An Adventure in Greenswamp

CHARACTERS 
ROSE ELLA, 11 
WALTINA, her sister, 10 
LADY ESTHER, a herbalist/root doctor, about 60 years old with wild, gray hair 
WALTER MORGAN, the girls’ father, about 35 years old 

SETTING 
A South Carolina  community. A small house on a rise in a swamp. It’s surrounded by a fence, with a gate opening toward the porch and steps leading up to it. 

Inside house is a front room with a long wooden table, rocking chair, fireplace with bench near it, and a window that looks out toward the side of the house. A door at the back of the room leads to a kitchen 

Lights dim when action moves indoors and rise when action takes place outside.  

 (At rise, Rose Ella and Waltina approach the dilapidated old house.) 

Rose Ella 
Mama told us to stay out of Greenswamp! And she was right. This place is scary. Every time I let you talk me into going with you on one of your adventures, we get in big trouble! Let’s turn around. 

Waltina 
Once and for all, this ain’t no adventure, Rose Ella. It’s a mission to save Daddy from the Wanderlust. I think this is Lady Esther’s house. 

Rose Ella 
Don’t use “ain’t” Waltina! Folks say she’s a witch. What if she really is? I’m the oldest and Mama says you’re supposed to do what I say. I wanna go back! Now! I’m scared! 

Waltina 
Sometimes I get scared too, Rose Ella, but it doesn’t stop me from following what my heart says is the right thing to do. You wanna help Daddy, right? 

Rose Ella 
Yes. But I don’t like the way the water laps up against the road. And how the trees look like old men with beards. 

Waltina 
Those are sycamore trees growing up out the swamp, and that’s just moss growing off them. I think they look pretty. 

Rose Ella 
Bet it’s not pretty out here at night! 

Waltina 
It’s not night now, and we’ll be home long before sundown. Look! Rusty tin roof. Worn-down porch. A fence around it all. This must be her house. 

Rose Ella 
It doesn’t look like a root doctor’s house. It’s too . . . ordinary. 

Waltina 
Ordinary’s good, right? Maybe the root doctor’s just an ordinary woman. 

Rose Ella 
If she was ordinary, she wouldn’t be able to make magic potions, now, would she? And if she’s making magic potions, she’s a witch. 

Waltina 
Lady Esther isn’t a witch. She’s a root doctor. People say her potions can cure everything. Anyway, I’m sure this is her house. 

(Waltina opens the gate and climbs the porch steps, pulling Rose Ella behind her. As she reaches out to knock on the door, it opens. Lady Esther emerges and slowly looks them up and down.) 

Lady Esther 
Usually it’s man-troubles that brings pretty gals to my door. But y’all way too young for that. 

Waltina 
No, Ma’am, we’re not! My name’s Waltina and this is my sister Rose Ella. Our daddy’s got a curse on him—the Wanderlust. 

Lady Esther 
The Wanderlust? 

Waltina 
Yes, Ma’am. He says it makes him want to wander away from his family. Says he drinks to calm it. If we get a potion to cure it, he won’t have to drink. He’ll be happy to stay home with us. Folks in town say you’ve got potions for everything. Don’t you have one for the Wanderlust? 

Lady Esther 
Let’s see. I’ve got love potions, revenge potions, potions that’ll make you forget what you don’t want to remember, ones that make folks fat or thin . . . A potion for wanderlust ain’t one I ever had call for before. But for the right price, I’ll look in my book and cook up something that’ll do the trick. 

Rose Ella 
You got a book? 

Lady Esther 
Of course I got a book, honey. The important question is, do you got the money? (Waltina reaches into her pocket and holds out a few bills. Lady Esther snatches the money.) This is gonna take a while. Rest yourselves out here. (She goes back into the house, slamming the door behind her.) 

(Lights dim, then come up again. The girls are sitting on the porch.) 

Rose Ella 
It’s getting cold. And look at the sky. A storm’s brewing. We’ve got to go home. 

Waltina
We’re not going home without the potion! 

Rose Ella 
Maybe she can’t find it in her book. Maybe she won’t give it to us. Maybe . . . she’s planning to use us for her next potion! 

Waltina 
A bargain’s a bargain, Rose Ella. She took our money, so she has to make the potion! 

Rose Ella 
You expect a witch to keep a bargain? No telling what she’s gonna do! 

Lady Esther 
(Suddenly opening the door) 

It’s startin’ to rain. Why don’t y’all come on in befo’ y’all git wet. 

(The girls reluctantly go inside. Lights go out on the outside half of the stage and come up on the interior half. Lady Esther closes the door behind them and deposits a book and a little glass bottle on the long table in the middle of the room.) 

Rose Ella 
It smells funny in here. 

Lady Esther 
That’s jist camphor and eucalyptus leaves—stuff I use to make my potions. (She goes to the fireplace, puts a kettle of water on the hook to boil.) Y’all’s Mamma let y’all drink tea? 

Waltina 
Yes, Ma’am. (Rose Ella kicks Waltina in the shin.) But we’re not thirsty. Thank you, Ma’am. 

Lady Esther 
Y’all talk real proper. 

Rose Ella 
At school, they say we must speak properly and read well if we want to get ahead. 

Lady Esther 
(laughs) They might be right, but it takes more’n words to git ahead in this world. You gotta be able to understand what other folks really be saying. Otherwise, y’all gonna fall under a spell stronger’n any I could ever make. 

Rose Ella 
What do you mean by that, Lady Esther? 

Lady Esther 
Don’t pay me no mind, chile. I’m just a ramblin’ ole woman who ain’t ever been out in the real world. This swamp and its secrets is all I know. 

Rose Ella 
We’ve gotta go home now, Waltina. Mama’s gonna be mad if we don’t get back by dinnertime. 

(The sound of rain pounds on the cabin’s roof and the wind howls.) 

Lady Esther 
Hard as it’s raining, y’all would catch the pleurisy before you made it home. Yo’ Mama wouldn’t want that, now, would she? May as well make yourselves comf’table ’til it stops raining. 

(Waltina and Rose Ella sit on a bench near the fireplace.) 

Waltina 
Did you find a potion for the wanderlust in your book? 

Lady Esther 
Nope. 

Rose Ella 
See? I told you . . . 

Lady Esther 
Calm down. I made the potion. (Points to the bottle.) It was easy—once I found all the makins—some I ain’t used in a long while. 

(She takes the kettle off the fireplace hook and pours boiling water over leaves in a teapot on the table, settles into a comfortable chair.) 

Y’all not exactly the talkative type, huh? When I was ya’ll’s age, I talked up a streak whenever I got anybody’s ear. 

(She pours tea from the brewing pot into a china cup, settles back in her chair, and sips. Then there is a crash of thunder and flashes of lightning. Rose Ella jumps and clings to Waltina as Esther cackles.) 

You one jumpy chile! You sure you don’t want nothin’ to drink? I can mix you up a li’l some-thin’ to calm your nerves. 

Rose Ella 
No, thank you! 

Lady Esther 
Suit yo’sef. So, how long’s yo’ Daddy had this wanderlust? 

Waltina 
Mama says he’s had it ever since he was a little boy. (pointing at the bottle on the table) Is that the potion? 

Lady Esther 
That’s it—the cure for what ails yo’ Daddy. 

Rose Ella 
Does it taste bad? 

Lady Esther 
Not to yo’ Daddy it won’t. I mixed in a li’l moonshine to flavor it up. 

Rose Ella
Moonshine has taste? 

Lady Esther 
(Laughing loudly) 

Not the kind that come out the sky, chile. The kind yo’ daddy drinks. Y’all make me laugh like I ain’t done in a long time. I’m real glad y’all wanted to cure yo’ daddy’s wanderlust. 

Rose Ella 
It was all Waltina’s idea. 

Lady Esther 
Oh. That explains why you so scared of me. You think I’m a witch? 

Rose Ella 
(cowering behind Waltina) 

That’s what people say. 

Lady Esther 
You can’t believe everything folks say, chile. You got to see things for yo’sef. 

Rose Ella 
We’ve got the potion. Can we go home now? 

Waltina 
Let’s wait for the rain to let up like Lady Esther says, Rose Ella.  

How long will it take for the potion to work, Lady Esther? 

Lady Esther 
First full moon afta he drink it, he’ll be cured! 

Waltina 
The first full moon! That’s too long! 

Lady Esther 
I made the potion. You can take it or leave it! But I’m keeping yo’ money! 

Waltina 
(pointing at the book on the table) 

Is that your book? (Lady Esther nods.) Can I look at it? 

Lady Esther 
(scowling) 

Why you wanna look at my book? 

Waltina 
Because . . . because I’ve never looked at a magic book before. 

(pause) 

Lady Esther 
It ain’t magic, just special. Go ’head. You can touch it, but be careful. 

Waltina 
(goes to the table, runs her fingers over the book’s worn leather cover) 

Where’d you get it? 

Lady Esther 
From my grandma. She taught me how to make all the potions in it. I add a few of my own from time to time. 

Rose Ella 
Where do you get new potions from? 

Lady Esther 
Some come to me on stormy nights—like this one. Some come in dreams. Other times, I’m out in the woods and have a vision in broad daylight! 

Waltina 
(in a hushed tone) I had a vision one time. 

Rose Ella 
You had a vision? How come you never told me about it? 

Waltina 
I thought you’d think I made it up, or laugh at me. 

Lady Esther 
Folks laughed at my visions. Said I was crazy. I just stopped telling folks about ’em. You girls the first I’ve told in a long time. 

Waltina 
(still hushed) I don’t think you’re crazy. 

Lady Esther 
Thank you, chile. (sitting back with a smile) Y’all sure I can’t git you a li’l somethin’ to drink? 

Waltina 
No, Ma’am, but I sure wish it would stop raining. We’re gonna be in a lot of trouble if we don’t get home soon. 

(A flash of lightning. Rose Ella rushes to Waltina’s side.) 

Lady Esther 
If it rains more’n a hour, Green Swamp floods ova the roadway. Y’all won’t be able to git home tonight. 

Rose Ella 
(running to look out the window) 

I told you, didn’t I? We shouldn’t have come here. We’ll never get home! 

Lady Esther 
Sure you will, honey. The water’ll go down by tomorra. 

Rose Ella 
Tomorrow? We have to go home now! 

Waltina 
Don’t you have a potion in your book that’ll stop the rain? 

Lady Esther 
A potion to stop the rain? Chile, if I could do that, I wouldn’t be a witch. I’d be the Devil hisself. I’m just a human being, like y’all. Ain’t nothin’ we can do but wait out the storm. 

(Thunder and more rain on the roof. Waltina and Rose Ella huddle together on the bench.) 

Looks to me like y’all gonna be staying the night. Lemme fix a pallet for y’all to sleep on. 

(She makes a pallet of old quilts on the floor. Rose Ella and Waltina lay down on the pallet.) 

(Lights dim and rise again. Rose Ella is asleep on the pallet. Waltina is looking out the window. Lady Esther enters with a plate of cornbread and strips of bacon.) 

Waltina 
(whispering) 

I thought you said it was gonna go down! The water’s almost up to the porch! 

Lady Esther 
It take time to go down. We had a lot of rain last night. 

Waltina 
What we gonna do? 

Lady Esther 
I’m gonna have breakfast. (biting into a piece of cornbread) You and yo’ sister welcome to share. 

Waltina 
Mama probably thinks we’re dead! 

Lady Esther 
Don’t worry. The way I see it, if yo’ Daddy’s had the wanderlust a long time, yo’ Mama already know that just ’cause a person is gone don’t mean they dead. 

Waltina 
But we’ve never been gone before. 

Lady Esther 
There’s always a first time. 

Waltina 
But we don’t have the Wanderlust! 

Lady Esther 
First time yo’ daddy left home, he didn’t have the wanderlust either. He went lookin’ for somethin’—just like y’all did. 

Waltina 
But we want to go back home! 

Lady Esther 
So did yo’ Daddy. But it ain’t always possible to do what we want, when we want. 

Rose Ella 
(wakes up, runs to the window, lets out a cry) 

Mama told us not to fool with the Devil’s work. Look at all that water! We’re gonna drown! 

Waltina 
(Puts her arm around Rose Ella. Her voice is teary.) 

We’re not gonna drown, Rose Ella. 

Lady Esther 
My word! Y’all making a mountain out a molehill. I been livin’ on this here hill more than sixty years and I ain’t never drowned. Broad as this land is, you can go stand up in that water, if you want to. It probably won’t come up no higher than yo’waist. Anybody with a boat and a strong back could row here from town in short order. Maybe I’ll send for yo’ Daddy—so y’all crybabies can go home. 

Rose Ella 
You can do that? 

Lady Esther 
’Course I can. But I’ll need yo’ help. 

Waltina 
Our help? We don’t know magic! 

Lady Esther 
You will, befo’ this day is over. Now, both of y’all come over here. (She takes one of their hands in each of hers.) Now hold hands and close yo’ eyes. You gonna bring yo’ Daddy here by lookin’ deep in your hearts and touching him with yo’ love. 

Rose Ella 
How do we do that? 

Lady Esther 
Think on ​how much you love him and need for him to come get y’all. Picture him leavin’ yo’ house and rowing a boat along Green Swamp Road. 

(The girls close their eyes, but keep peeking at Lady Esther, whose eyes are closed.) 

Lady Esther 
I can feel y’all lookin’ at me! 

(She opens her eyes, stares at them, sighs, closes her eyes again.) 

If only folks would stop lookin’ so hard with they eyes and feel more with they hearts, they’d find answers to the questions they keep askin’. 

(The girls close their eyes tightly. Lady Esther begins to chant in a sing-song voice.) 

Green Swamp, 
Shelter to many and keeper of secrets 
Set loose your power upon the winds 
Give succor to these girls 
Stranded by this storm. 
Car-ry-this child’s mes-sage- 
straight to her Dad-dy’s-heart 
Guide him-and-guard-him 
And-lead-him here 
here-to-this-place 
Where love waits for him. 
Lead-him-here. Lead-him-here. Lead-him-here. 

Waltina 
(whispering) I see him! I see Daddy! He’s got on his yellow oilcloth slicker! 

(Rose Ella gasps, opens her eyes, stares at her sister.) 

Waltina 
He’s talking to Mama. She’s crying. 

Rose Ella 
(breaks away, throws open the front door) 

Daddy, Daddy! Come get us! Please come get us! 

Lady Esther 
(goes to Rose Ella.) 

Yo’ sister’s made contact. Come give her the strength to make him come  for y’all. (They all hold hands again and close their eyes. To Waltina.) That’s right, chile. Send yo’ love on the wings of a bird to light on yo’ Daddy’s shoulder and lead him straight here. 

Walter 
(from outside) 

​​​​​Rose Ella! Waltina! Y’all in there? 

Rose Ella 
That’s Daddy? How’d he know where we are? (lets go of Lady Esther’s hand and cringes) Mama was right! You really are in cahoots with the devil. 

Lady Esther 
Don’t be foolish, chile. I don’t deal in the devil’s work. Yo’ Daddy’s heart brought him here. That man loves y’all, just like y’all love him. Hearts always find each other. 

(Walter, dripping wet and in a head-to-foot oil slicker, enters the front door. Rose Ella rushes to embrace him. Waltina and Lady Esther follow her.) 

Rose Ella 
Daddy! You found us. You found us! 

Walter 
Why’d y’all run off? Your Mama’s beside herself! 

Rose Ella 
We didn’t run off, Daddy, we came to get a potion to cure your wanderlust curse. I was so scared when the swamp started rising up! Lady Esther showed us how to make you come get us. (pause) Waltina had a vision. She’s the one who sent for you! 

Walter 
Sent for me? I hope y’all ain’t been practicing no black magic. Your Mama would be real mad! 

Lady Esther 
They been practicing love magic, Walter Morgan. 

(She picks up the glass bottle from the table and hands it to Walter.) 

Drink this. It’s the cure yo’ gals come all the way out here to Greenswamp looking for. 

Walter 
(Holds the bottle up to the light, takes out its stopper.) 

You think this’ll cure my wanderlust? 

Lady Esther 
It ain’t what I think that matters. It’s what you believe. If you want it to cure you, it will! These gals done showed you how much they loves you and wants you to stay home with ‘em—without drinking. The power to change is in yo’ heart. 

Walter 
How long before this potion works? 

Waltina 
Lady Esther says that after the first full moon, the curse’ll be lifted. 

Walter 
(Tilts his head back and swallows the potion as the girls clap and cheer.) 

Thank you, Miz Esther, for what you’ve done for me and for looking after my girls. I was mighty worried when I found out they was missing in this storm. You been a blessing to my family! 

Lady Esther 
(beaming with joy) 

I didn’t hafta do much. Yo’ daughter’s the one what made it happen. She’s got the gift. 

Walter 
Their Mama will be grateful for what you done. 

Waltina 
(goes to Lady Esther and hugs her) 

Thank you, Lady Esther. I’ll never forget you. 

Lady Esther 
And I won’t forget you either, Waltina. Come back whenever ya gits a mind to. There’s a lot I can teach a smart gal like you. 

Rose Ella 
You may not be a witch, Lady Esther, but you sure know magic. 

Lady Esther 
And now you know magic, too, chile—the good kind. Maybe it’ll stop you from being such a scaredy cat. 

Rose Ella 
(giggles and whispers to Waltina) 

This was a great adventure, Waltina! I’m glad I came along. 

Waltina 
I’m glad you came along, too! Now we’re two adventurous peas in a pod! 

Lady Esther 
(goes to the door and looks up at the sky) 

Well, look at that! The sun’s coming out from behind them clouds. Guess this storm’s over and y’all can make yo’ way back home real easy. 

Walter 
Come on, girls. We need to get home and ease your Mama’s mind. 

(Waltina hugs Lady Esther. Walter, Rose Ella, and Waltina walk out the door. Then Waltina runs back and hugs Lady Esther again.) 

Waltina 
I’ll be back, for sure! I’m not scared of you—you’re a real smart doctor! When’s a good time for me to come back and learn from you? 

Lady Esther 
On a sunny day. Before noon. I’ll look for you! 

(Lights fade to black.) 

SARAH BRACEY WHITE

Sarah Bracey White’s memoir Primary Lessons was transformed into a dramatic musical. Her other literary works include The Wanderlust: A Folk Tale and Feelings Brought to Surface. Her essays are frequently anthologized, and she has been published by The New York Times, Afro-American Newspapers, the Journal News, and Read650.