Minisode: Beni's Silence

NARRATION
The following minisode includes a brief moment of racialized language. Please see our show notes for resources related to the content.

MUSIC: NARRATION MUSIC.

NARRATION
Hey there! It’s Dania Ramos, Timestorm series creator. Today, we’ve got another minisode. And then next week, we’ll return to our full episodes. Remember how the Venturas attend a music festival at Branch Brook Park...

MUSIC: BOMBA RHYTHM.

RAMIRO
Wepa! Hey! Look at you two. 

ALEXA
Come on, Pa!

RAMIRO
Ay, more dancing. You know I have no rhythm.

BENI
Who cares? Let’s go!

MUSIC: BOMBA RHYTHM.

NARRATION
You might have noticed that after the festival, Beni’s pretty quiet in the car...

CLARA
Did you two have fun?

ALEXA
The bomba tent was the best. And Beni even got to play the barrel drum.

RAMIRO
I saw that. You weren’t half bad, Beni.

BENI
(Quiet) Yeah.

NARRATION
That night, the Venturas stop by South Mountain to look at the stars and the twins get a moment to themselves. Let’s listen in as Alexa tries to find out the reason for her brother’s silence.

2018. SOUTH MOUNTAIN RESERVATION. WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC: BOMBA RHYTHM TRANSITION.

An owl hoots.

ALEXA
Okay. What’s up? You hardly talked the whole car ride over. Is this about what happened with Janelly this morning?

BENI
No. I sent her a text before. She said everything’s cool.

ALEXA
You sure nothing’s wrong?

BENI
Just tired from all the dancing again. 

FLASHBACK:

MUSIC: END OF BOMBA RHYTHM.

TOCADOR
Ah-ha! ¡Que chevere! Seeing all of you join my bailadoras. Bueno, before our next song, I want say a few words about bomba in case this is your first time experiencing it. Mi gente, the roots of bomba trace back centuries ago to the African people who were brought to Puerto Rico against their will. Rhythm and dance became a way to communicate. What we call bomba today has expanded far beyond the island. Now, we share it with anyone who respects its Afro-Boricua roots. 

BENI
Excuse me.

TOCADOR
Hey, hermanito.

BENI
Are you, like, the band leader?

TOCADOR
Claro. You play drums?

BENI
Not really. I like those drumsticks. We’re you using them to play on that sideways drum?

TOCADOR
A cuá.

BENI
And that big drum—

TOCADOR
El barril. Rum barrel made of oak. 

TOCADOR hits the drum.

TOCADOR
Come on. Wanna try it?

BENI
For real?

TOCADOR
Siéntate. Sit right here. Go ahead.

BENI sits on a bench and plays the drum.

TOCADOR
All right, hermanito. You’ve got some rhythm. Ahora, sí.

A TEEN approaches the tent.

TEEN
Hey, kid! What are you doing playing that thing?

TOCADOR
You wanna give it a try?

TEEN
Isn’t that slave music?

BENI
Hey!

TEEN
Yeah, kid?

BENI
I...I...I...

TEEN
(Mocking) I…I…I…

The TEEN laughs and then leaves.

FLASHBACK ENDS.

ALEXA
What a jerk.

BENI
I keep replaying that moment over and over in my head. I wanted to say so much to him.

FLASHBACK TO THE FESTIVAL:

BENI
(Overlapping) How can you shout that? / That’s so wrong—shouting that— / Didn’t you hear what the musician said? / This music is part of our culture. / You should respect this music and where it came from. / How can you— That’s so wrong! 

FLASHBACK ENDS.

BENI
But I froze. I didn’t say anything. 

ALEXA
It doesn’t sound like he listen anyway. If he doesn’t respect an entire race of people, you think he’s gonna care what a seventh-grader thinks?

BENI
That’s not a reason to stay quiet. 

ALEXA
I’m not saying you should always stay quiet. But you’re probably never gonna see this guy again.

BENI
Ugh. I remember feeling like this when I was walking around Old San Juan with Román and the Spanish guard officer said horrible things about Celestina Cordero. Román didn’t miss a beat. He stood up to him and...I spoke up, too.

ALEXA
That was different. 

BENI
Was it?

ALEXA
When we go back in time, it’s easier to say things that maybe we wouldn’t in our regular lives.

BENI
So...you’re okay with speaking up in the past, but not in our time?

ALEXA
That’s not what I meant.

BENI
I’m caring about things that I...I would have never given a second thought to before…

ALEXA
Horacio summoned us into the timestorm?

BENI
I can’t go back to how I was before.

ALEXA
I know. Me too. But what does that mean for us in our regular lives?

BENI
That’s what I’m trying to figure out.

ALEXA
What that guy said, it was messed up. I don’t know how I would have reacted. You were pretty good on the barrel drum.

BENI
Thanks. 

ALEXA
Ooh, shooting star.

BENI
I see it.

An owl hoots.

ALEXA
You thinking about the night sky in Senegal?

BENI
Yeah.

An owl hoots.

MUSIC: TRANSITION RHYTHM - MOTHERLANDS, AFRICA.

CREDITS

MUSIC: THEME SONG: "IN THE TIMESTORM"

NARRATION
This minisode of Timestorm was written by me, Dania Ramos. With audio engineering, sound design, and theme song were by Michael Aquino. Alexa Ventura was played by Leilany Figueroa. Beni Ventura was played by Claudio Venancio. Tocador was played by Wesley Tahsir-Rodriguez. Additional voice by Cooper Tate.

Timestorm is produced by Cocotazo Media and is a proud member of TRAX from PRX. If you enjoy the show, ask your parents to subscribe to Timestorm on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or the Kids Listen App. 

Timestorm is produced in Essex County, New Jersey, which is situated on the traditional territory of the Leni Lenape people.

As always, thanks for listening.

ATABEY
Witness. Find. Remember.