Excerpt of Drumbeat

(from the middle of Scene 3)

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            KAREN

I saw a woman, a nun I think, praying. I know my Pahan history and I was back in—maybe the 1980s—watching—before I was born. She was weeping and confused, even then—like me now. There were other ones too, other dreams—

 

            GRANDMOTHER

Or visions.

 

            KAREN

That's what you have Grandmother. I have dreams.

 

            GRANDMOTHER

Call them what you like.

 

            KAREN

But that one and this one other were so vivid.

 

            GRANDMOTHER

So—

 

            KAREN

I was sitting way up in the back of a church—no wait! I was in some sort of a balcony.

 

            GRANDMOTHER

A choir loft.

 

            KAREN

A choir loft? A choir loft. I was watching from above. And this black man, a Castila, was preaching. I've seen bits of talks like that—

 

            GRANDMOTHER

Sermons.

 

            KAREN

What?

 

            GRANDMOTHER

Sermons. They're called sermons.

 

            KAREN

He was giving a sermon. He was calling the Pahana's government out for stupid choices, cruel acts, hideous actions. He was calling the people to deeper values I guess—

 

            GRANDMOTHER

(Meaning he's preaching about how to improve our values.) E-E ta katsi ow loma hin tsas' na'ni.

 

            KAREN

Did you see these dreams?

 

            GRANDMOTHER

How could I see your dreams, granddaughter? (She did.)

 

            KAREN

Well after all these dreams, I reflected and I thought: At least, the nun and the preacher were calling out the government for atrocities they were doing in secret. The people didn't vote for them to be done. They were done in secret. The people only found out about them, well most of them, after the fact.

 

            GRANDMOTHER

And…?

 

            KAREN

This time, they voted for them! They knew this man—

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(...continued...)

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