Core Narrative 4

TITLE: Thelma
Book

Pablo, the CEO of CNN, struggles with bi-polar disorder. He is on many mood stabilizers in order to keep him productive at work. Due to the intensity of his medication Pablo is unable to have normal human interactions outside of work. He longs to be in a romantic relationship like everyone else around him, but he knows that is only obtainable if he stops taking his medication.

One day as Pablo is eating lunch and people watching, he takes interest in a couple walking down the street. He can see how much they care for each other by the way they’re holding hands and locked in each other’s gaze. That night Pablo decides to stop taking his medication. The next morning, he wakes up very angry and notices a young woman standing outside his apartment building because his cat begins interacting with her. She has long, blonde hair and she is wearing a poodle skirt. Her name is Thelma, she´s dead, but he doesn´t know it. They begin to date and make it official.

One day at work Pablo is searching the archives and comes across an article about Thelma. He is shocked to learn that she´s dead, but he is relieved to know that he does not have a mental illness and is in fact enlightened. Due to this information he invites mentally ill people into the office and asks reporters to interview them on their experiences after they have stopped taking medication. He believes them since he has a connection to limbo as well and begins to run their stories. Due to this all of LA begins to look at homeless people talking to themselves differently. They begin to listen and believe them, as well as other mentally ill people.