The sun is high in the sky. The hottest part of the day. Mister John is sleeping, leaning against the pile of plastic bags, with his hat covering his eyes. Abduma and Dannybird sit on the edge of the raft, trying to catch a fish with a small piece of string.
DANNYBIRD
I’m hungry.
ABDUMA
Quiet.
DANNYBIRD
How long do I have to. Without food. With him.
ABDUMA
No, let the man sleep.
DANNYBIRD
He speaks a strange language.
ABDUMA
Sleeping dogs bite nor bark.
DANNYBIRD
You sound just like him.
ABDUMA
We’re here for you.
DANNYBIRD
Have some water.
ABDUMA
Be careful with the string.
DANNYBIRD
I’m holding on. There’s nothing more I can do. Yes. Waiting.
ABDUMA
No, waiting for something to happen.
DANNYBIRD
Waiting for Lucky. Or a fish.
(Silence.)
ABDUMA
Mother cleans the fish. She cooks the rice, the vegetables, and the fish. No, she grills the fish. Over charcoal. It smells...
DANNYBIRD
Say nothing more. About mom.
ABDUMA
And we eat the fish together. Almost everyone is there.
DANNYBIRD
Enough. Please.
ABDUMA
There’s a party. It smells like fish grilling. Right? We call his name, but the wind is blowing from the North.
DANNYBIRD
I think. I’ve caught something.
ABDUMA
Really?
DANNYBIRD
No. But. I don’t want. Your memories. Anymore. I’m dreaming.
ABDUMA
You’re dreaming.
DANNYBIRD
I dream Lucky. I dream mom. I dream you.
ABDUMA
But, you really haven’t caught anything?
DANNYBIRD
Nobody dreams me. And now I’m wide awake. I float around. Alone. Without direction. Without control. I’m here. And I wait. A stain on the water.
ABDUMA
I shouldn’t have let him go. I shouldn’t have let me go. No. I shouldn’t have let you go.
DANNYBIRD
For the family. For a chance. Something that doesn’t flush away. With the water. Something to hold on to. For the day after tomorrow. Something more than what’s accidentally swimming by. And maybe biting the string. If god wants it to. I pray.
ABDUMA
I don’t pray anymore. Life or death, god has already decided long ago. Doesn't listen, no. He gives you an abyss. And on the other side they’re singing about money coming out of the walls.
DANNYBIRD
He gives you a chance. And you leap. Like Lucky. An abyss cannot be crossed in two steps.
ABDUMA
Without a bridge, no. And who’s building it? Who teaches you to?
DANNYBIRD
They teach a man to fish. And then you pray. By god. For a fish to swim by.
(Silence.)
ABDUMA
Shelves filled with canned fish. We’re in the store for tourists at the resort on the peninsula, five hours from the village. Outside it’s scorching hot and full of dust, but, no, inside there’s air-conditioning. And all kinds of fish, in long rows. Salmon, tuna, crab. I’m amazed by all the labels. You’re shouting at me that there’s Coca-Cola in four, no, five different colors, in huge plastic bottles. Coca-Cola is a word anyone recognizes, even those who can’t read.
DANNYBIRD
I don’t want your memories anymore.
ABDUMA
I say, we can make money here. At the resort. Carrying luggage. No, washing dishes. Cleaning the toilets. For the tourists.
DANNYBIRD
Stop.
ABDUMA
That way, at least we’ll contribute something. We’ll save the money. And our kids, then, maybe...
DANNYBIRD
Stop it. That was then. And I am here. Now. And I’m leaping. I’m floating. Like Lucky.
ABDUMA
You’re dreaming. You’ve lost control.
DANNYBIRD
Or I never had it in the first place. How long do you wait. For luck to come and find you. Lucky made it. I dream. I’m doing the same. I have to get to the other side.
ABDUMA
We need to lie down.
(Abduma lies down. Dannybird takes the radio and turns the knob. The radio produces static and crackles. Dannybird lies down next to Abduma, still trying to catch a fish with the piece of string.)
RADIO
(bad reception)
The economic crisis causes consumers to be more inclined to save on spending for domestic [...] research firm ‘Packaged’ [...] isn’t saved on food or veterinary services and products, but on extra’s, such as dog toys or a cat basket. [...] being saved on birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles. [...] the past year, still an increase of 2.5 percent to 10.7 billion compared to the year [...] modest increases during the four years [...] a cumulative growth of 17.6 percent was recorded.
DANNYBIRD
I’m hungry.
ABDUMA
There will be a storm.
(The sound of the radio wakes up Mister John. He gets up. He sees Dannybird with the piece of string. He laughs at him.)
MISTER JOHN
Fish disappeared first everything goes blank in large cans. I continue boat fishing ferry beggars pay now. Nothing pay fish. Cheap our animals do not catch us more nothing less we are.
RADIO
(slightly better reception)
The latter will have [...] based on usefulness, professionalism, health, safety, convenience and comfort. [...] taking into account the evolution in the general economy. [...] the bond between animal and man is sturdy enough to resist the adverse effects of an economic [...] the higher incomes will continue to pay attention to quality, health and safety in pet spending. [...] are almost 400 million pets.
MISTER JOHN
Not good to come weather. Blockade underneath risk loss. Narrow boat flat lightning waves.
(Mister John turns off the radio.)
Scene from 'Lucky', premieres 21st of July @ LPAC, NYC.
http://www.theinternationalists.org/odyssey.html
Fish
