destination. They drove for a while, the town getting sparser as the got closer to their destination. The girls just chatted for the duration of the trip, until they arrived at the farm. The girls looked out in awe at the building in front of them. This was no farm like they were used to. It was huge, with 3 massive buildings at least 5 stories tall. They looked like factories making steel, definitely not like the farm they were expecting. Vanessa broke her gaze away from the buildings just enough to see all of the other students in just as much awe as she was.

“Is this what you were expecting?” Tori asked, glancing back at Vanessa.

“Not at all.” Replied Vanessa, eyes still wide at what they were looking at.

At that, the bus turned into the parking lot of the complex, giving the girls a better idea of what they were looking at. There were big garage doors on the sides of the buildings, workers carrying product to trucks to be shipped out. Vanessa could see a little bit of the inside, seeing mechanical arms and conveyor belt moving boxes around. It looked so futuristic, like something out of a movie.

As the bus came to a stop, Sally stood back up at the front of the bus. “I can tell now that you are all a little more excited,” she said with a chuckle. “The owner of the farm gave us free reign to look around the facilities they use, with much of the buildings designed around tours and outsiders to give people an understanding of where their food comes from. However, just remember to follow the rules, don’t go anywhere you aren’t supposed to and you will all be perfectly safe. I wish you the best of luck inside, so have fun!”

With that, the students started exiting the bus and entering the buildings. Vanessa and Tori walk together towards one of the buildings, excited for what they will find.