Terrence Willitts

6.30.04

SMILEY’s Story

PAGE ONE

PANEL ONE – Wide panel, shot of grounds of animal shelter.  Cars in parking area at left, small office with sign in middle, kennels to right.  Several dogs are visible in the kennel.  Several ducks wander around.  The place is clean and simple looking.  Across top of Panel is the story title, credits in lower right hand corner.

Sign (on wall by front door): HUMANE SOCIETY

Credits: Story by Terrence Willitts, Art by Fillin deBlank

PANEL TWO – Square panel, shows dog below, in kennel.  This is Smiley.  She’s a white shepherd mix.  She looks directly at reader, ears up, expectantly. 

Caption: THIS IS SMILEY. 

PANEL THREE – Square panel, we’re inside kennel, looking out through chain link door, out at shelter property.  We see a mother and two children with another dog, a black lab, on a leash. 

Caption: EVERY DAY SHE WAITS FOR SOMEONE TO COME. 

PANEL FOUR – Inside of run, kennel cages on both sides of long hallway.  Lots of dogs, artist’s choice, mostly big, throw in a couple small ones, maybe one puppy.  The dogs are all at the inside door to their kennel, as it’s feeding time.  A shelter worker walks down the hall (back to us) with bowls of food in his hand.  Some of the dogs are jumping, some are sitting prettily, all excited to be fed.

Caption: EVERY MORNING STARTS WITH THE USUAL FEEDING.

PAGE TWO

PANEL ONE – Upper left of page.  Square panel, inside Smiley’s kennel, she’s lying down, ears back, looking sad, facing reader.  There’s a doggy door between the halves of the kennel, inside and outside exposed, which is currently shut. 

Caption: AFTER FEEDING, CAGES ARE CLEANED, WHICH MEANS BEING TRAPPED IN ONE HALF OF THE CAGE.

PANEL TWO – Center of page, other panels slightly overlap this one.  Larger panel, view from inside her cage, we see a car pulling up to the shelter.  Smiley, whose shoulder we’re looking over, is in the left hand side of the panel, ears up with excitement.

Caption: DURING THE DAY, PEOPLE COME OUT.  SOMETIMES THEY BRING DONATIONS.

PANEL THREE – Lower left of page.  Square panel.  Inside of shelter, room of cat cages.  Little girl holds a cat, adult standing nearby (view of body cut off at chest).

Caption: SOMETIMES THEY COME TO VISIT THE CATS.

PAGE THREE

PANEL ONE – Smiley is on a leash, expression of excitement (mouth open, ears up, tail held high).  She’s being walked by adult female, dressed in jeans and shirt. 

Caption: AND EVEN SOMETIMES, THEY COME TO VISIT SMILEY!

PANEL TWO -  Smiley laying in cage (same as page 2, panel 1, except doggy door between outside half of cage and inside is open)

Caption: BUT MOST DAYS, SHE JUST LIES IN HER CAGE.

PANEL THREE – A white van is parked in front of the office, a back hatch door is up, and a woman helps Smiley get into the back. 

Caption: ONCE IN A WHILE, SHE GETS TO GO ON A TRIP. 

PANEL FOUR – White van is parked in front of pet store.  Smiley is being helped out of the back (on a leash of course) by the same woman.  Several people stand nearby, watching.

Caption: ONCE IN A WHILE, SHE GETS TO GO TO A PET STORE FOR A DAY.

PANEL FIVE – Wide panel.  Inside pet store.  There’s some cat cages set up, 8 stacked metal cages, each with a cat inside (a variety, black, white, tuxedo, tabby cats, etc.)  Two dogs, Smiley and another dog (artist’s choice) are being fussed over by children and adults, as volunteer watch, smiling. 

Caption: A DAY OF BEING VISITED AND PLAYED WITH BY ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE. 

PAGE FOUR

PANEL ONE – Same as Page 3, Panel 3, but Smiley is being unloaded from van at shelter.

Caption: BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S BACK TO THE SHELTER.

PANEL TWO – Inside Smiley’s cage, looking out.  We see another dog getting into people’s car, people smiling, adult shaking hands with shelter employee.

Caption: THERE’S ALWAYS EXCITEMENT WHEN SOMEONE GETS TO GO HOME. 

PANEL THREE – Same as panel 3/2. 

Caption: BUT THE EXCITEMENT FADES, AND EVERYONE ELSE IS LEFT AT THE SHELTER AGAIN. 

PANEL FOUR – Smiley sits at gate to her cage, looking at reader, ears up. 

Caption: MAYBE ONE DAY, SHE’LL GET TO GO HOME. 

PANEL FIVE – Wide panel.  No scene, just smiley sitting (similar or same pose as previous panel.)  Kneeling next to her is author in humane society shirt, also looking at reader.  They’re on left side of panel, words on right side, not in caption box or anything

Words: SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHELTER.  ADOPT A SHELTER CAT OR DOG AND MAKE A FRIEND FOR LIFE.  DONATE MONEY, SUPPLIES OR YOUR TIME.  (contact info for humane society, and logo – see below)

FIN