Dramatist Guild member Mildred Inez Lewis writes for stage, screen, and ears. In 2023, she won the AGE Legacy Award. Other honors include Humanitas’ PLAY LA. With a feature film, three shorts and a UCLA MFA in film producing, Mildred is shopping two pilots: i-CLASS about a fallen Vine star turned substitute teacher, and XO MICKEY inspired by country star Mickey Guyton. Mildred writes with EST-LA, PlayGround-LA, and Towne Street Theatre. She holds commissions with the Lucille Lortel, Finish Line (Chicago), and ReproEco (NYC). Her work is published by Broadway Play Publishing, LazyBee Scripts (UK), and NextStage Press. Recent plays include WE, FOUR, about a conservative Black fraternity for The Road Theatre’s 2023 Under Construction Festival. JUKED, her adaptation of Sophocles’ ELECTRA, will premiere in Asheville, NC in 2025. In 2022, her comedy THE MUSEUM ANNEX, an homage to George C. Wolfe’s THE COLORED MUSEUM ran at Central Works (Berkeley, CA). Her audio work includes $10 AND A TAMBOURINE for the Antaeus Zip Code series which was nominated for an Ambie Award. MEETS PRINCE, LOVES FROG is part of Realm’s Feminist Fairytales series. In 2023, she was part of the Orchard Project’s Audio Lab.
LOUISIANA SHOAL
SCENE 1
IN DARKNESS, Zydeco music gives way to
the sounds of fire burning fish. Perhaps, there is
smoke. A weak DAWN lights the stage as
EARLENE stomps the fish ashes. Job done, she
sits to enjoy her pipe of weed. The lake in front
of her is illuminated by the surviving fish. They
emit glimmering colored light.
EARLENE finishes her pipe, grunts with
pleasure, grabs her fishing rod, wades into the
lake and casts. Something catches.
EARLENE
Dinner.
LICIA runs in and immediately chokes on the
toxic fish smoke.
EARLENE
(without turning)
You all right over there?
LICIA coughs, struggles to nod. EARLENE stops
to look around.
EARLENE
Breathe shallow. Try to relax. Want some weed? Purifies the lungs.
LICIA vigorously shakes her head ‘no’ , but still
can’t quite catch her breath.
EARLENE
I might have some VapoRub in my bag. That and mom spit will cure close to anything.
LICIA
(choking)
No.
EARLENE
You sure? Don’t want nothing to happen to you. Something goes down wrong with a dogooder, it stresses everybody out. Doesn’t change anything, but oooo the dust flies.
LICIA
You’ve got to get out of there!
EARLENE
Soon as I catch my dinner.
LICIA
What?! You can’t eat that fish!
EARLENE
Why not? It’s Friday. This is Louisiana.
LICIA
They’re poisoned.
EARLENE
I took out the ones that were bad.
LICIA
(points to the embers)
The smoke?
EARLENE
I sure wouldn’t leave ‘em for the crows. They don’t know no better. Why should they
suffer? The rest are all right.
LICIA
They’re not. Please believe me.
EARLENE
Cancer Alley’s not safe? Now there’s some up-to-the-minute news. You must be with
the feds.
LICIA
(angering)
Not every “fed” --
Beat.
EARLENE
You’re too easy. You got kids?
LICIA
Not yet.
EARLENE
If you had, you’d know to (sings) “Take a deep breath and count to four.” Smoke’s
starting to come out of your ears. (breathes) One, two, three, four. Don’t you love you
some Daniel Tiger? My grandbaby turned me on to it.
LICIA
I appreciate ..., but we’ve got to move. A storm’s coming. A Cat six.
EARLENE
Mmm hmm. Felt something coming on a few days ago.
LICIA
Then may I ask what you’re waiting on?
EARLENE
You mean wading on?
EARLENE greatly enjoys her own joke.
LICIA
It’s not that funny.
EARLENE slaps her side. She can’t help
herself.
LICIA
You can’t hunker down in a Cat Six.
EARLENE
We used to. Oops! Not gonna cancel me for that, are ya?
LICIA
Things change. We’re not built for it anymore.
EARLENE
Damn straight we’re not. Y’all feds doing something about that? It’s late in the day, but --
LICIA
Let’s go! (Beat.) Ma’am.
EARLENE doesn’t budge.
EARLENE
Running through your training? How to deal with non-compliant seniors.
LICIA
Let’s try again. I’ll talk and you walk to me when you feel ready, okay? I’m Licia. Licia
Knowles. What’s your name?
EARLENE
Mrs. Earlene Iridessa Jackson. Buster’s widow.
LICIA
Pleased to meet you Missus Jackson. I’m with the EPA.
EARLENE
That’s a FEMA jacket.
LICIA
I’m on temporary assignment.
EARLENE
EPA jacket’s got a better fit. Not that that matters. You’ve got a real, nice figure. See? I
notice things.
LICIA
I’m temporarily assigned to FEMA. This lake, this whole area was declared an
irretrievable hazard last night. That means --
EARLENE
I know what it means. (softer) Damn.
LICIA
Everyone else in town’s been evacuated. As of five minutes ago, this officially became a
ghost town.
EARLENE
In the time it took to smoke a pipe.
LICIA
It’s been coming for a long time.
EARLENE
Don’t I know it. The bugs are gone. They used to slick my windshield. No more. Last
summer, during the heat wave? A pelican dropped from the sky right in front of my car.
The state bird, DOA. Never seen anything like it. “Don’t worry,” they said. And now
what? Where are we supposed to run to?
LICIA
The administration’s going to work with the refinery to buy everyone out. It’ll be enough
to start over. Somewhere better. In a place that’s sustainable. Maybe with green
architecture.
EARLENE
I’m not talking about buildings. I’m talking about the heart of us. Where’s that supposed
to relocate?
LICIA
I’m so sorry. If we’d done our jobs sooner --
LICIA holds out her hand. EARLENE advances.
EARLENE
You mean back in the 70s? Or the 20s when Union Carbide and Carbon birthed the
Carbide and Chemicals?
LICIA
You know?
EARLENE
Everybody round here knows. Looks like you’re the ones slow on the uptake.
LICIA
Maybe, when this is over, we can find a way to work together.
LICIA extends EARLENE a clipboard.
LICIA
But first, let’s get you to safety. Just sign at the x.
EARLENE
(reads)
What about our personal belongings? I’ve been holding things for my son and his kids.
LICIA
I’m sure your insurance --
EARLENE
Insurance stopped covering us years ago.
LICIA
Oh.
EARLENE
Can you give me a personal guarantee? In writing?
LICIA
The EPA’s not responsible --
EARLENE
Hmmm. Then maybe I’ll take my chances.
LICIA
You can’t. Not with this storm. It’s stirring up things you don’t want to meet.
EARLENE
Things like what?
LICIA
We’re not 100% certain so I can’t go on the record.
EARLENE
Area 51-type situation?
LICIA
You can trust me. I’m a post-doc in emergency management. I’m here to study the site.
But I’m committed to making sure people here get taken care of. (Beat.) A post-doc
means --
EARLENE
I grew up here, but worked admin at Chicago State till I retired. I understand all about fish
and post-docs, ground soil and promises.
LICIA
It’s personal for me, too. I’m Penny’s girl. Penny Corkle --
EARLENE
The school cafeteria. Long time. You got something against Christmas and Easter?
LICIA
No ma'am.
EARLENE
She still with us?
LICIA
Passed.
EARLENE
Cancer?
LICIA nods.
EARLENE
Explains a lot. Condolences. Know your people. They didn’t deserve. That said M iss
Licia, there’s a difference between being from a place and of a place.
LICIA
You left and came back.
EARLENE
I took these hallows and swamps with me. They called me back. Not a job assignment.
LICIA
That doesn’t make my commitment any less real.
EARLENE
Guess we’ll find out.
LICIA
This storm’s bad. There’s something malignant about it. Best case scenario, it unleashes
bad things for a long time to come. I’ve got a towel and dry clothes in the car.
EARLENE
Me and the fish and crawdads? We’re good. You go ‘head on.
LICIA
At least come out of that water.
EARLENE
I’m good where I’m at.
EARLENE stirs the water.
EARLENE
Look at how they’re lighting around me. We’ve made our own little shoal here every
Friday since I got back. This is my happy place and my safety. It won’t betray me.
LICIA
Shoals aren’t stable in a cat six.
EARLENE
You’re thinking ‘bout sandbank shoals. This kind’s where fish and other creatures move
together. Each one on their own rhythm. Their light’ll let me know what’s up.
LICIA
The light that comes from those fish isn’t what it used to be. It comes from chemicals now.
Toxic chemicals.
EARLENE
Some of their light still comes from joy. That’s the part that’s safe to eat. I can tell the
difference.
LICIA
How?
EARLENE
Just do.
LICIA
You might feel okay, but the poison’s building in your body.
EARLENE
Air was already bad. Make sense the water would follow.
A siren sounds.
EARLENE
(lightly)
That last call? I’ll take a margarita.
LICIA
No one’s coming back for you. The rest of my team’s gone.
EARLENE
But you came.
LICIA
Some kid told me you’d be out here. I’m not going to lie. I didn’t believe him. But he kept
tugging on my pants leg. Rich? Ricky?
EARLENE
Little Ricky Pontcharian. He’s another one.
LICIA
Another one what?
EARLENE
Another of this place. Shoot, it might’ve been your mama talking through him to you.
LICIA
The dead don’t speak.
EARLENE
The dead never shut up. Teasing us. Warning us, They just don’t speak directly to folks
who won’t listen.
LICIA
I’m counting to ten --
EARLENE
Ha! That didn’t work on me when I was seven. Damn sure won’t work now. What else
you got?
LICIA walks away.
EARLENE
That it? You just gon’ run off?
LICIA
I fight through science. I’m not throwing my life away in some overgrown pond. You
want to stay. You’re welcome to it.
LICIA tosses EARLENE a Sharpie.
LICIA
Write your Social on your arm so they can identify the body.
EARLENE
Handy trick. Will do.
LICIA
You don’t make any sense.
EARLENE
I make more sense than you do. I’m willing to stay and fight for this place.
LICIA
There’s nothing left to fight for.
EARLENE
Says who? What good’s your science if you don’t have the guts to fight for what it
shows?
Another, more urgent siren.
EARLENE
Says them? Where’ve they been hanging all this time? While everything was going bad.
LICIA
The past is past.
EARLENE
The past is now. The past’s the future. You dig deep enough anywhere round here, you
find fossils. That’s the dead living with us. That dead pelican gave its life to warn us
about the heat. We’ve got responsibilities to the dead and we owe the past more than
another scientific study, ‘specially one telling us what we already know.
A crack of thunder.
EARLENE
See? That’s the earth fighting back. She’s fighting back! And she’ll win. We need her. She
doesn’t need us. Stand with me.
LICIA
And die?
EARLENE
Fight. As god is my witness, during the last storm I stayed under for two hours. The fish
gave me air.
LICIA
Impossible.
EARLENE
You study things. I gut know them. That’s the difference. It’s too late to run now
anyhow. Time to hunker down.
The rain begins. EARLENE holds out her arms.
LICIA wades into the water.
LICIA
We might not survive this.
EARLENE
Then we bear witness from beyond. This ain’t N’awlins, but laissez les bon temps rouler.
(howls to the storm) Let the good times roll, baby.
LICIA
Oui cher. Oui.
EARLENE, then LICIA submerge themselves in
the lake as the storm hits. FADE TO BLACK.
The sounds pass. EARLENE and LICIA take a
sharp, deep breath. The sound of television
news anchors reporting the devastation begins.
END PLAY
###
Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, and retreats.