Dear Diary,

Today I found a Pelican with a broken wing; I think she got caught in something because she also has a little scar on her right foot. I've decided to take her in and make sure her wing heals. I can't stand seeing a Pelican in pain, it just breaks my heart. So I'll tell you how her recovery goes… She needs a name…I'll think of it.

Dear Diary,

Oh she's just such a sweet heart! She always follows me around; I think she's decided I'm her new friend. I've decided to paint a picture of her; hopefully it will turn out the way I want it to. Oh! Mardi Gras is coming up, I can't wait. She'll love that!

"And they have yet to stop the Oil from seeping throughout the Gulf," Louise said as she picked up the remote that was next to her on the couch and flung it across the room. "Why?" she muttered as she got up to turn off the TV, and pick up the remote that had landed nearby. Louise sighed and looked down at her feet, "I can just feel the slippery, oily feeling beneath my feet." She shook her head and walked over towards the front door and opened it. She whispered out towards the clouds, "They'll fix it, right?"

Now Louisiana, being next to the Gulf of Mexico, was severely affected by this. She lost much of her wildlife, and not to mention her fishing industry went down the gutter. So she's been off lately, her mind can't think as it normally could. Her mind was strictly thinking one thing, 'The wildlife….It's dying.' Louisiana was determined to get her point across, she wanted her feelings to be known, but so far she hadn't been able to. So what's next? I suppose she has to go to the Gulf herself.

Louise decided to visit the shoreline, where most of the oil was appearing and planned to look out and see what was bothering her up close. She felt the need to travel by foot, something in her told her to. So she set foot on a trip to the coast. Yet Louisiana, being a state, had the strength of every single person that lived there. That strength is what enabled her to do this, but you must think if she has all of her people's strength…She must have their emotions too.

Louise sighed as she stood staring out at the coast, so close to her. Some sections were closed out with caution tape and she slowly approached a man nearby.

"I'm sorry Ma'am but you can't pass," the man said to her, "it isn't safe."

"…Sir, I don't rightly care about my safety." Louise looked at him dead in his eyes. The man seemed calm, his hazel eyes glistened in the sunlight and his straight light brown hair seemed to be moving slightly due to the breeze coming from the east.

"Well, I still don't think you should cross, the oil out there isn't the best thing to mess with."

"Then maybe they shouldn't have let it go out there." Louise said sternly, her dress flowed to the left and her glasses had a little shine to them. "Now Sir, I'm going to pass whether it's safe or not."

"…But you don't even have a mask, gloves, nothing at all. Besides, you have no authorization to go out there. Do you?"

"…Isn't being here enough? Isn't caring enough? I'm the state of Louisiana, is that enough for you to let me pass?" She looked at the man, who now seemed a bit confused.

"W-What?" The man shifted a bit and looked up at Louise, "Miss, I don't rightly understand."

"You don't have to, I'll just go myself." Louise then walked underneath the caution tape and continued out towards the shoreline. She walked up so her feet were getting covered in the water and oil. "The oil…" she muttered, "that feeling beneath my feet." She knelt down and scooped up some oily water and held her hand up letting it run through her fingers. "The black poison in my feet... In my heart…" She stood up and looked out at the Gulf, staring at the oil as it floated around in the water. The man that wouldn't let her pass was just staring at her, he didn't know what she was doing, but he didn't know what to do or say either. A news reporter that was nearby walked over towards Louise and began to ask her questions. She wasn't on the news, but he seemed to be curious.

"Excuse me Miss, but what are you doing here? Who are you? What's wrong? Why did you scoop up oil? Don't you have gloves? How'd you get out here? Didn't they stop you? Miss? Miss?" The reporter seemed frustrated with Louise, she wouldn't answer. She just bit her lip and stared out, the wind picked up and began to make her hair flow to the side along with the end of her dress, which was now covered in oil. "Miss, maybe you should leave? The oil is getting all over your feet!" Louise closed her eyes and stood there. "Miss?"

Meanwhile a group of people who seemed to be looking for Pelicans in oil gathered around a lady holding a Pelican. "I think it's dead. Poor thing…" The lady had dirty blonde hair; it was wavy and was put up in a ponytail. She was looking at the Pelican she held out in her hands that were covered by yellow latex gloves.

Louise stood frozen, her heart dropped. She felt a shock go through her spine; she opened her eyes and tears streamed down her cheeks. "E-Evangeline…" She balled her right hand into a fist, "I-I can't b-believe….I forgot a-about y-you…." She flung around in the direction of the lady with the Pelican, in the meantime the reporter had backed away watching Louise walk towards the lady. "T-That Pelican…does it have a scar on its right foot?" The lady looked over at Louise.

"Umm, I don't know. It's covered in oil….It's dead. I can't t-"

"Find out." Louise frowned and walked closer towards the lady. "Does it, or does it not have a scar on its foot!"

"I-I don't know! Who are you! Why are you here? How did you pass the caution tape?" Louise was now directly in front of the lady.

"Tell me. Does it have a scar on its foot."

"M-Miss?" the lady began looking at her dress, "Y-You have oil on your feet and dress!"

"…And there's oil on that Pelican. But what you've yet to tell me is if it has a scar."

"I-I don't know!"

"Find out!" Louise said stomping her foot. The lady seemed a bit afraid of Louise and handed the Pelican to the man next to her.

"Take this Pelican and clean it with the others and tell this….nice lady if it has a scar."

"B-But," the man muttered, "It's dead…"

"Shh, do as I say." The lady whispered back, "Don't question." So the man motioned for Louise to follow him. Louise followed blindly, her mind went blank. She was walking, but she didn't know, she seemed as if she was a mindless zombie. Louise only came into awareness when the man opened the door for her and motioned her inside. Louise looked around to see tables and tubs where people were washing Pelicans who had been covered in oil.

"T-These poor Pelicans…" she muttered and walked over to look at some. The people washing the Pelicans stopped and stared at her. Her hands, feet, and dress were covered in oil. They couldn't figure out what happened to her. "W-What are you doing!" She screamed as she looked around, seeing that everyone had stopped when she walked in. "Don't stop! Help them! Don't let them die!" Louise had let a few tears slip.

"M-Miss?" The man from earlier motioned her over towards a table where they washed the pelican's foot. "I-Is that the scar you're talking about?" Louise's face turned pale and closed her eyes.

"Y-Yes…." She shook a bit.

"Umm," one man said from behind her, "Lady, it's just a pelican." Louise opened her eyes and snatched the pelican from the first man, getting oil all over her dress as she held it close to her.

"J-Just a pelican….." Louise felt anger arise, "JUST A PELICAN!" The man stepped back, while one lady told her to calm down. "C-CALM DOWN!" Louise was sobbing, she was upset and angry and she couldn't control herself. All the people in the building stopped and stared at Louise.

"W-What is wrong with her?" One lady whispered to another.

"Must be crazy," the other lady responded.

"THEY'RE NOT JUST PELICANS!" Louise screamed at them, tears streaming down her face, "THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL LOVING CREATURES. NOT JUST PELICANS!" Louise began leaning a bit to the left like she was going to tip over, "W-WHY CAN'T YOU TREAT THEM LIKE SUCH!" She continued sobbing, "M-MY PELICANS! MY BABIES! THEY'RE DYING AND YOU DON'T CARE!" The man that said that comment was beginning to regret he said anything.

"F-Fine! I take it back!" the man yelled to Louise.

"NO YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T REVERSE IT!" Louise screamed and collapsed to her knees, the pelican still in her arms. "W-Why….T-The oil….I-It's poison…" One man was told to make her leave.

"Excuse me Ma'am… You'll have to leave…"

"F-FINE!" Louise exclaimed scrambling to get up, "I-I CAN'T STAND YOU PEOPLE!" She stormed out with her pelican in her arms. Louise was frustrated, tears continued to stream down her face. She couldn't see very well, but she stormed off to her house. Many people tried to stop her to ask what's wrong but she ignored them and ran off away from them.

When Louise arrived home, she tried to open her door, but her hand slipped a few times trying to get the key into the door. Her hands still were covered in oil and made it difficult to open her door. She managed to get in and quickly closed her door with her foot, leaving a print in oil. She made her way to the bathroom and gently set her pelican in the sink and pulled out a bottle of soap. Louise knew what to use to clean her pelican, and luckily she had what was needed. She began to wash the pelican, tears falling from her face as she lifted its lifeless head up to wash. She looked at the Pelican's eyes, which seemed glazed. She could tell the sadness in the eyes, this pelican died in sadness. When Louise was done she took a towel and gently dried her pelican, and bit her lip trying not to let herself cry more than she already had. When she was done she set the pelican on another towel and set it on her bed. She went to her closet and pulled out two things…a box that she decorated for Mardi Gras, it had a golden fleur de lis…and she pulled out a small water color painting of a Pelican and carried it out with her, along with bringing the Pelican.

Louise set everything down and went to get a shovel from her garage. She dug a hole nearby her magnolia tree in her backyard. She was still crying as she did this, and when she was done she set the shovel down and went to get her pelican, box, and painting. She brought them towards the hole she dug and opened the box first setting the top upwards and to the side. She began by setting the painting down in the box. "I give you my art….my expression…" she then lifted the limp pelican and set it in the box and kissed its head, "I leave you with my love…." Louise's tears fell onto the pelican. She then lifted the magnolia from her hair, that flower had been there for years, but her hair had kept it from dying. She wrapped a bit of her hair to it and took the flower and set it next to the pelican, "I give you my history…." Louise then looked over at the fleur de lis on the top and set it on the box. "A-And….I give you my culture…." Louise then set the box in the hole and looked down and then sang one section of one of her state songs. Instead of it being in its cheerful tone, she let it be sad and depressing. "Oh give me Louisiana, the state where I was born. Oh what sweet old mem'ries the mossy old oaks bring. It brings us the story of our Evangeline…" She whispered, "Evangeline…I'm sorry it ended this way….But remember…I'll always love you." Louise then began covering the box in dirt, and when it was covered she stood there and let the last tears fall. "E-Evangeline….I'll miss you."

Dear Diary,

Evangeline…She's gone. I buried her today….I can't express my love for her, for it was too great… So I've decided to start on my new art project… A pelican looking into the Gulf, but its reflection is made of oil… The pelican's wing seems broken and it has a scratch on its right foot…Hopefully Dad will give it to Obama…Maybe he'd like to see how I feel…