Columbia River Gorge
Setting
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet deep, the canyon stretches for over 80 miles as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River down to eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the water gap furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades, and the only water connection between the Columbia River Plateau and the Pacific Ocean.
http://www.pbase.com/yardbird/usa_or_columbiarivergorge
Gabriel
Character Name
In Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths, Gabriel is an angel who typically serves as God’s messenger. Christians might know him best as the angel who told Mary that she was pregnant with the Son of God.
Read more at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gabriel-archangel
Eureka, Washington
Setting
BABY SCREAMS MIRACLE is set in Eureka, Washington, a fictional town in Southeastern Washington near the Columbia River Gorge. According to playwright Clare Barron, a few essential things to know about Eureka are that it has a population of approximately 3,000 people, it’s in a rural wooded area of Eastern Washington, and it’s isolated from other cities in the area. Clare named a few similar cities from that area—Cle Elum, WA and Republic, WA— which we’ve included some photographs and information about, below. We’ve also included links to their city websites, should you like to learn more. Click here for a closer look at Republic, WA, and Cle Elum, WA.
Dying to One’s Self (Expression of Christian Faith) — 3, 6
Gabriel: I ask that you help me to die to myself, Jesus, so that I can love Carol. In little ways, just die to myself. So that I can make her feel loved.
The concept of “dying to self” is found throughout the New Testament. It expresses the true essence of the Christian life, in which one takes up the cross and follows Christ. Dying to self is part of being born again; the old self dies and the new self comes to life (John 3:3–7). Not only are Christians born again when they come to salvation, but they also continue dying to self as part of the process of sanctification. As such, dying to self is both a one-time event and a lifelong process.
In Letters, Paul explains to the Galatians the process of dying to self as one in which he has been “crucified with Christ,” and now Paul no longer lives, but Christ lives in him. Paul’s old life, with its propensity to sin and to follow the ways of the world, is dead, and the new Paul is the dwelling place of Christ who lives in and through him. This does not mean that when we “die to self” we become inactive or insensible, nor do we feel ourselves to be dead. Rather, dying to self means that the things of the old life are put to death, most especially the sinful ways and lifestyles we once engaged in. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). Where we once pursued selfish pleasures, we now pursue, with equal passion, that which pleases God.
http://undauntedreality.blogspot.com/2016/10/dying-to-self-what-it-really-means.html
Cancer of the Bile Duct — 4
Carol: We should pray for JD Burr who has cancer. Of the–um. Bile. Bile duct.
A bile duct is any number of long tube-like structures in the digestive system that transport bile, or digestive fluid. Cancer of the bile duct is a rare but aggressive form of cancer, metastasizing in the slender tubes that carry the bile through the liver.
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/bileductcancer/detailedguide/bile-duct-cancer-what-is-bile-duct-cancer
“Forgive us our Sins” (Lord’s Prayer) — 4
Carol: Also. Forgive us our sins, Lord.
Common shortening of the Lord’s Prayer, here in full: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. (Excerpted from the Liturgy of the Reformed Church in America, https://www.rca.org/resources/lords-prayer)
Coffee during pregnancy — 6
Stage Direction: Carol spies a mug of old coffee across the room, She goes to it and takes a sip. Spits it out. Takes another sip.
Carol: Bedtime! Bedtime, Carol! Bad! Bad!
According to the Mayo Clinic:
“Caffeine can cross the placenta and affect your baby’s heart rate. While further research is needed, some studies suggest that drinking too much caffeine during pregnancy might be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.
Because of the potential effects on your developing baby, your health care provider might recommend limiting the amount of caffeine in your diet to less than 200 milligrams a day during pregnancy. For perspective, an 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine.”
Hurricane-level winds — 6
Stage direction: Then wind. It builds until it is a massive storm. Hurricane-level winds. The sound of things cracking, shifting, shattering, flying.
Hurricane-level winds are indeed possible in the Pacific Northwest, as the Northwest Pacific basin has tropical cyclones occurring all year round regularly. There is no official definition of typhoon season for this reason. There is a distinct minimum in February and the first half of March, and the main season goes from July to November with a peak in late August/early September.
https://web.archive.org/web/20101206195446/http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/G1.html
Here’s what “hurricane level winds” means in terms of wind speed:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php
Prosthetic Feet — 10, 14
Stage Direction: Like Carol, Cynthia is visibly pregnant. She has a prosthetic left foot.
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/resources/prosthetic-feet/
Trade Show — 15
Cynthia: At a trade show.
A trade show is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and customers, study activities of rivals, and examine recent market trends and opportunities. They’re quite popular in tech and tech-adjacent fields, in which it seems quite likely that Cynthia works.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/trade-show
“Rolly Thingies”/Push Carts —16
Foot Amputation – 16
Cynthia: And at first they thought they could fix it, and then the doctor literally said he was going to have to amputate my foot.
This is generally only necessary when the bone and nerve tissue of the foot has become irreparably damaged—usually crushed. Click here for more information on the procedure and recovery: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007365.htm
Ephrata, WA – 20
Barbara: Once I heard of a falcon coming through a windshield up near Ephrata.
This is a small-to-midsize town in central Washington. It was first incorporated in 1909 and has continually served as the county seat of Grant County. The population is an estimated 7,664 based on the 2010 census. The median age of the city is 34.7, and the racial makeup of the city was 84.1% White, 0.8% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.7% of the population.
Read more about the City of Ephrata on their website: http://ephrata.org/
Jedediah – 20
Name of the family dog
Jedediah or Jedidiah is a Hebrew male given name, which is derived from the name Yedidyah, meaning “friend of God”. In the Hebrew Bible, Jedidiah was the “blessing” name given by God, through the prophet Nathan, in infancy to Solomon, King David’s second son by Bathsheba.
http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Jedidiah.html#.WEmpXtIrKM8
Wendy House – 21
Gabriel: I dragged him and the deer out back. They’re inside the little Wendy house for now
A Wendy house is a small playhouse for children, large enough for one or more children to enter. Size and solidity can vary from a plastic kit to something resembling a real house in a child’s size. Usually there is one room, a doorway with a window on either side, and little or no furniture. (Wendy houses get their name from Wendy Darling, for whom Peter Pan makes a small house in JM Barrie’s original novel.)
Dairy Queen — 23
Cynthia: They take you to the park and the ice-skating rink…
Kayden: Diary Queen
Cynthia: Oh yeah? That’s good. That’s cool.
Dairy Queen is a popular fast-food chain known for its frozen dessert treats—especially soft-serve ice cream.
Siding — 27
Cynthia: Good Job fixing the siding
Gabriel: Thanks.
Siding refers to material used to surface the exterior of a building to protect against exposure to the elements, prevent heat loss, and visually unify the facade. The word siding implies wood units, or products imitative of wood, used on houses.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/siding
Taily-Po — 29
Gabriel: And then the taily-po will get us
Cynthia: Oh, yes. The taily-po.
Gabriel: The taily-po the taily-po I’m coming to get my taily-po
Though the Taily-Po (or Taily-Bones) originated as a monster of Appalachian folklore, its story was successfully adapted into a children’s book in the mid-twentieth century that enjoyed countrywide notoriety. It remains particularly popular in heavily wooded regions. This is how the story goes:
“One night during a season of considerable hunger, a hermit went out into the woods to search for dinner with his three hunting dogs. The hermit managed to shoot a small hare, which he shared with his dogs, but he was still hungry. Pressing on, the hermit came across a bizarrely shaped animal of some kind, with lots of fur, bright eyes and a long tail. Desperately, the man struggled to capture the strange creature, but managed only to sever its long tail. As the screaming creature ran off into the darkness, the hermit hurried back to his cabin—where he made a stew of the creature’s tail.
Later that night, as he was on the very brink of sleep, a rustling noise roused the hermit from his bed. Sitting up, the hermit was horrified to discover a pair of gleaming eyes leering at him from the foot of his bed. In an otherworldly voice, the creature demanded the hermit to return his “Taily-po.” Terrified, the man called for his hounds, who immediately came to his aid and chased the creature off into the night. However, only two of the hermit’s dogs returned. The man tried again to sleep, but the Tailypo soon returned and beckoned all the more forcefully for the return of its “Taily-po.” Again, the man sicced his two remaining hounds on the creature, and again, only one returned from the woods. Unable to sleep, the man clutched his axe and waits for dawn.
When the Tailypo appeared for the third time, the hermit again ordered the hound to attack. The dog dutifully chased the Tailypo away, but did not return to the cabin. The man cowered under his bedsheets and prayed for dawn. Hours before daybreak, he heard the familiar clawing sound—and seconds later was leapt upon by the Tailypo, dropping his weapon in terror as the creature once again demanded the return of his “Taily-po.”
Scared to death, the man screamed, “I haven’t got your taily-po!” and hoped against hope that the creature would leave. Angrier than ever, the Taily-po yelled back: “Yes, you have! Yes, you have!” and jumped back on the bed and attacked the man with such force that when the sun rises, all that remains of the cabin is the chimney.
The hermit was never seen again, but on some particularly dark, quiet nights in the woods, you can hear the whispered phrase, “Now I’ve got my Tailypo!” ”
http://www2.ferrum.edu/applit//bibs/tales/tailypo.htm
People Stuck Together In Shame — 30 (?)
Cynthia: I thought maybe we’d be stuck together like those people they shame
Lemon Zester — 32
Gabriel: Is there-is there-is there a wedding?
Cynthia: There is.
Gabriel: I’ll have to get you a lemon zester
Drinkable Vitamins – 31
Cynthia: Oh. Um. He has his own brand of vitamins. You drink them. They don’t taste too bad. Kinda earthy.
This is exactly what it sounds like—concentrated nutritional supplements that you drink, instead of taking in tablet (or gummy) form. Here are some examples:
Standup Swimming Pool — 39
Cynthia: And she brought over that stand-up swimming pool so that Carol could teach me how to swim?
Double Mastectomy — 39
Cynthia: And I saw that your breasts were attached to your swimsuit That you didn’t have any breasts That you just had your scars
Mastectomy, the surgical removal of a breast, usually to remove a malignancy but also performed in the treatment of other conditions (e.g., cystic breast disease) and for other medical reasons. A Double Mastectomy is the surgical removal of both breasts. There are several types of mastectomy, the selection of procedure depending on the location and extent of the disease (determined by X ray, thermography, and other diagnostic techniques) and the nature of the cancerous cells (determined by biopsy).
https://www.britannica.com/topic/mastectomy
Cutting — 43
Cynthia: It’s like cutting yourself
On self harm/cutting, from the Mayo Clinic:
“Nonsuicidal self-injury, often simply called self-injury, is the act of deliberately harming the surface of your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It’s typically not meant as a suicide attempt. Rather, this type of self-injury is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration.
While self-injury may bring a momentary sense of calm and a release of tension, it’s usually followed by guilt and shame and the return of painful emotions. Although life-threatening injuries are usually not intended, with self-injury comes the possibility of more serious and even fatal self-aggressive actions.”
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/self-injury/home/ovc-20165425
“Jesus come into my heart.” — 45
In many evangelical denominations, asking Jesus to “come into one’s heart” functions as an abbreviation of The Sinner’s Prayer, which is the initial prayer of a non-Christian in which they renounce their secular past and formally invite Jesus into their lives moving forward. This prayer is both used to kick-start conversions, as well as to renew or affirm the faith of practicing Christians.
The Sinner’s Prayer was popularized by evangelical pastor Billy Graham in the 20th century, who often deployed this prayer in conjunction with an alter call at the conclusion of a church service. Here it is, in full:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.
There are many criticisms of The Sinner’s Prayer, both within evangelical and mainline protestant denominations. Some critics maintain that The Sinner’s Prayer at best abiblical, and at worst a misrepresentation of Christian salvation writ-large. You can read more about this, here.
http://www.sinners-prayer.info/
Lord Be in Mine Head (Hymn) — 45
Carol, Barbara, Gabriel, and Kayden:
Lord be in mine head, and in mine understanding
Lord be in mine eyes, and in mine looking
Lord be in mine lips, and in mine speaking
Lord be in mine heart, and in mine thinking
Lord be at mine end, and at mine departing
Amen
This is a popular prayer for understanding, set to music in the 16th century and now best known as a hymn.
http://www.hymnary.org/text/god_be_in_my_head_and_in_my_under
People with a Metal Stake in the Brains — 51
Cynthia: “Like those people with a metal stake in their brains and you can’t take the stake out or they’ll die.”
Most frequently, victims of this type of injury work in construction or infrastructure-adjacent fields. You can read more, here: http://www.mtv.com/news/2053871/metal-rod-skull-brain-survive-video/
Omak, WA — 62
Cynthia: How far do you think we’ll have to go?
Gabriel: I don’t know. Maybe Omak?
Omak, WA is a mid-sized town in north-central Washington. Omak is located at the foot of the Okanogan Highlands in Okanogan Country. The City of Omak was officially incorporated in February 11, 1911. Omak has a current population of 4,83, a significant increase since the 1910 census reported 520 residents just prior to incorporation in 1911. Check out the city’s webpage here: http://www.omakcity.com/
Fallen Power lines — 65
Gabriel: Maybe electrical.
Cynthia: All burnt up.
Excerpted from the Snohomish County Public Utility District webpage, “What to Do if You Encounter a Fallen Power Line”:
“It’s never safe to approach a downed power line. Our protection system is designed to de-energize a line when its falls to the ground, but sometimes conditions affect our system’s ability to know that a line has fallen to the ground. Approaching fallen power lines can be fatal. It is hard to see fallen lines, and many times people report seeing a small fire in the grass and don’t realize that it is the energized line that is causing the fire.
You don’t even have to touch a fallen line to be electrocuted. Electricity always wants to go to the ground and can reach you through the ground if you get close enough to a fallen live power line. Stay at least 30 feet away from any fallen line. Call the the fire department immediately to report the location of any fallen line. If the fallen line is life-threatening – for example, causing a fire, sparking or touching an occupied car – also call 911.
Some people think its okay to drive across fallen lines, believing that the rubber in the car tires will protect them. While that is true to some extent as long as you stay inside the car, the greater danger is that the fallen line can become entangled in the car’s axle or wheels. This could cause you to pull down the pole or prevent you from being able to drive any further. Stay safe, stay far away from fallen power lines and do not drive over them unless it is a last resort.”
http://www.snopud.com/Safety/downedlines.ashx?p=1756
Bobcats — 66
Gabriel: What’s gonna get you? There are no bears, /bobcats
The most common wildcat in North America, the bobcat is named for its short, bobbed tail. They are medium-sized cats and are slightly smaller but similar in appearance to their cousin, the lynx. Their coats vary in color from shades of beige to brown fur with spotted or lined markings in dark brown or black. Though they primarily consume rabbits and hares, they have been known to attack dear, bears, and the occasional human.
https://www.britannica.com/animal/bobcat
Pine trees — 68
Cynthia: Little pieces of the pine needle…
Pine trees have roots that are notoriously shallow, and are therefore prone to falling over in high winds.
http://www.northscaping.com/IZArticles/IS-0129
Pioneer Jr. High / Pioneer Middle School – 76
Gabriel: … Like when pioneer Junior High became Pioneer Middle School. Remember, Carol?
Gabriel may be referring to Pioneer Middle School in Walla Walla, WA. It’s name was changed from Pioneer Junior High to Pioneer Middle School in 1990. Here’s a link to the school’s webpage: http://www.pioneer49ers.org/our-school
Eggbeaters – 79
Carol: And my carpet!
And my eggbeaters!
And my bathrobe!
Baby Screams Miracle 