Goat Watch

__________________________________



 SETTING

Upstate New York, Saugraties 

TIME

Summer of 2021

CHARACTERS

BABA, seventy-five, barefoot

MICHELLE (APPRENTICE ONE), twenty- nine, birkenstocks, occasionally barefoot

ANNETTE (APPRENTICE TWO), twenty- five, barefoot

MICKHAIL, seventy-four, hiking sandals

SCENE I

Baba is barefoot and wears loose tie dye clothes. She is a true hippie. She has done LSD over 400 times. She is a fierce teacher. Baba has a homestead and grows her own rabbits for meat and keeps 4 dairy goats which are milked both morning and night by the apprentices. This provides Baba and her sweetie, Mickhail and any apprentice living on her homestead with yogurt, milk and cheese. 

Michelle, the new apprentice arrives and opens the gate to the deck. She is wearing some loose fitting clothes from her plane ride and has a suitcase. Michelle enters the deck by unlatching a small gate.

All four characters are gathered around the Goat Tower painting

Annette is sitting on the floor

BABA: Didn’t I tell you to have the Uber drop you off on the side of the road and not to come down my driveway?

What is the matter with you?

Baba is upset and you can tell by her tone and posture

MICHELLE: I..um, yes you did. And I told him to drop me off at the mailbox but he insisted on driving me up to the house.

BABA: That is bullshit! You are not a victim! We don’t take that victim crap here. If you want to be dropped off somewhere, you tell them where you would like to be dropped off.

That car smelled awful by the way. I have refused to get in cars with air fresheners. I said to the driver “if you don’t take that thing and put it in the trunk of the car, I have no problem with calling another ride.” Disgusting.

Baba changes her mood in an instant and speaks in a melodic, calm tone. Baba hosts a weekly, local radio show on health and wellness. She has a certain performativity about her.

BABA: Tonight we’re having meatloaf.  This is a meatloaf of chicken, pork and rabbit made by Mick over there.

Mickhail waves

BABA: There is some wild salad, cooked carrots, goat cheese and this. (lifts a plate cover but we cannot see the dish) You can borrow a plate and bowl yet I hope you have brought your own. There is some herbal infusion over there by the cups.

MICHELLE: Mhmm. This looks delicious.

Michelle carefully makes herself a plate and pours herself a cup of herbal infusion which is served in a stainless steel carafe.

MICHELLE: Hello, I’m Michelle. (to Annette)  Hi. (to Mickhail)

Michelle sits down next to Annette on a hospital shower chair. Michelle knows Baba is an anticonsumerist yet is surprised at the out-of-placeness of this chair. 

ANNETTE: Welcome, we’ve been awaiting your arrival. 

Annette scratches her feet, which are scarred with bug bites both old and new. Annette is a live-in apprentice who has been staying and working for Baba for 6 weeks. She is notably submissive when speaking, especially with Baba. Sometimes her head hangs low. She is friendly to Michelle.

BABA: You know it is pretty special that it will just be us three for the week. That gives us so much freedom to do whatever we want, isn’t that right Annette?

ANNETTE: SoOo exciting  (sounding crazed in agreement)

BABA: Did you know that carrots boiled whole are better at fighting cancer than cut carrots? Whole, cooked carrots contain 25% more of an anti-cancer compound called falcarinol. 

Baba walks over to the tree painting. The apprentices follow behind in a line.

BABA: This here, this is a Linden Tree. That’s why we let her hang in our face. 

Baba brushes the side of the tree painting.

BABA: You know, back when I was studying mathematics at UCLA in the 60’s, I took a poetry class and the professor started reciting Rilke. He walked out of the classroom while reciting the poem and we all followed him.

MICHELLE: I got into UCLA reciting Rilke in my admissions essay. 

BABA: Smart girl. The professor was later fired, because it was the 60’s and he was dropping acid before his lectures.

Baba gives a warm smile of approval.

Annette gets up to walk over to Michelle.

MICHELLE: How long have you been here? (to Annette)

ANNETTE: 6 weeks.

The girls are eating their food. Annette ravenously licks her plate after eating. 

BABA: Here. Some Yarrow for the mosquitoes.

Baba cups Michelle’s hands in her own.

BABA: Tomorrow we meet at Talking Stick circle at 10. Annette will show you where that is. It's down by the greenhouse. Annette, do you mind sitting on the rock to see if we will be having anyone join us for the work exchange weekend? I really doubt anyone will but just in case you can be there to greet them and show them where to park.

ANNETTE: Yes, of course, I’m happy to.

Baba and Mick exit the deck. The apprentices walk to the empty space between the paintings which is an imagined kitchen.

Michelle and Annette are cleaning the table after dinner- less is more, keep it natural.

ANNETTE: There was another apprentice who came in at the same time as me. She was here for 12 days. People leave all the time. Usually in the middle of the night. Usually after an incident with Baba.

MICHELLE: I guess people don’t really know what they’re getting themselves into before coming here. I know she isn’t for everyone.

How did you find out about this place anyway?

ANNETTE: I mean.. Mhmm. Well, I used to work a lot of shitty catering jobs. This girl I was working with one night recommended I tune into the radio show because  Baba could recommend an herb to help with my sleeping problems. I never had the courage to call in, but I just got hooked on the radio show. Then eventually I started buying her books. 

Michelle cleans something off the floor.

MICHELLE: Yeah. I love the radio show. I can’t believe I’m here. 

(beat) 

I found Baba by accident. I was just, like.. binge watching Youtube videos of Slavic folklore and this video queued up of Baba talking about Motherwart. I never really had an interest in herbs, but I was like who is this radical, empowered woman?

 (beat) 

I have worked at the same pet store since I was 16. And eventually I became the manager. 

ANNETTE: That sounds cool though. I really love dogs. Wait til you meet the goats. They’re  basically like giant dogs.

Michelle goes and sits down next to the Goat Tower painting.

Annette moves to face the ‘kitchen’ and washes dishes while listening to Michelle talk. She occasionally looks over at Michelle.

MICHELLE: I mean I love dogs too. I just got so tired of talking to the neurotic dog owners. They would say “oh my dog puked, do you think she’ll be okay?” like I’m some kind of vet or something. The store owner encouraged us to have them buy the really expensive gravy and dog applesauce. They would spend like $75 on stuff, all because they were in emotional distress. Honestly, if a dog is sick, just let it eat some grass and it’ll puke. Dogs are really smart in that way. So.. yeah.. this apprenticeship is sort of a way out of my old life.

It’s awkwardly silent for a minute while the girls are cleaning up after dinner. Michelle is afraid she’s overshared. Finally Annette breaks the silence.

ANNETTE: I should probably just let you get yelled at, but I will try to help you avoid that. There are some rules around here. 

(beat)

First thing, any glass container has to be carried in a bag.

Michelle walks over to the ‘kitchen’ to meet Michelle and the two lean against the wall/

Annette puts her hand on the wall implying there’s a door.

ANNETTE: When you drop food off behind the blue door you have to knock to make sure someone isn’t coming out. The fridge is on the other side of the door and if someone is standing at the fridge and you open the door, they’ll get hit.

Annette begins to walk toward the Baba painting, she takes her time, maybe walking in a figure 8. We get the sense Annette worships Baba and when Baba is not around, Annette begins to take on Baba’s persona.

Michelle follows behind, listening.

MICHELLE: Kinda like working at a restaurant.

ANNETTE: Baba also does not like us to refer to anything as a guy. Like saying “hey guys”. It’s assumed anything without a visible penis is a girl. Hmmm..what else.. Oh yes, she calls St John’s Wort or hypericum perforatum, St Joan’s Wort. And, Mugwort is called Croneswort.

MICHELLE: Has she yelled at you?

ANNETTE: Oh yeah. The first three weeks I was here I felt like I couldn’t do anything right. I’ll walk you down to the Nettles Patch where the apprentices stay. It’s kind of like glamping. There is well water at the Nettle Patch, it's safe but smells sulfurous and stains the sinks red. If you need any water, I would get some here because this is spring water. But also we're also not supposed to drink water, only herbal infusions, so you probably don’t need any.

Annette touches the left side of the Baba painting.

Annette and Michelle leave the deck and Annette locks the gate up.

ANNETTE: And we always lock this gate when leaving the deck to keep the goats from charging in. Once they’re on the deck, it’s impossible to get them out. They  are like 200 pounds.

Walk off.

SCENE II

It’s the next morning. Michelle approaches Talking Stick and is the first to arrive. There is a stone fire pit with two goat skulls in the center, as well as a basket with herbal infusion in carafes and some aluminum cups. Michelle sits with her backpack, sipping the infusion. Annette approaches barefoot. The terrain in the Catskill mountains is sharp bedrock, so Annette walks carefully.

Michelle is sitting in front of the apprentice painting and Annette walks up.

ANNETTE: Goodmorning. How did you sleep?

MICHELLE: I slept okay. I’m still on west coast time so I slept later than I meant to. It was freezing last night! but I found an extra sleeping bag.

ANNETTE: It was cold. The lights were off when I came back from the barn, so I figured you were sleeping. Baba should be here soon.

Annette is pacing in a relaxed manner. 

Mick and Baba start making their way to the apprentice painting.

ANNETTE: Did you get some infusion?

ANNETTE: I hope you found the yogurt and granola in the fridge and helped yourself. I’ll get some money from Mick to buy eggs this afternoon. Down the road, about a mile is Farmer Joe's place where we buy our eggs. They are good with some goat cheese in the morning.

MICHELLE: I’m happy to pick those up for us.

Baba approaches the Talking Stick, carrying a linen tote of papers and a plastic bag full of mushrooms and Mick follows close behind, walking with a cane. Baba is seemingly agitated. When Baba and Mick arrive they immediately start into the Talking Stick song. Michelle stumbles to follow along since she’s never heard this song before. Baba starts the song..

Sacred Corn Mother, come to me,

Make my way sacred, fill me with beauty.

Sacred Corn Mother, come to me,

Make my way sacred, fill me with beauty.

Fill me with beauty, fill me with beauty, 

Fill me with beauty, that I may bring others beauty. 

BABA: I’ll start. I was thinking this morning we could go into the garden, trim some nettle, then start a nettle soup in the kitchen for lunch. I would like to clip the shiso near the deck and go into the studio, take the herbs down that have been drying, hang up the shiso to dry for an herbal salt and if there’s time we can go back to the house and I’ll show you ladies how to make an herbal pesto.

Michelle nods in excitement.

BABA: What is this? (Baba mocks Michelle’s head nodding and speaks in a sharp tone)

MICHELLE: Um.. I was just taking in what you were saying.

BABA: This (mocks head nodding again) is not taking it in. This… takes a deep breath standing in a mountain pose and takes arms wide and up over the head and brings them to her heart …is taking it in. We will show you here how to really take things in.

THIS (nodding head) is bullshit. This signals to me that you’re actually not listening (Baba is really upset at this point)  I’m going to teach you how to listen and you know what? It's not your fault you’ve never been taught to listen. Most teachers don’t give a shit if you are actually learning anything. But I’m a teacher who cares about your commitment to be here with me. I’m not your mommy, I’m not your daddy, I’m not your guru. I’m your teacher.

MICHELLE: Yes Baba. 

BABA: Alright then Mick it's your turn.

MICKHAIL: Today I would like to repair the fence that the goats knocked down. I would like to make the goddess pies tonight and the seafood soup for this upcoming Goddess Week. I’ve been walking with this cane here because I injured myself last week. Every day and in every way I am healing. I have an audition on Thursday and I don’t want to walk into that audition using this thing (hits cane on the ground) so yeah, I’m getting better.

ANNETTE: My plant for today is plantain or plantago major.  

Baba smiles and lightly claps with enthusiasm.

ANNETTE: Plantain is wonderful for chewing and making a spit poultice on wounds or burns. It is what we call the band-aid plant. I love to make plantain ointment with coconut oil, which disguises the scent. She is also wonderful for bee stings or itchy bites.  

Today, I plan on making that dill cheese at some point and I’m happy to help with goat watch after lunch. Last night was successful with milking the goats. Sedna has finally gotten comfortable with me. I just have to milk her quickly.

MICKHAIL: Oh yes, Sedna is always causing us trouble.

MICHELLE: I’m happy to help with the fences that need repairs today and I’m looking forward to some time with Baba this morning, learning about shiso and nettle.

Michelle wants to say as little as possible at Talking Stick to avoid upsetting Baba.

BABA: Has anyone seen my Japanese linen bags? They were in the wash.

MICKHAIL: Ooohh I think our dear Annette put them on top of the dryer.

Baba takes the ‘talking stick’ back, which there is no actual stick, only one person is allowed to speak at time. This is a time to air any grievances, yet mostly only Baba does any airing of grievances.

(Directed at Annette)

BABA: Why would you do such a dumb thing? Do you know how stupid you are? It’s filthy in that basement. Soot and dust everywhere. Now I’ll have to just wash them again. I mean, at this point I might as well just throw the damn things away. This is my third time trying to wash these damn bags. Last time Mick left them in the washer and they smelled of mildew. That is such a dumb thing to do! (screaming)

Annette nods in agreement, with her head hanging low

BABA: Moving on, here we have some Mitaiki mushrooms. I found them yesterday in the backwoods. 

Baba gets up and hands each person a mushroom shelf.

Reading off a piece of paper like she is giving a mini lecture

BABA: Miataki also known as Hen of the Woods, because of its tail-like appearance. This mushroom, more than any other, is great at inhibiting tumor growth. Most Americans have low vitamin D levels and by placing Miatakis in the sunshine they are able to generate vitamin D, just as we do. 

The group responds with ‘wows’

BABA: We can roast this up, just like my daughter and I did last year and we can have some Miatiki for dinner tonight. How does that sound?

MICHELLE: Sounds good.

BABA: That was a rhetorical question, no need for you to actually respond. Alright, Talking Stick is over.

Mick exits to carry on with his daily chores. Annette walks over to the Goat painting. Baba and Michelle are still at Talking Stick. Michelle

fumbles with her papers as she stands up.

BABA: What’s in your bag? Why do you even have that?

MICHELLE: Well, I brought my bowl and plate, and a notebook.

BABA: Do you see how you’re slowing us down fumbling with your bag. Go put that on the deck. Here, take this basket and meet us in the Nettle garden.

Baba and Michelle walk over to the goat painting.

Michelle sets her bag down on the deck while Annette and Baba enter the Nettle garden. There is a chicken wire fence around the nettle patch to keep the goats out. Michelle meets Annette and Baba back in the Nettle Garden. 

BABA: Well Michelle this here is Nettle. I want you to cut the flowering tops. I like to come into the Nettle Garden every three weeks or so and cut the Nettle so they never go to seed. 

The three women are standing in a circle. No movement.

Michelle, Annette and Baba each have a basket and a small pair of scissors. Michelle is nervous to make a mistake so she is closely watching how Annette clips the nettle.

BABA: There are two schools of people, people who love the taste of nettle and those who find it bitter and grassy. Tell me, which one are you? 

MICHELLE: Oh, I like nettle but I prefer how you serve it here. Ice cold.

BABA: Why would you have it any other way?

MICHELLE: Well sometimes my Nettle infusion will be sitting on the counter and it becomes room temperature.

BABA: That is dangerous! Do you know how protein rich nettle is? That’s like having a cup of blood sitting on the counter. Would you ever have a cup of blood sitting on the counter?

MICHELLE: No..

BABA: Have you ever seen orange juice in the grocery store with an added supplement? It's usually on the label “orange juice with added..” What is that supplement that is added to orange juice? 

MICHELLE: Vitamin D?

Baba looks at the goat painting and walks around the women. Michelle and Annette are listening intently.

BABA: Who said anything about Vitamin D? Were you not listening to what we were just discussing? Calcium! Calcium citrate is added to orange juice. And that is just a single form of calcium whereas nettle has hundreds of naturally occurring calciums. Do you know what calcium carbonate is? Chalk! If you’re going to be one of those stupid people who takes calcium supplements, your bones will turn into chalk. That's why we love Nettle for her naturally occurring calcium.

Baba smiles lovingly at the goat painting.

BABA: Let's take this nettle inside and I’ll get a pot of water boiling.

Baba goes for a stroll making a figure 8 and the women follow. The group ends up back at the goat painting.

BABA: Do you see how little nettles are in your basket compared to mine and Annettes? Your hypothetical children would starve if this is what you  brought back for them. There is some common sense that needs to be used when foraging foods. How much energy we exert versus the amount of calories. Here you have exerted more energy than calories you are bringing in, so what does that mean? 

Michelle shrugs.

BABA: It means you and your children starve!

Baba combines the nettle into one basket and hands the girls back their baskets. Baba turns to head into the house and Michelle and Annette walk off in a separate direction.

SCENE III

Michelle, Annette and Baba are in front of the Baba painting.

Baba, Michelle and Annette are in the kitchen together. Baba is in a delightful mood. This is Baba at her best. The kitchen is comfortable and one that feels like your grandmother’s kitchen. There is stale popcorn on the kitchen counter in a large aluminum bowl and a few small jars of coconut oil with Hypercium Perforatum, or St Joan’s Wort, infusing the oil into a red color. The women are preparing herbal pesto. 

BABA: Let me see your arms.

Both Michelle and Annette extend their arms in front of Baba as she wipes coconut oil on them.

BABA: There.. sunscreen. Look, these small jars of coconut oil they are from the dollar store. Michelle, we have some for you to infuse and make your own herbal oil later this week. Think about what you want to do with your jars of coconut oil. I love this St Joan’s Wort oil, but you can make any herbal oils you want. 

Baba pulls a sponge out of a dollar store plastic bag. 

BABA: Ahh, a fresh sponge. Don’t you just love a fresh sponge in the kitchen? My kitchen needed a fresh sponge so badly.

Okay herbal pesto. I’m sure you ladies have had some basil pesto but you can make a pesto with any herb. Let me see if I have some other petsos in the fridge.

Baba fumbles in the refrigerator and pulls out a couple of jars and sets them on the kitchen table. She grabs a spoon and tastes one of the pestos and hands the same spoon to Michelle with a little bit of pesto. 

BABA: Garlic scape pesto. We also have here a dandelion leaf pesto and catnip pesto. Mhmmmm!!

Michelle and Annette both agree that the pesto is delicious. 

BABA: Michelle I’ll have you chop the garlic. How do we feel about lots of garlic?

MICHELLE: I love garlic.

ANNETTE: Me too.

Michelle and Annette are directly facing each other. Baba circles around the women while she is talking.

BABA: Great so we will put some extra in.

BABA: My trick to herbal pesto is no nuts, no cheese. This way, you can have your herbal pestos for up to a year without it spoiling. I mean sure,

cheese and nuts are nice, but you really don’t need them in a pesto. Plus nuts are expensive. I like to seal the pesto with a layer of olive oil.

The apprentices both say something like ‘cool’ in agreement. Baba shoves more shiso into the food processor. Baba talking to herself.

BABA: Come on Baba you can fit just this last bit in there. Always organic olive oil.
(beat)
See the difference between home cooked food and gourmet is a fine and even chop.

The apprentices say something like ‘absolutely’ or ‘yeah.’

BABA: My daughter Justine studied at the Culinary Institute of America and you know what their tests were on? Cutting onions. Can you believe that? A quiz on cutting an onion. It's a timed quiz  of course but each piece needs to be the same size.
(beat)

There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.

Baba adds the chopped garlic to the food processor and blends. This is a loud sound that goes on a bit too long. She goes to the fridge and pulls out some bottles and pours small glasses of an effervescent drink and hands them to the women.

BABA: Elderflower champagne. 

ANNETTE: Thank you!

BABA: Sorry Annette, I gave you the dregs. This was made by previous apprentices. See this label here? “Goddesses of 2020”  

Annette and Michelle glance at each other

Your sisters are taking care of you just as you will take care of the women who come after you.

BABA: Okay moving on, let’s slice these Miatakis.

Baba pulls out a plastic bag of large mushroom shelves she had foraged earlier and takes a nibble on the corner.

BABA: Ah burns my tongue. Not a good sign.

Baba walks over and puts her hand on Michelle.

BABA: Okay good job Michelle. Alright, I suppose it's lunch time.

ANNETTE: Do you want me to rinse these cutting boards?

Baba raises her left hand high

BABA: You see, in some countries people eat with their right hand and wipe their ass with their left hand. So whenever you ask me a shit question, I’m going to raise my left hand.

Baba touches the empty space in between the goat painting and the Baba painting. She pets the wall.

BABA:  You can pet the bees, see? They love it.

Walk off.

SCENE IV

Annette and Michelle are sitting in front of the tree painting. Mick walks over singing a yiddish song to himself. Baba follows behind. 

Everyone is gathered around the deck for lunch. When the group forms a circle, they start into the song. Michelle still doesn’t quite know the words so she stumbles along. For lunch there is Nettle Soup; nettle leaves boiled with astragalus root and nothing else. There is a 3-ingredient bread, goat cheese, and a tomato salad with shiso pesto. There is nourishing herbal infusion.

The silver rain, the shining sun, 

the fields where scarlet poppies run,

and all the ripples of the wheat, 

are in the bread that I do eat. (x2)

So when I sit for every meal, 

with thankful heart I always feel, 

that I am eating rain and sun, 

and fields where scarlet poppies run. (x2)

One at a time starting with Baba, each person says a word that comes to mind and after, together they take a big inhale, bring their arms up over their heads and to their heart as Baba directs that they are ‘grounding themselves into the earth.’

BABA: (growls)

MICKHAIL: mystery

ANNETTE: tomatoes

MICHELLE: comfrey

Together they take a big inhale, bring their arms up over their heads and to their heart as Baba directs that they are ‘grounding themselves into the earth.’ 

Everyone grabs their plates and bowls and serves themselves. There is always a condiment basket which has herbal vinegars such as pine needle vinegar. The condiment basket also has miso, organic ketchup and shiso salt. Michelle fumbles around the condiment basket lifting each one and placing it back in the basket. Mick is shirtless and has one gold nipple ring. Mick is bald and is wearing short-shorts and knee braces on both knees. Both Baba and Mick have a certain way of talking that is disorienting because it feels like acting, but this is ambiguous. Mick speaks in a strange theatrical way.

MICKHAIL: Michelle, I think I’ll summon you to help me rebuild the fence after lunch.

MICHELLE:  Alright. I’m happy to help.

MICKHAIL: Oh man, this tomato salad, it’s one of the best I’ve ever had.

ANNETTE: mhmmm (with a mouthful of food)

Baba sits and stretches her arms in front of her and reaches for the condiment basket.She picks up a jar and reads the label. All the herbal jars are jars from jam, baby food, or kombuchas. Baba does not bother taking the original labels off. The old labels are usually peeling off or there is some sticky reminisce of the old label. The herbals are labeled with tape and permanent marker.

BABA: Plantain leaf? How did you get in here?

MICHELLE:  Plantain. I saw some girl on this show chew up plantain and put it on an infected spider bite. (trying desperately to relate to her mentor.)

BABA: Oh ya? Well I’m not sure how much plantain will do for an infection. It’ll help with burning or pain, but it's not going to do much for infection. Isn’t that right Mick? Tell them about your spider bite. 

Mick: I was bit 22 years ago by this big nasty spider. Nearly lost my ear. It's still not the same.

BABA: Poke root is what she needed.

MICHELLE: It’s this show where people are like left in the middle of nowhere and only have a camera. I think they are like survivalists or something. They have no food, no water and it’s amazing the women have all this plant knowledge, they seem to do much better than say the men who have a military background who are really focused on hunting. 

BABA: Survivalist? So they are people who are preparing for the end of the world? I’m confused. I don’t watch television. The last time I watched TV was the day JFK was assassinated.

MICHELLE: Well not exactly, I mean they are surviving off the land. I guess I mean people who like really know how to live off the land. 

BABA: Well I know some survivalists and back when I moved up to Woodstock, in the 60s, a lot of us didn’t want to rely on the government for water or for anything for that matter. We just didn’t trust them. It sounds like a crazy thing, but if shit continues the way it is going, I’m just glad I’ve tapped my own spring.

Why would these people not study the plants around them? I mean really? Come on. That would take half a day to study edible plants in the area. That sounds like just plain stupidity to me. 

MICHELLE: Ya … I’m actually not sure.

BABA: And how did she know her spider bite was infected anyway?

MICHELLE: I’m not sure. It just looked swollen and painful.

Everyone walks off except Baba who stays seated.

SCENE V

Baba is standing in the Nettle Patch speaking to the weeds. She sits down in her patch of herbs and breathes deeply exchanging air with the plants. She breathes carbon dioxide onto the plants and the plants exchange with her oxygen. This is how she talks with plants, now that she is too old to take LSD. Baba is extremely gentle with the plants and to her goats. It is very different from how she interacts with her sweetie or the apprentices.

BABA: Yes, yes.. Things have been tense lately.
(beat)

I mean I know how I can be, but sometimes I just feel so porous. whoever I’m around I become their own personalized hell. 

Like somehow without even knowing the person I can emulate the worst shit possible that has ever happened to them. 

Baba is petting the leaves while talking to the plants. She is sitting cross legged in the patch of dirt.

Baba lays down in the dirt on her side and closes her eyes as she digs her hands in the soil and smiles to herself and then buries her head into the crook of her arm. She might be crying or laughing, or fake crying. We aren’t sure.

It's muffled so we can barely hear what she’s saying.

BABA: I’ve never told anyone this.. but, I’ve never felt right being human.

Baba walks off.

SCENE VI

Mick and Michelle are standing by the goat painting.

Mick and Michelle are pulling out rusted posts out of the ground. Mick is shirtless and wearing long pants. His sweat smells like goat milk. They both are smacking misquoitos off their skin as they build the fence. 

MICKHAIL: Just pull this …up. Sometimes they are really stuck in there. I mean this is bedrock. So it’s going to be a bitch to get these back in.

Michelle attempts to pull the stake out of the ground. The two struggle by rocking the stake back and forth.

MICHELLE: Are you looking forward to your audition? What is it anyway? Like what is the part?

MICKHAIL: Well, it’s a cabaret part. I think I’ll go with this song called “Margaritkelech”. It's a yiddish song. Something about a blond being seduced by a man with eyes as black as coal. Tra la la la.

Mick sings the song as he continues to pull stakes and wire out of the ground.

MICKHAIL: “In veldl baym taykhl dort zaynen gevaksn 

Margaritkelah elent un klein

Vi kleyninke zunen mid vaysinke shtraln

Mid vaysinke  tra la la

It will be good for me to get back into it.

MICHELLE: How long have you been acting ?

MICKHAIL: Well, my whole life. I was part of an avante garde theater group when I lived in the city back in the day and then needed money so I got into making erotic films. But that was back when it was tasteful.

Michelle smiles and blushes.

MICHELLE: I can imagine.

MICKHAIL: Oh yeah, I got this attitude though. I was turning down parts and arguing with directors, at some point I couldn’t get jobs anymore. I had a reputation of being difficult to work with. Now I know that's not what it's about.

MICHELLE: I dated an actor once. 

Mick is struggling to pull the rusty wire holding the fence.

MICKHAIL: God damn, why would you wrap the wire around this many times. Probably one of those compulsive apprentices. 

A tick lands on Michelle’s ear and she touches her ear and pinches off the tick.

MICKHAIL:: Roll up that fencing and throw it into the back of the truck. I’m gonna go around and pick up these rusty bits. 

Mick flashes a bit of rusty wire and drops it into a plastic bucket. This makes a loud sound. The two go about their work in silence for a while and then walk off.

SCENE VII

Baba, Mick, Michelle and Annette are all standing around the Talking Stick circle in the center of the room. Baba lights a candle in the direction of each spirit she is calling in.

BABA: We are calling in the Sacred Presence to be with us this evening. We call in the Spirit of the North, lights a candle, and the Spirit of the South,  lights a candle, we call in the Spirit of the West and the Spirit of the East. Lights a candle. We call in the Spirit Above and Below and the Spirit Within. Lights another candle.

BABA: I will be “she who holds the knife.”

Baba picks up a knife from a stone in the center of the group.

BABA: This knife only gives death. It's soul's purpose. See this serrated edge? This is so it catches.

Baba lays the knife back down.

BABA: First we have to cut through our own resistance. The resistance of taking another life. There is that part in all of us that never wants anything to have to die. That’s why we need you Michelle, to be “she who walks in the woods.” 

Mick and Annette, you will be “she who holds the animal”. We need you both since this buck has a mighty life force.

Mick: Yes.

BABA: The next step is to cut through the animal’s resistance. His energy field.

We are not taking a life, we are giving death here. It is one of the most intimate experiences about being alive. People say how do you eat something you love and I say, how can you eat something you don’t love. When that baby boy was born, I said to him “Hello. You will become my dinner. We will become so intimate that we will share bodies.”

Michelle is standing stunned.

MICKHAIL: Should we create a sound space to start? 

BABA: Absolutely.

The group begins to chant “Om Mani Padme Hum.”

The group stands holding hands in a circle around the goat and chants the mantra which translates to “The Jewel is in the Lotus.”

Om Mane Padme Hum

Om Mane Padme Hum (Baba nods to Michelle)

Om Mane Padme Hum (Michelle bows to the circle and exits the circle)

Om Mane Padme Hum (the remaining three step closer reaching their right arm and rotate in a circle as they continue to chant)

Om Mane Padme Hum (arms go up forming a pyramid)

Om Mane Padme Hum (each person breaks away from the shape by spinning out towards their lifting arm)

Mick, Annette and Baba exit.