ELARA (70s): Kind, slightly forgetful, lives alone in a cottage.
MAYA (30s): Elara's granddaughter, a stressed architect living in the city.
SAM (8): Maya's son, energetic and imaginative.
PAGE 1 (5 Panels)
Panel 1
Full page splash: A cozy, slightly weathered cottage surrounded by a vibrant garden. It looks "lived in"—wild ivy, a painted wooden door. Time: Late afternoon.
Panel 2
Interior, kitchen. ELARA is baking. Flour is everywhere. She is smiling softly.
Panel 3
Close up on a photo frame on the wall: A younger Elara with a young girl (Maya's mother) in front of the same cottage.
Panel 4
A modern, sleek, sterile, gray high-rise apartment in the city. MAYA is on her phone, looking stressed. SAM is playing with tablet-controlled toys.
Panel 5
Close up on Maya's face. She looks exhausted.
Maya (Thought Bubble): Too much noise. Too much pressure.
PAGE 2 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Maya is looking at her phone. The screen shows an email: RE: Estate Management - Cottage Listing.
Panel 2
Sam looks up from his game.
Sam: Mom? Are we going to see Grandma?
Panel 3
Maya rubs her temples.
Maya: Soon, Sam. I have to settle the… old house first.
Panel 4
Close up on Sam's face. He looks worried.
Sam: Is the cottage going away?
Panel 5
Maya looks away, looking guilty.
Maya: It's just… it's too hard to keep up now that she's moved to the assisted living apartment. It's not "home" anymore.
Panel 6
Sam hugs his knees.
Sam: But that's where the memory tree is.
PAGE 3 (4 Panels)
Panel 1
Transition to: The cottage again. Maya and Sam arrive. The garden is overgrown.
Panel 2
Maya looks at the cottage with a complex expression—nostalgia mixed with annoyance.
Maya: It's so small. I don't know how she stayed here so long.
Panel 3
Sam runs toward a large willow tree in the backyard.
Sam: Memory tree!
Panel 4
Sam is looking into a small, weathered wooden birdhouse hanging on the tree.
PAGE 4 (5 Panels)
Panel 1
Close up: Inside the birdhouse, there are no birds, just a small, hand-painted rock.
Sam: It's still here!
Panel 2
Maya walks up, looking down at her son.
Maya: Sam, we are here to pack, not play. The realtor is coming in two days.
Panel 3
Sam holds up the rock.
Sam: Grandma said this is the "Heart Stone." She said when you hold it, you know you are safe.
Panel 4
Maya looks at the rock. A memory flashback panel: Young Maya crying, holding the same rock, young Elara comforting her.
Panel 5
Maya brushes hair out of her eyes.
Maya: She said a lot of silly things.
PAGE 5 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
Interior, cottage. Dust motes dance in the sunlight. It is quiet.
Panel 2
Maya starts opening cabinets, putting things in cardboard boxes.
Panel 3
She picks up an old, mismatched teacup. It has a chip on the rim.
Panel 4
She remembers her mother drinking from this cup. She looks sad.
Panel 5
Sam walks in, holding a dusty box of old crayon drawings.
Sam: Look! These are yours!
Panel 6
Maya smiles, looking at a drawing of a stick figure family.
Maya: I drew that when I was five.
PAGE 6 (4 Panels)
Panel 1
Nighttime. Maya is sitting on the floor in the living room, surrounded by boxes. She looks exhausted, but a little less stressed.
Panel 2
She looks at a photo album. Page 1: The cottage in its prime.
Panel 3
Page 2: Elara smiling, holding a younger version of Maya.
Panel 4
Maya touches the photo.
Maya (Thought Bubble): I was always happy here. Why did I think this was just an old house?
PAGE 7 (6 Panels)
Panel 1
The next morning. The cottage looks less chaotic.
Panel 2
A loud knock on the door. It's the realtor, a fast-talking man with a sleek suit.
Realtor: Fantastic! Ready for the listing photos? This place has "tear-down potential" written all over it!
Panel 3
Maya looks shocked.
Maya: Tear-down?
Panel 4
Realtor: Oh yeah, people love the land. They just rip the old structure out, put up a modern cube.
Panel 5
Sam holds the Heart Stone tightly.
Sam: No!
Panel 6
Maya stands in front of Sam.
Maya: It's not for sale.
PAGE 8 (3 Panels)
Panel 1
The realtor leaves, looking confused and annoyed.
Panel 2
Sam looks up at Maya.
Sam: We're keeping the memory tree?
Panel 3
Maya looks around her old living room. It's full of memories. She picks up the Heart Stone from Sam.
Maya: We're keeping everything, Sam.
PAGE 9 (5 Panels)
Panel 1
Assisted Living Apartment. Clean, modern, but sparse. Elara is sitting in a chair, looking out a window. She looks lonely.
Panel 2
Maya and Sam walk in.
Panel 3
Elara turns, a bright smile breaking across her face.
Elara: My darlings!
Panel 4
They hug.
Maya: Grandma, I was wrong. The cottage… it isn't just wood and nails.
Panel 5
Maya places the Heart Stone in Elara's hand.
Maya: It's where you are.
PAGE 10 (4 Panels)
Panel 1
The three of them are sitting on the couch in the assisted living apartment.
Panel 2
Sam is drawing. Elara is looking at the photo album.
Panel 3
Maya looks at her phone. She starts typing.
Maya (Thought Bubble): Listing cancellation.
Panel 4
Maya smiles, looking at her grandmother.
Maya: We'll bring the cottage items here. We'll make this home.
PAGE 11 (2 Panels)
Panel 1
View from the outside of the assisted living building. A single window is glowing warm yellow.
Panel 2
Text overlay: "Home is not a place... it's a feeling."
PAGE 12 (1 Panel)
Panel 1
Full Page Splash: The old cottage again, now in a bright, sunny morning. A "For Sale" sign is being taken down, replaced by a hand-painted sign that says "Memory Garden." The Heart Stone rests on the windowsill.