To Begin at the Beginning

By Elizabeth Argall

The front cover is a collage of scenery shots - fields, meadows, highways, cars, feeling of a camera moving quickly past taking snippets here and there, brief fragments of lives, moving from rural into suburban then urban areas. Strong feeling of action and movement blurring of the images as if the camera was moving to quickly past the objects.

Page 1 Carries on from cover, but moving deeper into the city into the darker danker parts. Fences, frowning faces, the bared teeth of an Alsatian, desperation, ugly poverty, despairing faces, a billboard with a perfect smiling model with flowing hair and white teeth. The bottom right hand corner is the beginning of the image that runs across the top of the next page.

• This text scattered across the page: IN LATER YEARS I WAS TO DISMISS A LOT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AS A CHILD. FANTASIES OF A LONELY CHILD LOOKING FOR FRIENDS, LOOKING FOR A SENSE OF PURPOSE, A SENSE OF MEANING IN A WORLD DEVOID OF PATTERNS.
  
  
• Caption at the bottom right hand corner of the page: IN LATER YEARS I CEASED TO BELIEVE
  
  

Page 2: The illustration style returns to ‘normal’, lots of soft lines giving detail. It is late afternoon in winter.

Panel 1: a long shot a grimy alleyway, an old bum sits on some newspapers next to some dumpsters he looks to the left (our right), as on the far right hand side of the page is Rebecca running fast, half already disappeared off the panel. She looks blurry, like the image has been taken by a camera at too slow an exposure to capture her properly.

• Caption: IT IS ONLY NOW IN WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL MY SELINITY THAT I FIND MYSELF THINKING OF THOSE DAYS LONG AGO.
  
  

Panel 2: Close up/mid range three quarter profile of Rebecca turning her head to look over her shoulder, fear is painted all over her face. Rebecca is wearing a dark navy blue dress (school uniform) that goes to just below her knees, long white socks and black once shiny now scuffed and muddy shoes. She has black shoulder length hair, her eyes are a greeny brown. Her skin is pale and her face has a symmetrical beauty. She has a solemn, often expressionless face.

• Caption: AND THINKING PERHAPS IT WAS NOT ALL AN OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION
  
  

Panel 3: Rebecca running on, staggering and whirling around a bit as her left arm collides with an overflowing garbage bin which is in the process of falling over, other garbage bins have already fallen to the ground or are almost on the ground.

• Caption: PERHAPS FOR A TIME I LIVED A BRIGHT LIFE AND WALKED A PATH SO VERY STRANGE
  

The next three panels are small and similar in size, they are a tight close up of Rebecca’s foot as she runs.

Panel 4: Rebecca’s heel hitting the ground. The ground is rough black ashfelt.

• Caption: A WORLD FULL OF MAGIC,
  
  

Panel 5: The ball of Rebecca’s foot hitting the ground. The ground is dark cracked concrete.

• Caption: DANGER
  

Panel 6: Her toes rolling over as she starts to trip. The ground is rough cobblestones/ overgrown paving.

• Caption: AND COUNTLESS STORIES
  
  

Panel 7: A long shot, extending to both sides of the page. Side on view of Rebecca lying splat on the ground. cobbled ground of old back laneway, damp and mildewy, possibly redbrick wall in background.

• Caption: ONCE I WALKED AMONG THE STARS.
  

Page 3
Panel 1: The sun beginning to set over the city, the layers of pollution lighting up beautifully.

• Caption: EVERY DAY I WATCH THE SUNSET AND I WAIT.
  
  

Panel 2: Rebecca getting up one hand on her sore face, the other on her sore knee. In the background we can see a high red brick wall, once dignified, now crumbling, dark, decrepit and decaying. Rebecca looks tired her knees, elbows and the palms of her hands are grazed.

• Caption: WAIT FOR WHEN A LITTLE GIRL OF SEVEN YEARS WILL COME INTO MY GARDEN, HIDING FROM A DANGER SHE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND.
  

Panel 3: Rebecca turns to look at the wall. She is rubbing her eyes, trying hard not to cry. The right hand corner of the wall has caught her attention. The wall is particularly decayed in that area and we can see a small hole choked with weeds.

• Caption: I WILL INVITE HER IN AND THERE IN THE DUSKY TWILIGHT I WILL TELL HER STORIES.
  

Panel 4: Close up on the hole, something gleams on the other side

• Caption: I WILL TELL HER THE STORY
  

Panel 5: Rebecca’s retreating bottom in the hole

• Caption: AND HER LIFE WILL BE FOREVER CHANGED.
  
  

Page 4

Panel 1: Rebecca emerges in a beautiful well maintained garden. Long shot, her back in the foreground, beautiful garden stretching out in front of her. A well manicured lawn, roses, a fish pond with lilies, in the far distance a house behind some hedges. A weeping willow tree, shrubs with dark green foliage behind which a little wooden shed/cottage is hiding

• Caption: SO IT HAPPENED TO ME AND SO IT MUST HAPPEN TO HER
  
  
• Caption: I ONLY HOPE SHE SURVIVES.
  

Panel 2: Rebecca’s greeny brown reflection in the fish pond, a little red goldfish swims across her face making small ripples

• Caption: IS IT CRUEL OF ME?
  
  

Panel 3: The large ripples, a bit of a splash, fragments of a distorted reflection, looks like someone has thrown a stone in the pond.

• Caption: TO INFLICT THAT STORY IN AN INNOCENT STRANGER?
  
  

Panel 4: A small hand touching the petals of a pale pink rose.

• Caption: DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT?
  

Panel 5: Rebecca from behind wandering along past the willow tree, rose petals trailing from her right hand

• Caption: IT DOES NOT MATTER, THE STORY MUST BE TOLD
  
  

Panel 6: Rebecca at the rough wooden door of the house, her right hand is pressed against the door

• .... AND IN THE END, FOR ALL THAT I HAVE BEEN,
  

Panel 7: The door has been pushed open, Rebecca standing in the doorway,Rebecca silhouetted against the dark ruddy glow of the fire

• FOR ALL THAT I HAVE DONE
  
  

Panel 8: The red glow lighting from a low flicker of the fire (off camera). A shadow filled face, the pale, milky white eyes reflecting the glow of the fire.

• I HAVE NO REGRETS...
  

Page 5

Panel 1:
The sun has set, view of the city at almost night, some afterglow catching in the pollution layers of glowing pinks, oranges and greens.

Panel 2:
Close up of the old woman’s hand curled in a ‘come hither’ gesture.

• Woman: COME IN.
  

Panel 3:
The door slams shut as Rebecca is propelled into the room.

Panel 4: Inside the room it is dim and dark and smoky. It is hard to make out the woman's features precisely in the dark. The woman has a mysterious dark, hypnotic and scary presence. She is seated near a fireplace containing glowing coals. The room is very dark, there is only one window and it is high up small, and blackened, the chimney doesn’t work very well.

• Woman: SIT DOWN, DON’T BE SCARED CHILD.
  
  
• Woman: PEOPLE SAY I’M MAD, BUT WHO ARE THEY TO SAY?
  

Panel 5: The woman pats the seat near her next to a softly glowing fire. We see more of her features, she is not quite so scary looking as we first imagined, she seems to be chuckling slightly. The shadows are not stark hard lines anymore, but soft, non threatening shadows

• Woman: I WANT TO TELL YOU A STORY MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO TELL ME ON THEOSE LONG MIDSUMMER DAYS OR AT NIGHT BESIDE THE FIRE IN THE LONELY WINTER TIME.
  
  
• Woman: A STORY OLDER THAN TIME.
  
  

Panel 6: Rebecca perches on a tool next to the old woman, however her whole body language is backing away. She is leaning away from the woman sitting on a stool by the fire and watching the old woman warily.

• Woman: YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS CHILD, THE STORY MUST BE KEPT ALIVE
  
  

Page 6:
Panel 1: Darkness

• Caption: TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING
  
  

Panel 2: A small pinpoint of light in the centre of the panel

• Caption: WORLD’S A CHANGING PLACE
  
  

Panel 3: This panel is filled with bright light

• Caption: NO DAY IS LIKE THE OTHER AND SO IT WILL ALWAYS BE.
  
  

Panel 4: Lots and lot of stars

• Caption: WHY?
  
  
• Caption: I DON’T KNOW CHILD, IT’S JUST THE WAY THINGS ARE - YOU CAN’T FIGHT IT, YOU CAN ONLY TRY TO CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BEST
  
  

Panel 5: The stars begin to fall from the sky. Each star becomes a spot of colour which has hit the windshield of life and is starting to run down the screen.

Panel 6: many colours running down the panel, in fine streaks, almost like party popper streams have hit the camera, have turned liquid and are flowing down the lens.

• Caption: IN FACT THOSE WHO TRY TO STOP TIME’S EFFECTS JUST MAKE THEMSELVES UNHAPPIER
  
  

Page 7
suggested layout

Panel 1: The colours have grouped together in flowing puddles. Like puddles of mercury.

• Caption: AT THE VERY BEGINNING, WAY. WAY BACK BEFORE THE FIRST BREEZE BLEW AND THE FIRST RAIN FELL, THE WORLD WAS JUST ABOUT AS PERFECT AS YOU COULD WANT IT.
  
  

Panel 2: The puddles of colour, morphing around each other to form a sort of spherical shape.

• Caption: AIR SO FRESH IT MADE YOU WANT TO CRY FOR SHEER JOY. wATER CRYSTAL CLEAR AND THE BLUEST SKY AND THE BRIGHTEST STARS THAT EVER POKED HOLES IN THE VELVET OF NIGHT.
  

Panel 3: Earthrise, a beautiful blue and green planet wrapped in white clouds

• Caption: PEOPLE WERE HAPPY, ANIMALS WERE HAPPY.
  
  
• Caption: WE WERE HAPPY.
  

Panel 4: Watercolour illustration. A whole bunch of creatures, soft simple shaped, innocent, a bit like different sized relatives of Leunig cartoons. They have gathered together and are gazing up at the star filled sky with wonderment. Some have tears trickling down their faces with joy, some are on their knees, all are looking up arms loose by their sides.

• Caption: THEN OLD FATHER TIME WOUND UP HIS POCKET WATCH AND THINGS STARTED TO HAPPEN. SLOWLY, SHYLY WE WOKE UP AND GAZED UPON OUR WORLD WITH OPEN EYES AND OPEN ARMS
  
  
• Caption: WE STARTED TO LAUGH, TO SING, TO CRY. BUT ALWAYS WITH JOY.
  
  
• Caption: FOR THE FIRST TIME WE KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO BE ALIVE.
  

Page 8
Suggested page layout
Panel 1: Close up on the face of one of the creatures, jaw dropped in fear hand raised to mouth in terror

• Caption: THEN WE GOT SCARED...
  
  

Panel 2: Creature curled up on the ground hands held protectively over its head.

• Caption: OH MY LORD DID WE GET SCARED.
  
  

Panel 3: Creature burrowing into the ground like a dog, flinging dirt behind it

• Caption: SO WE DUG THESE DEEP HOLES IN THE GROUND
  
  
• Caption: DOWN AND DOWN SO WE COULD FEEL UNBORN AGAIN.
  

Panel 4: Long shot covering bottom of the page a cross section of the earth, all these tunnels burrowed into the ground at the bottom of each tunnel is a creature curled up in a fetal ball with its eyes closed.

• Caption: ALL ALONE.
  

Page 9
suggested layout all the images in the burrows are drawn as if doing a cross section of the earth, or a diagram showing the burrow of a badger (I hope that is clear)
Panel 1: A close up on one of the creatures, a flickering half smile crosses its face, its eyes turn up at the corner a little, it looks like it’s having a nice dream.

• Caption: THEN SOMEONE
  

Panel 2: The same creature, a larger smile on its face its unrolled a little and isn’t in quite such a tightly rolled fetal ball.

• Caption: I FORGET WHO
  

Panel 3: The creature eyes open laughing a big chested laugh, its mouth wide open its rolled onto its back and is holding its belly, its feet kicking in the air.

• Caption: BAGAN TO LAUGH AND LAUGH AND LAUGH AND LAUGH
  

Panel 4: Mid/long shot containing other creatures in burrows looking startled, in various states of being woken up, one is rubbing its eyes on, one is looking around in puzzlement trying to find out where the sound is coming from. The laughing creature is in the middle of the panel

• Caption: TILL LAUGHTER ECHOED ACROSS AND THROUGH THE EARTH.
  

Panel 5: Most of the creatures are now laughing. One staring straight at the camera has a really cheesy Cheshire cat grin, a little hee hee hee coming out of its mouth.

• Caption: SUDDENLY WE WERE ALL LAUGHING
  
  
• Caption: WE HAD REDISCOVERED THE JOYS OF BEING.
  

Panel 6: Similar to panel 4 on the previous page, however all of the upper burrows are empty, only a few remain, tightly curled up at the bottom of the page.

• Caption: SOME FOLKS NEVER DID LEARN TO LAUGHT AGAIN. THEY STAYED HID, WARM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EARTH. THEY LOST THEMSELVES TO THE OLD WAYS OF BEFORE TIME. THEY LOST THEMSELVES...
  
  
• Caption: AND WE MISS THEM STILL
  

Page 10
This page is two panels, one that takes up the entire page, the other is a little panel placed at the bottom.

Panel 1: a mostly side on shot of the creatures gathering together once more, once more they gaze at the stars but they sit on the ground as they gaze upwards and they do not smile. Imagine the faces and expressions at a memorial service. Quiet yet sad faces. Some creatures sit cross legged, some rest back on their hands, some stand. Wherever the creatures touch the ground their body looks slightly, subtly warmer

• Caption: SOMETIMES ON COLD NIGHTS YOU CAN FEEL THE WARM BREATH OF THE SLEEPERS RISING OUT OF THE GROUND. IT IS THEIR GIFT, IT MAY EVEN BE THEIR CONSOLATION... THEY STILL HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE, EVEN FROM THE DAYK WARM SLEEP CHAMBERS OF FEAR AND SORROW. THEY MELT THE ICE ON THE GROUND WITH THEIR BREATH, BUT THEY CANNOT MELT THE PAIN IN THEIR HEARTS.
  
  
• Caption: WE COULD NOT CREATE THE INNOCENCE OF TIMES PAST. WE HAD ALREADY LOST SOME OF OUR NUMBER TO THE GREAT FEAR - WE COULD NOT GO BACK TO THE TIME BEFORE, NO MATTER HOW HARD WE TRIED. WE HAD DISCOVERED A NEW EMOTION - WE ALREADY KNEW JOY, FEAR, SORROW AND LAUGHTER, NOW WE KNEW LONGING AND LOSS.
  

Panel 2: Close up on one of the ‘sleepers’ curled up, eyes tightly closed, its arms wrapped around its chest. The sleeper’s chest is softly glowing.

Page 11
Suggested layout - Panel 2 is a large image, that takes up the whole page, Panel one and three placed on top of the picture in the top left and bottom right hand corners respectively. Depending on the artists preference photomedia could be incorporated into panel 2.

Panel 1:
Back in the old woman’s hut. The fire flickers a dull red, the child’s face is sad.

• Rebecca: AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?
  
  

Panel 2:

The woman leaning back in her chair, snippets of the story, images of things to emerge from her mouth and gather in mixing pools around her. An ethereal wolf teeth bared, ears back leaps at a huddled bunch of scared beings, a mother thingey holds protectively a bundled up baby thingey, tiny ethereal buildings burn, pale white bodies piled on top of each other burn, a face crazed with hunger, knives. A tank, monstrous and bestial is the back ground to these tiny ethereal tragedies. Different forms of violence and hunger blending into other violence and horror.

• Woman: OH A GREAT MANY THINGS MY CHILD, THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING. AFTER THAT CAME THE GREAT HUNGER WHICH TORE US APART. IN OUR TERRUBLE HUNGER WE FORGOT THE GREAT PEACE AND ENTERED THE GREAT WAR. THE WAR RAGED ALL OVER THE WORLD. SOME TRIED TO HIDE, BUT THE HUNGER WAS RELENTLESS AND BROUGHT WAR TO EVERY HIDING PLACE
  

Panel 3: Rebecca’s face looking sad and concerned.

• Rebecca: HOW DID THE WAR EVER STOP?
  
  

Page 12
Panel 1: Closeup of the woman's old tired face

Woman: I DON’T KNOW CHILD, NOBODY DOES.

Panel 2: Closup on woman's old wrinkled hands, palms upwards

• Woman: THE WAR JUST STOPPED, GOT TIRED OR MAYBE JUST RAN OUT OF THINGS TO HURT.
  

Panel 3: Old woman’s hands clenched.

• Woman: SOME SAY THE WAR NEVER REALLY WENT AWAY. SOME SAY IT JUST CHANGED SHAPE, TRICKED US.
  

Panel 4: A dark corner of the room, could there be something there? its so hard to tell.

• Woman: IF YOU THINK SOMETHING IS GONE FOR GOOD YOU AIN’T GONNA FIGHT IT AND YOU AIN’T GONNA RUN.
  

Panel 5:
Option 1: Two creatures, one the bottom left hand corner, the other top right. They are walking away from each other, but both have paused to look at each other one last time. Hoping for a reason not to part ways, but neither knowing what to say.

Option 2: Two different sorts of creature walking off in opposite directions. Two small creatures, one being dragged away by the hand, the other slung over a shoulder, they reach out for each other as they are taken away from each other.

• Woman: AFTER THAT OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WENT THEIR SEPERATE WAYS AND SO DID WE.
  
  
• Woman WE WENT OUR SEPERATE WAYS, MAKING TERRIBLE MISTAKES AND REACHING FOR RAINBOWS...
  
  

Panel 6: The woman rests the index finger on her mouth and gazes of into the distance, remembering times long gone. She speaks softly to herself

• Woman: AND WE STILL MISS THEM
  
  

Page: 13

Panel 1
The night star filled sky

• Woman: YOUR PARENTS MUST BE WORRIED, CHILD. YOU RUN ALONG NOW, IT WOULD TAKE MANY MANY DAYS TO TELL EVEN ONE PART OF THE STORY. YOU GO HOME NOW, YOU MUST BE HUNGRY AND IT IS DARK.
  

Panel 2
A shooting star streaks down.

• Child [O/C]: THERE IS NO END TO THE STORY IS THERE?
  
• Woman[O/C]: YOU’RE RIGHT CHILD, THERE IS NO END.
  

Panel 3
Rebecca walking out the door

Panel 4
Rebecca stops and turns.

• Child: MAY I VISIT YOU AGAIN?
  
• Woman: PLEASE DO CHILD, THERE IS MUCH FOR YOU TO LEARN.
  
  

Panel 5
Slamming shut of the door

• S/E: BANG
  
  

Panel 6
Close up of the woman’s old face looking very tired and drawn.

• Woman: I JUST WISH THERE WAS ONOTHER WAY.
  

Page 14

On this page Rebecca walks home through the dark and narrow streets. The streets have a dark sheen and are wet and slick. Occasional pools of light from lampposts, they seem to accentuate the dark rather than dispel it. Pools of water gleam on the pavement. Most of these are drawn from behind or side on view. The creature that stalks her is a bit like a demented harlequin, humorous yet threatening and full of the possibility of violence or unsavoury intentions. Because of the lighting we can never quite get an accurate sighting of the creature

Panel 1: Rebecca walking down the street, a large puddle gleams on her right, her back is to us.

Panel 2: A car whooshes past, spraying muddy water all over Rebecca.

Panel 3: Rebecca stands still, dripping from head to toe. In the foreground a shadowy figure leans against a redbrick wall and smiles a yellow toothed grin.

Panel 6: Rebecca walking down the road, the figure hiding in a shadow filled doorway

Panel 4: Rebecca walking down road, the figure hiding behind lamppost.

Panel 5: Rebecca walking around a corner the figure is flat out of the ground, stealthily creeping towards her, one hand only a few centimetres from Rebecca’s ankle.


Page 15

Panel 1: Rebecca opening the front gate of her house. The small garden in the front is mostly dead. A few weeds struggle to survive in the poor soil. An air of decay hangs over the house. Garbage bins and a few bundles of newspaper stand next to the gate.

Panel 2: Gust of wind knocking over the bins, Rebecca starting to spin around

Panel 3: Rebecca still mid swirl, hand touching her face, leaving a red mark

Panel 4: Rebecca walking through gate rubbing the mark off her face.

Panel 5: Rebecca on tip toe reaching up to get key from under an empty flowerpot sitting on a window ledge. The front porch is a weather beaten grey.

Panel 6: Rebecca opening door

Page 16
The whole house has a spartan, grey, empty feel. Grey threadbare carpet, very little light enters the house.

Panel 1: View of hallway, stairs going up straight ahead, a doorway on the left, another doorway the hallway opens up into a kitchen further down. From the open doorway the sounds of the TV can be heard

• TV: GIANT CARPET SALE, 50% OFF, EVERYTHING MUST GO.
  

Panel 2: View in on the open doorway on the left. A man (Sebastian) slouched on an old threadbare armchair watching the TV

• TV: NO DEPOSIT, NO INTEREST FOR UP TO 12 MONTHS!!!
  

Panel 3: Rebecca walks into the kitchen, peeling linoleum, a few chipped dishes in the dryer. The kitchen is quite large, but very bare and barren. The TV can be heard wafting down the corridor.

• WE’RE JUST GOING CRAZY, EVERYTHING MUST GO
  

Panel 4: Close up of glass being rinsed under a tap

Panel 5: Close up of milk carton being taken out of the fridge

Panel 6: Close up of milk being poured into glass

Page 17

Panel 1: Close up of glass filling right up to the top

Panel 3: Rebecca staring into space, could be looking out the window above the kitchen sink, but that the glass is all fogged up and grease stained. Milk has overflowed the cup and is all over the bench.

Panel 3: close up of milk being put back in fridge.

Panel 4: SLAM of refrigerator door. The refrigerator is very old and spotted with rust.


Panel 5: Rebecca wiping up the milk with a cloth, still gazing absently into space. Sebastian’s voice wafts in from the other room.

• Sebastian O/S: REBECCA, IS THAT YOU?
  
  

Panel 6: Sebastian standing in the doorway He is a faded individual, thinning hair, a constant vaguely worried look on his face. He has the appearance of a man who has lost the battle of life and knows it. He is probably wearing a cardigan, faded brown corduroy pants and white sand shoes. The clothes are clean although faded and he is clean shaven. His eyes are a watery washed out grey.

Page 18

Panel 1: Rebecca looks at the bench top, Sebastian looks sorrowfully at Rebecca.

• Rebecca: YES
  
• Sebastian: WHERE WERE...
  

Panel 2: Camera on Rebecca looking at her father blankly.

Panel 3: Camera on Sebastian as he squirms uncomfortably under her gaze, struggles to find words.

• Sebastian: WHAT’S BEEN...
  

Panel 4: Closeup on Rebecca’s face. Glass of milk at Rebecca’s lips, she drinks and gazes emotionlessly at her father

Panel 5: Sebastian running his hand through his hair
Sebastian: I MEAN...
Sebastian: HOW WAS SCHOOL?

Panel 6: Rebecca shrugging her shoulders and putting her half full glass of milk down on the sink.

Panel 7: Rebecca at the bottom of the stairs climbing up to go to her room

Panel 8: Sebastian watching her go, a pained look of helplessness on his face.

Page 19
Panel 1: Rebecca at the top of the stairs

Panel 2: Rebecca pausing at the first door on the landing (Sarah’s studio). This door has seen better days, just like the rest of the house, it is an old door, with an old fashioned lock . On the side are scratches, just showing through a cheap chipped coat of varnish (these are from Sebastian using a prybar on the door in Episode 4)

Panel 3: Rebecca opening the next door along, we can see over her shoulder some of her room.

Her room is fairly small and spartan. She has a fairly comfortable bed with a red patchwork quilt on it, a rag doll by her pillow, an antique dresser with a mirror, a music box, hair brush and an exercise book on top of it, a simple wooden cupboard/wardrobe by the door.

Panel 4: Rebecca standing in the middle of her room pulling her soggy dress over her shoulders.

Panel 5: Rebecca pulling on a baggy white nightie, her wet clothes dumped in the middle of the floor, a small puddle has formed.

Panel 6: Rebecca in bed pulling the covers up to her chin. Eyes watch her through the window. The eyes are barely visible, drawn in a way that the reader might not even notice them.

Page 20

Panel 1: Rebecca asleep in bed in the corners of the panel soft laughter, small lettering “heheheheh hahaha”etc This will grow in size and dominate each panel more and more until panel 6 on page 21. The lettering become’s more and more jagged in each panel. It is quite small, neat and tidy in the first panel.

Panel 2: The front of the house as seen from the street.

Panel 3: The half full glass of milk on the kitchen sink, the tap is dripping

Panel 4: TV broadcasting static.

Panel 5: Mid shot of Sebastian asleep in his armchair.

Panel 6: Close up on Sebastian’s sleeping face.

Page 21


Panel 1: Sebastian’s eyes jerk open.

Panel 2: Mid range shot. Sebastian staggering to his feet trying to see where the laughter comes from, laughter mocks him from every corner of the room.

Panel 3: Sebastian running down the corridor in blind panic shadows leap out at him.

Panel 4: Sebastian trying to pull something off him that only he can see.

Panel 5: Sebastian scrambling up the stairs backwards

Panel 6: Sebastian sprawling on his knees in front of Sarah’s studio. The laughter suddenly cuts out, completely gone.

• Sebastian: NO, I CAN’T, PLEASE, NO.
  
  

Panel 7: Sebastian frozen on his knees in front of the door. The door swings open.


Page 22
One large spread, with the other panels cascading off it in an anti clockwise direction, each panel.

The large panel, Panel 1: An artist’s studio, the room looks like it is too large to fit into the house. Dust lies thick, it has the feel of a mausoleum. Many canvasses some on easels some stacked on top of each other. Crumpled and torn sketches and crumpled pieces of paper lie on the ground. It looks like there has been an ancient scuffle, broken timbres, ripped canvas, broken glass and old dead flowers lie scattered on the floor. Paintbrushes are strewn about, paint has been spilled on the floor and splattered on objects, a few smeared hand prints and a dark burnt stain on the wooden floor. For precise layout of the room see the end of episode 4, the room has not been altered significantly since then.

The other panels are closeups of various parts of the studio.

Panel 2: An angry abstract painting lying on top of a pile of other paintings, a slash of red over a black background.

Panel 3: A canvass that has been covered thickly in lots of colours so it is now mostly an ugly muddy colour. Deep grooves in the paint from fingers dragging down the canvass, almost clawing it.

Panel 4: A painting standing on one of the easels. The painting has been slashed in half.

Panel 5: The head of a dead flower, brown and gungy looking, a few shards of glass on a darkly stained floor.

Page 23:

Panel 1: Sebastian’s hands on the torn painting trying to put the picture together

Panel 2: Sebastian has mostly pulled the painting together so we can see the image, of course the edges don’t quite meet and the tear is still quite clear but at least now we can clearly see the face. It is a portrait of a younger Sebastian.

Panel 3: Sebastian leaning on the easel containing the portrait, back hunched, weak at the knees, trying hard to stand but quite overcome. His back too us and he looks very old and frail.

Panel 4: Sebastian on his knees fumbling to gather together the dead flowers.

Panel 5: Sebastian holds the flowers close to his chest, hunched around them, tears trickle down his face.

Page 24

A small Sebastian curled in a sobbing ball, a white spot on him, the rest is darkness.

• Sebastian: I’M SORRY, SO SORRY.

© Elizabeth Argall 2003-2004