PAGE ONE
Panel One: Wide-angle view of the inn, as seen from the beach, with the mountains in the distant background. It’s morning, but the day is overcast.
PAGE TWO
Panel One: Extreme close-up of Ania, the bruise on her face still very visible.
Panel Two: Medium-length profile view of Ania, standing at the dishwashing basins, her bruised cheek visible. Behind her stands Boric, supplicating.
BORIC: I’m sorry.
BORIC: I’m so sorry. I can’t apologize enough. I don’t know what got into me…
Panel Three: Close-up of Boric, who looks honestly repentant.
BORIC: Forgive me?
ANIA (OP): It’s no problem…
CAPTION: But that wasn’t true. Not even a little.
PAGE THREE
Panel One: Full-body view of Ania at a three-quarter angle from behind, walking through a grassy field toward the distance to the right.
Panel Two: Full-body profile view of Ania facing the right, crouching down to examine a plant she’s found.
ANIA: Ah!
Panel Three: Close-up of Ania’s hand holding a stalk of the nightshade herb Yaga had talked about. It has leaves that come in threes, one quite large and the other two quite small.
Panel Four: Medium-length view of Ania’s midsection, turned toward the left. With one hand she stuffs the herb in the pocket of her dress.
PAGE FOUR
Panel One: Full-body view of Ania out of context, doing many things at once. She’s carrying a pile of folded linens with a number of plates and bowls on top of them, she’s holding a broom in the crook of her elbow, she’s stirring a cauldron of soup with the hand that’s not holding linens, and she’s scrubbing the floor with a rag held under her foot. She looks directly at the viewer, her eyebrows slightly furled in mischief and determination, and her mouth suggests the tiniest smirk.
CAPTION: The hardest part was going through that day pretending everything was normal.
PAGE FIVE
Panel One: Medium-length profile view of Boric sitting at the dining room table in an otherwise vacant room. He looks toward the viewer at the bar area.
BORIC: Will you bring me my dinner, Ewelina? Then that’ll be all for today.
Panel Two: View of Ania behind the bar as seen from Boric’s seat. She ladles some soup into a bowl, but we can’t see much of what she’s doing because her back obscures it.
ANIA: Yes, sir.
Panel Three: Profile view of Ania standing over the bowl of soup, her face looking back at Boric. With a pinch of her fingers she scatters a powdered herb into the soup.
Panel Four: Medium-length, three-quarters frontal view of Ania holding the bowl of soup, stirring it while she walks toward Boric.
PAGE SIX
Panel One: Wide-angle view of Ania dragging Boric’s body across the dining room floor. His bowl of soup is still on the table, though it’s dumped over.
Panel Two: View of the inn’s main door from the dark outside. A silhouetted Ania drags Boric’s body outside.
Panel Three: Wide-angle view of Ania dragging Boric’s body onto the beach. The inn can be seen in the background.
Panel Four: View of the moonlit sea, with Boric’s body floating away.
CAPTION: And I pushed his body into the sea, to be swallowed by whatever might be so desperate for food that it would dare to eat something so horrible.
PAGE SEVEN
Panel One: Profile close-up of Ania watching as Boric floats away. It’s still quite dark, but we can see a satisfied look on her face.
ANIA: Ania…
Panel Two: Same as Panel One.
ANA: That’s my name. Ania.
Panel Three: View of the inn from the beach. The mountains are visible in the background.
CAPTION: I guess I helped the girl in the lake after all. And here I am: nowhere.
YOU ARE READING
Heaven
Historical FictionLook for a new part every Tuesday and Thursday! Adam is a 10th-century Slavic painter who lives peacefully with his daughter Ania. Until, that is, their town is ransacked by Vikings. Adam is killed and soon finds himself in heaven, leaving Ania to f...
