Celestina Cordero y Molina was an Afro-Puerto Rican educator born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1787. Celestina started a school for girls in 1820. Celestina believed that all children had a right to an education, regardless of race, class, or gender. Celestina faced racial discrimination and had to make eight appeals to the Council of San Juan before being officially accredited as an educator. She then had to fight to receive her teacher’s salary. At the time of Celestina’s death in 1862, she was living in poverty, and her tireless work as an educator went mostly unrecognized. Celestina’s brother, Rafael Cordero y Molina, is known as the Father of Puerto Rican Public Education. Rafael went on to be the subject of many works of art and was venerated by the Catholic Church.
Sources:
El Post Antillano - Celestina Cordero y Molina (archive, Spanish): tinyurl.com/pj4uv43k
Valor y Cambio - The Cordero Siblings: valorycambio.org/thecorderosiblings
Center for Puerto Rican Studies - Celestina Cordero: tinyurl.com/s63cew6p
Puerto Rico y Yo! - Biografia de Celestina Cordero Molina (Spanish, archive): tinyurl.com/y8z94eog
TIMESTORM
Episodes 04 & 05: La Maestra & Torn
Transcript
©2018-2020 Cocotazo Media
CLIPS FROM EPISODES 1-3:
ATABEY:
Twins. Twelve years old.
HORACIO:
Kids? The mission isn't a game.
ATABEY:
And it's a mission that you can't meet alone, Lieutenant Méndez. You need help. Besides, these aren't just any children, they're your family.
SOUND: CHANNEL CHANGE; ALEXA AND BENI’S VOICES ARE DISTORTED.
ALEXA:
It's your turn to load the dishwasher, Beni.
BENI:
I want to finish reading this comic book. You'd probably like this one, Alexa. The main character's Puerto Rican like us.
ALEXA:
Let me see. Take Back Time. American soldier Lieutenant Horacio Méndez is fighting a war on a foreign shore when he's pulled through an inter-dimensional portal into a timestorm? I don't do inter-dimensional portals.
ALEXA and BENI shout as the travel through the portal.
ALEXA:
What just happened?
BENI:
Where are we?
HORACIO:
It worked!
ALEXA and BENI yell.
HORACIO:
Perdón. You're probably confused. But there's no need to be frightened. I can’t believe you're here! Twins. Benito and Alexa Ventura. Tremendous!
ALEXA:
Do we know you?
HORACIO:
My name is Horacio. Somos primos.
BENI:
Cousins?
ALEXA:
Yeah, right. [***] You’re asking us to travel in time and change history.
HORACIO:
Not change. The mission is to witness, find, and remember history. Too many moments and people from our culture have been overlooked. Lost. Forgotten. Your parents and generations before them were all born in Puerto Rico.
ALEXA:
Yeah. But we never lived there.
HORACIO:
Our ancestors came not just from the Caribbean, but from Africa and Europe as well. All this is in our blood, part of our identity wherever we are.
ALEXA:
I'll stick to New Jersey two thousand seventeen, thanks.
HORACIO:
You can witness pivotal moments. Find the people who blazed our culture’s past. [***] Here. Take this. A barometer. Made of bronze. [***] See the labels along the edge?
BENI:
Very dry, fair, change, rain, stormy.
HORACIO:
When a time portal opens, another zone appears to complete the circle.
SOUND: BAROMETER BUZZ.
BENI:
There it is! T-e-m-p-u-s.
BENI/ALEXA:
Tempus.
HORACIO:
This is what time sounds like. The sound of tempus.
[***]
ALEXA:
The windshield turns into a screen?
BENI:
It's like a private movie theatre.
HORACIO:
Bueno, I don’t control the transmissions.
BENI:
...who does?
HORACIO:
Atabey.
ATABEY:
I told you not to call me that. That's not my name. I don’t require a name. I simply am. I exist outside of the physical realm.
SOUND: WHOOSH OF A QUICK COSTUME CHANGE.
BENI:
Whoa! I wish it was that easy to get dressed for school.
ATABEY:
The clothing the timestorm provides for you holds the knowledge you’ll need for your journey. The language and customs of the time and place you visit.
HORACIO:
Your quests will be to meet certain people and witness certain moments. And then retrieve artifacts that will help preserve that history.
ATABEY:
Your quest: Retrieve a plea for equality from San Juan, Puerto Rico in eighteen thirty-eight.
MUSIC: THEME SONG - "IN THE TIMESTORM"
Witness. Find. Remember.
The hidden past seeks its dawn, showing us that we all belong.
Horacio, Alexa, and Beni take back time, find history in the timestorm.
Witness. Find. Remember.
EPISODE 04: LA MAESTRA
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. A PORTICO AND INSIDE CELESTINA'S CLASSROOM.
SOUND: THUNDER: RAIN.
ALEXA and BENI laugh as they land.
ALEXA:
Holy humidity.
BENI:
Where do you think we are?
ALEXA:
San Juan. Eighteen thirty-eight.
BENI:
I meant the building.
SOUND: THUNDERCLAP.
ROMÁN:
Hello?
ALEXA:
Hi!
ROMÁN:
Are you a new student?
ALEXA:
Yes. I am.
BENI:
So am I. But not at this school.
ALEXA:
Of course not. Because boys and girls don't attend school together.
BENI:
That's right. That's just how life works around here.
ROMÁN:
Are you new in town?
ALEXA:
Yes. This is all so new.
ROMÁN:
No need to be nervous. Celestina Cordero is most welcoming. Some say she's the best teacher in San Juan. For girls, anyway. No one can match her brother, Rafael. I used to be his student.
BENI:
Rafael Cordero?
ROMÁN:
I assume you are headed to the school for boys, now that you're done chaperoning your sister.
BENI:
Yes. I see you are safe. Now I can leave you...and go to school.
ALEXA:
Thank you, dear brother, for...you know...chaperoning me.
ROMÁN:
I'll be passing the boys school on Luna Street on my way to the seminary. If you want to travel with?
SOUND: DISTANT THUNDER.
BENI:
That'd be excellent. I'm Benito.
ALEXA:
I'm Alexa...ndra.
ROMÁN:
Román. Un placer.
ALEXA/BENI:
A pleasure.
SOUND: STUDENT RECITATION OF ANIMAL SPECIES (DISTANT).
ROMÁN:
To la maestra's classroom. She awaits my arrival. I run errands for her on Friday mornings. You can follow me in, Aleksandra.
ALEXA:
Right now?
ROMÁN:
Bueno, class has already started, as you can hear.
BENI:
I'll be back for you at the end of the school day, hermana.
ALEXA:
If you'll excuse us, Román. Hermanito? How about a hug?
BENI:
Really?
ALEXA throws her arms around BENI.
ALEXA:
I don't like us splitting up in the nineteenth century.
BENI:
Not like we have a choice. Here. Put the barometer in your purse thingy.
ALEXA shoves the barometer into the satchel.
ALEXA:
Keep an eye out for anything that could be a plea for equality.
BENI:
You too.
SOUND: THE TWINS STEP BACK.
ALEXA:
Be careful out there, hermanito.
BENI:
Enjoy your lessons, hermana.
ALEXA and ROMÁN walk to the classroom.
CELESTINA:
(behind door) Taxonomy ranks. Ready?
ROMÁN opens the door to the classroom.
CELESTINA:
Begin.
STUDENTS:
The tree of life. Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.
CELESTINA:
Good. Now, pair up and list five single-celled organisms on your slates.
CELESTINA cross to ROMÁN and ALEXA.
CELESTINA:
Bienvenidos.
ROMÁN:
Hola, Doña Celestina. This is Aleksandra. A new mind to cultivate.
ALEXA:
A pleasure to meet you, Maestra Cordero.
CELESTINA:
Girls, please welcome Aleksandra to our class.
STUDENTS:
Bienvenida.
ALEXA:
Thanks.
CELESTINA:
Why don't you sit by Marina y Patricia? You can share a slate with them.
ALEXA crosses to MARINA and PATRICIA.
CELESTINA:
Román, today's errand is special. Let's speak at my desk.
ROMÁN:
After you.
CELESTINA and ROMÁN walk across the classroom.
ALEXA:
Hi.
PATRICIA:
Hello.
MARINA:
Hi.
ALEXA:
I think I'm sharing this bench with you?
PATRICIA:
You'll have to put your satchel underneath.
MARINA:
Hardly any room as you can see.
ALEXA:
Oh, that's fine. I'll just sit right here on the end.
ALEXA sits and slides her satchel under the bench.
MARINA:
We need to write five single-celled organisms. Do you want to write them?
ALEXA:
Sure. Thank you. Uh...
PATRICIA:
Why so confused?
MARINA:
Have you never seen a slate before?
PATRICIA:
Have you never seen chalk?
MARINA and PATRICIA giggle.
CELESTINA:
Román, please see this correspondence makes its way to the newspaper office.
CELESTINA hands ROMÁNthe paper.
ROMÁN:
It will be at La Gaceta within a quarter of an hour.
CELESTINA:
I'm ever grateful for your help. Buenos días.
ROMÁN:
Adiós, Doña Celestina.
ROMÁN leaves.
SOUND: CHALK FALLS TO THE FLOOR.
PATRICIA:
Careful!
MARINA:
Look what you've done.
ALEXA:
Sorry. I didn't mean for it to—
PATRICIA:
There's not enough chalk to go around.
CELESTINA:
Is this the first time chalk has fallen in this room?
MARINA/PATRICIA:
No, Maestra Cordero.
CELESTINA:
Well then. It's hardly anything to remark on. Please resume your writing.
SOUND: CHALK ON SLATES.
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. A STREET.
MUSIC: "LA MAESTRA" TRANSITION.
SOUND: AN OX CART ON A DIRT ROAD; VARIOUS ANIMAL SOUNDS.
BENI:
Do you run a lot of errands for Celestina Cordero?
ROMÁN:
Well, only on Fridays when my lessons at the seminary start later in the morning. How lucky am I to go from Rafael Cordero's classroom to el Seminario Conciliar de San Ildefonso?
BENI:
Wow. You really love school.
ROMÁN:
Back in Ponce, my family was as poor as they come. But then we moved to the capital when my parents heard how Don Rafael was changing lives in his classroom.
SOUND: A ROOSTER CROWS.
PEÑA'S approaches and laughs.
PEÑA:
A free black man teaching children. The Queen should outlaw it at once.
ROMÁN:
I'm grateful to have learned from Rafael Cordero. He showed me that education is the way to justice and freedom.
PEÑA:
You learned about freedom from a black man?
PEÑA laughs.
PEÑA:
Que porquería. What is that in your hand?
ROMÁN:
I'm delivering it to La Gaceta.
PEÑA:
Give it here.
ROMÁN:
It's not mine to give.
PEÑA snatches paper out of his hand.
PEÑA:
Now let's see who has sent you on this little errand.
(reading)
Dear Editor, I request the following announcement is printed in the next issue of La Gaceta as follows: // I ask the island government...
MUSIC: "SO LONG, AND THANKS" - PLAYS UNDER.
CELESTINA:
I ask the island government, under the rule of the Spanish crown, to fulfill my request for supplies for the San Juan School for Girls. I have made similar appeals in private letters to the governor and the Council of San Juan. Since my personal pleas remain unanswered, I now ask in this public forum. My students work hard, I work hard. It's unfair that being born female prevents us from being acknowledged for our efforts. I seek the same allocation of supplies offered to the school for boys on Luna Street. Please show my girls equal respect. They deserve it. Sincerely, // Celestina Cordero.
PEÑA:
Celestina Cordero, Educator, San Juan Public School for Girls.
PEÑA laughs.
BENI:
(to himself) A plea for equality.
SOUND: A ROOSTER CROWS.
PEÑA:
The only thing more ridiculous than a free black man educating boys is a free black woman educating girls. How delusional must this woman be to think La Gaceta would publish such a desperate notice? Here’s what I think of it.
PEÑA crumbles the paper.
BENI:
No. It's important. Can't you understand that?
PEÑA laughs.
PEÑA:
You think you're fit to judge such things?
BENI picks up the paper and smoothes it out..
BENI:
It wasn't right to throw this notice to the ground like that.
ROMÁN:
Ay, por favor. A a little dirt and a few wrinkles won't stop us from delivering it to La Gaceta.
PEÑA snatches paper from BENI.
PEÑA:
You can't deliver what is not in your possession. I'll take this to the governor, so he can see how close a lowly spinster con woman came to mocking him in print.
ROMÁN:
Celestina Cordero is brilliant.
PEÑA laughs.
PEÑA:
I suggest you leave. We like to keep the streets clear of porquería.
PEÑA laughs and then walks away.
BENI:
I can't believe him! He doesn't have the right to do that. Does he?
ROMÁN:
Some civil guards think they can do whatever they want. That their class and European blood makes superior.
BENI:
Celestina's only asking for what's fair.
ROMÁN:
If that officer goes to the governor and paints Celestina as con woman, this plea could backfire on her.
BENI:
You think they'd shut her school down?
ROMÁN:
I don't know. How I wish I could to run up to that officer and— No. I can't risk it. Certainly not with you in my charge.
BENI:
I can handle plenty.
ROMÁN:
¿Oh, sí? Getting arrested before arriving at your first day of school?
BENI:
Arrested? For what?
ROMÁN:
Bueno, sometimes they don't need a reason. Come on. We'll tell Rafael what's happened.
THE TIMESTORM.
MUSIC: "TIMESTORM" TRANSITION.
SOUND: HELICOPTER CABIN INTERIOR AND WINDSHIELD ZAP INTO BUZZ.
HORACIO:
Ah! He had it! The artifact was right in Beni's hand.
ATABEY:
The quest was never going be that easy.
HORACIO:
You know where that civil guard's headed with the artifact. Y ahora, mira, Alexa and Beni are separated and stuck at...at school.
ATABEY:
The twins can each handle being in Celestina and Rafael's classrooms. A quest isn't simply about retrieving an object from a space and time. It is about who they meet and what they experience along the way.
HORACIO:
Oh, so now the artifacts aren't important? You've always made such a big deal about them. Los artefactos. But if it's all about the experience then why bother finding them?
ATABEY:
You humans need your artifacts. Something to guide you on the journey. A reason why.
HORACIO:
Are you saying the artifacts are meaningless? That they've traveled all that way for a piece of paper?
ATABEY:
You tell me: what is a plea for equality worth to Celestina and those girls?
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. INSIDE CELESTINA'S CLASSROOM.
MUSIC: "LA MAESTRA" TRANSITION.
CELESTINA:
What is El Fortín San Juan de la Cruz known for? Go ahead, Marina.
MARINA:
It's the smallest of the five forts in the capital.
CELESTINA:
Precisely. ¿Si, Patricia?
PATRICIA:
And it was built underwater on purpose, so you needed a boat to get there.
CELESTINA:
Excellent. And last but not least, La Fortaleza was originally built as a fort, but what distinction does it hold now? Aleksandra? Do you know?
PATRICIA:
She hasn't said a word since she sat down.
MARINA:
Hasn't put that broken piece of chalk to the slate even once.
ALEXA:
It's the executive mansion, home of the governor of Puerto Rico.
PATRICIA:
Everyone knows that.
MARINA:
Easiest question to answer.
ALEXA:
It's also known for...uh...
CELESTINA:
¿Si, Aleksandra?
ALEXA:
All the international leaders that have stayed there, including kings, queens, and U. S. presidents.
The entire classroom laughs.
CELESTINA:
¡Niñas!
MARINA:
American presidents!
PATRICIA:
Can you imagine? George Washington slept here.
ALEXA:
Not George Washington. The Kenn— Oh. Never mind...forget it.
CELESTINA:
Stop this laughing. ¡Ahora mismo! (Beat) A vibrant imagination is an amazing thing to possess. And that’s exactly what it takes to envision a future where an island governor hosts a foreign president en La Fortaleza.
SOUND: CHURCH BELL TOLLS ONE O’CLOCK.
CELESTINA:
Time for lunch.
PATRICIA:
What's wrong, Miss America?
ALEXA:
Nothing.
MARINA:
As in nothing inside of that satchel of yours?
MARINA and PATRICIA laugh.
CELESTINA:
Aleksandra? Come to my desk, please.
ALEXA:
Maestra?
CELESTINA tears a loaf of bread in two.
CELESTINA:
We all forget our lunch sometimes. Have some of my bread. Please. Take it. Our stomachs must be fed along with our minds.
ALEXA:
Thank you, maestra.
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. RAFAEL CORDERO'S CLASSROOM.
MUSIC: "LA MAESTRA" TRANSITION.
ROMÁN:
Here we are. Rafael Cordero's school.
SOUND: STUDENTS PRACTICING VARIOUS ART FORMS - SINGING, INSTRUMENTS, SHAKESPEARE RECITATION, PAINT BRUSH STROKES.
ROMÁN:
Ah, how I miss Luna Street.
RAFAEL:
Román! You've arrived during free art practice.
ROMÁN:
It was always my favorite. Don Rafael, I'd like to introduce you to Benito, a new student. I ran into him while stopping by your sister's school.
BENI:
It's an honor to be in your class, Maestro Cordero.
RAFAEL:
Pleasure is mine, Benito. Román, have you delivered Celestina's request for supplies to La Gaceta?
ROMÁN:
A civil guard stopped us on the street and confiscated the notice before we made it to La Gaceta. He even said he was going to tell the governor that she was trying to humiliate him.
RAFAEL:
Did you catch the guard's name?
ROMÁN:
No. He was average height. Dark hair, mustache. Wore that uniform.
BENI:
His laugh.
RAFAEL:
What about it?
BENI:
Sounded like a demon.
RAFAEL:
Peña y Ruiz.
ROMÁN:
You know him?
RAFAEL:
Thinks he's untouchable because he guards the governor's residence during the afternoon shift.
ROMÁN:
I was afraid to risk being arrested on the spot, but I wanted so badly to go after him and snatch Celestina's notice right from his pocket.
RAFAEL:
It is best for you to leave this alone, Román. I'll let my sister know what has happened.
ROMÁN:
Ooh. I can't stand witnessing injustice and doing nothing about it.
RAFAEL:
Don’t lose that righteousness. But understand this is Celestina’s fight. Stick to your studies for now.
ROMÁN:
Está bien. I’ll head to the seminary at once. Much luck to you, Benito.
BENI:
Thank you for your help.
ROMÁN:
My pleasure. I'm sure we'll cross paths soon enough. Hasta la próxima.
RAFAEL:
Adiós, Román.
RAFAEL:
Bueno, Benito. Join any art group you'd like.
SOUND: A VIOLIN PLAYS.
RAFAEL:
Is music your calling?
SOUND: BRUSH AGAINST CANVAS.
RAFAEL:
Painting with little Francisco?
RAFAEL:
Or perhaps drama with Alejandrito, our little prince of theatre?
ALEJANDRO:
Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them!
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. INSIDE CELESTINA'S CLASSROOM.
MUSIC: TRANSITION MUSIC: "SO LONG, AND THANKS"
CELESTINA:
See you on Monday, girls.
STUDENTS:
Hasta la próxima, Maestra Cordero.
STUDENTS shuffle out of the classroom.
MARINA:
See you Monday, Miss America.
ALEXA:
(under her breath) Hopefully not.
PATRICIA:
What did you say?
ALEXA:
See you on Monday.
MARINA and PATRICIA exit..
CELESTINA:
Sometimes it’s hard, being new in town.
ALEXA:
Yeah, you could say that.
CELESTINA:
Where’s your family from?
ALEXA:
Ponce.
CELESTINA:
A long way. You’ll do fine in my classroom. You've got quite an imagination.
ALEXA:
That's what everyone says about my brother. Loves stories and all that.
CELESTINA:
I'm glad he's encouraged for it. But it is important for others to credit your strengths as well.
ALEXA:
Oh, I totally get credit.
CELESTINA:
Totally?
ALEXA:
What I mean is...my other teachers let me know that I'm smart.
CELESTINA:
I didn’t realize they had a girls school in Ponce.
ALEXA:
It was more like homeschooling. Family members who taught me and my brother.
CELESTINA:
I'm glad they understand the importance of educating young women. Many still don't, even here in the capital. I'm fighting hard for my girls to get an equal education. Just today, I sent Román with a request for supplies.
ALEXA:
A plea for equality.
CELESTINA:
I intend for it to be published en La Gaceta. In the past, I've appealed to the governor directly, but my words have fallen on deaf ears. Here’s hoping it makes its way to print.
ALEXA:
En la Gaceta. Uh, I should probably start heading home. It’s a bit of a trek.
CELESTINA:
You aren’t walking alone, are you?
ALEXA:
My brother, Benito, should be here any moment.
CELESTINA:
I didn't catch your last name.
ALEXA:
Ventura.
CELESTINA:
The mason's daughter?
ALEXA:
No, my father's a pilot.
CELESTINA:
Ah, a boat captain.
ALEXA:
Right. He pilots boats. Down here. At sea level.
CELESTINA:
A great profession on an island. See you Monday.
ALEXA:
I won't be...my mother might need my help around the house in the coming weeks. I'm not sure when I'll be back.
CELESTINA:
Hasta la próxima. Whenever it may be.
ALEXA:
Maestra...
MUSIC: "SO LONG, AND THANKS" – PLAYS UNDER.
CELESTINA:
Yes?
ALEXA:
Thank you for the warm welcome into your classroom. And for everything you're fighting for. Even if you don't ever get the government to treat us equally, I'm sure generations of girls will benefit from your efforts.
CELESTINA:
There you go predicting the future again. I'll make a prediction of my own. I think you'll do amazing things, Aleksandra Ventura. Buena suerte.
ALEXA:
Thank you.
THE TIMESTORM.
SOUND: HELICOPTER CABIN INTERIOR AND WINDSHIELD ZAP INTO BUZZ
ATABEY:
You tell me: what is a plea for equality worth to Celestina and those girls?
HORACIO:
Everything.
ATABEY:
And in the original timeline, it's been lost forever. There's only one way to get it back.
HORACIO:
They must get that artifact.
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. PORTICO OUTSIDE OF CELESTINA'S CLASSROOM.
ALEXA:
Beni?
ALEXA/BENI:
I'm so glad to see you.
BENI:
You wouldn't believe what happened today.
ALEXA:
I know what the artifact is.
BENI:
Me too.
ALEXA:
So, it's at La Gaceta?
BENI:
Not quite.
ALEXA:
We should probably—
BENI:
Can we find somewhere to—
ALEXA/BENI:
Yeah.
MUSIC: TRANSITION MUSIC: "SO LONG, AND THANKS"
EPISOSDE 05: TORN
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF LA FORTALEZA.
MUSIC: "LA MAESTRA" TRANSITION.
SOUND: LIGHT RAIN.
ALEXA:
Rain feels good.
BENI:
The building looks so different. Smaller. And like an actual fort.
ALEXA:
It won't be renovated to look more like a house until sometime in the next decade.
BENI:
That's him there. Peña y Ruiz.
ALEXA:
Pretty average looking, if you ask me.
BENI:
Look! The paper is still there in his front pocket.
ALEXA:
Celestina's plea.
SOUND: THUNDER, STILL DISTANT, BUT CLOSER.
BENI:
How are we supposed to get it?
ALEXA:
I have an idea. I think I can grab it.
BENI:
You can't just walk up to him. You're a girl in eighteen thirty-eight.
ALEXA:
That can work to our advantage. Stay hidden just around this corner.
ALEXA throws BENI the satchel. BENI catches it with a grunt.
ALEXA:
Here. Hold onto my old-timey bag.
BENI:
Fine. But just...be careful.
ALEXA steps forward.
ALEXA:
Help me! Oh, woe!
PEÑA:
Who's there?
BENI:
Oh, woe?
ALEXA:
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay!
SOUND: HEAVY FOOTSTEPS.
PEÑA:
What is the meaning of this? This is no place for a girl. Leave at once.
ALEXA:
I feel so faint. I need your help, Papá.
PEÑA laughs.
PEÑA:
I'm not your father.
ALEXA:
Ay, the rain...the rain...
ALEXA falls onto PEÑA.
PEÑA:
Ave Maria purisima.
ALEXA:
Papá, it's getting...so...dark.
PEÑA:
Eh?
ALEXA slides the paper from his pocket.
SOUND: BAROMETER FX.
BENI:
She's got it.
ALEXA:
Thank you for your help. I feel much better now.
PEÑA:
Not so fast. I'll take this back.
PEÑA grabs her arm and snatches the paper away. He laughs ALEXA shrieks.
BENI:
Let go of her.
SOUND: THUNDER APPROACHING.
ALEXA:
Get it, Beni!
BENI grabs the paper.
BENI:
This paper isn't yours!
PEÑA:
You again?
PEÑA reaches for the paper, tearing it in half.
ALEXA:
(gasps) It's torn in two.
BENI:
Give me the other half.
PEÑA:
You dare give an order to a civil guard officer?
PEÑA grabs BENI.
BENI:
My arms!
ALEXA:
Let him go!
PEÑA laughs.
PEÑA:
Scamper off, little girl.
ROMÁN:
(yelling from several feet away under a portico) Would you look at this? The entrance to La Fortaleza is unguarded. Perhaps I'll pay the governor a visit.
PEÑA:
Who's there?
BENI:
Román!
PEÑA:
Keep still, silly boy.
ALEXA:
Got the other half!
BENI:
Grab the satchel, Alexa!
ALEXA grabs the satchel.
PEÑA:
Ay, niños malditos.
BENI wriggles free.
SOUND: BAROMETER FX IN SATCHEL.
BENI:
Ha-HA!
ROMÁN:
Run, Benito! Corre, Aleksa! Complete the errand!
ALEXA:
Come on!
BENI:
Let’s go!
ALEXA and BENI run..
PEÑA:
I'll have you arrested, young man!
ROMÁN:
Perhaps the governor would frown upon one of his civil guards arresting the top student in the seminary.
PEÑA:
What is your name?
ROMÁN:
Román Baldorioty de Castro.
ROMÁN steps out from under the portico.
ROMÁN:
You have no right to take private property. And you have no right to kick me from the streets on my San Juan.
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. ANOTHER ALLEY.
SOUND: RAIN AND THUNDER.
BENI:
How amazing was Román back there?
ALEXA:
He came out of nowhere!
BENI:
Peña's no match for him.
ALEXA:
That laugh!
ALEXA imitates PEÑA’s laugh.
BENI:
I told you!
ALEXA:
His uniform smelled like it's never been washed.
BENI:
(imitates ALEXA) The rain...the rain...Papá it's getting so dark.
ALEXA and BENI laugh.
BENI:
Shame the paper's torn. Here. Put both pieces in your purse thing.
ALEXA:
Good idea. We don't want it to get anymore destroyed before we get to La Gaceta.
BENI:
La Gaceta?
SOUND: THUNDER - CLOSE BY.
ALEXA:
Román said to complete the errand.
BENI:
He doesn't know what we know.
ALEXA:
You should've seen la maestra's face. She's just trying to get what the girls deserve.
BENI:
We can't go back without this artifact.
ALEXA:
But delivering this notice seems like such a minor thing.
BENI:
La Gaceta never published this notice. It has to stay that way.
ALEXA:
Celestina cares so much about her students. This is her life's work.
BENI:
We’re not supposed deliver this to La Gaceta. We can't mess around with history.
THE TIMESTORM.
SOUND: HELICOPTER CABIN INTERIOR AND WINDSHIELD ZAP INTO BUZZ.
HORACIO:
You're right, Benito. Ugh, why can't I just tell him? I can use the barometer.
ATABEY:
Not yet.
HORACIO:
So we're going to let them alter history and create another timeline when I have the ability to speak to them?
ATABEY:
They haven't altered history yet. You need you to trust your cousins. They need to trust themselves. They've got this.
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. AN ALLEY.
ALEXA:
Fine.
BENI:
Alexa!
ALEXA:
What?
SOUND: BAROMETER FX.
BENI:
See? We're doing the right thing.
ALEXA:
Tempus.
BENI:
Here we go...
SOUND: DRAMATIC THUNDER; PORTAL FX.
1838. SAN JUAN, PR. INSIDE CELESTINA'S CLASSROOM.
MUSIC:“SO LONG, AND THANKS” PLAYS UNDER SCENE.
RAFAEL:
Hola, hermana. Another week of lessons completed.
CELESTINA:
Rafael. How did your students fare today?
RAFAEL:
Tremendous. And yours?
CELESTINA:
They managed well enough. My class continues to grow. I had to assign three girls to share a slate today.
RAFAEL:
I hope this helps.
RAFAEL places down a few slates.
CELESTINA:
I don't want to take slates away from your boys.
RAFAEL:
It's rare that all my slates are in use at one time.
CELESTINA:
I appreciate your generosity, but I’d prefer to claim what’s rightfully ours. Let us first see what my public announcement in La Gaceta yields.
RAFAEL:
I'm afraid the notice was intercepted.
CELESTINA:
What's this?
RAFAEL:
I spoke with Román. That arrogant Peña y Ruiz swiped the paper from him before he reached La Gaceta.
CELESTINA stands, sliding her chair back.
CELESTINA:
They want to silence me. To make it seem like I don't exist. No, it’s worse than that. They want to erase the fact that there are girls in here everyday thinking and speaking their minds. Smart girls who can grow up and be better teachers than I could ever dream of being.
RAFAEL:
I'm sorry, Celestina.
CELESTINA:
I thought maybe when Queen Maria Cristina put a halt to the slave trade to Puerto Rico that more freedoms would follow. But here we are, three years later, and I can't offer my students what they need.
CELESTINA slams a stack of paper on her desk.
RAFAEL:
Is that paper? Why are the sheets torn?
CELESTINA:
I tore each sheet into four smaller pieces. It will last longer this way.
RAFAEL:
Ay, Celestina. Please, accept these slates. I'm repaying a debt.
CELESTINA:
You owe me nothing.
RAFAEL:
I'm a teacher because of you. You changed my life when you started that first school here in San Juan. How lucky I've been to have a big sister to lead the way.
CELESTINA:
You would have started one soon enough. After all, you are a Cordero.
RAFAEL:
Ah, but I could never match your perseverance. Standing up to the city council to get accreditation after years of rejection.
CELESTINA:
And the rejection continues. I'm so tired, Rafael.
RAFAEL:
Then rest your mind for the new week. Your students need you.
CELESTINA:
Thank you for the slates. The girls will benefit from them.
CELESTINA places the slates next to the others.
RAFAEL:
Debt repaid?
CELESTINA:
You don’t owe me, hermanito.
RAFAEL:
Ay, Celestina, so many of us do.
THE TIMESTORM. THE HELICOPTER CABIN.
ALEXA and BENI shout as they travel through the portal, and then laugh.
HORACIO:
Welcome back. How was the trip?
BENI:
Kind of crazy.
ATABEY:
Lots of running around.
BENI:
You could see us in the windshield?
HORACIO:
Not the whole time. We check in to make sure you're safe.
BENI:
How long were we there? You know, in earth time?
HORACIO:
You completed the quest in just under eight hours.
ALEXA retrieves the pieces of paper from the satchel.
ALEXA:
Here you go. A plea for equality. Torn apart.
ATABEY:
Artifact cloud emerge.
SOUND: ARTIFACT CLOUD RHYTHM.
BENI:
What in the world? It's like one of those mobiles for a baby's crib.
ALEXA:
Only...for junk.
ATABEY:
Artefactos.
HORACIO:
This is the artifact cloud. You can see objects already up there.
ALEXA:
An instrument. An old book. Ooh, a mask.
BENI:
Why is everything changing size like that?
ATABEY:
In the cloud, matter changes form according to the cloud's rhythm.
BENI:
But where did these other artifacts come from?
ATABEY:
A question for another time. Artifact attained.
SOUND: ARTIFACT FLOATS INTO CLOUD.
ALEXA:
Whoa. Okay. There it goes.
ATABEY:
Artifact cloud retreat.
SOUND: ARTIFACT CLOUD RETREATS.
HORACIO:
¿Qué pasa, Alexa?
ALEXA:
The notice should have been published instead of floating around in a weird-looking cloud.
HORACIO:
If you had delivered it to La Gaceta, it would have created another timeline.
ALEXA:
So, we just hold on to what happened, knowing that we could have done more?
BENI:
You saw Celestina teach. We found and retrieved the plea for equality.
ALEXA:
What does bringing back a muddy, torn piece paper of from eighteen thirty-eight do exactly?
ATABEY:
A question for another time.
BENI:
Wait a minute. I thought time was too human for you.
ATABEY:
It’s just a saying, Benito Ventura. Now, before the time portal closes—
SOUND: A WHOOSH OF A QUICK COSTUME CHANGE.
BENI:
Ah. Twenty-first-century clothes are so comfortable.
HORACIO:
You'll be back for your next quest before you—
SOUND: DRAMATIC THUNDERCLAP INTO PORTAL FX.
ALEXA and BENI shout as they travel through the portal.
2017. NEWARK, NJ. THE VENTURA HOME. BENI'S ROOM.
SOUND: RAIN.
CLARA knocks on the door.
CLARA:
(through the door)
Beni?
(in the hallway)
Have you seen your sister?