Surveillance
By Asma Al-Masyabi
In a world where speech is heavily monitored, Hannan is left reeling after spotting her former friend at a protest. She attempts to tell her sister, wary of who might be listening.
Hannan: “Hey, Assalamu’alaikum”
Sofia: “Hannan? Wa’alaikum Assalam! Good lord, what took you so long? You’re supposed to help with dinner today. Baba said.”
Hannan: “No. Today’s Thursday, remember?”
Sofia: “Uhhh. No?”
Hannan: “Really?”
Sofia: “Hey Cindy! Was there something important on Hannan’s schedule today?”
Cindy: “Today, Hannan had an important interview with Intell Corp at 3 pm.”
Sofia: “Oh. Why didn’t you remind me? I woulda made cake.”
Hannan: “Don’t worry about it.”
Sofia: “How’d it go? They laugh you out?”
Hannan: “No, it was fine. Nothing special.”
Sofia: “Are you sure?”
Hannan: “Yes. Don’t be nosy.”
Sofia: “I’m not being nosy! Jeez! Don’t be so moody.”
Sofia: “Um. Do you wanna to listen to a podcast?”
Hannan: “Sure.”
Sofia: “Cindy. Play Crimes Gone Cold, Episode 40.”
Cindy: “Ok, Sophia. Playin-”
Hannan: “Wait. Cindy, play soft jazz.”
Cindy: “Ok, Hannan. Playing soft jazz mix one.”
Sofia: “Hannan, what-” (Hannan turns on water)
Sofia: “What’re you–”
Hannan: “Shh!”
Sofia: “Shhh yourself! What-”
Hannan: “Shut up! Stop talking so loud!”
Sofia: “…What’s wrong.”
Hannan: “…Down by Lauris square. There was a protest.”
Sofia: “What- really? Wait, were they okay? Did the cops-” (Sofia grabs Hannan)
Sofia: “Sorry.”
Hannan: “It’s fine.”
Sofia: “So?”
Hannan: “There were maybe ten people in a circle, facing outward. In that small patch of grass they have by the tree.”
Hannan: “They were dressed all in black, wearing masks, right hands raised. Making the peace sign.”
Hannan: “One of them had their fingernails painted bright red and wore a bunch of gold bracelets. Like Essy.”
“Esperanza? Your highschool study buddy?”
Hannan: “My friend. And it didn’t just look like her, it was her. She was watching me. She wouldn’t stop staring. She didn’t look away. Not once. Not even when I ran away.”
Hannan: “I knew the cops would come and I couldn’t-”
Sofia: “Hey, hey. It’s okay”
Hannan: “It’s not! What if they -” (music turns off suddenly)
Sofia: “Cindy?”
Cindy: “Yes, Sofia?”
Sofia: “Why did the music stop?”
Cindy: “Audio output is disabled for the time being.”
“Hannan-”
Hannan: “Sofia. Go wake baba, okay? It’s almost time for his shift.”
Sofia: “But-”
Hannan: “Go. I’ll finish up here.”
Process
Although I am a big lover of comics and manga, this is the first comic I’ve ever made. It began as a vague thought – I knew I wanted to do something similar to The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún or Tillie Walden’s work. Something quiet, but profound and beautiful. I was also drawn to the idea of two sisters sharing a secret, perhaps even a dangerous one. I added more to this idea over a number of weeks, mulling over it while I washed dishes and hunched over homework. My mentor, Kaci, helped me further flesh out these characters and their world through a few dialogue and world-building exercises. Finally, the pieces fell together, and I became fully acquainted with my story. All that was left was to write and illustrate it. I started by creating a script and putting it through a few rounds of revisions until I was satisfied with it. Then, I went straight to work with the illustrations. I sketched out thumbnails of what I wanted each panel to look like before spending (probably) a majority of my time combing through Google for reference pictures. I then sketched and inked each panel, added the dialogue, and arranged and pasted them on the paper.
Asma Al-Masyabi
Asma Al-Masyabi is a free-verse poet and visual artist based in Colorado, who occasionally delves into flash fiction. She is currently pursuing her Associates in English with a concentration in creative writing. Her two biggest passions are crafting the written word and art and she wants to pursue a life-long career where she can do both. She’s dreaming big dreams, reading good books, while simultaneously baking chocolate chip cookies. When not experimenting in the kitchen, you can find her reading all the comics she can get her hands on and watching the next big hit her mom found on TV.
