Maia Foster O'Neal

comics, crafts, feelings

Puffin & Troll are Friends

Page 1 Panel 1: Heimaey island rises up out of a calm sea. The sky is blue with faint puffs of clouds. The island is rough volcanic rock capped by lush green patches of grass or moss. Panel 2: Closeup on one of the green patches on the island. A flock of puffins does puffin things – some are sitting, some are waddling about, some are tapping their beaks together, some are flying, one is coming in for a landing. It’s a beautiful sunny summer day. Panel 3: Closeup on one puffin, who is leaning over to peek into an irregularly- shaped hole in the rock. Behind the puffin, a little rustling noise issues from just off-panel. Panel 4: A knobbly greyish hand with three fingers and a thumb pops up from behind a chunk of rock. The hand is grasping a bundle of grasses, pulled up by the roots.
Page 2 Panel 1: The puffin turns to see a small and friendly-looking troll, who is just a little larger than the puffin, offering the handful of grass. The troll is wearing clothes made of fluffy black feathers, has a tuft of wispy black hair on its head. It has big shiny black eyes, a friendly smile, large pointed ears that stick out from the side of its head, short bowed legs (with four toes per foot), and a large curved nose. Panel 2: Closeup on the troll’s face. The troll is smiling and its eyes look warm and kind. Panel 3: The puffin spreads out its wings and squawks. The troll holds the bunch of grass out even closer, still offering it to the puffin. Panel 4: The puffin, with bundle of grasses clamped in its beak, peers up out of the hole at the troll, who is crouched down at the edge of the hole, fingers curled over the edge. The troll smiles, eyes closed in peaceful delight. Panel 5: The troll sits comfortably on a chunk of rock just above the hole. The puffin, who has now emerged from the hole to stand on the rock nearby, speaks. The puffin’s speech bubble has a fish drawn in it. Panel 6: The puffin flies off in search of fish, while the troll stands near the hole in the rock and waves goodbye.
Page 3 Panel 1: The puffin flies back toward Heimaey island, visible in the distance. Panel 2: The troll is still near the hole, and when it catches sight of the approaching puffin, it throws its hands into the air in excitement as if to say “hello, welcome back, I’m happy you’re here!” Panel 3: The troll and the puffin happily bonk heads in greeting. Their heads make a gentle “boink” sound. Panels 4 through 9 create a montage of time passing (and the deepening of a friendship). Panel 4: The troll and puffin hang out near the hole in the rock, both laughing. The troll is lounging, head tipped back in mirth and one hand outstretched. The puffin has its wings spread and beak open in a laugh. They might be telling each other stories or jokes. The sky is overcast, mottled with grey and white clouds. Panel 5: It’s a clear starry night with a deep blue sky, and the puffin and troll are both asleep near the hole, the puffin with its head tucked into its wing and the troll flat on its back and snoring. Panel 6: The puffin stands near the hole listening attentively while the troll stands on one foot on the edge of the rock and gestures grandly, telling a story or a joke. The sky is blue with scattered clouds. Panel 7: The troll and the puffin are stacking small rocks to make a precarious rock tower. The troll holds up a small rock, ready to place it on top after the puffin adds the one in its beak. They are smiling happily. The sky is a deep blue, like dusk. Panel 8: The troll and the puffin sit close together watching a beautiful orange sunset. Their backs are to the reader, in silhouette. There are a few small birds, probably more puffins, flying out over the open sea. Panel 9: The sky is filled with deep storm clouds. The troll waves goodbye from the top of the rock above the hole as puffin flies off in search of more fish. The troll’s speech bubble contains a little red heart, and the puffin’s contains a fish. The puffin looks back over its shoulder as it departs.
Page 4 Panel 1: The sky is still stormy as the puffin returns. The troll stands on the rocks near the hole, pointing in shocked worry at the puffin’s feet, which are tangled in a scrap of fishing net. The troll and the puffin both have speech bubbles with red exclamation points in them – this is an upsetting and frightening moment! Panel 2: The puffin lays flat on its back, wings outstretched and feet in the air, as the troll works to untangle the netting. Panel 3: Success! The troll’s fist clutches the ragged bit of netting, now fully removed from the puffin’s feet. Panel 4: The troll gleefully eats the scrap of net while the puffin examines its newly unencumbered feet. Panel 5: The puffin offers a black feather, clutched in its beak, to the delighted troll. The troll’s speech bubble conveys its excitement, containing a feather, a heart, and an exclamation point. Panel 6: The sky is finally clear and the sea is calm. The troll waves goodbye again, smiling, as it stands near the hole. The puffin flies off once again in search of fish, looking back over its shoulder as it speaks both a speech bubble with a fish and one with a heart.
Page 5 This page is a series of panels showing time passing again, as the troll waits for the puffin’s return, staying in the same place on the rocks near the hole. Panel 1: The troll stands in profile near the hole, staring blankly forward, waiting. The sky is a flat greyish blue. Panel 2: The troll sits hunched forward near the hole, still waiting, elbow on its knee and fist propping up its chin. The sky is a flat light grey. Panel 3: It’s a clear starry night again, deep blue. The troll sleeps, open-mouthed and snoring, flat on its back, hands on its chest. Panel 4: The troll looks out over the ocean, one hand shading its eyes. The sky is blue and full of white puffy clouds. Panel 5: Another puffin has come by, and the troll anxiously asks if it has seen the missing puffin. The troll points out towards the sky in the direction its friend flew, and its speech bubble contains a flying puffin, a heart, and a question mark. It looks worried. The visiting puffin shrugs apologetically. Panel 6: It’s nighttime again, and raining. The troll is curled up on its side on the rock, back to the reader. The hole is still in the foreground, a black void in the rocky ground. Panel 7: Ears drooping, the troll sits and looks glumly down at the feather clutched in its hand. The sky is a flat grey. Panel 8: The troll holds the feather up towards the sky, staring morosely at it. Its friend still has not returned. Panel 9: The troll looks curiously down towards the hole, where a tiny tapping noise (“tck tck tck”) can be heard. Panel 10: This panel is full-bleed, and shows a closeup on the shadowy hole, from which more tapping sounds emanate (“tck tck tck”).
Page 6 Panel 1: The point of view shifts so that the reader is inside the hole, looking up and out. The troll’s face looms curiously over the hole, fingers curled around the edges of the rock. In the foreground is a large white egg on a nest of dried grass. A small hole has appeared in the top of the egg, the source of the tapping sound (“tck tck tck”). Panel 2: The tapping sound continues as the troll carefully lowers itself into the hole. Panel 3: The troll lays at the bottom of the hole, curled on its side next to the grass nest. It holds the feather between its own face and the egg. The crack in the egg is a little larger, and the tapping sound continues. The troll is smiling very gently, but also looks a little sad. Panel 4: Wide shot of Heimaey island, with puffins wheeling through the blue sky. Two speech bubbles hover over the island. The first contains the words “Peep! Peep!” in warm round letters. The second contains a small red heart.