Once upon a time, there was a young critter named Sybil Sylvania who lived with her parents on Mayberry Street. She was a curious and adventurous little gal who loved exploring her surroundings. However, her parents were always busy and tired when they got home, so they didn't spend much time with her, nor were they fully present when they did get to see little Sybil.
Sybil: Mom! Dad! Guess what happened to me today!
Mom: Hmm?
Dad: Oh, yeah that’s nice dear…
Sybil: But I didn’t even say what happened yet…
Mom: Mmm uh-huh, yeah, anyways…
Realizing that her parents weren’t listening to her, Sybil went to her room feeling dejected. Her parents work long hours almost everyday to afford her a comfortable and bright future, but all she wanted was to spend some quality time with both of them now. Sybil stayed in her room listening to sad music and watching movies until the late hours of the night.
After wallowing in her room, Sybil decided to do something to cheer herself up. With her parents fast asleep in their room, Sybil got up and set off on a little adventure around the house by herself. She quietly tiptoed out of her room and into the kitchen where she ate a snack of heart-shaped cookies and milk.
Next, Sybil crept to the living room and started to read a science book which she found fascinating. Next thing she knew, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon and through the window.
Oh my gosh! Morning already!?
Then, just as she was preparing to scurry back into her room before her parents woke up, Sybil spotted something familiar out of the corner of her eye peeking into her house from the backyard.
There you are again! You little rascals!
Sybil silently exited the living room into the backyard where she was greeted by three white geese who were excited to see her.
I tried telling my parents about you, but they have been too busy to notice…
Honk honk!
Shhh! Quiet or you'll wake up my parents!
Panicked, Sybil turned to go back inside, only to be met by her parents at the door.
Mom: Sybil, what is all of this?
Sybil: Actually, this is what I wanted to tell you guys about last night. These geese followed me home yesterday from the bus stop, and I guess they wanted to pay me a visit this morning.
Dad: Haha, that’s actually pretty cool. I guess we weren't really paying attention yesterday...
Mom: Sybil, we're sorry we didn’t listen to you. Work has been extra stressful, but we shouldn’t let that get in the way of talking to or sharing special moments and memories with you.
Dad: I’m sorry too, your mother and I love you very much.
Sybil ran into the house and came back with more heart-shaped cookies from the kitchen and the three of them fed the geese together with love.
Sybil: This is all I wanted—some adventure and memories with my parents. I love you guys.
Story, code, and images by Karmia Keffer
Images edited using the photo app Dazz Cam
Music by Bruno_ph (freesounds.org)
Geese audio by theshaggyfreak (freesounds.org)
This website was created for WSUV's DTC 355 class in which we were tasked to make a sequential narrative project with a scrolling feature. Due to my lack of digital art skills, I opted to take photos of some of my Sylvanian Family characters inside Mayberry Street miniature dollhouse sets that I built in the past. I also took inspiration from the TikTok account Sylvaniandrama, which poses dramatic and humorous scenarios of Sylvanian Family characters in dollhouses. Although my story is not as scandalous or amusing as the stories on Sylvaniandrama, I think it is still effective. I had some challenges posing the characters and getting the lighting right, and I still think I could have retaken a few photos that ended up bluer than expected. However, the entire process was really fun to execute and I loved seeing the final product come together. I always loved playing with dolls and miniatures growing up, so I think it is cool getting to return to this activity and incorporate it into a college assignment that helps me experiment with code and express my creativity.