Coco

A Spirit From Both Realms

Miguel and his family are escorted by a security guard across an arching second-floor walkway. Dante happily trots alongside. Miguel looks up to see gondolas traveling by. "Whoa..." Skeletons stare at the two as they walk by. Suddenly Miguel notices Tío Oscar staring at his face in deep contemplation, "I miss my nose..."

At the end of the walkway are doors emblazoned with 'DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY REUNIONS.' The family passes through. Inside, they find case workers helping travelers work out holiday snafus. In a far corner, one traveler in particular is raising hell.

"I demand to speak to the person in charge!"

A beleaguered Case Worker cringes as Mamá Imelda tears into her. "I'm sorry, señora, it says here no one put up your photo--" Mamá Imelda coldly eyes the Macintosh 128k on the woman's desk, "My family always -- ALWAYS -- puts my photo on the ofrenda! That devil box tells you nothing but lies!"

In a swift movement, Mamá Imelda removes her shoe and smacks the computer. "Mamá Imelda?" She turns her shoe on Papá Julio, who leans back and yelps. Mamá Imelda softens, "Oh, mi familia! They wouldn't let me cross the bridge! Tell this woman and her devil box that my photo is on the ofrenda."

"Well, we never made it to the ofrenda..."

"What?!"

Papa Julio steps aside to reveal Miguel and Y/N, "We ran into... um..." Mamá Imelda's eyes fall on Miguel and Y/N. Miguel looks at Mamá Imelda. Her photo flashes before him.

"Miguel?"

"Mamá Imelda..."

Mama Imelda glances at Y/N, "What is going on?" Just then, a door opens and a Clerk pokes his head out, "You the Rivera family?" The computer short circuits and starts to smoke. The family enters the office, and the Clerk looks at the two, "Well, you're cursed." The family gasps.

"What?!"

The clerk searches through a huge stack of papers, "Día de los Muertos is a night to GIVE to the dead. You STOLE from the dead." He glances at the boy with a knowing look. Miguel glances at him, "But I wasn't stealing the guitar!" Mama Imelda frowns as she stands to the side, "Guitar...?"

"It was my great-great grandfather's; he would have wanted me to have it--"

Mama Imelda points angrily at him, "Ah-ah-ah! We do not speak of that..." She growls in disgust, "...musician! He is DEAD to this family!" Y/N glares at her, "Imelda..." Miguel looks at Imelda, "Uh, you're all dead."

"ACHOO! I am sorry, whose alebrije is that?" The clerk questions as Miguel steps up, trying to pull Dante away from the treats, "That's just Dante."

"He sure doesn't look like an alebrije." Tía Rosita gestures to the fantastical creatures fluttering on the other side of the window." Tio Oscar and Tio Felipe point at the dog, "He just looks like a plain old dog... Or a sausage someone dropped in a barbershop."

"Whatever he is, I am -- ACHOO! -- terribly allergic."

"But Dante doesn't have any hair." Y/N spoke. "And I don't have a nose, and yet here we are -- ACHOO!!" He looks at Y/N, "You've been cursed for a long time. Did you not know you can visit the Land of the Dead anytime?"

"I-- wait, what?"

"You are neither living nor dead. A spirit between the two realms. You can visit both worlds anytime, any day. As a matter of fact, you are the first spirit to cross." The clerk responds. Y/N's eyes widened in shock. All this time, she could have come here to see him.

"But none of this explains why I couldn't cross over." Imelda spoke. Miguel realizes something and sheepishly pulls out the folded photo. "Oh..." He unfolds the photo. "You took my photo off the ofrenda?!" Mama Imelda shouts. Miguel gazes at her, "It was an accident!" Mamá Imelda turns to the clerk, fire in her eyes, "How do we send him back?!"

"Well, since it's a family matter..." He starts flipping pages, "The way to undo a family curse is to get your family's blessing." Y/N frowns, "That's it?"

"Get your family's blessing, and everything SHOULD go back to normal. But you gotta do it by sunrise!" The clerk points at the boy. Miguel frowns, "What happens at sunrise?" Y/N gasps, "Híjole! Your hand!" Miguel looks at his hand. The tip of one of his fingers has started to turn skeletal. He turns pale. He starts to faint when Papá Julio picks him up and gently slaps him awake, "Whoa, Miguel. Can't have you fainting on us."

"But not to worry! Your family's here; you can get your blessing right now." The clerk searches the ground near Tía Rosita, "Cempasúchil, cempasúchil. Aha! Perdón, señora." Tía Rosita titters. The clerk plucks a marigold petal from the hem of her dress. He hands the petal to Mamá Imelda.

"Now, you look at the living and say his name."

Imelda turns to Miguel, "Miguel."

"Nailed it. Now say: I give you my blessing."

"I give you my blessing." The marigold petal glows in her fingers. Miguel brightens. But Mamá Imelda is not finished, "I give you my blessing to go home..." The glow of the marigold petal surges. "To put my photo back on the ofrenda..." Each added condition makes the petal glow brighter. Imelda delivers it like a scolding, but Miguel nods. "And to never play music again!" The petal surges one last time.

"What? She can't do that!" Y/N shouts. The Clerk shrugs, "Well, technically, she can add any conditions she wants." Miguel stares her down. Imelda is firm in her resolve. He rolls his eyes, "Fine." The Clerk looks to Imelda, "Then you hand the petal to Miguel." Imelda extends the petal to Miguel, who reaches for it. He grabs the petal.

WHOOOOSH!

He's consumed by a whirlwind of petals and disappears.

Y/N glares at Imelda, "Seriously!?" She glances at the spirit, "Yes."

WHOOOOSH!

Miguel appears back in the clerk's office in another flash of the marigold whirlwind without the guitar. The family turns, shocked to see him back so soon. Miguel realizes his hands are still in a guitar-holding position.

"Two seconds, and you already break your promise!"

Miguel stomps up to her, "This isn't fair; it's my life! You already had yours!" Miguel grabs another petal, he marches over to Papá Julio. "Papá Julio, I ask for your blessing." Papá Julio shakes his head and pulls his hat down. "Tía Rosita? Oscar? Felipe? Tía Victoria?"

They all shake their heads.

"Don't make this hard, mijo. You go home my way or no way." Miguel glares at her, "You really hate music that much?" Mama Imelda points her bony finger at him, "I will not let you go down the same path he did."

Y/N crosses her arms at Imelda as Miguel gets an idea. He pulls the photo out and turns from the group, "The same path he did." He gazes at the man with no face. "He's family..." Tia Victoria approaches Miguel, "Listen to your Mamá Imelda."

Tio Oscar nods, "She's just looking out for you."

Tia Rosita looks at the boy, "Be reasonable." Miguel starts back toward the door, grabbing Y/N's hand, "Con permiso, I... need to visit the restroom. Be right back!" Miguel pulls her out. The family waits for a short beat.

"Uh, should we tell him there are no restrooms in the Land of the Dead?"