PAGE FOUR
This page is the first of a spread with Page Five.
This is a six panel page. Exact layout is up to you, but I think Panel Six is a tier-wide shallow panel at the bottom of the page.
Panel One
This is a panel all filled with dust and dirt which has come off the toppled model when it has landed. We can see the faces of Li and Evie in amongst the dust and dirt (which might spill out over the panel borders a bit). They look worried and confused, their eyes shut against the dirt and maybe a hand thrown up to try to cover their faces.
They each have one balloon and there are a couple of FX.
FX: coff-coff
Li: Holy Cow! The dust off that thing!
FX: coff-coff
Evie: Is everyone okay?
Panel Two
Here the dust is clearing and we can see that Evie’s dad is lying on the floor, pinned under the Bigfoot model, the back of which looks a lot more threadbare than the front. His face is covered in dust and he looks really uncomfortable.
There are two FX and three balloons from Evie’s dad.
FX: coff-coff
Dad: I… I’m fine.
FX: coff-coff
Dad: It’s not as heavy as it looks.
Dad: Not quite.
Panel Three
This is a shot of Fort snuffling round in what remains of the box (the dust still settling). We can see that it contained some papers and odds and ends, but the dog is picking up what looks like a small ocarina type ceramic (or bone?) flute in its mouth. It’s the right size to fit comfortably in one hand. It doesn’t have all the extra holes an ocarina does – you blow it and it produces one note, so it’s more like a whistle. No one else is noticing / seeing this.
There are two balloons from off (maybe tailless?).
Balloon: Hey!
Balloon: What on Earth do you think you’re doing?
Panel Four
This is a shot of an old man dressed like P T Barnum (it basically is P T Barnum, but maybe he’s got a big Charles Dickens type beard?) struggling to lift the Bigfoot off of Evie’s dad. The man looks shocked and upset. The kids are looking on, rather embarrassed, and we might be able to see Fort with the little flute thing in his mouth.
The man has three balloons, Evie’s dad has one.
Man: My exhibit! My precious exhibit!
Dad: I’m very sorry. I…
Man: A grown man! A scoutmaster, no less, by the looks of it!
Man: You of all people should no better than to go playing around!
Panel Five
We can see the Barnum man struggling to right the Bigfoot, and looking back at Evie’s dad / us angrily. If there’s room to see (some of) the kids too then that’s great. They should be looking really embarrassed and worried.
The man has two balloons and Evie’s dad has two.
Man: I believe it is time for you to leave, sir!
Man: Or should I call the police?
Panel Six
This tier-wide panel is an external shot of the carnival / fun fair which the exhibit is part of. We can see the tent which has the cryptid stuff in with some old fashioned carnival signs outside it saying things like FREAKS OF NATURE!, BE ASTOUNDED!, and SEE REAL LIFE MONSTERS, with some fanciful pained versions of some of the rather underwhelming attractions. We can see other attractions like a Ferris wheel, a hook a duck, firing range, or similar too, and a large (lit up?)sign which says BURMAN’S TRAVELLING CARNIVAL. We want this to look pretty old fashioned and have a real Something Wicked This Way Comes vibe about it. It’s autumn and leaves are blowing round, the trees nearby all orange and brown. The sun is just setting and everything has a bit of a glow about it.
There are two tailless balloons (don’t know why, but I think it will work better than speech captions here, although happy to go with caps if you want to stick to the normal conventions) from Evie’s dad.
Dad: Well, I… I…
Dad: … I think it’s about time we got going, kids.
PAGE FIVE
This page is the second page of a spread with Page Four.
This is another five panel page.
Panel One
This is a shot of Evie’s dad’s camper van driving along the road where Biko’s house is. The van is obviously used for scouting trips, and is all kitted out (maybe with kayaks on the roof, bikes on a bike rack on the rear, and lots of stickers from various campsites). Maybe that mountain range image you’ve done could be painted / stencilled along the side of the van? Might be a bit much, but see what you think. Biko lives on the edge of some woodland (which we can maybe see some of here) which his back garden backs on to. Otherwise though, it’s a normal suburban looking neighbourhood. It’s twilight now, late afternoon / early evening.
There is one caption.
Cap: One awkward drive later.
Panel Two
This is a shot of the interior of the van (oh, are we going to make it left hand drive, or right…? Right, I reckon) as we pull up outside Biko’s house. We can see Mr Ewan in the driving seat, Evie in the passenger seat (the van probably has three front seats, but the middle one is empty. Seated in the back we can see Li, who is playing on his Nintendo Switch, Fort (still with the ocarina in his mouth) and Biko. Everyone but Li (who is too engrossed in his game) looks rather uncomfortable, as if they don’t want to talk about what’s gone on. Maybe Evie is staring out of the side window deliberately.
Evie’s dad has two balloons, and Biko has two.
Dad: Right then, here you are, young mister Morris. Home sweet home.
Biko: Thanks, Mr. Ewan.
Biko: Mr. Ewan… I’m really sorry about-
Dad (interrupting): Don’t mention it, Biko. Don’tmention it.
Panel Three
This is a shot of Biko and Fort in front of Biko’s house waving to the van as it drives off. Biko has one hand on the dog’s head / back of his neck, stroking him affectionately, but absent mindedly. Not sure if this would work better looking out from inside the van towards the house, or from behind Biko looking towards the van. Up to you, anyway. Evie and Li are both smiling and waving back.
No dialogue.
Panel Four
This is a shot from a low angle looking up at the Fort and Biko. Biko is crouching / leaning slightly down towards us and the dog, peering at the object he’s holding in his mouth with a puzzled expression.
Biko has two balloons.
Biko: Hey, what’s that?
Biko: What have you got there, Fort?
Panel Five
This panel is the proper reveal / look at the ocarina / flute. I think Biko is holding it up towards us as he examines it, so we’ve got a clear shot of the object, his hand, and his face behind that. We can see that the ocarina / flute looks really, really old.
Biko is fascinated and has one balloon.
Biko: It looks like some kind of whistle…