Ursula and the Clearing by Kristen Lynn Zimmerman - Transcript
Page 1
Panel 1: Whole page image of starry universe sky with a very small planet to the right and narrative to the left reading: Not so long ago, just before the first great pandemic, Ursula’s life was hectic. Her days were full to overflowing. Her mind a wind storm of thoughts. Her cells absorbed the dense mesh of the city itself. On days like this Ursula would head to the Redwoods in search of a clearing.
Page 2
Panel 1: Slice of a map of East Oakland (California) with the labels “flats,” “hills,” and “Redwoods” marking different parts of the map. A tiny yellow car is driving up the central street from the flats to the Redwoods.
Panel 2: A stressed out Ursula is gripping the wheel of the car, driving. Around her a thought bubble with the many things she needs to attend do crowds the space around her.
Panel 3: Still gripping the steering wheel, Ursula looks up at the thought bubble and shouts “Quiet!” sternly.
Page 3
Panel 1: Ursula’s car, a Prius, pulls into a parking lot overlooking some rolling hils. The parking lot has several cars in it, and is surrounded by a handful of trees including Cypress and Live Oak. The car is trailing a cloud that has the words “chatter chatter chatter” inside.
Panel 2: Close up of Ursula’s hand clicking the electronic key of her car locked.
Panel 3: Close up of Ursula hand holding her phone. It displays the weather which is 68 degrees and sunny. It is less than an hour until sunset.
Panel 4: Ursula crouches on the ground and tightens her hiking boots. Her head is still surrounded by a cloud that has the words “chatter chatter chatter”
Panel 5: Ursula fills her water bottle at the lot’s drinking fountain. Her head is still surrounded by a cloud that has the words “chatter chatter chatter”
Panel 6: Ursula checks the trail map which shows the entire Redwood Regional Park Trail system on it. She is alarmed and stressed when she sees the warnings for mountain lions, snakes, ticks and the unknown.
Panel 7 (inset): Ursula sets off on a dirt trail that has a rustic wooden fence and prairie grass.
Panel 8: Ursula is on the same trail but the environment has faded away.. Her head is crowded by the cloud of words “chatter chatter chatter” which has gotten bigger since she stepped out of the car.
Panel 9: Ursula walks off on the trail into the prairie and towards the forest. We see from a distance.
Page 4
Panel 1: Establishing shot of Ursula entering the forest. She is tiny in the big view of the transition between prairie and the Redwoods. She lets out a big sigh which trails behind her.
Panel 2: Close up of Ursula’s hiking books with the sounds “Crunch. Crunch. Crunch” emerging from their contact with the trail.
Panel 3: Close up of bunnies leaping off the trail to get out of Ursula’s way as she approaches. The bunnies make “Swish, Swish” sounds.
Panel 4: Close up of the little stone-lined stream next to the trail making “Guggle. Gurgle. Gurgle” sounds.
Panel 5: Birds eye view of Ursula as she descends the twisting trail down into the interior of the Redwoods.
Panel 6: White text on dark plum background reads: There was always a point on the hike when everything started to expand and get quiet. The trees began to whisper secrets. The wind tasted of honey and bay leaf. The rhythm of life itself pulsed through the air. She was almost there.
Page 5
Panel 1: Full page spread of Ursula walking in the large expanse of Redwoods. The Redwoods extend majestically up into the sky. Ursula looks happy and relaxed; the word cloud is gone. A small beam of sunlight comes down through the trees and touches her heart.
Page 6
Panel 1: Ursula looks up and listens as she is surrounded by the whispering secrets of the trees, written as flowing lines and the words “whisper whisper whisper.”
Panel 2: Birds eye view of Ursula on the trail in the middle of the forest walking toward light.
Panel 3: Worm's eye view of Ursula, arms outstretched, looking up to the sky as a large bird swoops overhead and makes the sound “Whoosh.”
Panel 4: Close up view of surprised Ursula looking off the page and saying “Huh?’
Page 7
Panel 1: Ursula looks directly at a large black bear sitting in a clearing in the Redwoods. The bear does not yet see Ursula. Ursula stands facing the bear with her hands on her hips and her water bottle slung over her back.
Panel 2: The bear looks up and sees Urusla. A beam of light radiates out from its eye.
Panel 3: Small image of Ursula in distance.
Panel 4: Small image of Bear in distance.
Panel 5: Frame zooms in to see the torso of Ursula.
Panel 6: Frame zooms in to see the torso of Bear.
Panel 7: Frame zooms into close up of Ursula’s fierce face.
Panel 8: Frame zooms into close up of Bear’s scared face.
Panel 9: Frame zooms in to see Ursula’s enlarged eyes.
Panel 10: Fame zooms into a tight cropped image of Bear’s resolved face.
Page 8
Panel 1: Bear starts walking towards the left, the forest has fallen away and the landscape is wavy and changing in unknown ways.
Panel 2: Bear is walking directly toward the viewer. The moon and starts have appeared.
Panel 3: Bear reaches Usula who gently touches bear’s nose. This action sends off light rays into the stars. In these few moments the Bear has grown exponentially.
Panel 4: The Giant Bear stands on its two hind legs and peels back its fur to open its abdomen. The universe is revealed inside. Ursula stands to the side and is radiating sparkling energy.
Panel 5: Bear starts to stretch and shake, emitting waves of galactic energy from its core, and causing everything around it to morph into giant waves like the ocean.
Page 9
Panel 1: Bear is now standing and stretching out into the dark and star-filled night. Only a thin band of light separates Bear from the rest of the night sky. Stars fly from Bear into the universe.
Panel 2: The transparent Bear starts running across the rolling hills of the landscape towards the moon.
Panel 3: Bear jumps off of the hills into the moon.
Panel 4: Bear dissolves into the night sky and becomes a spiral of light.
Page 10 of Ursula and the Clearing by Kristen Lynn Zimmerman
Panel 1: A confounded Ursula stands with her arms crossed looking up at Bear who has become a constellation. The constellation is Ursula major.
Page 11 of Ursula and the Clearing by Kristen Lynn Zimmerman
Panel 1: Ursula decides to follow Bear and leaps into the night sky. As she does she turns into light.
Page 12 of Ursula and the Clearing by Kristen Lynn Zimmerman
Panel 1: Full page night sky with the moon and Ursula Major to the right. On the left side is a poem “the Clearing” which reads as follows: With each breath create the world new. Clearing the way to remember in secret, sacred codes, the truth of who you - we are. Dense tangles of stardust. Cousins of forest beings. Magicians of life itself. Songs your ancestors dreamed to life.
Right side is a story about the constellation Ursula Major: The Great Bear is a constellation who stretches back thirteen thousand years when a great hunt caused the hunted to escape into the night sky, returning to source. In the Northern Hemisphere the constellation points the way to True North and helps navigators find their way when stars, currents and their senses are the only instruments they have.