The Community, Issue 3: Part 4.4

Page 76

Panel 1: Jesminder glances around to either side of the spiritual being as she speaks in search of something. Off-Panel, you can hear the sound of fingers snapping, shutting off the music inside.

JESMINDER

(Cont., to Chitragupta)

I remember my Vedas correctly, you usually read out the sins of whoever's in front of you prior to judgment. Or in my case, massive file cabinets.

Panel 2: Chitragupta chuckles at the statement, flashing a grin that is more disconcerting than warm by any means.

CHITRAGUPTA

(slight nod, to Jesminder; translated from Hindu)

Usually, yes. But with you, there were some...unique circumstances.​

CHITRAGUPTA

(Bubble 2; reacting to Panel 3, Bubble 1)

Well, for starters- you weren't technically slated to die.

CHITRAGUPTA

(Bubble 3; reacting to Panel 3, Bubble 2)

Correct. You were actually slated to survive the virus. But there was...

Panel 3: Back to Ms. Borah in the same setting/layout as Panel 1. She tilts her head to the side in regards to the last word in the statement.

JESMINDER

(seeking clarification) "Unique" how?

JESMINDER

(stunned, Bubble 2; reacting to Panel 2, Bubble 1)

I wasn't supposed to die...?

Panel 4: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. After a long pause, she comes back with a little more hope than she had earlier.

JESMINDER

(interjecting)

I don't care the how. I can--I can go back to the world now, right? Back to helping people, making sure India doesn't become a conservative national hell...

Panel 5: Chitragupta gives a side nod to the rest of the question that she knows before Jes says it. The setting and layout behind her is similar to the beginning of the page.

CHITRAGUPTA

(explanatory)

Not quite, Ms. Borah. Too much time in the physical world has passed since you passed. Going back now to your flesh body would be...how to put it properly.

JESMINDER

(Off-Panel)

A Walking Dead situation.

CHITRAGUPTA

(Bubble 2)

Yes, thank you! The boss thought we could give you an option going forward, as a way to apologize for our error.

Page 77

Panel 1: Cut to a close-up shot of the door from the left of the panel view: a tan colored door sprinkled with glitter from top to bottom.

Caption

(Cont., Chitragupta)

"Through this door will be a renewed life filled with magic unlike any other human alive."

Caption

(Cont., Jesminder)

"Can I keep my name?"

Caption

(Chitragupta)

"Of course, though you will have to use your middle name as your last name- Gupta. You'll also retain the memories of your old life. There are, however, two catches: One, you can never use your magic for profit--"

Caption

(Jesminder)

"--What about for personal comfort, like going to dinner or the theatre- or charity?"

Caption

(Chitragupta)

"...That's fine. Just as long as your actions don't disrupt what should be, or harm innocent people needlessly. The second catch: you will never set foot in India or interact with any part of your old life again. Including your wife."

Panel 2: We move to a shot of the now Ms. Gupta with a sense of unease at the two catches. She looks down at the ground with a ponderous look on her face as she speaks.

JESMINDER

What's behind the second door?

CHITRAGUPTA

(Off-Panel)

The next stage of your existence. Whatever the boss has slated for you.

Panel 3: Cut to a shot of the other door. It looks very similar to the one from Panel 1, but without the sparkly flourishes.

Caption

(Chitragupta)

"Your memories as it were won't be readily accessible; the potential magic inside you remaining just that- potential"

Caption

(Jesminder)

"And I'll still be able to call India home."

Caption

(Chitragupta)

"Yes, you will. The drawback is that it usually decades- centuries for human spirits to reincarnate back to other human spirits. By then, the world you know may not exist."

Panel 4: Cut to a slight close-up of the upper half of the spiritual being a beat later, taking a step toward the human; a knowing look on her face.

CHITRAGUPTA

(Cont., to Jesminder)

Given what you said at the end of your video, I'd like to think it's a fairly simple decision. Don't you think?

Panel 5: A two-part set of panels that moves back to Jes a beat later. In the first part, she goes through a great deal of inner contemplation at the choice before her.

Panel 6: In the second part, a seemingly long period of time elapsed, the former MP has made her decision. You can see a solid level of acceptance in her eyes at the choice.

JESMINDER

(to herself)

Yes. Yes, it is...​

Page 78

Panel 1: Action shot showing her from the back walking into the opened Door #1; a bright white light shooting out from within, rendering her a shadow as she walks.

Caption

(Cont., Jesminder)

"You'll make sure she knows I love her, won't you?

Caption

(Cont., Chitragupta)

"Not my department, but I'll make explicit sure she does."

Panel 2: A panel of full white and nothing else at this point, looking almost like a beam of light coming from the upper section of the panel. You can also see what appears to be the hint of glass in the panel view.

Caption

(Jesminder, thought bubble)

"Tuning out the mix of hormones and anxieties of sixty twentysomethings is really distracting...gotta find a way to deal with that."

Panel 3: We pull back from where it was, revealing the now youthful Jesminder standing in front of a bathroom mirror and admiring her body clothed in a gray University of London T-Shirt and a pair of short shorts.

JESMINDER

(grins, thought bubble)

Plus side- I'm in one of the premiere colleges in the world, University College London, pursuing a Doctorate in Political Science. And the body I reincarnated in is definitely...pleasing on the eyes.​

(Bubble 2)

It needs an extra flourish though...

Panel 4: Same setting/layout as the previous panel. A few moments later, she waves her hands to the side of her long dark hair; patches of gray forming right around her sideburns. As she speaks, a vibration sound hovers in from the bottom right of the panel.

JESMINDER

(wider grin)

Perfect!

Panel 5: Cut to a shot of her phone a few moments later; the palm of Jesminder's hand visible in the background. At the top of the screen is the time [09:22] and the date [January 14, 2021]. Underneath that are notifications on two stories: the bottom detailing news from the Guardian of the discovery of a vaccine for the virus, and the one above a Google News notification highlighting Neha Borah winning the seat held by her late wife, the MP Jesminder Borah.

Panel 6: Jesminder is still smiling compared to Panel 4 as she reads the top headline. You can see a hint of love from the old life at the news.

JESMINDER

(sweetly)

Congrats, Rock...give those bastards hell!