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.