The Grasp of a Memory by Jess Cutberth - Transcript

Page 1:

Panel 1: A corridor with many closed doors on either side, without a ceiling. Above are many stars. The art is rendered in pencil on a notebook page, and looks somewhat old and tattered.

The lines are drawn thick and jagged, with a scribbly hatching used for shading. Text inside a speech bubble reads, “it’s not safe here.”

Panel 2: close-up of one of the door handles; the door is cracked open, with darkness on the other side. Text: “i wish it was...”

Panel 3: Full view of the same door; a shadowy hand reaches out from the darkness of the half-open frame. Text: “...but most doors only lead to regret.”

Page 2:

Panel 1: Still viewing the door; several more hands follow the first, reaching out. Text: “and shame.”

Panel 2: pulling away from the door slightly, we see that even more hands are flooding out of the door. They remain pitch black, even under the light of the starry hall. Text: “and guilt.”

Panel 3: the hands cover nearly all of the panel, overlapping and blocking out light. Text: “the parts of myself I hate the most manifest and consume me.”

Page 3:

Panel 1: completely black. Text: “I become a monster.”

Panel 2: almost completely black; there is a small light coming from the right side of the panel, but it’s too small to make out. No text.

Panel 3: Zooming in, the small light reveals itself to be a door, open this time and with foliage spilling through its frame. A bright light is cast from its other side onto the pitch-black floor. Text: “sometimes i forget”

Panel 4: even closer to the door now. More details of the foliage are seen. Text: “that, woven between each nightmare...”

Page 4:

Single panel: the other side of the door is revealed; a teddy bear sits on the ground amongst grass, rocks, and leaves of bushes. Rays of light cast down from above. Text: “...there are moments of respite.”

Page 5:

Panel 1: A close up of the teddy bear. Something is beginning to poke through its stomach, causing white stuffing to spill out. Text: “and comfort.”

Panel 2: Zooming in closer on what’s growing out of the bear; it’s a flower, and it’s beginning to bloom.

Panel 3: The flower blooms on a black background; its seven petals are spilling out over the panel’s border. Text: “and growth.” Below the panel, text reads, “the end.”