CAST OF CHARACTERS

URSULA: Older single woman.

BERTA: Mentally Retarded Woman.

FLOWER SEED: Native American Woman.

DOREEN: Physically Disabled Woman.

SHAINY: Lesbian Woman.

TRACIE: Jewish Woman.

SETTING

Supposedly this is a booth or room where a computerized counselor machine is. Each woman comes in to do her session with the machine. The room is a generic counselor's office. Posters on the walls are about "If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade" and other smaltzy things. A small love seat and a straight chair and a small coffee table with kleenex boxes all over the place. No ashtrays, and a small placard on the table says "Thank you for not smoking." It isn't really accessible to the wheelchair. The posters only have healthy white people, mostly men, on them.

NOTES

The computer voice could be prerecorded on a tape recorder. If this is a one woman show, the woman could use her own voice for the computer, on the tape. Another possibility is to use a male voice. In the staged reading presented at LCC Blue Door Theatre, we had the male actor in a control booth and his voice was sent out through speakers so it seemed he was everywhere, and nowhere. Being in the booth, the audience could not see him, nor hear his natural voice, other than through the speakers. You may experiment, because what is done with the voice will add different levels to the entire piece.

TIME:

Slightly in the future.

AT RISE:

Lights up on the empty room. A computer monitor could be prominent, perhaps in the first row of the audience seats, dead center.

FLOWER SEED:

(enters, walks to the four directions burning sage, sits then for a beat looking at the computer)

I am Flower Seed. I am here.

COUNSELOR:

Noted for the Probation records. Flower Seed is here. Please extinguish all burning materials.

FLOWER SEED:

I can' do that. Burning sage is a religious practice of my people.

COUNSELOR:

Please extinguish all burning materials. The Fire Marshall's code is quite explicit.

FLOWER SEED:

I can' do this.

COUNSELOR:

It is so noted. It will appear on your records.

FLOWER SEED:

It always does.

COUNSELOR:

You may begin.

FLOWER SEED:

...Things are goin' ok...I got me a part time job...I pull green chain...pretty good money...the boss don' like me...he thinks womens shouldn't be doin' that....taking a job away from a man...He thinks Indians shouldn't be doin' that either...I feel his hate commin' out of his eyes but I just pull green chain and don' think......I found Sammy.........Oh, Grandfather, hear my words...let the sacred smoke carry my words to your ears...my heart is heavy...I found Sammy...He smiles to me so sweet and opens his bag and I stand there, my fingers like the fingers of a small child reaching out for the damn stuff...his voice is soft and crooning and I move toward him...Grandfather, give me the strength...I found Sammy...but you sent the Eagle, Grandfather...I was standing there slidin' mindlessly into Sammy's hands and around the corner comes Red Eagle, his grey braids flying..."Flower Seed", he calls and I hear your voice...rumbling in the thunderbeings....I hear your voice saying "Flower Seed"...Toon Kashila, Grandfather...thank you for all things...I walked away...with Red Eagle...he a good man, Grandfather...bless him and all his people...We walk away...and he took me to the Sweat Lodge...we prayed all the night 'til the dawn curled her fingers at the door of day and cracked it open...one more day...clean...one more day wanting Sammy...Grandfather...give me the strength of a warrior to fight this...give me the beauty of Mother Earth to blind my eyes to the white man's world...send me Sister Moon and all her mysteries...blaze Brother Sun in my heart......Red Eagle prepares me...I go on my vision quest this week...I go to find my name...I ask that you be with me...grandfather...guide my feet away from Sammy...even when I run for him...turn the streets around and block my sight so I can' find him...I'm hanging by a thread...a spider's thin thread that stretches from you to me...rainbow colors dancing on the thread...so thin a breeze lifts it to near breaking...I'm hanging on to a thread...but...Grandfather...I hear you in my sleep last night...I saw the dream...in the dream, I see a tree, no leaves...a winter tree, branches reaching out like grasping fingers...and at the end of a branch are carved three horse heads...and out of the mouth of one horse comes a gift...it falls out of his mouth and into the raging river and you say to me...Bring me this gift...I stand and dive into the icy water, the white water churnin' all around me and I swam like a salmon through the waves and find the gift and bring it to you and you smiled the sun upon me...I carry that dream in my heart...Metauquiyase.

(She is through with her prayer, pauses and then stands. She looks at the computer and shakes her head wonderingly as if feeling sad for the machine. She lets go, waves and goes.)

I gotta get to work...Hey...only 13 more weeks I have to come here...see you next week.

NOTES

The next woman comes in to speak with the "counselor." This excerpt was in the second half of the play.

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