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Literature Text
The Adventure of Bojangles
Eile is a down on her luck drifter, arrested for vagrancy, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. She's put into a cell with a drunk sleeping it off. The drunk is a buxom graying blonde wearing a ragged shirt, baggy pants, and worn-out shoes. To Eile she looks older than she is. It turns out she isn't asleep, and sits up when she realizes she has company. She introduces herself as Sonne Hiver, but that she was known as Bojangles; she laughs and clicks her heels as she says it. She looks disappointed when Eile says she's never heard of it, but she brightens as she explains she is a tap dancer. When Eile expresses skepticism, she stands, swaying a bit, but then dances a lick of soft-shoe across the cell. She grabs her pants and spreads her legs, then jumps so high, clicks her heels, and lightly touches down. She gives out a boisterous laugh that shakes her clothes.
Impressed, Eile asks what she's doing in jail. She gets a sad look and explains how, when she was younger, she toured the south, dancing at minstrel shows and county fairs, often just for room and board and bus fair to the next location. During that time her only companion was a stray cat she named Kitty. For fifteen years they traveled about sharing everything: food, bed, triumph and tragedy, until one day Kitty up and died. That was twenty years ago, and she still grieves.
She started drinking after that and went down from there. Now she dances every chance she has, mostly in honky tonks for drinks and tips, but she admits that she spends most of her time behind county bars like these, because — and she smiles — she drinks a bit. Then she shakes her head and through tears says that she's glad Kitty isn't around to see her like this.
Eile tells Sonne her life isn't as bad as hers. At least she had a talent; she was able to make people happy with her dancing. Her life is a total wreck. She's failed at everything she's tried. She even failed at suicide. Now she just drifts, working as she needs to eat and have a place to sleep. Sonne asks what she's waiting for, and Eile says she's waiting to die. Sonne tells her that's no way to live. Eile asks her what she's knows about it, being a drunk, unable to face the death of a cat. Sonne admits that she's a drunk, that she's running away from a bitter, hard life, that she too is waiting to die, but at least she's living; however mean and futile her life has become, she still fights back and finds some happiness, some worth, no matter how transient. Yes her life has become a living hell, but when she dances, for those brief minutes, she feels transported to heaven on the wings of angels. She wouldn't trade that for a comfortable but empty life in a million years.
Sonne then asks Eile what is the one thing she's always wanted to be. Eile tells her an artist. She explains that she started out as one, but that was her first failure. She tried to have some of her work exhibited, but all the gallery owners said her work was terrible. Finally she couldn't stand it and destroyed her work, believing they were right. That's when everything went wrong. Sonne tells her that she tried to audition at music halls and theatres but was always turned away because soft shoe was out of style. So she took her routine directly to the people and danced for them. In the end, that's what makes her happy. She asks Eile if doing art made her happy, and Eile says yes.
Sonne gets some chalk from the sheriff's deputies and asks Eile to draw something. At first reluctant, Eile draws a portrait of Sonne. She states it's the best work of art she's ever seen and asks Eile to draw more. Eile asks her to dance and she draws her as she dances. Sonne dances faster and harder as Eile draws at a furious space, but for the first time in years she's truly happy, and from the look on her face she can see that Sonne is enjoying it too.
Suddenly Sonne stops. She stands as if paralyzed for a few moments, placing a hand over her heart, then she clutches at her shirt, grimaces, and cries out, collapsing to the floor. Eile calls out for the deputies as Sonne struggles against her heart attack. Even as they open the cell to administer aid, Sonne grabs Eile by the arm.
"Live!" she gasps, and dies.
The deputies take Sonne's body away and Eile sees that all her drawings are smudged, except for the first, the portrait. Eile breaks down and cries for the first time in years.
The next morning Eile goes before the judge and she is sentenced to 30 days community service. They start her off painting park benches. When a deputy brings her lunch, she's also given a box of children's colored chalk. The deputy saw her drawings and wants her to make more. As she eats, she draws Sonne dancing on the sidewalk; passersby remark on how wonderful it looks. As she is about to return to work, a stray cat comes up to her. She pauses to pet it and it purrs. It follows her back to the park, and she decides to call it Kitty.
Eile is a down on her luck drifter, arrested for vagrancy, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. She's put into a cell with a drunk sleeping it off. The drunk is a buxom graying blonde wearing a ragged shirt, baggy pants, and worn-out shoes. To Eile she looks older than she is. It turns out she isn't asleep, and sits up when she realizes she has company. She introduces herself as Sonne Hiver, but that she was known as Bojangles; she laughs and clicks her heels as she says it. She looks disappointed when Eile says she's never heard of it, but she brightens as she explains she is a tap dancer. When Eile expresses skepticism, she stands, swaying a bit, but then dances a lick of soft-shoe across the cell. She grabs her pants and spreads her legs, then jumps so high, clicks her heels, and lightly touches down. She gives out a boisterous laugh that shakes her clothes.
Impressed, Eile asks what she's doing in jail. She gets a sad look and explains how, when she was younger, she toured the south, dancing at minstrel shows and county fairs, often just for room and board and bus fair to the next location. During that time her only companion was a stray cat she named Kitty. For fifteen years they traveled about sharing everything: food, bed, triumph and tragedy, until one day Kitty up and died. That was twenty years ago, and she still grieves.
She started drinking after that and went down from there. Now she dances every chance she has, mostly in honky tonks for drinks and tips, but she admits that she spends most of her time behind county bars like these, because — and she smiles — she drinks a bit. Then she shakes her head and through tears says that she's glad Kitty isn't around to see her like this.
Eile tells Sonne her life isn't as bad as hers. At least she had a talent; she was able to make people happy with her dancing. Her life is a total wreck. She's failed at everything she's tried. She even failed at suicide. Now she just drifts, working as she needs to eat and have a place to sleep. Sonne asks what she's waiting for, and Eile says she's waiting to die. Sonne tells her that's no way to live. Eile asks her what she's knows about it, being a drunk, unable to face the death of a cat. Sonne admits that she's a drunk, that she's running away from a bitter, hard life, that she too is waiting to die, but at least she's living; however mean and futile her life has become, she still fights back and finds some happiness, some worth, no matter how transient. Yes her life has become a living hell, but when she dances, for those brief minutes, she feels transported to heaven on the wings of angels. She wouldn't trade that for a comfortable but empty life in a million years.
Sonne then asks Eile what is the one thing she's always wanted to be. Eile tells her an artist. She explains that she started out as one, but that was her first failure. She tried to have some of her work exhibited, but all the gallery owners said her work was terrible. Finally she couldn't stand it and destroyed her work, believing they were right. That's when everything went wrong. Sonne tells her that she tried to audition at music halls and theatres but was always turned away because soft shoe was out of style. So she took her routine directly to the people and danced for them. In the end, that's what makes her happy. She asks Eile if doing art made her happy, and Eile says yes.
Sonne gets some chalk from the sheriff's deputies and asks Eile to draw something. At first reluctant, Eile draws a portrait of Sonne. She states it's the best work of art she's ever seen and asks Eile to draw more. Eile asks her to dance and she draws her as she dances. Sonne dances faster and harder as Eile draws at a furious space, but for the first time in years she's truly happy, and from the look on her face she can see that Sonne is enjoying it too.
Suddenly Sonne stops. She stands as if paralyzed for a few moments, placing a hand over her heart, then she clutches at her shirt, grimaces, and cries out, collapsing to the floor. Eile calls out for the deputies as Sonne struggles against her heart attack. Even as they open the cell to administer aid, Sonne grabs Eile by the arm.
"Live!" she gasps, and dies.
The deputies take Sonne's body away and Eile sees that all her drawings are smudged, except for the first, the portrait. Eile breaks down and cries for the first time in years.
The next morning Eile goes before the judge and she is sentenced to 30 days community service. They start her off painting park benches. When a deputy brings her lunch, she's also given a box of children's colored chalk. The deputy saw her drawings and wants her to make more. As she eats, she draws Sonne dancing on the sidewalk; passersby remark on how wonderful it looks. As she is about to return to work, a stray cat comes up to her. She pauses to pet it and it purrs. It follows her back to the park, and she decides to call it Kitty.
Here is a new synopsis, "The Adventure of Bojangles". It's an Alternative Reality story based on the song.
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