Lina is a 67 year old woman living in one of the barely preserved old houses in Ermita Manila. Her life revolves around three things; the church, her grand children, and the non-stop class reunions she mounts every year. She has her daily routine. Have coffee in the morning, read the newspaper while listening to Carpenters, call her two daughters and ask if they'll come home over the weekend with her apos, and check the FB group of her batchmates--Class of 65', 70', and 74'.
Regardless of her age, Lina made sure that she always look presentable. Her short hair is always dyed in ash blonde, her eyeglasses compliments her bone structure, her outfit are conservative and yet in style, her makeup is always on point. To say it simply, she cannot go out until she's sure she's beautiful.
But Lina, despite having jolly friends who constantly invites her for lunch, dinner, coffee or chismisan, is lonely. The whole idea of retirement bores her to death. And if she's being honest to herself, she hates organizing their reunion!
"Mamatay yata akong malungkot ," she repeatedly tells herself. Little does she know that something in her life is about to change big time.
Geoff and Naomi are dead, and they're depressed, but when Geoff's cat Bernie dies as well, they embark on a wild journey to find it in the underworld.
*****
When Geoff dies, alongside his girlfriend Naomi, they end up sharing an apartment in the Underworld as skeletons. But after a few years, Geoff starts suffering a mid-death crisis. What's the purpose of going through the motions as a skeleton if you can't really live? Then he gets word that his cat, Bernie, just died and he can collect him and bring him home! Geoff and Naomi hurry to get Bernie only to discover that, due to a clerical error, their cat has been lost. With the hunt for Bernie giving new purpose to Geoff's un-life, he and Naomi begin a quest to get back their cat. Battling skeleton pirates, climbing the sky ladder and facing off against the villain who took Bernie, Geoff is determined to find his purpose - or die a second time trying!
[[2018 Wattys Winner - The Originals]]
[[word count: 30,000-40,000 words]]