Waiting for Juniper
1Picture: A wide panel stretches across the whole top of the page. It shows a city at sunrise from high above: rows of rooftops, water towers and chimneys under a pale gray sky. On one flat roof, Omar and his grandfather, Jiddo, stand beside a small wooden pigeon coop. They look tiny in the big city.
Caption: Before dawn, Jiddo's pigeon club drove the young birds far out into the country and set them free. Now each bird had to find its own way home.
2Picture: A close-up of Omar's face fills the whole panel. His eyebrows are pinched together, and he is biting his lip. Behind him, the sky is pale gray.
Speech balloon (Omar): "What if Juniper can't find our roof?"
3Picture: Jiddo sits on an upside-down bucket, sipping tea from a small glass. His shoulders are relaxed, and he is smiling as he points one finger at the sky.
Speech balloon (Jiddo): "A pigeon remembers its home. Just watch the sky."
4Picture: A small, narrow panel shows nothing but empty sky above the rooftops. The sun is high and white now. There are no words in this panel.
5Picture: The sky has begun to turn orange. Omar grips the low wall at the edge of the roof with one hand and points out over the city with the other. Far away, above the water towers, there is a dark speck so small that a reader has to search the panel to find it.
Speech balloon (Omar), in huge, bold letters: "JIDDO! LOOK!"
6Picture: This is the largest panel on the page. Juniper swoops down toward the coop with her wings spread wide. Every feather is drawn with care, and the evening light turns her gray wings silver and gold. Curved lines stream out behind her.
Sound effect, in tall, curving letters across the sky: FWOOOSH
7Picture: Omar holds Juniper gently against his chest, and Jiddo rests a hand on Omar's shoulder. Omar's eyes are closed, and he is smiling. The whole panel glows with warm oranges and yellows.
Caption: Juniper had found her way home.
Speech balloon (Jiddo): "I told you. She remembers."