In the Woods Script

By Valera Garcia

Summary:

A small family living on the outskirts of town lives an average life. Everything seems to be normal as days go by, but something will change this forever.

Character Notes:

Allen: Father of Arin and Penelope and husband to Dani. He currently is the only one working in their house. He is a merchant with a shop in a small seaside town. He works long hours and doesn't spend as much time with his family due to this. He appears to be an honest man working hard to support his family.

Dani: Wife of Allen and mother of the two kids. She is constantly ill, due to this she is a housewife and doesn’t work. She spends most of the time with her children and ill. In the duration of the comic, she is mostly bed ridden and doesn’t appear to be getting any better. Thankfully her children help her around the house and care for her.

Arin: Oldest child of Allen and Dani. He tends to be the most responsible of the kids. He often takes care of his mother when she isn’t feeling well. He also tries to keep an eye on his sister, but it is hard to do that when you have so much work on your hands.

Penelope: Youngest child in the family, she is naive and good natured. She likes to go out in the fields and collect various medicinal herbs to help her mother feel better. She is too young to take stories seriously, believing them to be just tales.

Art Notes:

The color scheme of the comic is mostly in dark, cool tones. Some things stick out that are warm colors such as blood, flowers, fire/light sources. Also Penelope’s clothing is in lightly warm colors to make her stand out until the twist. Her clothes look cool in color like the environment around her after the twist.

The art style will be cartoony, similar to the animation ‘Over the Garden Wall’. Giving it a whimsical feel that will eventually cover dark tones.

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Page 1

Four rectangular panels stacked on top of one another.

Panel 1

Scene begins with a view of a small quaint house outside of the city. It is night time with the moon hanging over the skies. The house is in a meadow with the clearing expanding far around them. A lot of natural flowers and plants would look very green. Beyond the meadows is an eerie thick forest with large trees jutting out around them like a looming threat. Everything in this scene will be painted with cool colors except the windows. From the windows, a glow of warm colored light can be seen like fire. The skies are light cool colors, especially the twinkling of the stars. The meadow is also a light cool color with the forest beyond in dark cool tones. The house itself looks to be made of brick and stone with a chimney puffing out smoke. The windows are sandwiched by shutters that rest against the house’s walls. The house looks somewhat old and worn, definitely lived in for maybe 3-4 generations.

Panel 2

Zooms in on a lit window of the house with some narration. Again, the outside is painted in cool colors, such as blue tones. The window emits a soft warm hue of color. Warm colors made by fire. Within the windows, it is blurry and hard to distinguish what is going on inside. Blurred forms/figures can be seen, but nothing in focus.

Narrator: Everyone knows to stray away from the woods..

Panel 3

Zooms into the living room of this house. Shows a father holding a book, reading his two children a story. Narration coming from the father. Next to the father is a lit hearth with fire warming the house. The hearth fire is painted with warm colors. Highlights of warm colors also can be seen on the characters in the scene. Everyone is painted in cool colors except the little girl. Her clothing is also bright with warm colors such as yellows, pinks, reds.

Narrator: For all who enter may face their doom.

Panel 4

Pans into a closer view of the three as the father continues with his story. The hearth fire lighting up the room still and the same color scheme as the panel before this.

Narrator: Within the forest lives a vile witch.

Page 2

Three rectangular panels stacked on top of one another. The last panel is larger than the other two.

Panel 1

The scene changes into a view of the woods nearby in the night, looking ominous. Heavy dark cool colors, the woods itself black and stylistically creepy. What looks like beady eyes watching from deep within the woods.

Narrator: She cursed the woodlands and its creatures.

Panel 2

A little girl can be seen right at the tree line of the woods and a gnarly hand reaching out from the shadows. The hand holding a bright red apple. The girl’s outfit is very simplistic like a cloak with a hood on. Similar to the little red riding hood, only this girl is wearing a bright yellow and pink cloak. Curly red hair spilling out of the hood, the girl’s face hidden/vague. Everything else is painted with cool, dark colors and the girl is almost like a beacon of light.

Narrator: She lures people who come too close..

Panel 3

A closer look at the woods with bloodied hand prints on a tree. The trees are still black and stylish. The background is dark, cool colors. The bloodied handprint is bright red, standing out from the background.

Narrator: Children, heed my words.. Don’t ever enter the woods.

Page 3

Four Panels.

Panel 1

The scene returns to the three in the house. The children look bored. The soft, warm glow from the hearth is once again the main light source of the room. Allen seems tired, but he smiles lightly at the kids. The book is closed now and Allen sits on his chair heavily.

Allen: Alright children, it’s time for bed.

Panel 2

The children look upset at this announcement, they get up to stand in a rebellious manner. Allen sits there mildly surprised at their outbursts. The lighting makes him seem like he has dark bags under his eyes.

Arin: Father! We wanted to hear a nice story!

Penelope: This story didn’t count! You tell that story all the time!

Panel 3

Allen stands up and stretches dramatically. The kids still standing opposed to their night cut short. Again, he appears to have dark bags under his eyes and looks exhausted.

Allen: It’s getting late.. I need to wake up early tomorrow. There’s a new shipment arriving early in the morning.

Panel 4

Allen, the father, opens a door and holds it open. He stands in a hall and the children are seen moving towards the door.

Allen: Besides, no matter how many times I tell the story, I want you to take it seriously.

Page 4

Four panels

Panel 1

Penelope seems to be upset, not moving from the doorway. Still displaying rebellion, looking huffy and upset. Allen looks down at her, seeming too tired to deal with this. Unamused and in front of her.

Penelope: I want to hear another story before bed!

Allen: Settle down Penelope. You have an important job tomorrow, you need to help your brother with chores.

Panel 2

Allen picks up the girl. The room’s in cool colors with a lantern as a light source here. It isn’t as bright as the hearth, giving off a dim hue of warmth.

Penelope: No! I want to hear another story!

Allen: Penelope.. How about this, if you go to sleep now, I will tell a different story tomorrow. How does that sound?

Panel 3

Penelope is sitting down on her bed. Allen is pulling up the blankets to cover her form.

Penelope: Fiiine… only if you promise.

Panel 4

Allen kisses Penelope good night. She has a faint warmth color about her, even in the dimly lit room. Her hair is a light yellow.

Allen: *chuckles* I promise.

Page 5

Five panels.

Panel 1

Allen heads to the door, leaving the kids to sleep in their shared room. The room and Allen are both painted in cool colors.

Panel 2

Allen closes the door gently with a click effect next to the door knob. It’s quiet in the house now. Everything is painted in cool colors and some parts in dark cool colors.

Panel 3

Allen is seen pausing at an open doorway. His expression mixed with uncertainty and doubt. Hesitant as if he doesn’t want to go inside. Worried about what he will have to see there. Vulnerable with a clenched fist.

Panel 4

Allen enters his own room where his sickly wife is already in bed. A half melted candle lit the room that sat on the nightstand by the bed. Danis' face pale in contrast to everyone else. She is practically white and unpainted. She is obviously very sick to viewers. Allen puts on a forced light smile as he sees her. He is concerned about her well being and if she will ever get better.

Allen: How are you feeling tonight honey?

Panel 5

Allen sits by her bedside, watching over her as he feels her forehead. Dani’s face is still very pale in contrast to Allen’s skin tone. She appears to be sweating and sickly. Allen still wears his light forced smile. Contrasting lighting filters into the room. The pale lighting from the moon outside the window and the dim, faint lighting from the candle next to the bed.

Dani: Feeling a little better darling.. I should be on my feet tomorrow.

Allen: No, I don’t want you to over exert yourself. I want you to stay in bed, rest more.

Dani: Hush, my love, you needn’t fret over me. I am getting better. (Long pause) It’s late.. Come lay with me.

Page 6

Three panels. The last panel is larger than the others. There is no text or narrative.

Panel 1

The smile on his face is now more sincere and less forced, almost relief washing over him. He wanted to hear those words. He chooses to believe them.

Panel 2

Allen lays in bed with her, the two hug and remain this way. The scene feels soft and comforting. Reflecting the emotions the couple feel. Reassurance.

Panel 3

The scene zooms out once more to the house with the lights off. Everything in the scene is in cool tones of colors.

Page 7

Six panels. There is no text or narrative.

Panel 1

The next day. Allen leaves the house early in the morning, dressed for work. The sun peeking over the hills is the only warm color out of the entire panel. Allen walks to work heading down the dirt path, holding a lantern to light his way.

Panel 2

Allen enters his shop. It is a small store in a busy port town. The sea can be seen in the background and a ship in the distance. The shop inside appears dark.

Panel 3

Allen is behind a counter and helping customers with the sun up. The shop has a lot of various goods such as huge bags of spices, general goods, and some foods that don’t spoil easily such as potatoes and garlic. The customer has a bag of flour slung over his shoulder as money is exchanged. The shop inside appears in warm colors with all the normal colors of people’s outfits, skin tones, ect visible. The sun brightly lighting the shop’s interior through windows.

Panel 4

Shows Allen fixing stock in his store with the sun lower. Fewer goods around him showing the time lapse of an average work day. The interior is painted with light warm colors, the sun slowly waning, but still in the skies.

Panel 5

Shows Allen cleaning the store with the sun going down. The interior of the shop is now a light cool hue, no longer bright now that the sun is lowered.

Panel 6

Allen is in front of his house with the sun down. Arriving home with the similar lighting as he had left it. Holding a lantern to light his way.

Page 8

Four panels. There is no text or narrative.

Panel 1

Shows Allen with his family eating dinner. The hearth lit once more and acted as the main light source of the house inside. The kids seem happy with smiles on their faces and Dani looks weak.

Panel 2

Shows Allen helping his kids go to sleep, tucking them into bed. The lantern in the room lit once more, but dimly.

Panel 3

Allen helped his wife with taking her medicine. She is laying in bed once more, still pale skinned and nearly white. A new candlestick lit the room from the nightstand.

Panel 4

Allen goes to sleep on the bed, laying next to his wife. The room dark with the candle light snuffled out.

Page 9

Four panels. There is no text or narrative. It's a consecutive slice of lifestyle panels. Now it shows a different perspective of daily life, what goes on in the house while Allen is gone.

Panel 1

The kids wake up in the morning. Arin fixes his bed while Penelope is looking through clothes. Through the window, a light hue of colors lit the room. It is early morning.

Panel 2

Shows the children doing house work. Arin is in the kitchen making food as Penelope uses a stepping stool to reach tables to wipe them down. The fire to cook the food as the main light source of the area. Everything is in cool warm colors. Penelope is the only one wearing bright colored clothes that stand out.

Panel 3

Arin sits on the side of his parent’s bed. Feeds his sickly, bedridden mother some stew he had made. The scene is painted in light cool hues as it shows the windows covered by drapes.

Panel 4

The girl sees how sick her mother is and looks sad. She is standing at the doorway watching his brother feed their mom.

Page 10

Four panels. There is no text or narrative. It's a set of consecutive slice of life panels. The 2nd panel is larger than the other panels. The 3rd panel is the smallest.

Panel 1

The little girl gets a book titled botany from a bookshelf. Again, using a stepping stool to reach the intended book.

Panel 2

Over the shoulder view of what she is looking at. The book is opened on the table, shows the topic ‘Medicinal Herbs’ and pictures of various plants. Some scribbled unintelligible words, notes on each plant.

Panel 3

The girl puts the book in a basket, wearing a sun hat. Everything on her is painted brightly. Bright golden hat, pretty red dress, flowing blonde locks of hair, orange basket.

Panel 4

Penelope heads off to a field behind their house. Everything around her is painted in light warm colors and she is the one brightly colored.

Page 11

Three panels. Last panel is larger than the others.

Panel 1

Penelope has a basket full of medicinal herbs she has picked, she is close to the forest. She looks through her book once more for the final herb she needs. She points at this bright pink flower in the book to show that’s the one she is looking for.

Panel 2

She looks up and spots the distinctive flower just within the tree line of the forest. It’s not that far inside. All she needs to do is step into the woods to get the flower.

Panel 3

She stands next to the tree line, hesitating. The flower is brightly colored and tantalizing. The bright pink flower and Penelope are the brightest things in the panel. Everything else is light/low hued warm colors.

Page 12

Three panels.

Panel 1

Zooms out as she steps into the tree lines with the sun up. Her outfit turned cool hues with the tree shade. The flower also appears cool in hue.

Panel 2

Same panel, only with the sun mostly down, getting late. Penelope is not in sight, and seems to have disappeared into the woods.

Panel 3

Penelope steps out of the forest. Her normally brightly warm colored apparel is now dull and cool in color. Missing sun hat.

Page 13

Three panels. The last panel is larger than the others.

Panel 1

She is seen without her book and basket in front of her house. Posture relaxed and slumped, almost like she is tired/ exhausted.

Panel 2

Allen is seen stepping into his house with the sun down. He carries a lantern that is the only warm color tone in the panel.

Panel 3

Allen is met with the sight of his son and wife on the ground, mangled and gorey. Penelope sitting beside them. The blood is bright red in contrast to the cool/dark colors around. Allen’s lantern is also a source of warm colors.

Page 14

Two panels. First Panel is larger than the second.

Panel 1

Penelope raises her head to look at him with blood smeared on her face, staring blankly. The blood on her face is the only warm color to her now cool/dark color tone. Her eyes are beady and black. Her mouth is lined with razor sharp teeth, shark like.

Panel 2

Pans into Allen’s horrified expression at the sight before him. The lantern offers highlights of warm colors on his person. Penelope’s speech text is distorted and creepy to look at.

Penelope: … Da…ddy…

Page 15

One panel

Panel 1

The scene is zoomed out so the viewer can see the entire area. Penelope is seen crawling towards her father like an animal. Nothing about her posture is natural. It’s almost as if she is crooked and bent all wrong. Allen is frozen in place, shocked and absolutely horrified at what he is seeing. Penelope’s speech text is distorted and creepy to look at.

Penelope: … Huuuuuungrrrrryyy...