Sky Full of Elephants

Charlie notices the spark between Sidney and Fela. He also witnesses the kind, bountiful environment of Mobile. Fruit grows on trees for people to pick. Trolley cars move rapidly, the stores are crowded, and families and people seem content and casual. Charlie doesn’t feel like Mobile is a “war zone.”

The king and queen, Vivian and Hosea, live in a blue, three-story Victorian house. Hosea introduces his sons, and he wonders where Sailor is. Zu claims they won’t be able to catch Sailor. Charlie announces their intentions to go to Orange Beach. He claims they’re not walkers: He just wants to show the community to Sidney. Hosea says they must ask the queen, Vivian, for permission.

In the home’s garage, Charlie spots a large appliance. He compares it to a dishwasher, but he realizes it’s a radio transmitter.

The house features sculptures and pattern prints. There are “sinuous staircases” and lots of activity. The community is preparing for Mardi Gras—not the “commercialized” version but the spiritual celebration that began in Haiti.

There’s a long line to speak to Vivian, and Fela, like any other person, must wait in it. When Sidney gets her turn, she explains her situation. Sidney says she wants to be with her aunt and return to how things were—“simpler” and “free.” Vivian contests Sidney’s perspective and introduces her to Nona, who’ll make the final decision. Nona compels Sidney to eat chitlins and other foods that Sidney finds unappetizing. Nona wants to be Sidney’s sister, but Sidney rejects the label. She calls Nona’s society “righteous” and “fake.”

Nona describes herself as nice and generous, but she doesn’t want Sidney to mess with her. She shows Sidney her elegant room, which takes up almost the entire third floor. Aside from the books and clawfoot tub, Sidney notices vinyl records of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. She sees Nona’s walk-in closet, containing a sink, a gold mirror, and an array of oils and lotions. Sidney realizes she doesn’t hate Nona: She wants to be like her.

Charlie marvels at how well Mobile functions. There are no power lines, solar panels, or windmills, yet it operates like a system without tension. The city produces “colorful energy” absent of trauma or fear. Charlie and Hosea discuss the reasons for Mobile and Orange Beach. Hosea calls Charlie a “knot” who’s “sad” and “confused.” Hosea brings Charlie to a house marking the spot where the final group of enslaved people arrived. Believing he’s in danger, Charlie promises to help Hosea work on the radio. Hosea laughs, then leaves.

A mystical woman, Seraphin, appears. A bathtub is in the center of the room, and Seraphin orders him to get into it. Smoke fills the room, and Charlie thinks about how radios only have to tune into what people are already broadcasting. Charlie believes he could be a radio—a medium for the knowledge around him. He remembers working on a CB radio in his mother’s backyard. He feels anger, and he doesn’t fight it.

Women wash Sidney in a bedroom in the Victorian house, and Sidney doesn’t feel like herself—that is, she feels beautiful and likes how she looks. Nona says she used to want to fit in, too, but then she stopped caring about prom dresses and cars and started abiding by her instincts. Fela brings in food, and he stares at Sidney until Nona dismisses him. Sidney admits that Fela is “cute,” but she doesn’t plan to stay in Mobile.

Sidney explains that she always thought she was as white as her family. She calls white “normal.” Now, she doesn’t know how she’ll fit in or be whole. She feels like she’s in two separate worlds. Citing her mother, Nona says people must make themselves whole.

There’s a dinner with a variety of foods: Seasoned mushrooms, grilled corn, and macaroni and cheese. Charlie continues to marvel at Mobile. Other cities are flourishing, but Mobile is exceptional. Charlie notices that the people intentionally divide their days. They spend a part of their day pursuing their passions, and they use the other portions of their day to grow their minds, bodies, hearts, and spirituality. The king and queen don’t use force. Charlie feels the people are following their “nature.”

At dinner, Charlie gives a short speech, referring to Mobile as the focal point of the world. Herald calls Charlie “uncle” and includes him in the plural pronoun “us.” Vivian speaks next. She asks Charlie and Sidney to imagine a paradise, and she explains the importance of Haiti. From 1791 and 1804, the enslaved people in Haiti revolted and eventually vanquished the French colonial government. Haiti taught Vivian and her family how to “progress.” Vivian believes Mobile is a “movement.”

Sidney compares the festive meals in Mobile to the wooden atmosphere of her family’s Thanksgiving in Wisconsin. For the Thanksgiving before the event, Sidney learned how to make her mother’s green bean casserole, but she added paprika, and her stepfather, Rick, said it was too spicy.

As Nona and Sidney walk through Mobile at night, Sidney feels a stirring energy. She notes how the buildings, roads, people, and technology align with nature. Charlie arrives and asks Sidney to be his family, but Sidney, still unaware of why Charlie left, rejects the offers. Nona takes her to a carnival celebration, but she doesn’t dance. Her body heats up, and she runs away. Nona follows, and Nona pushes Sidney to dance and “shake out” her complex feelings. The music makes her feel like there’s just an “us.”

Sidney wakes up to a burning smell. She sees Vivian and the council smoking from a pipe. Nona explains it’s a Xhosa smoking ceremony for mothers and older women. Nona distinguishes the ceremony from traditional drug use. Nona says drugs come from labs. What Vivian and the women are doing is engaging with their ancestors. Nona encourages Sidney to dismiss what the pre-event world defined as right and wrong. Nona wants Sidney to do what’s in her bones and heart.

Charlie wakes up in Seraphin’s room, with Seraphin standing naked at the window. He remembers passionately dancing with her last night as if he wanted to “shake something” out of his body. Charlie compares the energy to an “all-consuming” love. He notices Seraphin’s voodoo items, and Seraphin says she’s a manbo, or a conjure woman.

Charlie speaks with Herald about the electrical source. Charlie says the electricity seems to come from “thin air” or magic. Herald says they rebuilt the electrical grid so it’s free.

In a school bus, Fela drives Sidney, Nona, Zu, and the others to Redemption Farm, where they’ll harvest the land, prepare the products for distribution across Alabama, and help people heal. On the drive to the farm, Sidney tells an unnamed girl about Orange Beach. The girl says that they help those people, too. She describes them as older and not in their “right mind.”

Sidney tells the people on the bus about the time her church went to give care packages to the “less fortunate.” A woman from Sidney’s church—who knew Sidney—still thought Sidney was one of the “less fortunate,” so she gave her a package. Sidney also explains witnessing her family drown. She says it was like they heard and saw something she couldn’t.

Near the farm, Nona’s oldest brother, Tau, snaps at Sidney. He claims Sidney isn’t a part of the “us.” Nona can call Sidney her “sister,” but that doesn’t make it so. Nona dismisses him as a “grumpy old bear.”

At the farm, working on the land makes Sidney feel present. Nona then pushes her to speak to a “handsome” man who needs rehabilitation, Malcolm. He was a Shakespearean actor, and he lost many close friends in the event. He feels a mixture of sadness and happiness. Sidney wants to go back to when everyone was happy. Malcolm claims not everybody was happy, and people had “monsters” on their backs. Malcolm believes the pre-event world wasn’t equal, and white people created the imbalance. Sidney mentions trying to shoot herself with her stepfather’s shotgun. Malcolm attributes her suicide ideation to suffering. He also tells her that “normal” is an “illusion.”

As the sun sets, the people lie in the grass and recite quotes from well-known Black authors like Nikki Giovanni. Sidney smokes from the pipe. She notices the shining stars and feels a strong sense of right and wrong.