Amara, Lila & Me

PANELS 1-3

INT. MY BEDROOM - MORNING.

I sleep peacefully in bed, but then my digital clock strikes 6AM and I wake up slowly.

PANELS 4-7

INT. BATHROOM - MORNING

Throughout four panels I brush my teeth, use mouthwash and spit it into the sink, use deodorant and put on some clean clothes.

PANEL 8:

INT. LIVING ROOM. MORNING.

I lounge on the sofa eating buttered toast for breakfast and watching Talking Pictures TV, its golden logo displayed on the screen of my TV.

PANEL 9:

INT. LIVING ROOM - THREE HOURS LATER

Mum walks in wheeling Grandma in her wheelchair into the living room.

PANEL 10:

INT. HALLWAY. MORNING.

I run fast as lightning across the hallway, with my laptop under one arm.

PANEL 11:

INT. MY BEDROOM. MORNING.

I sit on my sofa and listen to music through my pink headphones.

PANELS 12-14:

We see the clock at 8:30….8:45….and finally, 10AM.

PANEL 15:

Suddenly, a DING-DONG sounds from the other room. My support worker Amara is here! I at once jump up in excitement.

PANEL 16:

I switch my electronics off…

PANEL 17:

…put my headphones into my red bag….

PANEL 18:

…unplug my phone from my charger and put it into my red bag…

PANEL 19:

INT. HALLWAY - MORNING.

I race towards the door carrying my bag, my dog Mylo watching and wagging his tail in excitement.

PANEL 20:

EXT. FRONT DOOR - DAY.

My support worker Amara is standing outside the door waving happily, and this time she is accompanied by someone new.

PANEL 21:

I look closer….

PANEL 22:

And see there’s a new support worker: her name is Lila!

PANEL 23 - FULL PAGE

At once, my eyes turn into different pastel colours, mainly green, pink and yellow, out of excitement, and fireworks come out of my ears. My mouth is wide open in shock.

PANEL 24:

Amara and Lila lead me to the car while my Mum waves goodbye in the foreground.

PANEL 25:

INT. SUPPORT CAR - DAY.

We set off down the road to Inverness.

PANEL 26:

However, I am sweating nervously. A thought bubble is above my head of an image of three people screaming loudly, signifying Amara’s going to have her noisy radio on.

PANEL 27:

However, I look closer….

PANEL 28:

And realise the radio’s not on, all because Amara is conversing with Lila!

PANEL 29:

At once I’m relieved. A thought bubble appears above my head of fireworks going off and confetti falling everywhere, celebrating my victory because the radio’s not on.

PANEL 30 - FULL PAGE

FULL SHOT - A MAP

A red line traverses through the map, showing where Lila, Amara and I are going.

PANEL 31:

EXT. BRIDGE. DAY.

In the distance, we see me, Amara and Lila driving in the car across the bridge, over a vast sea.

PANEL 32:

EXT. TOMACH - MINUTES LATER. DAY.

WHOOSH! The car drives past the building with no need to stop.

PANEL 33 - FULL PAGE

A giant thought bubble appears above Amara’s head, filled with psychedelic neon green, yellow and pink colours.

PANEL 34

INT. SUPPORT CAR. DAY.

Amara’s thought bubble pops.

PANEL 35:

Amara looks towards me. I am very annoyed.

PANEL 36:

Suddenly, Amara has an idea.

PANEL 37:

EXT. ALNESS FARM. DAY.

The car parks in a large car park on the edge of the farm.

PANEL 38:

INT. SUPPORT CAR - DAY.

Amara and Lila get out to order treats. Amara gestures for me to stay in the car.

PANEL 39:

CLOSE UP - MY FACE

With Amara and Lila gone, I am now in a daydreaming mood.

PANELS 40-45:

We see beautifully illustrated images of the things I’m thinking about: Thunderbird 2, Stingray, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet, Dick Spanner and the crew of the Paradox.

PANEL 46:

Minutes later. Suddenly, I snap out of my daydreaming mood when Amara hands me a small box with something inside.

PANEL 47:

I open the box….

PANEL 48 - FULL PAGE

…and see there’s a reindeer brownie, made with candy for the eyes and red nose and pretzels for the antlers.

PANEL 49

CLOSE - UP - MY FACE

Now I have cute, puppydog eyes and drool coming out of my mouth over such a delicious gem.

PANEL 50:

I slowly remove the pretzel antlers.

PANEL 51:

As the car sets off, I begin to enjoy my reindeer brownie.

PANEL 52:

I enjoy my mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows.

PANEL 53:

I hesitate at first, because it’s too hot…

PANEL 54:

Then drink it. Mmmmm, how delicious!

PANEL 55 - FULL PAGE

FULL SHOT - MAP

We see the map again, this time it leads from the farm to Inverness. A red line signifies where the car is going.

PANEL 56:

EXT. SHOPPING OUTLET. DAY.

I lean out the car window and see Smyths Toy Superstore just ahead. I am excited.

PANEL 57:

INT. SUPPORT CAR. DAY.

We have stopped in the car park, and a question mark has appeared beside Amara, meaning she’s asking me what I want.

PANEL 58:

A thought bubble appears above my head of the Lion King Paint Your Own Simba I saw in the Smyth’s catalogue, and wink at Amara to say I want it.

PANEL 59:

Amara gets out of the car, leaving me and Lila together.

PANEL 60 - FULL PAGE.

INT. SMYTH’S TOY STORE. DAY.

There are lots of colourful toys on sale. Amara is having the time of her life looking around at where the Paint Your Own Simba is.

PANEL 61:

On a shelf, a Paint Your Own Simba watches with his paws pressed against the front of the box, as people slowly pass him, not bothered to buy him.

PANEL 62:

Suddenly, Amara passes by.

PANEL 63:

Paint Your Own Simba waves wildly.

PANEL 64:

Amara at once gets the Paint Your Own Simba, to which he raises his fists in the air in victory.

PANEL 65:

Amara also gets a large pack of coloured pens while she’s there.

PANEL 66:

INT. SUPPORT CAR. DAY.

Amara returns with my offerings, and I bounce up and down in excitement.

PANEL 67:

I admire my Simba and my pens, smiling successfully.

PANEL 68:

EXT. LIDL CAR PARK. DAY.

The car parks in a safe spot right here.

PANEL 69:

INT. SUPPORT CAR. DAY.

Amara gets out of the car and gestures for me and Lila to stay here.

PANEL 70:

Lila and I begin discussing her cats, Simba and Aslan.

PANEL 71:

FANTASY SEQUENCE BEGINS

EXT. PRIDE ROCK. DAY.

Lila’s pet cat Simba stands atop Pride Rock, meowing, while all the animals below go ‘Aaaaaaaaawwww!’ in adoration.

PANEL 72:

EXT. NARNIA. DAY.

Lila’s other pet cat, Aslan, is sitting in his tent on his throne being waited on by two servants, who are beavers.

PANEL 73:

END FANTASY SEQUENCE

INT. SUPPORT CAR. DAY.

Amara returns with a Lidl catalogue for me, and hands it to me.

PANEL 74:

I look inside the catalogue.

PANEL 75:

I see a picture of a beautifully cooked turkey on the page.

PANEL 76:

A thought bubble appears above my head of me eating Christmas turkey, wearing a red paper Christmas party hat.

PANEL 77:

EXT. DOMINO’S CAR PARK. DAY.

The car parks near the building.

PANEL 78:

Amara, Lila and I head out into the building.

PANEL 79:

INT. DOMINO’S TAKEAWAY. DAY.

Amara, Lila and I approach the counter.

PANEL 80:

The man behind the counter gestures as if asking what I would like from Domino’s.

PANEL 81:

A thought bubble appears above my head of a gooey cheese and tomato pizza, warm chocolate chip cookies, tasty chicken strippers and a bottle of Coke Zero.

PANEL 82

I place my card on the machine, and it beeps.

PANEL 83:

Amara, Lila and I leave the building, having paid for our meals.

PANEL 84:

INT. SUPPORT CAR. DAY.

I think about my Domino’s food, rubbing my belly and drooling excitedly.

PANEL 85:

Amara leads Lila and me out of the car.

PANEL 86:

EXT. DOMINO’S CAR PARK. DAY.

I suddenly look at the envelopes in Lila’s hand….

PANEL 87:

…then to the postbox far off.

PANEL 88:

Another thought bubble appears, this time showing my legs walking surrounded by red lines symbolising they ache.

PANEL 89:

Suddenly, I snap out of it when I see Amara and Lila enter the building, and follow them.

PANEL 90:

Just the same shot as panel 89, except it’s Amara, Lila and me leaving with our food.

PANELS 91-93:

INT. SUPPORT CAR - AFTERNOON.

Throughout these three panels, I enjoy my chicken strippers, then my pizza, then my drink.

PANEL 94:

EXT. MY HOUSE. AFTERNOON.

The car parks up outside the house.

PANEL 95:

INT. FRONT DOOR. AFTERNOON.

Amara and Lila turn up at the front door with my purchases, food and me. I am feeling very full after that meal.

PANEL 96:

Mum waves goodbye to Amara and Lila as they head off back to Key.

PANEL 97:

INT. BATHROOM. AFTERNOON.

I am sitting on the toilet reading a comic after all the excitement I had today.

PANEL 98:

INT. MY ROOM. AFTERNOON.

I sit on my sofa in just my pyjamas with my tummy hanging out. It had been a busy day.

PANEL 99:

I take my pack of pens and open it up.

PANEL 100:

I test one of the pens, coloured blue, on a piece of paper.

PANEL 101:

To my surprise, it works!

THE END.

Chip N Dale

PANEL 1:

INT. DISNEY STUDIOS. DAY.

Chip and Dale are sharing slices of walnut cake during coffee break.

CHIP
So Dale, it's been two years since our film was released. Everything Disney said about us was true.

DALE
(sadly)
I hope someday they'll bring traditional animation back.
​

PANEL 2:

INT. DISNEY STUDIOS - CONT'D.

Robot and Dog from Robot Dreams stand before the duo, smiling and waving silently. Chip is annoyed by what he sees, and Dale is smiling nervously at his friend.

CHIP
Okay, WHO ARE THOSE GUYS?!

DALE
Some friends of mine.​

The Bottomless Pit

PANEL 1 - FULL PAGE

A DARK, PITCH BLACK VOID.

We see two small figures falling in the distance, we can’t figure out who they are yet.

PANEL 2

We get closer towards these figures….

PANEL 3

And closer….

PANEL 4

And closer…..

PANEL 5 - FULL PAGE

Until finally the figures are revealed: my 6 year old self and Lady Penelope, both floating in endless pitch black in just our pyjamas, falling towards nowhere in particular.

PANEL 6

Suddenly, BOI-YOI-YOI-YOI-YOING!! We stop falling with a long and dizzy bounce of energy.

PANEL 7

Now we are floating in endless darkness, looking around to see where we’re going to be led next. Both of us feel scared and unsure.

PANEL 8

Just then, from out of nowhere, glowing white stars form all around us - small, tiny, glistening.

PANEL 9

This panel shows our reactions to the stars forming. I am excited, while Lady Penelope is concerned about the stars - what do they mean?

PANEL 10 - FULL PAGE

Now the whole void is filled with tiny, glistening white stars.

PANEL 11

Just then, streaky white lines burst out of the stars to form one giant glowing white circle.

PANELS 12-14

The stars detach themselves from the void…

PANEL 15

And form into the giant circle, making it grow bigger and bigger before our eyes.

PANEL 16 - FULL PAGE

FWOOSH! Now it’s a completely liquidy orb, with glowing colours shining in all different parts of it.

PANEL 17

I feel nervous about the orb. Lady Penelope gently nudges me towards it.

PANEL 18

I float towards the Orb slowly and carefully.

PANEL 19

I nervously reach out to touch it.

PANEL 20

Closer….

PANEL 21

Closer…

PANEL 22

Closer…

PANEL 23

Until POW! The liquid orb begins to explode and form around us.

PANEL 24

I float back to Penelope for comfort as the world around us takes shape.

PANELS 25 - 28

Slowly, the orb forms into a small living room, its furniture taking shape and the cosy colours of red and yellow sinking into everything around us, until…

PANEL 29

INT. COSY RED & YELLOW LIVING ROOM.

Lady Penelope and I land safely on the floor. We can’t believe our eyes. The walls and ceiling are a cosy yellow, and the furniture is pure red.

PANEL 30

I hug Lady Penelope, meaning that we are feeling safe at last.

PANEL 31-32

A small floating piece of liquid forms on the red sofa to create….

PANEL 33

A cuddly teddy bear!

PANEL 34

I run onto the sofa and hug the teddy in happiness.

PANEL 35

Lady Penelope kindly gestures for me to stay in the living room while she goes into the kitchen.

PANEL 36

INT. HALLWAY.

Dark, mysterious. Lady Penelope sees white beams of light shining from under the doorway.

PANEL 37

The light fades.

PANEL 38

CLOSE UP - DOOR HANDLE

Shaped like a parrot’s beak. Penelope turns it with her hands…

PANEL 39 - FULL PAGE

INT. PINK & YELLOW KITCHEN - CONT’D.

To her amazement, there is a beautiful pink and yellow kitchen, all clean and sparkly, with a black and white tiled floor beneath her.

PANEL 40

Lady Penelope checks the fridge. It’s full of delicious food, including a freshly cooked chicken, fresh milk and pure grown tomatoes.

PANEL 41

Lady Penelope checks the cupboard. Among all the essentials she finds a bag of popcorn and a tin of cocoa powder.

PANELS 42-45

We see Lady Penelope making cocoa for me and her to share together. She spoons the cocoa into the mug, then she pours some boiling hot water from the kettle into it, then some fresh milk, then stirs the mixture.

PANELS 46-50

The next few panels are Lady Penelope preparing popcorn. Throughout these panels, she heats the stove, fills the pan with olive oil, pours corn kernels into the pan, places a lid on the pan and sizzles them while the popcorn pops wildly, bouncing about like a couple of boingy springs.

PANEL 51 - FULL PAGE

We see a tray laiden with warm cocoa and a whole pink plastic bowl full of buttery popcorn, as cooked professionally by Lady Penelope.

PANEL 52

I am sitting on the sofa, hugging my teddy tight.

PANEL 53

Penelope enters with my tray of popcorn and cocoa, much to my delight.

PANEL 54

She carefully places the tray on the table in front of the sofa.

PANELS 55-57

These panels show a cigarette lighter jumping off the edge of the fireplace, lighting itself and lighting the fireplace, which is full of fresh wood, to make a cosy fire.

PANEL 58

I sip my cocoa and sigh warmly.

PANEL 59

Lady Penelope has a mug of cocoa too, and we clink glasses together as we share popcorn and cocoa together.

PANEL 60

We move further away from us…

PANEL 61

Further…

PANEL 62

Further…

PANEL 63

Further…

PANEL 64

INT. HALLWAY.

The door has closed on us, signifying the end of our adventure.

PANEL 65

Next the scene moves away from the orb….

PANEL 66

Further…

PANEL 67

Further…

PANEL 68

Further….

PANEL 69

THE DARK VOID

Until we see the door reflected in the liquid orb, which floats still and silent in the darkness of the void.

THE END.

What Do You Think

PANEL 1:

INT. CREIGHTON WARD MANSION - LOUNGE. DAY.

Lady Penelope and I are sitting next to each other in the warmly-lit room.

ME

(curiously)

What do you think of the 2004 Thunderbirds movie?

LADY PENELOPE

I think it's wonderful. A tribute to myself, how lovely.

PANEL 2

INT. 2004 FILM CREIGHTON WARD MANSION - LOUNGE. MORNING.

I am innocently smiling at the 2004 film version of Lady Penelope, who has comical shocked anime eyes and is spilling tea all over the floor in disgust.

ME

(curiously)

What do you think of our movie?

LADY PENELOPE

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-?!

Swimming Fantasies

PANEL 1:

EXT. TROPICAL, PEACEFUL JUNGLE. DAY.

In a beautiful, crystal clear lake, Lady Penelope and my toddler self are hugging in the water, me close to her skin. A frog is sitting on a lily pad, watching it all.

PANEL 2:

INT. THERAPIST'S OFFICE. DAY

All this is revealed to be a part of my toddler self's imagination, and while I'm relaxing on a recliner seat holding pink teddy, my therapist is laughing uncontrollably, while Parker is trying to calm him down.

PARKER

No, it's true, sir, whatever me little lady said was true and not an 'allucination!

Lady Penelope and I talk about how cartoons like The Simpsons have gone drastically downhill these days, what with CGI and the streaming wars and all that, but Penelope tells me that the only one who won't fall behind in the streaming wars is Thunderbirds be it CGI or not.

Cupcakes 2 Love sounds very fun! I love that they have thematic parties. I adore The Lion King, Pokemon, Disney princesses. Hot cocoa with marshmallows and chocolate chip cookies sound absolutely amazing. :)

Hm. I think I know the answer. Itching noses are really caused by little gnomes who play with your sinuses. They love to tickle people's noses from the inside, but only in a certain spot. :)

That sounds fun! I believe we would have a grand time. We could explore the land, meet all sorts of interesting and unusual characters, and we could even have an adventure with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare!

That sounds like a splendid event! I would absolutely love to go! You can go on a tractor ride, and look and pet the animals up close! You can even help pick vegetables and fruits! :)

Morning Coffee

PANEL 1:

INT. CREIGHTON WARD MANSION - KITCHEN. MORNING.

Lady Penelope is by herself, wearing her pink dressing gown and with frizzy hair, pouring herself a mug of coffee. I peer round the door to investigate what's going on.

PANEL 2:

INT. CREIGHTON WARD MANSION - KITCHEN - CONT'D.

Now I am pouring myself a glass of fresh milk.

ME

(curiously)

Does a woman take her place in the kitchen?

LADY PENELOPE

(tired out)

Lil works there. A woman's place is to feed herself in the kitchen, whether it's cheese, chocolate, porridge or...coffee.