EATING BLACKBERRIES

Mother Nature encroaches in “Eating Blackberries.” As she rages, so do the Ashcrofts. The

story follows Elizabeth, her teenage son, Jackson, her ex husband, Paul, and his new, young, pregnant wife Sofia.  The action begins during a heat wave that has led to an early fire season and an early crop of wild blackberries in the Ashcrofts’ backyard. The blackberries, Elizabeth says, is Mother Nature’s way of saying she’s sorry for all she puts people through, “little gems among the briars.”  Later,  earthquakes threaten as relationships heave, break and realign in surprising ways giving all but one the strength to move on.

ELIZABETH ASHCROFT, 40. An earthy, artsy type. A former literature professor, Elizabeth

is now a writer with a growing number of rejections. A kind and generous person, she has a

solid relationship with her son, Jackson. She struggles over her feelings for her ex.

JACKSON ASHCROFT, on the cusp of 18. He is strong, funny, a smart-ass and a thinker.

Protective over his mother, he is easily angered by his father, and blames him for all that is

wrong. He works as a lifeguard and has a swimming scholarship.

PAUL ASHCROFT, 40. Elizabeth’s ex-husband, now married to much younger and pregnant

Sofía.  A painful mix of narcissism and guilt, he wants everyone to be happy, especially 

himself. He agonizes over Jackson’s antipathy.

SOFÍA ASHCROFT, 26. Latina, former real estate agent in Paul’s office, she now teaches

yoga and has big dreams. She looks great in yoga pants, even when pregnant. She grew up

poor and has more strength and determination than her “Uptalk” and Valleyspeak suggest.

One interior set, the Ashcroft home in Orinda, California in the San Francisco Bay Area.It is after 

the global pandemic, spanning May to August. Wildfires, earthquakes and wildlife  threaten.

JACKSON

Our state flag shows a California grizzly bear, and they’ve been extinct for over a generation

because you ruined its habitat. We all have thrown the world into unbalance –

ELIZABETH

Imbalance.

JACKSON

Imbalance…

(loud)

Man is raping Mother Nature.

SOFÍA

Paul!

PAUL

Jackson, don’t say things / like that.

ELIZABETH

This is a censor-free zone.

SOFÍA fidgets, gets Evian from her bag.

ELIZABETH refills her wine glass.

JACKSON

Mankind is raping Mother Nature. Every minute of every day she is assaulted…Raped! We’re an

invasive species, plunging right in and taking what we want…Then plunge again and again

ripping her apart. In and out and in and out.

SOFÍA takes a big drink, finishes the bottle.

JACKSON

We use her up then throw her away. We don’t care how we leave her. Invaded.

Ravaged…Exploited…Laid bare. Broken. And she’s our home.

SOFÍA gets out another plastic bottle of Evian.

JACKSON

(losing it)

Sofía, do you ever use, I don’t know…a glass? No, let’s grab plastic bottles, drink up and toss

‘em out and get fresh ones, right?

(to Paul)

Like families. You’re done with one, you get a new one…Toss the old one out.

A faint siren in background.

SOFÍA

Oh, look at the time….Paul?? You have something / to say?

JACKSON

When the world was, quarantined? … It’s like we yanked Earth back from the precipice…You

could actually see the way things are supposed to be! The stars were brighter. Oceans were

bluer…remember? ….I mean, like, people in India could see the Himalayas…looming over

them. They couldn’t even see them before because of all the air pollution…It probably…took

their breath away to see those freakin’ huge mountains…right there!...Just yanked their breath

and their hearts right out of their chests.

(getting emotional, he really cares)

And the canals, in Venice? Blue…and there were fish in them. And and and we have bears in our

own backyard. Yeah…A freakin’ California black bear --

SOFÍA  & PAUL

What?!

ELIZABETH

And her cubs –

JACKSON

Right there!

PAUL

You said they were extinct.

JACKSON

Different subspecies, Dad. They’re reclaiming their territory.

SOFÍA

Paul?

JACKSON

It is magic. They drink water from the pool…and they poop, right there…

(crying)

It’s beautiful…

Forthcoming. The play will be available through Dramatic Publishing Company.