A Bite of a Snake
by
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Ms. Johnson: Oh wow! What happened? Please don’t cry. You’re gonna make me cry.
Eve: That snake, that psycho. The nature of that creature, the poison- oh, how deadly it can be!
Ms. Johnson: What! Who? Your husband? What happened! Is he cheating on you Eve?
Eve: No, it’s not my husband. Oh, I thank God it’s not my husband. Ms. Johnson I can’t believe that there are creatures out there that would smooth their way into your life so fast before you can even blink and, before you know it, they’ve wrapped their whole beings around you from head to toe like the worst nyoka, a snake. I feel suffocated Ms. Johnson. I can’t breathe. This snake- or should I say psychopath, this vulture- is about to swallow me and my dream alive, and there’s nothing I can do about it! Nothing!
Ms. Johnson: Wow. Who? Talk to me. Break it down to me so I can understand you. It’s me you’re talking to . . . and this dream you’re talking about, which one Eve? You have so many dreams.
Eve: My brand new baby. Ms. Johnson, I am talking about my salon. As quickly as I received it is just how fast I’m going to lose it. It’s like this great evil whose eyes are fixed on me, and it just can’t stand to see me happy. It seems like every time something beautiful or great happens to me, for some weird reason, I’m not supposed to enjoy it. You know how long and badly I’ve wanted my own salon? Well, just like a dream, I’m about to wake up and realize it wasn’t real at all, but it was an illusion, a game, you know what I mean a-
Ms. Johnson: Oh no. Come on Eve. You just moved in here what? About a year now right? Baby calm down. Most businesses don’t start picking up until at least 2-5 years. You just have to be patient sweetie. Anything worth having takes a lot of time. It’s going to pay off. You’ll see. You've just got to hang in there dear.
Eve: I wish it was that simple Mam. If only my problems had to do with the business and all the issues involving it. That would be great, but, of course, it couldn’t be that easy, Hah, no way. It’s about me Eve. My situation always has to be unique, complicated, and one that’s unheard of. That’s why I know for sure that it’s some kind of voodoo involvement, I know that people of God are not supposed to talk about the darkness and all that takes place in the darkness, but the devil is alive, and so are the demons that work for him day and night without any sleep to torture helpless souls like mine. Whoever they are, this mysterious voodoo person or group of demons are watching my every move and are very evil and hate me very much. They don’t want me to have success in anything.
Ms. Johnson: Ok, ok, Eve. I know that you’re from Africa and all; you people tend to believe in that juju mess, but I don’t believe in all that stuff. Now even if there were such a thing out there called voodoo and all the evil that was watching you, the great power of the almighty God who watches over you is so much more powerful. He is able to fight all the wickedness that you’re talking about. You’ll be fine Eve. All this is only in your mind. Baby, it sounds like you need to pray.
Eve: I know that it’s hard for you to believe something that you’ve never experienced before, Ms. Johnson, but when I can sit here all day and cannot make sense to why and how the same kind of trouble keeps on following me without rest, I just can’t help but think that there has to be some kind of spiritual battle going on that we can’t begin to explain with our own limited human logic. Some kind of evil force or spirit is probably being sent all the way here, many oceans away, from Africa or just probably lingering around here in the United States. Who knows? But something isn’t right . . . now let me tell you how all this mess started, and you'll see exactly what I mean. It was actually a beautiful afternoon, sunny, business as usual, at Walo’s. I was weaving my client, Jennifer’s, hair, and Walo was at her station braiding as well as usual.
END OF ACT 1 SCENE 1
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About the Book
Since the beginning of time, the heart of mankind has overcome or perished in the many smiling, deceiving faces of evil and adversity. This is the story of four women born oceans apart, from different generations and cultures, yet bound by their African roots and descent and, of course, the unavoidable human condition of falling prey to the enticing trap known as the bite of the serpent. Some are bitten by surprise, unaware of the evil that lurks. Some are bitten for they have nowhere to run. And still others fall in an attempt to play charmer to the serpent. These women’s interactions with each other and the world reveal challenges that leave each one questioning whether there is a silver lining, or whether this poisonous, toxic cloud has marked the beginnings of her demise.
About the Author
My name is Ediambolo Yindja, and theater is my calling. I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa, a land exceedingly rich with natural resources; however, its people remain amongst the poorest in the world. Storytelling is what kept my spirit alive. I remember as a kid sitting outside around the fireplace in my village, Wembonyama, listening to my elders tell stories of why and how things came to be. They conveyed these tales in such an animated way that they brought the stories to life in my mind. That time is when I learned the beauty and the power that theater possesses. I learned very early on in life that, if I mastered the art of storytelling in a way that captured and interested my audience, my world and theirs would be a better place.